ambivalent | hes

17

Ok so the song up there ^^^ is the one thats mentioned later on in the chapter so listen to it if you'd like

Ground Zero was a soothing coffee house where you could relax and watch people perform anything from songs they've written to poetry they've spent days constructing. There was a stage where you could showcase your talent, and comfy booths on the ground floor to sit, eat and enjoy the show.

We were four of the many watching on, discussing acts over warm coffee. Not many were brave enough to stand in front of the increasing audience and show off their talent, but the few that did had just that. Talent. Some even reaching the point of giving me chills down my spine or butterflies in my stomach.

Bea and Louis seemed to be getting along quite well. They seemed to be lost in each other, laughing at each others jokes and agreeing on how good or bad someone's performance was. I knew Bea, and I could tell by the glint in her eyes that she was starting to like Louis. And by the smile that appeared on Harry's face when he watched the two, it was quite possible that Louis felt the same way.

A girl who did a cover of Little Bird by Ed Sheeran came off stage, and as I was taking a sip of my coffee, Bea said,

"Lyla, you should go up there."

I choked on my beverage and Harry had to pat me on the back in order to stop me.

"I think I'll pass." I said after I had contained myself.

"Come on, you've performed in front of an audience before." She explained.

"Yeah, but that was at school. This is different."

"You're way better than anyone we've heard so far. Go show them up." She told me.

I looked at Harry, and he smiled at me.

"You do whatever feels right." He said.

I looked between the people around us and then the stage before gaining enough confidence to get up from my seat and make my way to the stage.

Bea, Harry and Louis started cheering for me as I stepped on stage, causing the whole room to erupt into an echo of what seemed like endless applauds and whistles. I have to admit, it did calm my nerves a bit.

"Hi sweetie, what's your name?" The introducer asked.

"Lyla." I spoke into the microphone, my eyes scanning the crowd for Bea.

I found her and she waved and I slightly waved back.

"What are you going to do for us tonight?" The man continued.

"Uh, I'm going to sing."

"You've got this Lyla!" Bea shouted, giving me a thumbs up.

"What song would you like sing?"

What song? It hadn't crossed my mind that I had to choose a song until now. I thought for a bit, various song titles coming to mind, until I decided on one.

"C'est La Vie by Tinashe." I finally spoke.

I had never really sung that song a lot in my free time, only once or twice while I was cleaning my room or making dinner. But I liked the slow rhythm and how smoothly one word transitioned to the next.

"Good choice." The man told me, smiling.

I smiled back, then looked out at the crowd. Most of the people were too busy talking or eating and weren't paying much attention to me. I didn't really mind, it was less pressure on me.

The song started, the sound filling the room as a countdown appeared on the flatscreen in front of me.

3.