How Could This Be Real?

55. Oh, Why Thank You

The next week was musical auditions so I headed to the choir room after school to meet with Darny. She pulled me into a tight embrace the moment she saw me. "Oh, Angel! I'm so glad you could make it!"

I pried her off of me as gently as possible, "Yeah, this should be a lot of fun."

She nodded, "It is! But it's also a lot of hard work. We have to make sure we have the perfect cast."

"Well let's see the line-up, shall we?" I sat at the table with her and skimmed over the sheet everyone had signed up on. "Huh, there are quite a few freshmen that are interested."

"Oh yes, you really inspired them last year, and proved that upperclassmen don't always run the show."

"I'm excited to hear the fresh talent! It'll be nice to shake things up a bit."

"I agree." We chatted for a while longer before there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" she called with a bright smile on her face.

A freshman girl poked her head inside, her cheeks slightly flushed. "A-am I, l-late?" she stammered.

I gestured for her to come over, "No no, right on time. You're Rachel, right?"

She shuffled to the marked spot on the ground in front of us and nodded. Poor girl, I could tell she was terribly nervous. Her shoulders were scrunched up by her ears so she looked like a turtle trying to hide in its shell.

"I'm Miss Darnell, the director for this lovely musical, and this is Angel, my honorary assistant director."

Rachel glanced over at me but quickly dipped her head down. "I saw you last year," she squeaked. "Your voice is amazing."

I smiled, "Oh, why thank you."

"Why aren't you auditioning?" she wondered.

"I don't have the time unfortunately. I will be stopping by every once in a while to help out though."

She looked up, her face partially hidden behind a curtain of hair. "Really?" I nodded and she smiled, "That would be so cool to work with you."

"I hope you get the chance. We do need to hear you sing before that can happen though."

I knew that had immediately scared her off again because she closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Uh, ok-kay."

"Don't be nervous," Darny cooed. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

That didn't help. If she stayed like this, there was no way we'd hear her real singing voice. I tried to come up with a way to make her less uncomfortable. "What's your favorite song?" I decided to ask.

She seemed surprised but cleared her throat and said, "Centuries."

"Oh, I love that song! How does it go again?" I started singing, pretending that I had forgotten the lyrics. After a moment she hesitantly joined me and I grinned, "Oh yeah, that's it!" I nodded my head to the beat and sang louder, doing crazy things with my voice that earned a laugh from her. She tried to copy me and soon was singing, really singing, and I knew that I had broke through her defenses. I finally stopped and she was beaming like a ray of sunshine.

"Wow, that was amazing!"

"You know how to make a good harmony," I said. "That's a talent that not many people have."

She blushed, but not from embarrassment this time. "Thanks."

"So, are you ready for the proper audition then?"

She tucked some hair behind her ear and shrugged, "I suppose."

"Take it away!" Darny encouraged and she took a deep breath before launching into her selected piece. When she finished, we applauded politely and she couldn't help smiling. "The callback list will be posted in two days," Miss Darnell said and she nodded before walking out of the room.