Game On {1}

Chapter 33

(A/N: Song to the side)

The talent show took a drastic turn at the end. No one could have expected that. No one in the entire crowd that watched everything take place. No student, teacher, or family member knew that a simple show would end so horribly. Maybe that's why it hurt so much.

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"You ready?"

Evanee looked to David, who was currently retuning his guitar for the third time. Even under his cool exterior, she knew that he was nervous. Maybe even more nervous than she.

This rarely happened. She didn't have stage fright, but the more she though about performing, the more she wanted to dive off a cliff.  

The show hadn't even started yet, but the school auditorium was almost full. Gemma couldn't make it that night, but Evanee saw that her boyfriend was sitting in the front row with Tyler and Jonathan. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of them either. Another thing to add to her long anxiety list.

Students were running around like crazy behind the stage. Some were dressing up, some were practicing. It was loud. Obnoxious even. To hear so many voices at once. Though, when she checked, the crowd didn't seem to hear it.

She fiddled with the charm on her necklace. The little angel wings could keep her calm. Maybe if she fucked anything up, she'd be able to fly away. She shook her head at the thought.

"Evanee." She physically jumped. "You'll be fine. We've practiced for so long and you were perfect each time. I have faith in you."

David hugged her, but then he didn't let go. They stayed there for a tiny while with him lightly rubbing circles on her back with his finger. Evanee figured this would calm him so she went along with it. Thankfully, they were near the edge of the backstage so no one saw them. That would end in a bucket full of rumors.

Somehow, she didn't feel as nervous when he let go. A bit of the tension she felt from being up on stage faded away.

There was a short silence. "We can do this."

One of the students, in charge of the performers, approached them with a hardened face. He seemed very serious about his job.

"You two are last. Report to the front after your names are announced," he recited perfectly. Then with a few quick steps, he was gone.

Evanee figured that most people would do something musically related. She wasn't wrong. There were many singers. Some good, some great, some bad. And then there were the few who were cringeworthy.

Luckily, the person before Evanee was one of those cringeworthy people. A freshmen who didn't realized that rapping was definitely not for him.

"And for our last performance, a very special one. Give it up for David and Evanee!"

That was their cue. Each step towards the center of the stage felt like agonizing torture. So many pairs of eyes were on them at once. The performance before them didn't even help calm her down.

Her eyes found Evan's. He was sitting down,wearing a black button up and jeans. His dark brown eyes were looking up at her in admiration and she wanted to sing for him. She believed in herself.

There was already a piano on the center of the stage and they took a seat. It was sideways so that the audience could see them. David gave her a reassuring nod before the song started. David took a deep breath before singing.