Wasted Opportunities

Chapter 3

Emily's POV

“So that's amazing, isn't it?” I finished. I was telling my parents about the offer, but they didn't look quite as pleased as I felt.

“Are you sure this is from them?” my mum asked.

“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes. “It was sent from the band account. Unless they've been hacked, that was definitely them, and if they had been hacked, I would have heard about it by now.”

“Even if it is real, you would be missing school, and you'd be away from home for a while, and you're too young to go away on tour. You're only sixteen – ”

“I'd be seventeen by then,” I interrupted.

“That's still too young! There won't be anybody there to look after you, and there will be lots of late nights, and it's just not good for you! Besides, what would the school think?” my dad asked.

“Surely they'd see that it was an amazing opportunity, and be proud of my achievements?” I argued.

“You just can't do this right now, you have a lot of work to do that year! I'm not letting you put this before your schoolwork. If you weren't at school, it might be different.”

My parents looked guilty, as they could see how much I wanted this, but they seemed determined not to let me go.

“Come on, you know I can manage with lots of pressure, and doing lots of things at once! I promise I would work just as hard on my schoolwork, I'd do it in between rehearsals. Please, just think about it! Think how much I want this, and what it could lead to! You know I've always loved singing, and playing the piano. I'd have a great time, and meet my favourite band, but I'd be in the background; there wouldn't be any pressure on me! Please,” I said, my voice cracking. “Think about it.”

I walked up to my room and lay on the bed, tears running down my face. I had been given an opportunity so many people dreamed of, and it looked like it was going to be over before it had even started.

“It's just so unfair,” I said, kicking the bottom of my locker half-heartedly as I moaned to Maddy about what my parents had said.

“Are they definitely not letting you?”

“I asked them to think about it, but their minds seem pretty made up,” I sighed. “But they know how much I love 5sos, I just need to show them how happy this would make me.”

“If it was me, I would find a way to go, no matter how hard it is.”

“I'm going to try,” I said.

“Have you replied to the DM yet?” she asked.

“No, I suppose I should tell them I need a bit of time to think about it.”

“You could just say yes...” she suggested, a wicked glint in her eyes.

“I don't know...” I said. “My parents would be so cross, and I don't want to mess the band around by saying I can go then changing my mind – this is pretty serious stuff.”

“You're not saying you can go, you're just saying you're interested...”

I thought for a moment, weighing up the different options, and eventually made a decision.

'I would absolutely love to come on tour!' I typed as a reply. 'However, my parents aren't sure, so could I have a little more time to think about it? By the way, I love you guys so much, and I'm so honoured that you even considered me!'

“There,” I said. “A compromise. Even if I'm not allowed to go, I guess it's still great that they noticed me, right? I mean, before this I would have dreamed that they even knew who I was!”

“True,” Maddy admitted. I tried to look at the positive side to make myself feel better, but I couldn't deny that I was extremely disappointed.

I didn't talk much on the journey home from school, and as soon as we got back I went into the music room.

“Don't you have any homework?” asked my mum.

“No,” I called back.

The music room contained my brother's drum kit and a piano. I loved this piano, it had been in our house since I was little, and I had learnt to play on it. We had been looking after it for a friend who was living abroad, but when she returned to England we bought it from her, and I was thrilled, because in my eyes, it was the best piano ever. I sat down and began to play the opening sequence to Beside You.

“Within a minute I was all packed up, I've got a ticket to another world, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go...” As I was singing, I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. This song was really the opposite of my situation – I had an opportunity to go away to another world, and I did want to go, so badly, but I couldn't. The people who I wanted to be beside were in that other place, and I desperately wanted to be with them. The tears rolled down my face as I reached the second chorus, and soon I couldn't sing any more. I rested my elbows on the keys, making a horrible-sounding chord, and cried.