Status: The road to stardom is paved with a thousand classes.
Adlewood Academy
Mia Lockwood
It was Mia and Zayn’s last rehearsal before the Finals Showcase and her nerves were beginning to get to her. All she could think about was how easily they could mess up. They had to be perfectly in sync with one another, or the whole thing would be a train wreck.
Along with that, there was always a chance that the judges wouldn’t take too kindly to the new age mix that she and Zayn were doing. To Ava’s knowledge, none of Adlewood’s voice and DJ students had ever done a duet together, and she was beginning to wonder if she had found out why.
“What are you thinking about?” Zayn asked, looking at her from behind his laptop. She wondered whether or not she should tell him her worries, because she didn’t want him to worry too, but at the same time, she hoped that she could tell him and he’d be able to say something to make her feel better.
“It’s nothing,” she said, deciding to keep her second thoughts to herself. Maybe it would be better that way.
Zayn saw right through her though, and he began walking over to her with a soft look on his face.
“None of that,” he said as he pulled a stool up next to her, putting it across from her so she’d be forced to look at him. There was no hiding her feelings now, because she’d always been an awful liar when it came down to it. “You can tell me.”
Mia let out a long, deep breath, trying to figure out how to word things without hurting Zayn’s feelings. She could just imagine herself saying something stupid and ruining everything they had worked for.
“What if they hate us?” she asked, dropped her head to her hands, which were propped up on her elbows. “What if we got booed off the stage?”
Zayn chuckled, his soft smile being replaced with a bright grin. “When has anyone ever been booed off of Adlewood’s stage.”
“There was that mime back in 1902.”
“That’s a rumor.”
“It could be true,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “You weren’t there. You don’t know.”
Zayn let out a deep breath, shaking his head with a laugh. He had learned after all there time practicing together that, deep down, Mia was always insecure about her music. She had so much talent, but sometimes she just didn’t see it.
“Mia, listen,” Zayn said, leaning closer and placing a hand on top of her knee. “No one’s going to boo at us, and if they do, we’ll just keep playing. Who cares what they think, Mia? It’s our music. It’s our sound. Who are they to judge any of it?”
Mia looked up from the ground and into Zayn’s eyes, seeing the care he had for her all over his face. He believed in them. He believed in her. He had this unwarranted faith that everything would be okay in the end, but she wasn’t so sure. They could have all the practice in the world, but if people didn’t like it, then they just wouldn’t like it. There was nothing they could do about that.
“Maybe we should just –”
“No, Mia,” Zayn interrupted, shaking his head at her. “None of that giving up bullshit. What we’ve got is good, Mia. Good enough to win. Don’t give up on that just because you’re having doubts.”
“But –”
“But nothing. We’re going to go out there and show them something they’ve never seen before. They’re going to be so surprised and so shocked that they’ll have no choice but to cheer us on.”
Mia didn’t know what else to say, because Zayn had already said everything that needed to be said. She still wasn’t sure if what they had would be good enough to win the showcase, but they were going to leave an impression. Whether it would be good or not, Mia wasn’t sure, but there was no doubt that there performance was going to be one that the judges wouldn’t soon forget.
Along with that, there was always a chance that the judges wouldn’t take too kindly to the new age mix that she and Zayn were doing. To Ava’s knowledge, none of Adlewood’s voice and DJ students had ever done a duet together, and she was beginning to wonder if she had found out why.
“What are you thinking about?” Zayn asked, looking at her from behind his laptop. She wondered whether or not she should tell him her worries, because she didn’t want him to worry too, but at the same time, she hoped that she could tell him and he’d be able to say something to make her feel better.
“It’s nothing,” she said, deciding to keep her second thoughts to herself. Maybe it would be better that way.
Zayn saw right through her though, and he began walking over to her with a soft look on his face.
“None of that,” he said as he pulled a stool up next to her, putting it across from her so she’d be forced to look at him. There was no hiding her feelings now, because she’d always been an awful liar when it came down to it. “You can tell me.”
Mia let out a long, deep breath, trying to figure out how to word things without hurting Zayn’s feelings. She could just imagine herself saying something stupid and ruining everything they had worked for.
“What if they hate us?” she asked, dropped her head to her hands, which were propped up on her elbows. “What if we got booed off the stage?”
Zayn chuckled, his soft smile being replaced with a bright grin. “When has anyone ever been booed off of Adlewood’s stage.”
“There was that mime back in 1902.”
“That’s a rumor.”
“It could be true,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “You weren’t there. You don’t know.”
Zayn let out a deep breath, shaking his head with a laugh. He had learned after all there time practicing together that, deep down, Mia was always insecure about her music. She had so much talent, but sometimes she just didn’t see it.
“Mia, listen,” Zayn said, leaning closer and placing a hand on top of her knee. “No one’s going to boo at us, and if they do, we’ll just keep playing. Who cares what they think, Mia? It’s our music. It’s our sound. Who are they to judge any of it?”
Mia looked up from the ground and into Zayn’s eyes, seeing the care he had for her all over his face. He believed in them. He believed in her. He had this unwarranted faith that everything would be okay in the end, but she wasn’t so sure. They could have all the practice in the world, but if people didn’t like it, then they just wouldn’t like it. There was nothing they could do about that.
“Maybe we should just –”
“No, Mia,” Zayn interrupted, shaking his head at her. “None of that giving up bullshit. What we’ve got is good, Mia. Good enough to win. Don’t give up on that just because you’re having doubts.”
“But –”
“But nothing. We’re going to go out there and show them something they’ve never seen before. They’re going to be so surprised and so shocked that they’ll have no choice but to cheer us on.”
Mia didn’t know what else to say, because Zayn had already said everything that needed to be said. She still wasn’t sure if what they had would be good enough to win the showcase, but they were going to leave an impression. Whether it would be good or not, Mia wasn’t sure, but there was no doubt that there performance was going to be one that the judges wouldn’t soon forget.