The Girl (Almost) Everyone Ignored

Chapter 5

It's Not The First Time Doing This
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What was I doing? Oh, that's right. Preparing myself for a huge embarrassment, that's what I'm doing.
Here I stood, backstage, the last person up, waiting for this one girl to finish singing. My hands felt like they were shaking, so did my knees. I've barely ever been the center of attention anywhere but home when I was playing around. I'd just barely been able to do the 7th grade talent show, if anything I had grown stage fright.

"Very well, next" one of the judges said. I slowly walked onstage to the mic as the other girl strolled offstage.

"Hello, and who are you?" One of the judges asked. He was the one sitting in the middle.

Deep brown hair, his eyes the same color. He looked familiar, but I couldn't set a name to a face. Another male sat next to him. Brown, balding hear, and lighter brown eyes. Then to the left of the guy in the middle was my music teacher, Ms. Jennings. Bright blond hair, yet green eyes.

"I'm Raven Taylor" I said through the mic.

Ms. Jennings smiled and waved at me, I smiled back.

"And what will you be doing? " the man in the middle asked after writing on a piece of paper.

"Singing and playing the piano" I told him, motioning towards the piano on the stage. I took a deep breath as he continued writing.

"Good, go ahead and start, why don't yah?" He put his pen down and looked up at me.

I walked over and sat in front of the piano.

I calmed.

I haven't been in front of a piano in years. For some reason it brought comfort.

I started slowly playing the piano, playing an acoustic version of "Demons" by Imagine Dragons.

I just hoped this went well.

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"I'm gonna go get a bottle of water from the car, you gonna wait until I come back?" Liam asked as soon as we were in the hall by the auditorium.

"Yeah, sure. Go on ahead" I told him.

He walked back out. Probably already missing Emma who decided to wait in the car.

She was excited for whatever this Raven girl was doing, but also very tired from gym, her last hour class.

I waited in the hall, feeling awkward.

". . .start, why don't yah? " a voice boomed.

Curiosity, one emotion my head was completely filled with today, filed me once more. I opened the auditorium door to see the room completely bright.

Raven sat in front of the piano, softly playing the piano to a familiar, yet distant song.

Once she started singing, my jaw dropped. A girl like her, no way. It was soft, ticklish almost.

She'd taken off her jacket to reveal a white T-shirt with a single black music note in the front.

When the music started to lightly grow lost, I knew my ears were tricking me.

"Jaw up, dude" Liam said, walking from behind me. He didn't seem a bit surprised.

I forced my mouth closed, but still gawked at her with surprise.

"She's pretty cool, huh?" He asked, smiling.

"Since when has she-?" I couldn't finish speaking, but he knew what I meant.