Denial

Chapter 1: First Impressions

"Darla Hood!" 

Eliza slouched in her chair, glaring at the blue tiled floor as a brown-haired girl sauntered past her. She smiled smugly at Eliza and "accidentally" stepped on her toes. 

Eliza clenched her fists and tried her best not to murder the sassy girl right then and there. 

The auditionee dramatically flipped her hair before stepping into a small room labeled "SONGBIRDS: AUDITIONS". The door slammed into the frame behind her, and Eliza stared bullets at the handle that no doubt had cooties all over it. 

There were more than a dozen people in the dull waiting room. Snooty Darla Hood was the only one Eliza knew. 

Hood was one of the least popular girls at school, though it often seemed like she was the queen everyone was indirectly serving. Eliza had seen first-hand that Hood could somehow get any boy she wanted, which in itself made her a formidable enemy. Hood was also quite talented, with a voice that could wake all the chipmunks from their deep winter slumber. And when she was acting, she became an entirely different person, so much so that when Eliza first saw her play Belle in "Beauty and the Beast", she thought that there was some good in her.

There wasn't, and there would never be. 

Unfortunately for Hood, Eliza was also gifted in singing and acting. She had played the lead role in every school play and had bested her enemy in every contest, winning the hearts of the judges quickly and effortlessly. It was one of those judges that suggest that Eliza audition for "Songbirds", a romantic musical that people claimed to be somewhat similar to "Anastasia".  

Eliza had dutifully memorized the audition material and had rehearsed it over a dozen times over the course of two weeks. She'd then taken Bus 97 to "The Arena", where she was sent to the waiting room.

Now she was falling asleep in a blue plastic chair, her puffy jacket under her arm, waiting for Darla Hood to leave and her name to be called.

Without warning, the door of the audition room flew open and an enraged Hood stormed out. Eliza didn't even open her eyes; instead, she smiled and stuck her foot out at just the right moment. Hood tripped and before anyone knew what had happened, Eliza had pulled her foot back and was peacefully resting again. 

A few girls giggled as Hood stood up and brushed her skirt off, glaring angrily at Eliza. She shook her head in disgust and marched out of the room, visible steam coming out of her ears.

"Lloyd Garmadon!" 

A second later, Eliza felt something fall on top of her. Her eyes flew open and she looked up. 

That was her first mistake.

It was a boy. A very handsome boy. He had messy blonde hair, twinkling green eyes, a sharp jawline, sparkling white teeth and a gorgeous smile. Well, Eliza imagined that his smile was gorgeous, because all his other features were. But at that moment, he wasn't smiling.

The boy was panicking, his face turning redder by the second. Eliza thought it was because he was late to his audition and now he had to deal with some random girl in the waiting room.

That was her second mistake.

In truth, Lloyd Garmadon was panicking because he had just come in contact with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. And he had met her in the worst way possible.

"Um, hi?" Lloyd said, trying to calm his fluttering heart. His hands had grasped Eliza's chair when he'd fallen, which had prevented his lips from crashing onto Eliza's. Now his fingers were trying to loosen their tight grip on the plastic.

"Hi," Eliza said breathlessly, gazing into Lloyds's emerald eyes. 

They stared at each other for a second, though it seemed more like an hour because time had chosen to slow down, just like it did in the movies. Their noses were a centimeter apart and their lips were practically begging to be connected.

"LLOYD MONTGOMERY GARMADON! YOUR AUDITION IS TAKING PLACE NOW!"

"Oh, uh, sorry," Lloyd stammered, climbing out of Eliza's lap. He stumbled backwards, a dreamy look on his face. "I'll, um see, you uh, later?"

"Later," Eliza said, trying to hid her blush. "Break a leg."

"Thanks!" Lloyd smiled and ran to the audition room. 

Eliza almost fainted. She told herself it was because she'd skipped breakfast that morning, but it was no use. 

She had fallen for Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, and she had fallen hard. 

The moments that followed were the most traumatic moments Eliza had ever lived through. She wanted to see Lloyd so badly, and she would've busted down the door if her mind hadn't been in shock. 

Lloyd was too attractive. He was too good for this world. 

But then again, Eliza wasn't one to fall for a cute boy. She'd gone through her entire life without a boyfriend, and the few crushes she'd had really hadn't meant anything to her.

Eliza now fought her innermost feelings vehemently, denying every thought that popped into her head. She did not like Lloyd. He was just some random guy that had tripped into her arms. He was probably a horrible actor, and Eliza knew she didn't appreciate horrible actors. His voice was obviously not for singing, so now he had 2 things against him.

Just as Eliza felt like she had tamed her emotions, Lloyd came back into the waiting room. 

All of her efforts had been in vain. 

Eliza held her breath, half of her hoping he'd leave and never come back and the other half wishing he'd come sit down next to her. 

Her wish was granted. Instead of leaving, Lloyd plopped down in the seat next to Eliza's and smiled shyly at the floor. And even though she was the best actress at her school, Eliza couldn't pretend she didn't care about the boy sitting next to her.

"Eliza Cameron!" 

Eliza stood up, tossing her jacket onto her chair.

"I'll watch it for you," Lloyd said quickly. Eliza nodded and spun around, a blush threatening to climb up her cheeks. 

The audition flew by quickly. Eliza greeted the judges warmly, making sure to keep eye contact with each of them as she shook their hands. She then sang a song, "Lovers on Thin Ice", and acted out a short scene. It was all over within a matter of minutes. Eliza was told that callbacks would happen in two days and that she best prepare because there was a good chance she would get to come back. 

Eliza walked back to her chair, studying the blue tiles beneath her feet as she did. Once she'd made it, she glanced up. Lloyd Garmadon was still there, guarding her jacket as if it it was the Realm Crystal. 

How sweet.

"How'd it go?" Lloyd managed to say, practically choking as he saw how beautiful Eliza was. He'd seen her just a few minutes before, but he had already forgotten just how stunning she looked. It was impossible to visualize such a heavenly girl. She was too good for this world.

"It went well," Eliza said humbly, not daring to take her eyes off her jacket. "How about yours?"

"Fine," Lloyd whispered. "Eliza Cameron, right?"

"Yeah. Lloyd Garmadon?"

"Yup. Uh, I'm really sorry about-"

"It's okay," Eliza interrupted. 

"Okay then. Hey, um, you wanna walk around with me some time? We can talk about-"

"Sure," Eliza blurted before she could stop herself. She wanted nothing more than to shut her mouth, but it wasn't hers to command anymore. "When?"

"I was thinking maybe tomorrow?"

"Okay. I'll be outside."

And just like that, Eliza Cameron had a date.