Clips

Clip #2: The Talent Show

Hi!

*takes a deep breath*

I hope y'all are emotionally prepared for this <3

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Leyla POV

"Team Grizzly, please move over here," instructed Mr. Perry, pointing to the bottom the stretch of bleachers- the floor. Typical. As the smallest and nerdiest team at Joe Adams Middle School, we were always shunted to the bottom- literally and figuratively. But I loved my team and all of my people, so if I had to endure the hatred of other teams and sitting on cold hard floors at assemblies such as this, I would do it.

Usually I despised assemblies- they were loud and hot and uncomfortable- but today, I was excited. Today, it was a talent show, and I love talent shows. It was so fun to see the wide range of things people could do- play guitar, sing, dance, and even more than that. And I did particularly love people singing, because as a person who only ever sang in the shower (other than the plays I did, but that seemed different to me) I was both impressed with their ability to perform and their musical talent.

The gym filled with noise as more teams filed in, wearing their brightly-colored team shirts. I tugged on my own electric-pink one. I could see pink shirts in the line of performers, about three of them, but I'd forgotten my glasses and couldn't make out the people. Most of the shirts were green, the color for Team Polar Bear, the 'popular' team.

They probably were only there because they were cool, and they would win the talent show because it was really only a popularity contest, when people who were actually talented would lose.

I let out a huff, and Angela looked at me, half-concerned. But she knew me, and knew of my internal rant, and simply nodded.

She had been so awkward around me recently, ever since Lacie....

I shook off the thought. I couldn't let memories of Lacie get inside my head, not today. Today, I needed to be happy.

Two girls stepped into the center of the gym, the two most popular girls in the entire eighth grade, Sara Bertram and Kelli Clarke.

"HELLO, ADAMS MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!" screamed Kelli, in a typical overly-excited leadership student way, into the microphone. The roar of the students drowned out the rest of her voice, another reason I hated assemblies. Finally everyone settled down. Sara, seeming annoyed, pulled her microphone up to her mouth.

"Can you just shut up for a second so we can tell you about our special guests?"

Kelli laughed nervously. "She's joking... um, but yeah, our special guests! We are welcoming our friends from The Homeschool Academy of the West to perform with us today, they are the ones in line with the lovely red shirts! So let's put a hand toge-"

Applause and crazy shouting drowned out her voice. Sara rolled her eyes and stormed off the stage, obviously not feeling it today, and Kelli jumped up and down, waving her hands, before cartwheeling off the stage.

"Show-off," Angela muttered.

"I mean, this is a talent show,"  I said, laughing slightly, "it's kinda the point."

"First up! Jackson Cloth and the Grim Reapers performing an original song, When You Know it's Right!" chirped Kelli from offstage.... not that there was a stage, it was really only a certain area on the floor of the gym, very, very close to us.

Jackson, a boy I knew from elementary school, took center stage, two boys on each side of him holding electric guitars. I knew Jackson was rich, so it didn't surprise me that his fancy parents had bought his band all of their equipment plus their ridiculous outfits. They were black, leather, and spiky, and Angela (ever the fashionista) sniffed with disdain. Caliver Jones, a small boy who was known to be good friends with Jackson, wheeled a giant drum set onto the stage.