My Little Decoy

♪ I Caught Myself ♪ {9}

"Now when I caught myself
I had to stop myself
From saying something
That I should've never thought." -I Caught Myself

--

Stunned silence. That's the only way I can explain Weston High's current situation. With Katerina's last words echoing fresh in our minds, I'm sure that the only thing that's running through our thoughts are shock (no brainer), confusion, and disappointment.

Ah, yes. Disappointment was hanging tensely in the air. I mean, imagine this. You enter a music contest. All of your hopes and dreams are about to come true because hey, you've worked hard and you have a decent chance at winning. And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this musical prodigy comes along and steals the spotlight, ruining your chances at accomplishing something that you've set your heart on. Basically, that was what everyone who was interested in the competition felt. That was how I felt. I could just hear their excitement deflating like a balloon and flying out a window.

The members of the band glanced nervously around the room, their eyes searching for a reaction besides the obvious negative feelings swimming around them. I saw Zeke give Blake a narrowed glare of accusation while the latter returned it with a panicked shrug.

Everyone was waiting for something to happen. Mr. Luthien was sweating even more than he usually did. Tilted Reality looked like they regretted coming here.

Beside me, I felt Carter shift in her seat and before I could say cilantro, her hand shot up into the air, startling Olivia next to her.

Katerina let out a small sigh of relief and immediately pointed at Carter thankfully, speaking into the microphone, "You? Do you have a question?"

I knew as soon as Carter opened her mouth and said, "Well, we don't have a chance now, do we?" that chaos would erupt.

And that it did.

Protests and accusations sprung out from left and right. Teens were complaining about how they could never win against a band that's already nearly professional. Some were yelling about how unfair it was since Tilted Reality was already signed into the label, and that they were already rich.

Meanwhile, the band members themselves were arguing too. Zeke was blaming Blake for even bringing up the topic while the girls tried to calm him down. I could hear his stinging words faintly from the microphone though I doubt anyone else did over the noise level.

Even Mr. Luthien was screaming at as all to shut up.

Rubbing my temples, I let my eyes wander around the room once more in order to distract myself. And that was when I noticed a lone figure standing up from his seat and making his way to the front of the stage.

No one else had noticed. Arching one eyebrow, I leaned forward, waiting to see what the individual would do.

He had light blond hair, with natural brown highlights that I caught under the fluorescent lights from the auditorium. The boy had a lean, agile build and he wore a loose flannel shirt, baggy jeans, and Vans.

He rose up the stairs attached to the side of the stage, rousing the members of Tilted Reality out of their debate and making the rest of us fall into hushed whispers.

"What the hell is Gabriel doing up there?" Caden muttered, frowning up at the blond. Carter shot him a look and hissed, "Sshhh" before turning around to stare wide-eyed at 'Gabriel.'

I didn't personally know the guy but apparently everyone else did.

"Oi!" Gabriel yelled into the mike, causing the parts of the audience who hadn't noticed him to jump in surprise and glare up at the conversation intruder. "What gives you all a right to act this way? Guys, we have a freaking famous rock band in our midst, and what do we do? Pull a riot? Get a grip!"