South Coast ((Isaac Waddington Fanfic))

Chapter One

-A/N THIS IS THE FIRST EVER ISAAC WADDINGTON FANFIC SO HI, HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT(':.. LEAVE COMMENTS OR LIKES. MUCH LOVE, BEC -

My heart thumps against my ribcage as I take another step forward. All I can think of are the butterflies in my stomach, not the nice butterflies, but the ones that make me want to run into a corner to cry and cry.

I can hear my breathing increase as I head further into the middle of the stage. I keep my eyes locked onto my feet and try to focus on how many steps until I reach the front centre.

Then I stop.

I reach forward with hands quivering and I grab onto the mic stand and hold on for dear life otherwise I'm sure I will just fall.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, counting to five in my head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Pause.

Five.

"Hi." I say, delayed, into the mic.

The whole place goes silent and I dare myself to look.

As soon as my eyes shift, I'm greeted with a bright light and thousands of people hiding behind it. I choke on a breath as I scan around the people who are waiting for me to fail. I can tell they're expecting me to go wrong. I just know it.

"What's your name?" A female voice speaks and I bring my eyes to the woman sitting at the judge booth not that far in front of me.

I watch the other judges sit in silent as they look down at the notes in front of them and then back to me.

I can't do this.

My head shakes and I can feel the tears building up and I know I need to do something otherwise I'm going to do something I'll regret on national television.

"S-sorry... There's- there's just so many people." My voice comes out as a whisper into the mic and it echoes around the whole space.

Within seconds, there is a chorus of laughter and I don't know what to say because it wasn't a joke...

Unless they're laughing at me.

"Are you nervous?" Alesha smiles.

I stare at Amanda and she gestures, with her head, for me to carry on speaking.

"Oh... oh- my name's Fern R-Rivers."

The audience continues to laugh and I dim my eyes, not sure what to do so I wait for the four judges.

My fingers fumble on the stand and I close my eyes and take a deep breath, in attempt to keep myself calm. I need to do this, I repeat.

"How old are you, Fern?"

"I'm 16." I choke.

The audience chat amongst each other and I look back down to my feet.

"So why are you here today?" Alesha asks and I wish I could just get off stage already.

"I want to sing. Um... I- I thought it wouldn't be... so hard." My voice shakes and I want to kick myself for saying that.

I know I probably look like a wreck but I don't want people to be laughing at me. I don't want people to see me and judge me because I honestly can't put into words how sick I feel. I just want to go home and never come back here.

Tears start to fill up my eyes and I blink and blink until they are gone, leaving one to roll down my cheek. I wipe it way almost instantly.

I don't want to be performer if it means this.

"Take your time." A female voice reassures me but I don't look up.

Instead, I just shake my head and click my fingers.

"I- I can't... I can't do- do this." I quietly whimper.

My head starts to throb and my throat starts to ache as I try my hardest to swallow the cries.

Then it hits me.

I've been standing here for almost five minutes and people are starting to get angry, I think.

My feet start moving before I can even think and I am walking towards to exit of the stage. I cover my mouth so no one can hear me weep aloud.

I'm suddenly crowded with a lot of people trying to support me and hold me down from panicking. One person hands me a bottle of water without the cap and I shove it to my lips, gulping large amounts of the liquid at once.

"You can do this."

"Breathe."

"Fern, you got this."

"It is scary."

Several voices say from different directions and I can't think of what to do apart from cry even more.

"Can I have a word with her?" A woman says and everyone leaves me alone.

"Hey Fern. I'm Addie and I work backstage. Listen, before you leave you should know that everyone, and I mean everyone, was rooting for you as soon as you entered onto that stage. I understand how nerve-wrecking it is but if it's what you want, why not take the risk. Be someone who you've always wanted to be for a day and use that confidence."

I shake my head.

"You've got one day to change your life forever, why not make it count, eh? One day, and if it doesn't work out, tomorrow will be fine. But if it does work out, think about that. Every day, another person will appreciate you and understand that this isn't easy. Help all those people who are like you and want to perform but don't know how to... Show them how it is possible."

"I can't."

"You can, Fern. You can."

I sit silently and replay the audience laughing and laughing in my head until I can't take it anymore.

I get to my feet and stare at the stage and then the exit door.

One more glance at the stage.

I take it in, everything I'm going to miss out on.

Then I turn my head to the exit door to see a group of girls and boys staring at me. I watch some of the girls smirk to themselves and whisper whilst the majority of the boys shove each other.

The group all stand in front of the door, enabling me from leaving.

A boy emerges from the back and I recognize him from when I first turned up here. His dark hair sort of sweeps over his forehead and hangs above one eye. He smiles slightly and nods his head, which makes the curl above his eye move to the side.

I scan for Addie and she gives me a sympathetic smile.

I don't want sympathy.

I suck in a deep breath and go onto the stage.