One Night

Chapter 19

Chapter 19
It was a few days later when Piper stood in front of a camera. Breathing hard, she tried to calm her nerves and failed. She knew this was the best plan. They needed to tell the truth before Colah took that opportunity away from them. Breathe, breathe, breathe, she told herself.
“Once he says your name, walk onto the stage, smile and take a seat,” someone directed her, and Piper nodded.
The local station that accepted their convoluted story for appearing on their pop culture show had no idea about the scoop they would receive with her introduction. It worried Piper that this could open up with too much focus on her, Shiana, and the band, but she intended to see it through.
“Let’s welcome, Piper Delaney.”
Piper heard her name and glanced briefly to where Shiana stood hidden. Her friend gave her an encouraging swish of her hand. With a deeply drawn in breath, Piper stepped forward. She walked over to  the well-dressed man whom she had convinced to take on her story without actually giving away the volatility of the story.
“Hello, Jackson,” Piper surprised herself when her voice came out smooth and clear.
“Hello, Piper,” they shook hands and Piper took the seat opposite him, “Piper Delaney, is the lead singer of the band called The Pips, who play every Friday and Saturday night and the ‘Coffee till you drop’ Cafe. They’ve been playing up a storm and drawing bigger crowds each week,” Jackson introduced her with a flourish.
With her heart in her throat and trying hard to stay calm, Piper prepared to answer, “thank you, Jackson,” she said with a demure smile, “tonight I wanted to thank all of our new fans who support our music, but I also have things that my old fans need to know,” she continued to speak as she glanced at the cameras.
“Old fans?” Jackson asked, intrigued.
“This story, like a lot of stories, begins with a friend in high school,” Piper paused.
“I’m intrigued. Please continue,” Jackson waved her on, and Piper prepared to tell her life story.
“When I was sixteen, I entered a talent show, as did my best friend. By the time my turn came around, I was so nervous that I couldn’t go on. My friend said she’d lip sync my song on the stage while I played and sang behind the curtain. It turned into a huge success.
“Ever since that night, my friend has lip synced all of my songs that I’ve sung until I found my band. I wanted to tell the truth to the world so that everyone knows. I’ve always been terrified to be on a stage. Even sitting here with you is a struggle, but I want my fans to know the truth about me,” Piper admitted.
Jackson tapped his chin and considered her, “how many songs has your friend lip synced for you?”
Piper smiled ruefully, “about three albums worth. Together, we were one of the best kept secrets in the industry.”
“Three albums?” Jackson asked incredulously.
“Yes, would you like to meet her? It might make more sense when you do.”
“Of course,” Jackson waved her on.
When Shiana walked onto the stage floor, all decked out in the latest fashion, all mouths gaped open, including Jackson. With confidence, she walked out and sat down next to Piper.
It had been hard to keep Shiana a secret, with Jackson wanting to know about who she intended to bring onto his show. Even getting her microphone on took Shiana effort to stay hidden as much as possible. Now Piper could see that her surprise gave the exact effect that she needed.
“In case you don’t know who this is, I’d like to introduce my best friend, Shiana,” Piper said.
As all the world knew, Shiana didn’t speak, so everyone gaped at her when she opened her mouth, “hello,” her squeaky voice sounded throughout the studio.
“Are you suggesting that Shiana lip syncs her songs?” Jackson asked in disbelief.
“No, I lip sync my best friends songs,” Shiana admitted.
“Let us explain,” Piper said as the room grew tense.
Once the words started spilling from her lips, she didn’t stop until she told the cameras every aspect of their lives up to that point. Shiana added in other parts of the story as she spoke. Together, they told the whole story, which left the studio stunned. Jackson just stared at them before he recalled where he was.
“That’s quite a story,” he said.
“We’re quite a unique pair of women,” Piper smiled the best she could at him.
Together, they had exposed a hidden truth that had given them a world of fame, wealth, and luxury beyond that of most people. She had never been sure of what response they would receive, so this moment made her anxious.
Before anyone could speak, a familiar and dreaded voice spoke, “they can’t say any of that,” puffed an out of breath Colah.
“We can, and we did,” Piper answered proudly.
“We are free of you and can sat whatever we want to whoever we want,” Shiana added.
“You don’t talk!” Colah commanded.
“Actually, I do. You stifled my voice for years, but you will never have a chance to stifle me again,” Shiana insisted.
Jackson came to life and began to ply Colah with questions. While that happened, Piper and Shiana shared a look. How had he known they were at the studio?
Piper turned her focus back to Jackson, only to find Colah floundering for answers, and that gave her renewed hope. Not everyone was on Colah’s side.
Piper had managed to tell her story before Colah could soil the truth with his lies. The very best part was that every second of that truth and Colah’s growing anger was recorded.
“You will edit it!” Colah demanded with his face growing purple with fury.
“This is a live broadcast, so what you’ve said is what everyone hears,” Jackson told an irate Colah.
“You did this to me,” Colah turned to Piper and Shiana.
“All we did was to tell the world the truth,” Piper said in her calmest voice.
“You want to destroy me!” Colah wailed.
