Song of my heart

Chapter Twenty Eight: Lights, Camera, Action

"Believe in yourself and go for it."
- Emma Watson

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Chapter Twenty Eight: Lights, Camera, Action

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Maxine rolled her eyes as they stood in the costume department, turning towards Jesse with a smile.

"It's a great idea Jess. Everything's going to be fine." Jesse sighed, but took the jacket that Elsa handed him. He shrugged it on over his button down shirt and took the cap and glasses she offered him.

"It just seems a little far fetched that's all." He said.

"Oh for god sake Jesse!" Oliver said, turning around and taking the cap and glasses an assistant handed him. "Please shut up! You're giving me a head ache." Maxine waited for Elsa to finish twisting her hair with the curling wand and then stepped forward, putting her hand on Jesse's cheek and turning his head towards her.

"It's going to be fine okay?" He let out a sigh, leaning his cheek into her palm, but he nodded.

"Stop you're worrying Cole." Oscar called from across the room where his stillest was putting him into a black dinner jackets, passing a hat to put over his eyes. "You're acting like a girl." Maxine felt Jesse stiffen under her hand and she jumped in front of him before he could do anything, turning so she could face Oscar.

"What's wrong with being scared Oscar? You know, fear isn't a weakness. Fear doesn't make you weak or a baby because you're too scared to do something you're not comfortable with. Fear is a strength. It's brave to be able to say no thanks, I don't want to do that. Fear helps stand up for yourself in front of your friends and say you're not doing something. Sometimes, fear can even save your life. But you want to know what's real fear? The kind that can get into your head and ruins your friendship and relationships with everyone around you? The fear of yourself. The kind of fear that makes you put everyone else down in order to make yourself feel better. The fear that drives you to make other people uncomfortable or put them down because you're not feeling confident about yourself. It appears to me, Oscar, that of that kind of fear, you are an expert so I suggest you shut that big mouth of yours or go and find something nice or helpful to say before I find something to gag you with because unlike you, I don't appreciate hearing the sound of your voice. So please do us all a favour and shut the hell up."

There was a stunned silence for a couple of seconds after Maxine finished. Oscar simply stared at her, his mouth open. Noah and Oliver had been half way out the door when she spoken and they had both stopped and were staring at her in wide amazement. Jesse was also watching her, his eyes wide and his hands frozen at the neck of his coat where he was fixing his tie. Maxine took a deep breath and lifted the sunglasses off her head, settling them over her eyes. "Come on." She said, grabbing hold of Jesse's hand. "We have an opening show to peform." And she dragged Jesse past Oscar to the door, grabbing Oliver and Noah on the way out, banging the door shut behind them.

Every year, just before the last performance, the three final groups get together to peform a song together for the audience. Heartbeat, Oscar and Maxine had been working on their performance for almost two weeks now and Maxine was starting to get anxious. But there was a twist on their story. Instead of coming out from back stage like every other performance, the contestants would be hidden in the audience, near the front of the stage. But when their part to sing came, they would sing their first line in compelt darkness until a spot light picked them out. Then they would slowly make their way up onto the stage where they would perform all together for the last time before their final battle against each other for the title of the X-Factor 2015. Maxine had been strong when she was reassuring Jesse and confronting Oscar, but she was more anxious then she let on. She was standing with Jesse by the doors of the contestant house, waiting to be moved into the cars when he reached out and took her hand.