“He’s so awesome,” Harper gushed as her eyes were glued to the stage. “The best singer I have ever seen.”
Kaley tried to see Cooper Sutton through her best friend’s eyes but couldn’t do it. Cooper and his band were good, crazy good, but the lead singer wasn’t exactly swoon-worthy.
Not to her, anyway.
All Kaley could hear was the music and see the sheer joy on their faces as they performed. Cooper wasn’t afraid of having an audience. Instead of scaring him, all the people seemed to energize him. He fed off their adoration and it made his performance even better.
“Cooper Sutton is going to be mine one day,” Harper declared boldly. “As soon as I can get him to notice me, he’s going to fall completely in love with me.”
Kaley nudged her with her shoulder. “Of course he will. The poor guy won’t know what hit him.”
Harper flashed a smile before returning to stare at the band performing onstage. Kaley was next to the control panel, waiting to turn off microphones as soon as the song finished.
The Sandyridge High School Talent Show was in full swing with so many performers that it was promising to be a long night.
Kaley didn’t care. She had prime position next to the stage as she worked the sound and made sure the performers’ routines went smoothly. So far nobody had gone out without their music.
Mrs. Petrovski gave her a thumbs up from the other side of the stage. She had been bustling about like a chicken losing its feathers all night.
The Ravens finished up and Kaley switched off their sound so there was no way for the audience to hear them say anything they shouldn’t. She lined up the next track and waited for the following performance.
Harper was two acts away from going on stage herself. She was wearing a long dress made out of black slinky material. She looked like a world class violinist, ready to tackle the universe.
“Do you think Cooper will see my performance?” she asked, fiddling with the silver sash on her dress.
“I don’t know, maybe. Most of the contestants hang around to watch after their performance.” Kaley shrugged, hoping it was enough. Seeing her best friend so in love with a guy who didn’t even know she existed was painful. She wanted her to be happy and with someone who deserved her.
“I might suck.”
“You won’t suck. You’ve been playing the violin for years. You own those strings.”
“What about if I forget how to play?”
Kaley laughed. “Harper, you won’t. You’ll do fine, I promise. Just clear your mind and take a few deep breaths. You can do this, I know you can.”
Harper nodded and shook out her arms, loosening up her joints. She twitched right up to the moment of her time in the spotlight.
“Good luck,” Kaley said, giving her a nudge on stage. She didn’t have any sound for that particular performance, all the music would come from Harper alone.
As Harper walked out on stage, she found her position and held up the violin, resting it between her shoulder and chin. Just as she was about to start playing, Harper dropped the bow. It clanked onto the floor, seemingly loud in the quiet auditorium.
Kaley crossed her fingers and gestured for Harper to keep going. Running off stage now wasn’t an option, she would never forgive herself.
Harper picked up the bow with shaking hands as she positioned herself again. It took her a few moments to regain her composure.
She dragged the bow across the strings and the sound of the violin cut through the silence. From there, it would have been impossible to get her to stop. Harper played the song perfectly, the strings making a beautiful, haunting sound.
Kaley was so proud of her by the end of the performance. Harper took an elegant bow and received a worthy response from the audience as they clapped. Somewhere, someone yelled “That’s my girl!” from the crowd, no doubt her father.
The performance afterwards paled in comparison and Kaley suspected Harper had a shot at winning the talent competition after all. She was extraordinary in amongst all the boring song and dance routines.
A few more competitors went by before it was Harvey’s turn. Once again, he didn’t have any background music so Kaley could watch the whole thing from the side of the stage.
His magic performance had improved significantly since Kaley had seen him rehearse. His assistant – a girl named Clara from the grade below them – sparkled in her costume and never stopped smiling.
He cut her in half, made her disappear, and she held the hat from which he pulled a stuffed rabbit. She was tiny, which was why Harvey chose her as his assistant. Still, Kaley couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Not only of the fact that Harvey chose her, but because she was so at ease on the stage.
She told herself it was silly, but Kaley couldn’t help the way she felt. Still, she enjoyed the magic show and so did the audience. They cheered when he finished and made sure to be properly astounded with his tricks.
The next performance did need music, it was a routine from Abigail and her minions. She sang while the others danced around her in a synchronized routine that pushed all the decency boundaries. If anyone else had done the sexy routine, they would have been banned.
But Abigail always got away with everything. Kaley sighed to herself as she watched, ready to switch off the music at the appropriate time. She’d seen them in rehearsals and thought for sure Mrs. Petrovski would tell them to tone down their routine.
She obviously hadn’t. If anything it had grown raunchier.
Kaley noticed Eli in the front row of the audience, watching his girlfriend perform. He had a smile plastered across his lips, enthralled in the routine. He cheered the loudest out of everyone else.
Abigail didn’t deserve such a good boyfriend. She always received everything she wanted. Out of all the performances, they received the loudest applause, people even whistled their delight. It was so typical of the way the world cherished Abigail and her friends while everyone else just shared her space.
It took them three bows before they finally left the stage. Even then, they were still blowing air kisses to the audience right up until the last moment. Kaley rolled her eyes and lined up the next track.
The remainder of the routines passed by in much of a blur. Two people sang the same song which was about as scandalous as it came. The audience didn’t seem to mind, even though one was far better than the other.
At the end of the show, Kaley pressed the last button on the machine to turn it off and her job was done for the night. She’d successfully managed to avoid being on stage and got to see the performances with the best seat in the house.
“Come on, Miss Thorne, we’ve all got to do our bow,” Mrs. Petrovski insisted as she grabbed her arm on the way to the stage.
So much for remaining invisible.
Chapter 6