Roommates with Benefits [COMPLETED]

Chapter 21 - Run

Emma

It's Saturday, the first day of auditions for the talent show, and I'm bored. We've already spent three hours looking at magicians and acrobats in one of the auditoriums at UNI. One guy wanted to assemble a computer on stage. He did not have the stage presence to pull that off. And he lost a screw and spent twenty minutes looking for it while we moved on to other auditions.

The flyers we put up before Christmas had garnered some interest and at least one sorority had encouraged their members to try out, wanting to support the cause. A group of five sorority sisters take the stage and do an a cappella version of 'All of Me' that isn't half bad.

We add them to the list and tell them we'll be in touch. I think they're going to make it. So far, they're among the best we've seen.

Towards the end of the session, Avery steps out onto the stage. Next to me, Hannah tenses up and leans forward.

"I don't know what she's going to sing," Hannah whispers. "I don't think she even knew. She said she wanted to see what the others were doing first."

Clever. We've heard a lot of soft and romantic songs so far. Even breaking them up with other performances, we're running the risk of having the show turn dull. If Avery picked up on this, she could easily impress us with something more upbeat.

I was expecting the elegant, slightly boring woman I had met at lunch to step out onto the stage, but that's not what I get. Her make-up is heavier and her clothes more daring. It's still elegant, but with a hint of rock'n'roll. With her guitar, she walks out like she owns the stage.

All eyes are on her as she adjusts the microphone and takes a deep breath. She smiles at Hannah and opens her mouth.

Energy flows out of her as her husky voice sings 'Beggin'' by Måneskin. She captures the entire room, and for a moment, I think everyone stops breathing.

"She's perfect," Freja says to herself. And I have to admit she's right.

There's a stunned silence as the last notes fade away. Then Hannah stands and claps her hands. The room erupts into applause. I do too as I try to reconcile the quiet, boring woman I met with the one commanding the stage.

"I can also sing something else, if you want." Avery says quietly into the mic.

Freja only glances around at us before she speaks. "You're in."

A smile breaks out over Avery's face. "Thank you."

She hurries off the stage, and Hannah is already moving to meet her. I sit back down. When Hannah said her cousin was good at singing, I had imagined someone who regularly does karaoke without getting laughed at. Not this. Not a full-fledged stage persona that could entice an entire room. But fair's fair, and when another magician comes onto the stage, I get up to where Hannah is talking to Avery.

"You were fantastic," I say. "Welcome to the show."

"Thank you."

"We're going to celebrate," Hannah says. "Do you want to join us at Dirty?"

With a grimace, I shake my head. "I have to get home. I already got assigned a paper, and I need to get started."

The magician is about to finish. I have no doubt Freja and the others can let down the rest of the applicants without me. Still in line are a man with a small dog holding a hoop, and two hockey players. I know they're hockey players because they're wearing their jerseys and carrying sticks. Their plan seems to be to impress us by tossing a puck back and forth.

Rolling my eyes, I let the others know that I'm done for the day and inform them that the dad of one of the hockey players is a sponsor, so they shouldn't be too mean. He might be inclined to donate more if his son is involved.