Secret Singing Superstar

Fifty-five ~ ♫♪♫

Claire shouldered her bag as she walked to school with her sister. Well, she wasn't really walking with her sister...her sister was already a few metres ahead, although she'd stopped to wait for Claire impatiently, for Claire had stopped when she'd spotted her cat, Lucifer.

"Hey, little guy," she said, stroking Lucifer's head. He was so adorable. "Now where were you yesterday when I went out to feed you?" 

The cat blinked its green eyes at her innocently.

"Don't try that look on me," she said teasingly. "I know you went to Yao's house. You've grown very fond of her, haven't you? I think she feeds you too much yummy food whenever you visit; you've become accustomed to it." 

Lucifer meowed in response. 

"Well, I have to go to school now. Don't stalk me or do anything naughty, okay?" Claire touched her cat's fluffy head one more time before racing back to her sister.

"You talk to cats now?" Elaine grouched, pissed that she'd had to wait ten minutes for Claire. She loved cats too, but she preferred their other cat Michael over Lucifer. 

Claire smiled. "Yep."

"You are undeniably crazy."

"Why, thank you!" 

When Claire and Elaine got to school, they parted ways. Elaine went to the library. She said she was going to finish off some homework before class, but Claire was pretty sure she was going to read. She liked reading in the library more than any other place because it was quiet and nobody disturbed her from time to time. 

Claire walked to the group's usual spot under the oak tree. She was surprised to see that Caitlin was comforting Leanne, who looked like she was having a panic attack.

"What's wrong with Leanne?" she asked Caitlin.

Caitlin bit her lip. "Um...Leanne's freaking out over the national singing competition. Turns out she got into the semi-finals - "

"That's good!" Claire exclaimed. "Why is she so...upset?"

Caitlin pulled Claire close and whispered in her ear, "because she's afraid that Cailyn didn't make it. She doesn't want to be on her own."

"Okay?"

Caitlin sighed. "You are horrible at this. Do something! Comfort your best friend!"

"You're her best friend too."

"Claire!"

Claire looked around the courtyard. There was hardly anyone else in sight. "Where are the others?" Maybe they could help comfort Leanne, since Claire knew that she would be terrible at it. She never could find the right words of affection, plus she didn't really want to go all sappy.

"Cailyn was here before Leanne came, but Yao dragged her off to sign up for chess club," a small smile appeared on Caitlin's face as she said it, although her eyes were firmly focused on Leanne, who still wasn't moving. 

"Why?"

"It turns out that the only way to get Yao to come to her surprise birthday party yesterday was to force Cailyn into joining chess club with her."

Claire grinned; so she wasn't the only one who blackmailed people constantly. "Good on Yao."

"Not good," muttered Caitlin, patting Leanne gently on the head, "she tried to force me to join too but I don't know how to play chess. I pray that Cailyn's gonna cope."

"She'll be fine," Claire deadpanned, "she and Yao play chess on that life-sized chess board in the corner all the time."

Now Caitlin laughed. "I remember that...it's like how the kiddos played wizard's chess in the first Harry Potter movie. Leanne was a knight on Yao's side and I was a bishop on Cailyn's."