Adlewood Academy

As Ava was always the type to let her stage fright get the better of her, even singing in class made her more nervous than it should. She tried not to let her heart race as crazily as it usually did, but it wasn’t doing much good.

Her palms were already a wee bit sweaty before Harry Styles walked into the room, and when he did, it only seemed to kick Ava’s sweat glands up a notch. Harry was well known as being one of the best in the program, and Ava wasn’t the only girl who admired him from afar – both because of his amazing talent and his good looks.

All of the girls’ eyes floated to Harry when he entered the room, and he met each of them with a smile. His own eyes flicked around the room, as though he was looking for something, and when he finally faced the Professor Moony in the corner, he walked over to her, passing the glittering girls along the way.

Everyone’s attention stayed on Harry and Professor Moony until just seconds later both of them turned to face the room. Class was supposed to start in just a few minutes, and as it was a girls only class, Harry had no business being there.

Professor Moony moved to the front of the classroom, with Harry at her side, and looked out at the gaggling students in front of her. With a smile, she folded her hands in front of her and spoke. “Girls, I have some excellent news.” She paused, pressing one hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Young Harry here is looking for a girl to do a duet with him for the Finals Showcase and has asked that he audition any girl who would like this opportunity. Today’s lesson will simply be to sing for Mr. Styles, and I ask that you each give him your undivided attention.”

Harry appeared a bit more nervous than he had before Professor Moony had begun speaking, but he looked out at the girls with a smile still on his face. Ava didn’t know it, but his auditions were simply a ruse to find the girl he’d heard singing in the shower the night before. The girl he was so desperate to sing with. The girl that happened to be Ava.

“To make things wrong more smoothly, Harry and I will be waiting in the rehearsal room and you will each enter one at a time,” Professor Moony continued, as she pointed to the spare room adjoined to the classroom. “So it pertains to our curriculum, I will be grading you on your professionalism, while Harry will simply be judging your skills. If in the end you do not wish to do a duet with Harry, simply say so, though I’m not sure why you wouldn’t.”

Professor Moony laughed at her own joke, though it was more true than funny. Any one of the girls would be ecstatic for the opportunity to work with Harry, and Ava was no different. He was perfect in nearly every way, but her stage fright would stop her from even being given a shot, just like it always did.

When Harry and Professor Moony stepped into the rehearsal room, the girls fought for a brief moment over who would go first, while clawing their way to the door. Ava simply sat in her usual seat, waiting her turn and attempting to calm her breathing like she’d been taught, though it rarely did her any good.

It seemed like forever had passes as girl after girl filed into the room, until finally it was Ava’s turn. The longer she waited the more her nerves got to her, so by the time she entered the room, she was a mess.

Professor Moony sat in one chair with a smile and a clip board in front of her, while Harry sat in another. He was slumped back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest, and he looked more disappointed than anything. Ava wasn’t sure what exactly he was looking for, but it was obvious he hadn’t found it.

“Ava, honey,” Professor Moony said sweetly, as she was well aware of Ava’s incessant nervousness. “We’re ready whenever you are.”

Ava simply nodded her head, while closing her eyes as tightly as possible. Looking at Harry already made her nervous enough, so looking at him while singing was likely going to make her faint. She was already bad enough.

After taking a few deep breaths, Ava forced herself to sing, and just like she expected, her voice cracked. Just like she usually did, she failed at the very first note. She couldn’t force herself to get anything else out because it already felt ruined, and that was another part of her problem. She tried not to let her screw up affect her, but it was obvious that it did.

“It’s alright, dear,” Professor Moony said when Ava finally opened her eyes. “We’ll work on it next time. Go out and bring the next girl in.”

Ava nodded again, whisking out of the room as quickly as she had entered. She was happy to be set free, because standing in that room completely embarrassed in front of one of the most talented boys in school was the last thing that Ava wanted. She already felt badly enough, and she didn’t want to see the annoyed look in Harry’s eyes.

Of course, she had failed yet again and completely missed her chance to have Harry hear her sing.