"Baby, it all comes back to haunt you, in the end. Baby, it hurts the most, when you don't have a friend. Now you don't know who you can trust, and now you're stuck, on the wrong side of the fence. Baby, it all comes back to haunt you, in the end." ~In The End (Nick Jonas)

Chapter 7

I was a wreck the next day during school. I couldn't concentrate at all. Not that I did much anyways. The auditions were right after school. I thought of bailing. You could say I was pretty scared.

The school day passed really fast. Usually the days drag, but the one day I needed it to, The Lord failed me. And I found myself sitting in the auditorium, waiting for my turn.

"Adison Lambert?" the drama teacher called.

I took a deep breath and shakily got to my feet, making my way towards the stage.

"I'm going to sing Alice Underground by Avril Lavigne," I said into the microphone.

As I did so, I saw Ryder slip into the corner of the auditorium. Oh thank God. He gave me a quiet thumbs up. I took a deep breath and started to sing.

Oh, I'll get by. Oh, I'll survive. When the world's crashing down, when I fall and hit the ground, I will turn myself around, don't you try to stop me. Oh, I won't cry..."

The song really meant a lot to me, and I felt a connection to my own life as I sang it. As hard as it is to live sometimes, I'd always get by and survive for the people who loved and cared about me.

Ryder smiled as I got off the stage and put an arm around me. "You were amazing, kid," he said. "Sounded just like your mom and dad."

"Really?" I asked.

"Absolutely. C'mon, I'll take you home."

Mom knew better than to ask about the audition when I got home. With one look, she just knew I thought I did well and was proud of myself.

***

The next day, the talent show results were posted. I didn't want to look. I was too scared. But I remembered what Ryder had said, and that boosted my confidence a little. As much as I put it off, I did want to know the answer eventually. So once school was over, I went to the board where the results were posted and ran my finger down the list of names.

Mine wasn't there.