“No, you’re already destroying yourself with this overreaction. What all of the viewers can now see is the true person who you are. The true person who kept Shiana silenced for years and kept me hidden behind a curtain without helping me to face my fears. At no time did you try to do what was best for either of us. The only person you looked out for was you, “ Piper argued and felt a release as she did so.
This man had kept her as a secret and never helped her to expand beyond that. The lessons she learnt were only to make the best of her voice not the best of her person. Her band had done so much more for her in the few months that she’d known them. They had helped her to blossom and sing in front of a crowd. Those four people had helped her to free her voice and become what she had always wanted.
“How dare you try and accuse me like this,” Colah stepped towards Piper and towered over her in fury.
“There’s no accusations. I’m only speaking the truth,” Piper replied with a nonchalant shrug.
Colah began to splutter with outrage. His hands reached for Piper, but before he could move, someone pushed between them.
“Stop, Colah!” Kay demanded.
“She wouldn’t have the life she has now without me,” Colah shouted.
“Maybe I wouldn’t, but at least then our lives would have been ours to live. Shiana and I are free of your control,” Piper replied as she eyed Kay suspiciously.
“I can explain,” Kay whispered.
Piper nodded and chose to say nothing more. A few people came in to walk Colah out of the studio. He continued his ranting ways and threw out many threats, but Piper ignored him. Now was the chance to prove to everyone that she was someone still worth listening to.
“That was our ex manager, Shiana’s father, Colah Todd,” Piper said with an attempt at a smile. Before Jackson could interrupt, Piper continued with her explanation, “the topic I didn’t get to talk about was my new band, who has Shiana’s support.”
“You sure do!” Shiana enthused.
Piper spent the rest of the interview discussing the band and how they’d helped her overcome her stage fright. She told the cameras all about where they played, and at last, came their chance to play on the show.
None of the band members had wanted to be a part of the interview because they knew that Piper needed to be the one to tell the story. A chance to play in front of a television audience was something they couldn’t turn down.
“For their first time, let’s hear The Pips!” Jackson enthused.
Piper made her way over to her group with her heart in her throat. The expectation of today and what the future might hold scared her. She had no idea of how the fans might react to the reality of Shiana and the truth of their deception.
Hearing the drum beats, Piper forced her nerves away. She needed to end this night on a high note, and hopefully, her singing would do that.
Evan, Mauve, Logan, and Kaeden all smiled at her in welcome, which helped to calm her. It was time for the world to hear her new sound.
The spotlight landed on her, and that almost made her choke. No, she had a point to prove, and now was her time.
She sang her heart out, putting every ounce of singing skill she possessed into the words. It left her on an exhilarated high as the last words flew from her lips.
“Wow! Now that was a spectacular performance,” Jackson said as he clapped and stared at the band in awe.
“Thank you,”
Piper and the band took a bow before joining Jackson back on stage. Jackson began to conclude the interview and reiterated where the band played. Now, they only had to await the reactions from their many fans.
Upon leaving the studio, they found Kay pacing outside. Piper braced herself for another Colah appearance but only saw Kay.
“I’m sorry, my girls,” Kay said as she approached them.
“Did you have anything to do with Dad turning up?” Shiana snapped.
“Yes, and, no. He rang me demanding a lift somewhere because he had spent the day drinking. I didn’t know it had to do with you two until I was in the car and driving here. He gave me directions and I followed them. When I finally realised our destination, I tried to prevent him from entering, but he had someone already there with the door held open wide. Him and his blasted contacts! How does he know so many people who want to help him out?” Kay explained.
Shiana and Piper shared a look. Kay’s distress sounded genuine, but they still held doubts. Had she set them up? It all appeared terribly suspicious.
“If you’ve been stringing us along, I swear that we won’t have anything to do with you again,” Shiana insisted.
“I haven’t. I moved out, and we have barely talked. When he rang me and sounded so panicked, I had to do something. He told me he wasn’t feeling well and it was only when I got to him I realised it was due to how drunk he was. Please believe me that I didn’t deliberately bring him here today,” Kay pleaded.
“I want to believe you, Mum, but it’s coming across as quite the coincidence,” Shiana said with narrowed eyes.
Kay's shoulders slumped, “this looks bad. I know it does, but I had no intention of causing any drama. In fact, he made a complete fool of himself. He made himself sound like the worst manager, so it lends credence to your story,” Kay explained.
Once again, Piper shared a look with her friend. What should they do in this situation? Was it just a coincidence, or was it planned?
“Girls, I’m close to getting you a deal, and I swear Colah knows nothing about it. It’s with a new record producer who your Dad doesn’t know. It’s a bit of a risk because they haven’t represented many people, but they want to give it a go,” Kay told them.
“We’ll talk it over,” Shiana replied as she gestured for everyone to start to leave.
“Here’s the number,” Kay handed over a business card that Shiana accepted, “I think you might get a lot more offers once people see what you did tonight. Take whatever offer looks best to you both,” Kay said before she turned and left.
Nobody spoke, but looks went between each individual. One night of truth telling led to a situation that could have great potential or epic failure.