7x13

Amy had been in a funk all day. She had found out that morning that her family's annual camping trip was scheduled for the same week as Dancemania, and maybe it shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was to her. That camping trip was the one time a year where her parents put aside their differences for the sake of Amy and her sister to act like a normal family. Amy cherished that camping trip, and she hated that she was going to miss it this year, but there was no way to reschedule it with her parents' insane work schedules.

Thankfully, Henry had been there to cheer her up and take her mind off of it. After rehearsal with Miss Angela, they had spent a half an hour gossiping about Kingston and Lily's relationship drama with Ozzy and Richelle before finally heading to The Next Steep to grab a drink.

The café was in the middle of its afternoon rush hour, and they had to wait in line for several minutes before finally getting the chance to order. Amy ordered first, followed by Henry, who told Steve the barista, "They're both on me."

Amy raised her eyebrows, a warm feeling surging through her as she said, "You don't have to do that."

"You've been having a hard day. It's the least I can do," Henry told her as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"You know, I could get used to boys paying for me all the time."

"Who else is paying for you?" Henry asked with a laugh as he handed his money to the barista.

"Finn paid for my drink when he broke up with me."

"Oh, that was nice of him."

Amy simply giggled in response. She glanced around at the crowded café then said more seriously, "I'll go find us some seats."

"Good idea."

Leaving Henry at the counter to wait for their drinks, Amy maneuvered through the café, her eyes scanning for an empty table, but there didn't seem to be any. Finn was sitting alone on the couch near the door, and she glanced back to Henry before making her way over to her now ex-boyfriend. Henry probably wouldn't mind sitting with their friend, and besides that, Amy needed to talk to Finn.

As if the news of her camping trip wasn't hard enough to handle, Amy was also afraid that something was going on with Piper. Her best friend had spent the first half of A-Troupe's rehearsal stumbling through the new choreography as if she'd never danced before in her life, and it had all culminated when she ran out of Studio A looking like she'd seen a ghost. Finn hadn't wasted any time going after her, and the two of them never returned to rehearsal. The need to know what was going on was killing Amy inside.

Finn sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers bridging together. He appeared to be deep in thought but looked up as Amy took the spot next to him. "Hey you," she muttered in greeting. He gave a small half-smile in response, and she immediately got to the point. "How's Piper?"

Finn let out a deep breath, leaning back against the couch and running a hand through his hair, grasping at the curls momentarily before telling her grimly, "She had an anxiety attack."

"What?" Amy asked in alarm. She and Finn had discussed Piper's anxiety in the past, but Amy hadn't realized it had gotten that bad.

"Miss Angela being here totally freaked her out." Finn shook his head, huffing as he said angrily, "Why the hell would Emily bring her back to the studio when she knows what she put Piper through last year?"

Amy leaned forward, frowning as she rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her fists. "Lily said Nick made the offer to make her a coach."

"Then Emily should overrule it. I'd rather win Dancemania on our own than waste any more of my life dancing for Miss Angela."

Amy raised her eyebrows, glancing at Finn in surprise. She had never seen him mad before, but she couldn't blame him for feeling that way. If Miss Angela being around the studio was going to trigger Piper's anxiety, she would rather take their chances with choreographing on their own than watch her best friend go through utter turmoil.

Moving the conversation away from Miss Angela, Amy asked instead, "Is Piper okay? Did she go home?"

"I don't know."

Finn's demeanor changed as the conversation turned back to Piper. His shoulders slumped, and he was frowning in a sad way that was so unlike his usual enthusiastic self.

"Did something happen?" Amy prodded. She wasn't nearly as close with Finn as Piper was, but she'd gotten to know him well enough to know that he was practically an open book.

He shrugged dejectedly and murmured, "She just wants to be friends."

Amy pursed her lips, wanting to be surprised, but honestly, she couldn't say she was. After they had broken up the day before, Finn had told her about Piper confessing her feelings to him in the locker room, but even if Piper did have feelings for him, there was a reason she had never said anything about it. Amy suspected it was the same reason she would tell Finn she just wanted to be friends.

She was scared.

"I'm sure it's nothing to do with you," Amy assured him.

But as if he hadn't even heard her, he continued with, "I never should have even brought any of that up today. It was too much after everything with Miss Angela. She apologized by the way. Like, looked her in the eye and said she was sorry. I don't know what freaked Piper out more- that or her presence in general."

"I didn't know Miss Angela knew what an apology was."

