Mixed Messages The Next Step

Previously on The Next Step...

Ella here is part of the exchange programme with internationals.

She's from a dance studio in England.

Eldon can't start dating you until he hits 30 pirouettes.

He never said anything about writing how I feel. I just outsmarted James.

From now on, no talking, no direct communication

and definitely no letters.

Any round that ends in a tie will be decided by a duet battle.

'James and Riley are our perfect duet.'

As long as their relationship goes well, we're good.

This whole square dance thing is actually not

a part of Internationals.

-You and Ella made it up?

-Funny, right?

'That's so unlike Riley. What is she doing?'

Yeah, it was actually pretty funny.

-You know when the guy goes up the stairs...

-Go.

OK, here's your chance, all right?

-Go and say it.

-Do I have to?

-Yes! Go!

Ahem.

-Yeah?

-Roses are white, green onions are green, you make me smile

when I am seen...by you.

What?

Wait, does Max like me?

Oh, that's from Eldon.

Oh. OK, good.

'We have found another way to outsmart James.'

James said we couldn't talk to each other but he never said

anything about talking to each other through different people.

He's so smart.

Well, you tell Eldon that his sweet words are like the nectar

that bees sip.

-Really?

-Do it.

Now.

I'm passing this message along because I'm a sucker for love.

Your words are the nectar that bees sip.

Yeah, they are!

-You're so not impressed right now.

-I need some milk.

'I'm so glad Eldon and I found a new way to communicate with each other.'

I just really hope James doesn't find out.

Where are you going?

-Band.

-Big surprise.

-Where are you going?

-To hang with Ella.

-Big surprise.

-What is your problem?

-Do you even know her?

I know her better than you do. You won't even give her a chance.

Riley, think about it. She's from a rival studio.

Maybe she's here to mess with you and screw up The Next Step.

-Ella's not like that! She wouldn't mess with me.

-How would you know?

You've known her for like a week!

'After Ella and Riley pulled that stupid little prank

I feel that Riley's a lot different.

He doesn't want me getting my own life and that's not OK with me.

-We're just hanging out!

-Riley, this has happened to us before.

-Look at Amanda!

-OK, that was a completely different...

-It's the same situation!

-No, it's not!

Hi, guys.

What are you guys talking about?

How you would never mess with me.

Of course I would. I'm from a rival team.

# We, we are going to show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're going to tear the roof off this place

# Stand up! #

It's getting harder and harder to talk to Thalia,

so I'm trying to get to 30 pirouettes as fast as I can.

-Eldon?

-Hey, Skylar.

Um, Max asked me to give you a message from Thalia.

OK, let's hear it.

'The message is kind of embarrassing but I'm excited to be involved

in anything to do with A-Troupe, even if it isn't dance-related.

She wants to take you to Spain to ride the biggest rollercoaster

in the world, to hunt with falcons

and to have both your tongues turn purple from grape juice.

Wow. Thalia's so romantic.

This passing messages through people thing is working out really well.

Is there anything you want me to tell her for you?

Yeah, actually, can you tell her I can't wait to watch her favourite

movie ten times in a row, I can't wait to find a way to heal her

hiccups, and I can't wait to drive her round every school she's

been to and listen to stories about her teachers? Got it? Thanks.

How am I going to remember all that?

'I can wait to hear what Thalia has to say back.'

Through someone else.

Oh, excuse me, you're in with A-Troupe, right?

I'm in with everyone.

OK, anyways, my mom just texted me and she's here so I've really

got to go but I'm supposed to give a message to Thalia.

-Can you give it to her for me?

-Yeah.

Eldon says, he can't wait to hear stories about driving school,

to give her hiccups ten times

and to take her to see her favourite movie called Teacher.

-OK!

-Thanks, I've really got to go.

That was weird.

Hey, do you want to go and grab some milkshakes

after I deliver some message to Thalia?

Seriously?

Why would I want to have a milkshake with someone who's messing with me?

'After she told me that she would mess with me,

I don't want anything to do with her.

No. I didn't say I...

I didn't say I WAS messing with you, I said...

-I said I would mess with you. Make sense?

-Not really.

'I understand why Riley's upset

'but she just needs to look at it in a different way.

So, if you had to choose between me and your own team, you'd choose...?

-My team.

-Yeah. My point. I'm just being honest.

I don't understand why we can't have fun.

I like you as a person and why can't we just be friends?

'This whole thing is just a miscommunication.'

Ella always puts her team before anyone else

and I would do the same thing.

So, how do we proceed from here then?

We're just going to have some fun and don't give me any ammunition

to use against you.

'Riley should never forget that I'm going to do whatever it takes

'to make my team win Internationals,'

even if that means messing with The Next Step.

