One Perfect Year at Stevenson High

Chapter 21

Adora took a seat in the auditorium and looked around. The din of overlapping conversations filled the room up all the way to its high ceilings, the air vibrating with anticipation. She still couldn't believe how many people had come out to watch a high school show choir competition on a random Saturday.

This would blow Catra's mind, she thought. Feeling a touch self-righteous.

But that smugness only lasted for a moment. Thinking about her friend had the same effect as a nail in a tire: it pierced her ego and left her deflated. She wondered if Catra even considered her a friend now. Ever since that day on the bleachers, Adora had been haunted by the last thing she said to her.

You and Coach Weaver deserve each other.

It was the cruelest thing she could think of, and in the heat of the moment she meant every word. But Adora wasn't a spiteful person, and as soon as she calmed down she was overwhelmed with guilt.

Not that it mattered now — even if she apologized, she wasn't sure Catra would want to hear it. These days, in the rare, fleeting moments when the pair found themselves in one another's orbit, there was no warmth left in Catra's gaze. It was almost enough to make Adora sick to her stomach, but she held her ground. As much as she hated fighting with Catra, she didn't regret her decision to leave the Valkyries. She didn't blame Catra for being upset, but she was disappointed that Catra couldn't bring herself to respect her choice.

Before Adora could spend too much time dwelling on whether it was time to start referring to Catra as her ex-best friend, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. In the darkness, Glimmer gripped Adora's forearm tightly.

"Here we go!" she whispered. Adora could hear the smile in her voice.

A single spotlight hit the stage, illuminating a woman who introduced herself as the emcee for the day. She welcomed the crowd to sectionals, and was met by a rousing round of applause in return. Then, after briefly explaining how the competition would unfold and introducing the judges, the emcee introduced the first team to the stage: Elberon Secondary's Songsters.

"What a stupid name," Frosta whispered from the end of the row, which was met by an embarrassed shush from Mrs. Moon and a snort of laughter from everyone else.

As the Songsters performed, Adora sat forward in her seat and paid close attention. She watched their choreography and made mental notes on their song selections. There was nothing particularly remarkable about their setlist. Adora had a feeling they chose numbers based on what worked best for them vocally without considering how the song would resonate with the audience. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exciting either.

After the performance, Vocal Rebellion crammed around a cafeteria table to debrief over lunch.

"What did I tell you, Mermista?" Adora said between bites of her sandwich. "Top 40 songs are just too risky. Elberon used that new song for their finale and only half the audience was into it."

"Yeah, yeah." Mermista rolled her eyes. "I still think they just chose a shitty song, but whatever."

"Maybe we can try something current in a mash-up at our next performance?" Bow suggested diplomatically, which seemed to satisfy both parties.

Glimmer slammed her hands down on the table, making everyone else jump. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling pretty good about our chances right now."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Adora cautioned. "And keep your voice down, the Elberon kids are watching us."

Perfuma glanced over her shoulder to where the Songsters were sitting a couple tables over. She waved. "Great job up there!"