One day, at Pacific Coast Academy, Dean Rivers was pacing around his desk.
"We have to find a singer to sing the national anthem at the veteran's day ceremony tomorrow," said Rivers to his assistant, "but who? Who?"
"Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave?" sang the most beautiful voice in the world.
"Where is that coming from?" asked Rivers.
They followed the voice as it continued to sing, "…o'er the land of the free…"
"It's coming from there." said Rivers as he looked in the girls lounge and heard Zoey Brooks singing, "and the home of the brave."
When she saw Dean Rivers, she asked, "did I do something wrong, sir?"
"No, Zoey," said Rivers, "but will you please come with me?"
"Sure," said Zoey.
"You want me to what?" asked Zoey when Rivers told her the news.
"To sing the national anthem tomorrow," said Rivers.
"But I get nervous around people," said Zoey.
"Calm down, Zoey," said Rivers, "I have a little trick that always help me. Whenever I get nervous, I picture a person that I don't get nervous around and imagine that everyone is that person. Is there anyone who you don't get nervous around or a person who really cares about you and would never laugh at you even if you sing badly?"
"Well, there is one person," said Zoey.
She was thinking of Chase Matthews. Chase was her best guy friend who she met at her first day at P.C.A. In fact, Chase was the first person she ever met at P.C.A. They've been friends ever since.
"Who?" asked Rivers.
"Chase," said Zoey.
"Well, when you're up there, just imagine that everyone you're looking at is Chase," said Rivers.
"I'll try, sir," said Zoey.
The next day, Rivers came to a pulpit and said, "hello, students. To celebrate Veteran's day, a student of ours will sing the national anthem. So, please give a round of an applause for Zoey Ann Brooks."
Everyone clapped.
"I didn't know Zoey could sing," said Logan Reese.
"That's because you've never heard her sing," said Chase.
Zoey came to the pulpit. At first, she didn't say anything. But then she remembered that Rivers said to her, "just imagine that everyone you're looking at is Chase."
She looked at the real Chase. Then she imagined that everyone was Chase and his big, dark, bushy hair.
After that, she took a deep breath and sang, "Oh, say can you see? By the dawn's early light. What's so proud…"
As she sang, she felt much better since she was imagining that everyone was Chase. Thank you, Dean Rivers.
Finally, she sang, "…And the home of the brave."
When she was done, everyone clapped, even Logan. Then, Zoey stopped picturing everyone being Chase since she was done.
Meanwhile, at someplace far away, a man saw Zoey on tv because it was on the CNN, and said, "she's the girl I'm looking for."