"Right?" Finn rubbed a hand over his face tiredly and threw his head back with a groan. "What the hell is happening today?"

"You two look very comfortable for two people who just broke up yesterday."

Henry had approached them. He handed Amy her drink with a smile as he squeezed onto the couch on her other side. Amy tried not to focus on how they were sitting so close, their sides were touching, and instead informed him, "Piper told Finn she just wants to be friends."

Henry's eyebrows rose as he said, "Damn bro. You move fast. Slow down a little." Finn simply lowered his hand from his face to glare at Henry, who held a hand up in surrender. "I'm kidding. Amy told me about the break-up. You two deserve an award for the most anti-climactic break-up in history by the way."

"Okay," Amy said with a suppressed giggle, laying a hand on Henry's knee and raising her eyebrows slightly at him to silently communicate, "Please stop talking."

He grinned at her but grew more serious as he asked Finn, "So what's the deal with you and Piper?"

"Nothing," Finn sighed, "That's the problem."

"Well, why does she want to stay friends?"

"Doesn't want our relationship to change."

Finn looked more dejected than Amy had ever seen him, and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. Ever the love guru, Henry seemed less concerned about Finn's predicament, however. "Your relationship changing is just part of dating. You've gotta show her it's nothing to be afraid of."

Finn glanced up at that. "How do I do that?"

"Well, if I know Piper, she's probably overthinking everything that could possibly go wrong if you two were to date," Amy cut in, "So maybe she needs a reminder of all the good things that could come out of it."

Finn nodded slowly, his brows knitting together thoughtfully. "Yeah, maybe," he muttered.

"Look, everyone at this studio has thought at one point in time that you two were a thing," Henry stated candidly, "She likes you, bro. If you really want to be with her, you gotta do something about it. Don't just give up on her."

"But if it's not what she wants, I can't push her on it," Finn countered, the hopeful look that had started to form deep within his eyes fading as quickly as it had formed.

"That's true," Amy said, "But maybe you just need to wait for the right time."

"But when's the right time?"

"Whenever Piper's ready," Amy answered, "You said it yourself. She went through a lot today, and it was too much at once. Be patient with her. Give her some time to figure things out for herself then try again."

Finn looked away unsurely. "I don't know. Asking her out all the time didn't exactly work out in my favor last time."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Amy offered.

Finn glanced at her and shrugged. "If you think it'll make a difference, go for it."

"I'll see what I can do."

He nodded, giving her a small, thankful smile. His gaze suddenly flickered between her and Henry, seeming to notice the lack of space between the two of them. He nodded subtly at her as if silently communicating that he supported whatever was going on between them, and she gave a subtle smile in return before glancing to the boy next to her, who was currently taking a long sip of his tea.

Tired from an emotional day, Finn decided to head home and bid farewell to Amy and Henry. Once alone, Amy turned to Henry, who draped his arm over the back of the couch behind her. "Are you really okay with Finn and Piper?" he asked her seriously.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. They're a good match, and they deserve to be happy."

Maybe it was weird that she had given Finn her blessing to be with Piper so soon after breaking up, but she felt in her heart that it was the right thing to do. All Amy had ever wanted for her best friend was for her to be happy and to find someone who would love her in all the ways she needed to be loved. It had been hard to watch Piper retreat inside herself and lose some of her confidence after what happened with Josh, but Finn brought out the pieces of Piper that she had hidden away. He was the only person Amy trusted to not break Piper's heart.

Knowing what she did now, Amy couldn't believe she had ever dated Finn at all. They been a fun-filled fling and nothing more. Her heart belonged to someone else, and it had ever since an unfinished moment in the parking lot of a tuxedo rent shop.

Henry's eyes searched hers for any sign that she might be lying or downplaying her emotions. When he didn't find any, he smiled softly then pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "I've gotta run do something right now, but I'll see you later, okay?"

Disappointment surged through Amy at the fact that he was leaving so soon, but she nodded in resignation. "Oh, yeah, of course."

As Henry stood, he pointed at her and added, "But keep your plans for tonight open, okay?"

"What are you up to?" Amy asked lightly, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Just don't make plans tonight."

With a grin and a wink, he turned and strode out of The Next Steep, leaving Amy to ponder his cryptic words. She shook her head endearingly as she took a sip of her tea. Henry could be so strange sometimes, but she loved that about him.

Amy didn't know how, but she had a feeling that they were all going to end up with exactly who they were meant to be with. They were all going to be okay.