'Right now I'm just in the music room by myself...'

..because I just feel alone.

'I just feel like no-one understands.'

'I had no idea how much this divorce was upsetting Michelle

'so I decided to stay.

I know what she's going through and she really needs somebody right now.

I'm just so distracted by my parents.

Whenever I come to dance rehearsal, I just...

I can't even pick up choreography. I don't know what's wrong with me.

There's nothing wrong with you.

They just keep fighting and fighting and fighting,

and I don't know what I ever did.

I feel like they're fighting about me.

I don't know how to fix this.

I've never been through anything like this and I'm sick and tired

of dealing with it.

It's OK. I get it.

'My parents are divorced too and I think my sister, Skylar,'

was about the only thing that got me through it.

We'll go grab a drink. We can talk about this more, OK?

You're not alone.

I feel alone.

You're not.

'Having Cierra here is great.'

Thank you.

'I mean, it's really nice to have a friend right now.'

'James and I have to practise this duet because it's the tie-breaker

'for Internationals, but this is the last place I want to be right now.

-Oh!

-Ugh!

-What is that lift?

-You're not holding me properly.

You've got to hold your core so you don't go so far that way.

I would hold my core if you held me properly.

Can we just try it again? We only have ten minutes.

Have you got somewhere to be?

Yes. Ella and I are meeting for milkshakes.

'Usually when she's rehearsing,

she's 100% focused on what she's doing,

but now she just wants to go off and get milkshakes.

The last time you spoke to her she straight up told you

she would mess with you!

OK, you don't understand her like I do,

and since your time is so precious,

wouldn't you rather spend it rehearsing rather than arguing?

You're right, you're wasting my time.

Why don't you go have your milkshake?

Wow. Fine.

'We're not really on the same wavelength

and I just don't want to deal with it any more.

'I can't believe Riley just walked out on this.

'Things are just falling apart.

I feel like I don't even know Riley any more.

Hey, West, I've got a message for Thalia.

Would you be able to give it to her?

Yeah, sure, how much else am I doing...(!)

OK, right, so, it says, "I want to give your favourite teacher hiccups,

"and I want to watch your favourite film while driving in a car."

-Makes sense.

-OK, yeah, bye.

'Yeah, I think I passed the message on well. West has got it.'

# In five, six, seven, eight,

# Come on now don't be late

# Whoa-oh oh-oh

# Oh-oh-ohhh. #

Max and I have an upcoming dance competition.

Even though I'm in B-Troupe and he's in A-Troupe,

I feel like it'd be great to work with him.

I could learn a few things.

'I'm a good dancer. Richelle's a good dancer. This is a good duet.

'We've put in a lot of tricks no-one has seen before.

'It's unlike any duet we've done here in the studio.

'I like lifting. This dance has a lot of lifts.

'I enter the music room to talk to Richelle

'and I see her doing this amazing duet with Max.'

'I'm actually really happy for him to see it because,

'as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of do still like him

'and I can just only hope that he feels the same way back.

-Yes! You guys were killing that. SHE WHISPERS:

-Get out!

You're amazing. You killed it!

Thank you. Thank you for coming and watching.

-No worries, you were great.

-Thank you.

Yeah, I've actually just got a question for you.

Yeah, sure, anything.

So, I know you probably know I kind of like Abbie

and I know you're in B-Troupe with her and everything,

so I was wondering if you could just find out if she likes me or not.

I'll think about it.

All right. Thanks, Richelle.

'I can't do it. I can't be the better person.'

I can't help him and Abbie be together.

# We're floating through the darkness endlessly. #

-Thalia! I've got a message from Eldon.

-Oh, yeah? What is it?

OK. When teachers drive in circles in the sky above your heart,

every school will give you hiccups through your soul.

You can then walk ten miles to the movies.

'West is delivering this message that's supposedly from Eldon

'but it seems a little off.'

Are you sure that's what Eldon said cos that really makes no sense.

-Yeah, verbatim.

-OK, sorry. What was the first part of it?

-OK...

Ah-ha! I know exactly what you're doing.

'I told Thalia 100 times to stop speaking to Eldon

and then I catch her doing it behind my back again?

You are using everybody to send love messages again.

-That was a love message, right?

-Yeah, it was.

-No!

-No, no.

-This is it!

No more sending love messages! You tell Eldon I said so!

-No, wait, YOU don't tell Eldon anything! You tell him.

-I tell him.

'Nobody is listening to me.'

I tell Riley, "Ella is bad." She's not listening.

I tell Eldon, "You're not ready for a relationship." He's not listening!

What is happening?

