Chapter Eleven- You Are The Music In Me!
That afternoon, everyone was called to the auditorium by Dr. Vanderslice for an announcement. If anyone tried to get out of it the Vice Principle would hunt them down and threaten them with detention.
"Oh no," Rebel groaned, "Whenever she calls us in here it's not a good sign, the word charity is usually attached to something," she put air quotes around charity. Jason stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes as they sat three rows back from Newt, Cory, and Meena.
"Alright everyone," Dr. Vanderslice said, getting up on the stage, "I have an announcement…" Rebel put a finger in the back of her mouth signaling gagging towards Mack. Mack laughed silently as she directed her attention back to the stage. "This Friday, we will be having a talent show to raise money for the United People's Relief Fund. The person or group that gets the most applause will be the winner and receive a $100 dollar gift card to the mall as the ticket sales will donate to the charity." She said
Rebel's frown quickly turned into a mischievous grin as she tapped a black painted finger nail against her chin, she leaned over to Mack and whispered, "Keep on talking Lady, you're speaking my language now." Mack bit her lip to retain her laughter as Jason gave a look of disapproval from being kept out of the conversation.
"Sign up sheets are in the school office, go by in between classes or after school to sign up!" she said, "You are dismissed."
"You can't be serious; you aren't going to do it!" Mack said, staring at the blonde as students around them got up to head back to their classes.
"Nah, I don't sing in public anymore, I've had horrible experiences in that area, but if you do it, I'd consider it." She smiled in a pleading way.
Mack narrowed her eyes at her and thought over her options, "Hmm…fine, but we're not performing together. God knows I don't want to sing 'Humahumanukunukua'Pua'a'."
Rebel made a face, "Eww… I hate that song, I was thinking of something else anyway."
"What?"
"I'm going to sing 'Like Woah' by Aly and Aj." She responded proudly.
Mack shrugged, "Pretty good song."
"Potential breakup song is better." Jason stated. Both girls turned at gave him a look. "What?" he said, "Please tell me this song isn't an excuse to psyche out Meena by saying, 'Every inch of you is like woah.'"
"Promise me that sentence will never come out of your mouth ever again and I'll say it's not." Rebel said, with a nauseous look coming across her face.
Mack smiled wickedly before leaning down and whispering in Rebel's ear, "You know you think every inch of him is like woah." The smile that had began to form on Rebel's face fell as her whole face turned white.
"What did you just say to her?" Jason asked as he pointed at Rebel.
"Nothing, she said nothing. Moving on," Rebel said, "What are you going to do Mack?"
"I'm not going to say. You'll see." She replied, "Hey Stickler, you doing anything?"
"Nah, I'll be stuck working her music and or remixing that song." He said, "Like you've said, I'm the Ryan to her Sharpay."
Mack laughed as Rebel tossed up her hands dramatically and said in a sophisticated voice, "Do come Ryan, I want fabulous! You too, Nielson," she snapped her fingers at Mack.
"Who am I Kelsi? And no one snaps there fingers at me." Mack said
"Just come on." Rebel said
Just as Rebel, Jason, and Mack turned the corner to go to class, Meena stepped from behind a small section of lockers, "We'll see exactly how many inches of you are like woah when I'm done." That Friday, everyone piled into the auditorium for the talent show. Backstage Rebel was tying up her knee high pink converses when Mack and Jason
came over to her.
"Oh my gosh guys, this is so cool." She said in an unusually peppy voice
"Ah, you're nervous, calm down Rebel." Jason said
"She's nervous?" Mack said
"Yeah, she gets very hyper and becomes an identical clone of Candy Smiles when she's nervous." He said
"Jason! Where's my mike?" she asked
"Here," he said handing her the microphone as she took a deep breath
"You're up right after Mack who's on after DC3." He said
"Huh?" Rebel said
"You're on in three." He said
Rebel nodded and took another deep breath before she and Mack started the Ryan and Sharpay warm-ups. A little while after Newt, Meena, and Cory walked in, equipment in hand.
"Well, well, if it isn't the anarchist and her posse." Meena said
"Meena" Newt said sharply as he glanced at her. She rolled her eyes, not even looking at Newt.
"We have to perform, we have a new song, I can't wait for you to hear it." Meena smiled
"Ok-ay." Rebel said giving her a thumbs up
"Now presenting, DC3!" Dr. Vanderslice said
"Come on guys." Meena said, ushering the boys to the stage. As the lights came up a beat started up that made Rebel gasp. Meena was performing Aly and AJ's Like Whoa.
