Opps to Lovers

Homecoming Performance

The lights dimmed, and the crowd's restless energy buzzed through the packed gym. Treu stood backstage, adjusting the mic hooked around her ear, adrenaline pumping through her veins. This was it-the performance that could change everything. Her first time headlining at a high school's homecoming, and the crowd was thick with students, teachers, and some local fans who'd managed to sneak in.

The stage was small, but the pressure felt massive. Treu took a deep breath as her name was announced over the speakers, and the cheers exploded like fireworks.

Host: "Chi-Town! Make some noise for the one and only, TREUUU!"

The roar of the crowd echoed through the gym as Treu stepped out onto the stage, the lights blinding for a second before her vision adjusted. She could see rows of excited faces, people pulling out their phones, and her own friends near the front, hyping her up with wild cheers.

Nyla and Mello were standing front row, doing the most, shouting her name with pride. But just as she took her position at the center of the stage, she caught sight of someone near the back. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Star Bandz, leaning coolly against the bleachers, arms crossed and eyes fixed on her.

Treu's breath hitched. Of course she would be here. After their run-in backstage earlier, Treu half-expected it, but seeing Star now, cool and unbothered, sent a wave of nerves through her. Star wasn't just any spectator-her gaze carried weight, like she was silently challenging Treu to prove herself worthy.

Treu swallowed her nerves and gripped the mic stand as the opening beat of her song echoed through the speakers. She wasn't about to back down. Not here. Not now.

"Let's go, Chicago!" Treu called into the mic, her voice commanding, sending the crowd into a frenzy as the first few notes of her track dropped.

The music blasted through the gym as Treu launched into her first verse, her voice smooth but powerful, riding the beat with ease. She moved across the stage with a confidence she hadn't felt before, feeding off the crowd's energy. She hit every note, every bar, like she had something to prove-not just to Star, but to everyone watching.

The crowd was loving it, waving their arms and singing along with the chorus. Treu's voice soared over the gym, blending with the lights and the cheers. But she couldn't stop thinking about Star, still watching, still silent. Treu poured every bit of emotion into her performance, her eyes finding Star's for a split second before she turned to hype the crowd up even more.

As the final beat dropped and the song ended, the gym erupted in applause. Treu stood there, breathless, her chest rising and falling with the thrill of the performance. She wiped the sweat from her brow, her eyes scanning the crowd one last time. Star was still there, her expression unreadable.

For a moment, their eyes locked again. Star gave the faintest of smirks before pushing off the bleachers and disappearing into the sea of students. Treu's heart pounded in her chest as she watched her leave. Something about that look-it wasn't anger. It was something else. Something that made Treu's skin tingle and her mind race with thoughts she didn't quite understand yet.

As the host came back onstage to wrap up the event, Treu could barely hear him over the sound of her own heartbeat. The applause, the cheers-it all faded into the background as she stood there, still processing the fact that Star Bandz had just watched her entire performance.

Whatever was brewing between them, it was far from over.

622 words