-Communication is so stupid.

-SO stupid.

You'll just have to find somebody else to hang out with

and she'll have a British accent, and Eldon will be too busy

with the band to see you, and keeping an eye on Eldon and...

-I've got to go!

-See ya.

Wow. James is really upset.

OK, I definitely can't talk to Eldon now.

Sure you can. I've got an idea.

OK.

# Get up get up and run

# Run away with me. #

'I enter Hidalgo's and I see James

'and I think this is the perfect time to talk about Riley.'

I need to talk to you.

That's great. I don't want to talk to you.

Everyone wants to talk to me. Look, stop being so hard on Riley.

If anything, you need to go and talk to her, but stop being hard on her.

What, so you guys can go on some little adventure

and get yourself into trouble?

So that's what this is about?

'I don't like Ella because she keeps trying to change Riley,'

and it's working.

I'm completely harmless.

I'm not going to hurt Riley, I'm not going to damage her.

You need to trust me. I'm helping her.

If you don't get a fully improved Riley by the end,

I'll give you a full refund.

Listen, I don't like you,

nor do I trust you or agree with anything you just said.

But if there's one thing that makes sense in that whole spiel

that you just hit me up with,

-it's that I need to talk to Riley, so thank you.

-You're welcome(!)

'She's changed so much so quickly. I just want the old Riley back.'

# You could have given up a warning

# But you just hit me with the blind side. #

-Hey.

-Hey.

Riley, I think we should talk.

'I've thought about this and I'm ready to talk with Riley.'

I'm pretty sure I know what's going on with her and I think I can help.

I still don't understand Ella, like, at all,

-but she made something clear to me.

-And what's that?

-You're new at this.

-New at what?

About being carefree but I still think you're going about it

-the wrong way.

-And what way is that?

'I can have fun and I know how to have fun.

I'm finally letting loose and he's telling me now

that I can't because I'm not doing it right?

This conversation is not going the way I expected.

No, Riley, I've been around long enough to know

-that Ella is a bad influence.

-OK, I can choose my own friends.

Riley, no, I understand that but I don't want to be the one to

sit around and watch you get into more trouble.

Riley, I can be the one to show you how to have a good time.

I would love for you to be the one

to show me how to have a good time...

but you're never around any more to do anything!

You're always at band.

Riley! Riley, come on!

Look, Cierra, I just wanted to thank you for helping me out.

-It means a lot to me.

-It's no problem.

'I've spent the day with Michelle telling her my own experiences

with the divorce and passing on any knowledge I can.

Hopefully it helps.

I just find it really nice to know that I'm not the only one

that's going through this.

If you ever need anything, I'm always here.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-I'll see you later, OK?

-All right.

'Hanging out with Cierra today was fun.

'It kind of took my mind off things and I don't know

'if I'm exactly emotionally ready to get over this but she did help me.

-Hey, man.

-Hey.

I've been thinking about your situation with Thalia

-and I think I can help.

-How?

Through dance.

'Dance is a universal language.

'James doesn't want Thalia and Eldon talking to each other,

'but he said nothing about dance, so I found a loophole there.'

How would you say that I miss Thalia so much

and I can't wait to finish my 30 pirouettes

so I can take her out on a date?

-Ah, good choice of restaurant!

-I know, Italian.

-It's actually pretty good.

-I love that one.

'West's idea to do dance messages is actually really, really good

'cos no matter what James says, we're not talking to each other.

'Other people are dancing to us.'

'I'm helping Thalia and Eldon because I love love.

'I will help love out wherever love needs help.'

'West is really pulling through for us right now

'because me and Thalia have so much to say to each other.'

'Thalia just always knows what to say.'

'Eldon's so sweet.

'I love this new way of communicating.'

This passing messages back and forth thing, I'm tired, I'm sweating.

They want to say some whack stuff to each other.

'I understand most of the things that West is dancing.'

Sometimes it's a little hard to read.

I'm not even saying anything, I'm just messing with them

at this point.

'I don't quite understand this one. This message is kind of weird.'

Sorry, man.

It was fun at first, but this is too much for one person.

So, Thalia said she was tired?

No, I did.

I'm exhausted.

'Now I think I understand why the universal language of dance

didn't take off.

It's too exhausting.

-You think?

-Yeah.

'I go to the music room

'because I feel bad about how I left things with James.

I just really want to fix this.

Um, I'm just looking for James.

You won't find him here.

He quit.

'I never meant for him to quit the band like that.

I feel like this is all my fault.

# We, we are going to show the world

# Everything we're made of

# We're going to tear the roof off this place

# You, you can never fade us out

# Don't even ask the DJ

# Everybody knows we own this... #