Music Camp { A Short Luke Hemmings Novel }

T e n

You walk onto the stage with shivering knees and wide eyes. The bright stage lights blind you for a moment and I'm literally caught in everyone's stares. You look at the others and you give each other encouraging nods. You all know this is it, you all know you have to give everything you have now. We can do this, you practiced, you're prepared.

You take a deep breath and take your place while plugging your guitar into one of the many devices. Ashton settles down behind the drums and wipes his curls out of his face while Luke also plugs in his cable and looks at you with a smile. You smile back at him before looking at your best friend standing in front of you. She's holding the microphone and you can see her shaky legs.

''Beth,'' you say and she turns around. ''You'll be amazing,'' you say to give her some courage. She gives me a short nod before looking behind her and heavily smiling. You also turn around and see Ashton looking at her with a big grin before blowing her a kiss. You smile at the cute couple before you realize there's a lot of people in front of you. You turn around once more and try to be optimistic. At least it's not an arena full of people, it's like twenty-two bands, twenty-two times four is like eighty-eight people. Eighty eight persons our age, plus the adults around here. You'd say it's around the hundred in total.

The biggest crowd you've ever been in front of.

''Okay, band twenty, are you ready?'' Mr. Rodriguez asks you. You look at your band members and everyone nods. ''Yes we are,'' Ashton says in his microphone. ''Okay, you're free to start,'' Mr. Rodriguez says and I prepare for what's coming. Everything we've been working for this week... It's happening now. All the effort we put in this, you hope it will be appreciated.

Ashton counts down with his sticks and soon enough you find yourself playing the guitar riff in the beginning. After playing it once Bethany joins you with her guitar, and eventually Luke adds the chords.

Luckily it goes well, although this part is the easy part. Somewhere near the end of the song you have a guitar solo together with Bethany. You didn't practice it that much so you hope it will go well.

You've reached the first verse and Bethany starts singing.

''Got sick of those green fields, bright skies.

Gotta break through, lose the ordinary.

Stuck in lives filled with lies.

After all it became so damn weary,''

You do a little riff towards the pre-chorus, which immediately follows.

''Scream it out 'cause we're all so done.

It took a while now the hell breaks loose.

Yeah, tonight we'll all be gone,''

Bethany slightly smiles at you before belting the last sentence of the pre-chorus into the microphone.

''It's over now, no matter what you choose!''

A small drum roll fills the space in between the pre-chorus and the chorus and so far it's still going well. You're all on a roll and you haven't made any mistakes yet. You have to admit that this is quite fun, just being up here with those people and playing something the four of you created.

You see Luke starts moving around the stage with his guitar and you follow his example. Performance counts as well, so you might as well put some effort in it. You see the crowd seems to like it, and that only makes you happier. The judges just sit there with pokerfaces though, but you guess that's their job.