Chapter 10

"You're so good, Kei!" Makoto ran up to me with Haru walking behind him. Makoto grabbed my hands and shook them out of excitement as he praised my performance.

"Really?" A smile came across my face as I confirmed that my friends enjoyed the show.

"Of course! I didn't know you were that good, right, Haru?" The two of us looked over to the blue eyed Haru and noticed that he nodded his head in agreement.

"You're good." My smile only grew bigger due to the fact that both of my friends thought that I did a good job.

As I took a deep breath and closed my eyes I tried to calm down my heart. It was pounding so hard in my chest that I was sure it was going to puncture itself up against my ribs. I felt my palms begin to sweat slightly from my nerves.

"You guys are really going to come!" I squealed as I bounced in front of Makoto and Haru.

"Of course we are! You always come to our meets, so we should come see you perform." Makoto laughed as he tried to calm me down.

"It'll be different for you guys, huh? Being in the audience instead of being the ones that everyone's watching."

"This is less effort." Haru said as he looked away from Makoto and I. I felt a smile form on my lips as I looked at him.

"You deserve a break too, Haru."

As I stood with my fellow members in front of the blackened crowd I held tried to zone out of where I was. As our instructor walked up to the stand in front and bowed to the audience I mentally prayed for all to go well.

"Stop crying." Haru said softly. With his arms awkwardly placed around me and my face buried into his shirt I shook my head.

"I don't know how to, Haru. I'm just so upset." I sobbed.

"You have to. Breathe." As I took in shaky breaths I began to calm myself down. After breathing for thirty seconds my tears had ceased and all I was left with was my shaking body.

"I'm sorry, Haru." I whispered.

"There'll be a next time."

"No there won't be because I'm going to stop singing." I muttered as Haru's arms became slightly limp from my words out of shock.

As I walked up to the microphone I bowed to the audience and took in a deep breath. After many years of sulking in my room because I refused to sing I finally got back up on this stage. I was on the very same stage that I had once choked on many years ago.

"You did amazing tonight, Kei." One of my fellow choir members praised me on my solo performance and all I could do was smile and thank her for her kind words.

"Kei-chan!" As I turned around I was surprised to see Nagisa, Makoto, Rei, Gou, and Haru all walking towards me.

"G-Guys? What're you doing here?" I asked the group in front of me.

"Haru found out when your first performance was." Nagisa explained.

"H-He told you guys?" I looked at Haru with a surprised face. Haru was never one to tell someone else's secret because he never felt the need to. He found it too troublesome.

"I was coming on my own, but they invited themselves along." He explained.

"So this is the club you joined? Why didn't you tell us?" Makoto questioned my secrecy.

"It's…it's a long story." I awkwardly rubbed my neck as I tried to avoid the question.

"Well, I'm happy we all came because this was the perfect way to relax right before the prefecturals tomorrow." Gou announced.

"I'm glad I could help!" A grin had made its way across my cheeks as I was told that I had contributed to their prefecturals in some form.

"Your singing was beautiful, Kei-san!" Rei swooned in front of me as he normally did with anything that was beautiful in his eyes.

"Thank you, Rei."

"We got you this, Kei-chan!" He handed me a light blue envelope. I looked at it sceptically as I peeled back the fold and pulled at a matching light blue card. On the top left corner it had a flower made out in gold ink. At the end of the bottom petal it curved and twirled its way to the one word in the middle of the front, 'Congratulations'. I opened up the card and saw that inside everyone had written in it.

Kei-chan! I can't believe you didn't tell us about you singing again _ But it's okay…I forgive you because I know that you probably blew everyone away when you sang tonight! ^_^ - Nagisa

I hope that your singing is as beautiful as some of your bikini's…that didn't come out right…Anyways, I know that my first time hearing you sing with be beautiful in every single way! – Rei

How could you tell Haru and not me, Kei?! You're lucky that I love you like a sister and that I can't stay mad at you for too long. I know you'll knock everyone off their feet tonight! 3 – Makoto

Kei-san! I'm so excited to hear you sing for the very first time and I already know that you're going to be amazing! You're already amazing as it is because you push yourself! (And because you keep yourself in good physical condition…don't think I haven't noticed) – Gou

Kei, believe in yourself. Be free. – Haru

I could feel myself hiding the happy tears that had formed in my eyes as I looked at the smiling faces in front of me; as I looked at my friends.

"Kei-chan, are you going to cry?" Nagisa asked me. I shook my head.

"Of course not! Why would I be crying?" I told him off before I settled down and smiled at all of them. "Thank you all so much for coming to my first performance. It means more to me than you'll ever know."

"Well it's about time we supported you." Makoto smiled.

"That's right! We have to support our cheerleader when she has her own performances." Nagisa added.

"Especially when her performances are beautiful." Rei said.

"Especially when she has a opposite gender name too." Gou added. I waited for Haru to say something, but he just stood to the side and nodded his head in agreement.

"Group hug everyone!" I announced and Makoto, Rei, Nagisa, and Gou tackled me in a hug. Nagisa reached over for Haru and threw him into the equation of happiness that we had made together. "God, I love you guys."

"Thank you again, Haru." Haru had walked me to my front door after we had said goodnight to Makoto. He just looked away from me with a bored expression and his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't do anything."

"You do more than you know." He looked at me with a confused look, but I just shook my head. "Ignore me, it's getting late and you need to rest up for tomorrow."

"Night." He turned around and took a few steps before I felt something take complete control of my body and send me on autopilot.

"Haru." He stopped in his tracks and turned to face me just as I walked up to him and went up on my tippy toes to place a chaste, but soft, peck on his cheek. "Goodnight." I left Haru standing there as I walked into my house and went into my bedroom, but as I laid on my bed I slapped my forehead with my head. "Ugh, Kei! You're such an idiot."

Wasn't this such a cute chapter?! Please leave me a review or a PM!

-xoxoJaminJazzi