Flashlight (Sam Woolf)

Chapter 7- Proved Them Wrong

"Hey,

I'm breaking free,

Just watch me walk away

Had your hooks in me but I escaped..."

-Cassadee Pope, "Proved You Wrong"

*****

The whole solo round passed by in a huge blur. It was just more of the same- rehearsing, having fun with my friends, and rehearsing some more. All of the preparation led up to that one day, where everything mattered. That day was a nail-biter, because this is the time when the judges are really starting to narrow things down. 

Sam ended up choosing Ain't it Fun by Paramore for me, which was a relief. It is a song that I already know by heart, and have the guitar chords for. Some of the pressure was taken off my back, but my head was still spinning. 

Day after day, the pressure of the competition keeps building. 

However, that is in the past. We are now down to the wire. Today is our final solo- the day where everyone performs a final solo to earn a spot in the first live show. Only 30 people will make it- 15 boys, and 15 girls. Huge cuts will be made, and nobody is safe. Nobody. 

"Calm down, Av. You'll do fine." Sam said softly, trying to calm my nerves. 

He pulled my body close to his, rubbing my arm in a soothing way. If the stakes weren't so high, I wouldn't be so freaked out. Nerves haven't effected me as much as they are right now. I guess my facade of being confident and "fearless" can't last forever. I am neither of those things, at least not right now. 

A producer's deep voice snapped me from my thoughts. "Avery Wilkins, you're up." 

I gave him a small nod as a thank you, then turned to hug Sam. Feeling his arms around me was like someone injected a calming medicine into my arm. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to vanish, leaving my body calm for those few moments when Sam held me. But as soon as we parted, they came back. Figures.

"Good luck." he whispered one last time. 

"Thanks." I said. "Keeping my fingers crossed..."

Shyly smiling, I trailed behind the producer, my steps matching the beat of my heart. The stage lights blinded me for my first few moments up there, causing me to squint a bit. The intensity of this whole situation feels as if it is drowning me. 

"Hello there." Jennifer said, welcoming me. "What will you be singing for us today?"

"I'm going to be singing an original song for you guys." I paused for a split second. "I wrote it when I was about 14 or 15, about this boy that I used to like. I don't know if he ever felt the same, but... yeah." 

"What is it called?" Keith asked. 

Oh, duh. Stupid Avery. "It's called Edge of a Thunderstorm."

Jennifer muttered the title under her breath, writing something down on her notepad. The thick silence in the air gave me the cue to begin. I sighed, closing my eyes as I strummed the first chord.

Each lyric seemed to flow out of me like a river. It was as if my soul as spitting out these lyrics, similar to the day this song was written. The memories that are hidden within the lyrics began to unfold in my mind like a movie, causing a smile to creep up upon my lips. 

"Hold me, keep me warm, like we're standing on the edge of a thunderstorm..." I finished, letting my eyes wander down to the floor. 

"Beautiful job." Keith said. "It was hard to take my eyes off you when you were performing."