Welcome to Reefside (editing in progress)

Being Asked to Homecoming

Kira's POV

I push open my garage door, and the familiar mix of dust, old amps, and sheet metal echoes greets me. The garage looks like our own little concert hall: posters plastered everywhere, wires snaking across the floor, the drum kit in the back corner, and two boys tuning up.

Nate is checking the bass strings.
Josh is tapping his sticks across the snare, warming up his wrists.

"Tracy, this is Nate," I say. "And that's Josh."

Nate gives her a nod. "Good to finally meet you."

Josh flashes a grin. "Heard you've got pipes. Ready to rock?"

She shifts nervously. "Um... I hope so."

I squeeze her shoulder. "No pressure. This is just to try things out. You don't have to perform tomorrow unless you actually want to."

"We're cool either way," Nate adds. "Harmonizing with someone new is always fun."

Josh twirls a drumstick. "So what's first?"

Tracy surprises me with her answer.
"How about 'Fearless'?"

Nate raises an impressed eyebrow. "Taylor Swift? Solid warm-up."

We start playing. Tracy's voice is shaky at first, but she finds her footing by the first chorus. She matches the rhythm with a soft sway, hair falling forward as she focuses.

By the end, she's smiling.

"Okay... that wasn't terrible," she says.

"Terrible?" Josh snorts. "That sounded better than most live auditions."

Tracy gently suggests it. "Um... what about 'My Wish'? By Rascal Flatts."

Nate grins. "Say less."

We play it, and this time Tracy relaxes even more. Nate's bass anchors her voice, and Josh keeps the beat light. When she lands the soft high note at the bridge, Nate mouths whoa at me.

She has no idea how good she actually is.

"Let's try something bigger," she says.

She starts the intro, breath steadier now. The song builds slowly, and by the second verse, her confidence is unmistakable. Josh follows her perfectly. Nate steps up with a low harmony on the final chorus.

When she finishes, she laughs nervously. "Sorry. I probably got loud."

"Loud?" Josh says. "You killed it."

Nate nods. "You've got some serious power in there."

Then Tracy glances toward my mic stand.

"...Can we try 'Girl on Fire'? The Alicia Keys version."

The boys stare at her like she just announced she can control lightning.

"You want to do that one?" I ask.

She nods. "If I'm going to perform tomorrow... I should know if I can handle something big."

We step back and let her take center stage.

Josh counts off.

1... 2... 3... 4...

Tracy takes a breath and begins.

"She's just a girl and she's on fire
Hotter than a fantasy
Lonely like a highway..."

Her voice starts low, smoky. Controlled.
Nate looks at me with huge eyes.

She gets louder.

"She's livin' in a world and it's on fire..."

Josh hits the snare harder, feeding her energy.