I Wanna Be A Vocaloid

Chapter Four: The Rival

"Yay! I'm done! I've written a song AND trained my voice!" exclaimed Teto, dancing around in the street. She and Neru had gone to Haku's shop to tell her about the song they had made. Teto had bought about five loaves of french bread and two tubs of margarine. Haku giggled and Neru shook her head. They both knew Teto was far from finished.
"Hey! Teto! You do know you still have to compose the music, right?" called Neru. Teto didn't seem to hear.
"And she still needs to learn the song off by heart," Haku laughed, scanning Teto's shopping. Then someone else came.
"Aw, look who's getting excited!" hissed a whiny voice. Teto whipped round. Her heart sank as a tall, slim, black-haired girl strode into the shop. Her eyes glowed an emerald green, and her red lips curled into an evil grin. Neru and Haku scowled as she gave them a small wink. Let's just say this girl wasn't very pleasant. Her name was Jessica Smith, a foreigner from England. She and Teto were arch enemies, and she didn't really get on with Neru and Haku either. One must admit she was quite pretty, but she often enjoyed boasting about this and bringing shame to those who weren't as beautiful. She eyed the Vocaloid tryouts poster, and cackled sinisterly. Her eyes made contact with Teto's.
"Oh, Teto. You want to be a Vocaloid, don't you? Well, darling, you missed your chance. The tryouts finish in fifteen minutes!" she said with a smirk. Teto frowned. Jessica was lying, she was sure of it. But then she reread the poster.
'VOCALOID TRYOUTS ON MONDAY 4th AUGUST! ONLY ONE PERSON WILL BE CHOSEN!' A single tear rolled down Teto's cheek. She must have misread the poster yesterday. Things suddenly started making sense - she had been a bit confused when she saw 'Tuesday 5th August' in her calendar. She buried her eyes in her hands and weeped. Neru and Haku looked downcast while Jessica looked quite jolly.
"I've just come back from the tryouts, Teto! Yes, I entered the competition as well. To be honest, I was the best singer," sighed Jessica, as if she already knew she would win. Of course she would; Jessica thought she was good at most things. Teto looked up. She saw Neru and Haku's sympathetic faces. She saw Jessica's happy expression. She saw the poster, swaying from side to side. And she smiled. Neru was confused to see Teto smiling. Haku was much the same. Jessica didn't seem to notice Teto at all. Suddenly, Teto had perseverance again. She ran to the door and gripped the handle.
"Come on, Neru! Come on, Haku! It's not too late to go and sing yet! We have ten minutes - let's hurry!" she called. Neru and Haku smiled and chased after Teto. Jessica seemed somewhat disappointed. And the three singers raced down the street, hope burning in their hearts.