"What is it?" Jason said
"That's…That's…" she said
"That's your song!" Mack said. Rebel bit her lip and began to pace in circles.
"What am I going to do?" she said
"Your mom brought Sophie, right?" Jason asked as he turned to Mack.
Mack nodded as she asked, "What does she have anything to do with this?"
"Just trust me, I have an idea. When Livingston gets off of the stage, Rebel, grab him by
the arm and say you need to use him for something." He responded as he looked at both dumbfounded girls. Rebel nodded. When Jason left, she turned to Mack and said, "Should I be scared yet?"
"No, when you find out what he has planned, then you can be scared." Mack said as she crossed her arms and glared at the stage. Rebel nodded and returned to her pacing.
DC3 got a roar of applause and as Meena went off stage she stopped in front of Rebel and asked in an innocent voice, "What did you think Rebel?"
"You were wonderful Meena, such a good song, wish I would have thought of that." Rebel said, sarcasm dripping from her voice before she snapped, " Livingston, come here!"
"Next, Mackenzie Montgomery!" Dr. Vanderslice said from the stage
"Good luck Mack!" Rebel and Newt said simultaneously. They looked at each other briefly after saying it and then looked away. Mack made a face at being called by her full name but went on stage and grabbed her blue acoustic Eleca guitar from the other side of the stage. She sat down on the stool, adjusted the mic, played a chord, and then began Simple Plan's "Crazy".
Rebel looked over at Newt who was staring at the stage with a look of wonder on his face.
"She's AWESOME!" he said
Rebel smiled, crossing her arms over her chest, nodding in approval, "Yeah,
she is isn't she?" Just then, Jason burst backstage with Sophie, who was carrying a pink iPod Nano in her hand.
"Come here you guys!" Sophie ordered as she motioned for them to come closer.
The crowd went wild when she was done. She glanced at the audience, scanned it once and quickly bowed before she ran back stage where Newt, Jason, Rebel, and Sophie were standing.
"What's 'yall's plan?" she asked, then noticing Newt, who was now wearing a black sports jacket with a pink shirt underneath it and Jason was standing there in a black shirt with a spider web up the side, "And why on earth did you guys change clothes? And PINK!"
"You'll see." Jason said with a wave of his hand.
"Sophie, go over the plan again." Newt told her with a nod in Sophie's direction.
"Okay, Dr. Vanderslice knows that you guys came into a bit of a sticky situation and she moved you guys to the final number, and here's what you are singing. Have 'yall seen HSM2?" she asked.
Rebel nodded and Mack slowly nodded, as if it were unfortunate.
"HSM 2?" Newt questioned in confusion.
"High School Musical Two!" Rebel said dramatically as Mack sighed.
"Aw, yeah, I love that movie, it's awesome!" Newt grinned
"Good Newton." Sophie smiled, "Okay, you guys are going to do 'You are the Music In Me' Troy and Sharpay edition."
Newt smiled and nodded and Rebel winced. "At least it's not 'Fabulous'." Rebel said
"Exactly, do you know the differences between this version and the original?" she said Both nodded. "Cool, Newt will enter from stage left and you from stage right." Sophie said, "Newt, go to the mike stand and Rebel you have a hand mike."
"Got it, anything else?" Rebel said
"Nope, I'll go give this to the audio guy and get him to play the track." She smiled, "Oh, and since you have no choreography, try to get lost in the music and pray it works."
Rebel nodded as Mack rolled her eyes at the situation. "How much are you guys willing to bet that this goes down the drain?" Rebel asked as she crossed her arms nervously.
"It won't, were going to rock! You are like the perfect Maddie!" Newt said with a wide smile
"Her name's not Maddie in this, it's Sharpay." Mack corrected him as she made a face.
"Of course it's Maddie, she's just dressed different, you know." He insisted. Jason and Rebel put their heads in their hands. "By the way Mack, you rocked. I can't believe you can play guitar too, that's so awesome! Do you happen to like Chunky Cheddar in a cup?" he asked as he tilted his head curiously.
Mack grimaced, "No."
"Aw, that's too bad, or else we'd be like perfect for each other." He said with a shrug and a smile.
Rebel looked up and looked at Mack. "No we wouldn't." Mack stated bluntly as she glared at Rebel.
"Don't bring him down; all I need is my Troy being brought down the one time I get to show up Paroom!" Rebel said as she stared hard at Mack.
"Okay, fine, sure, we're meant to be!" Mack said with a huge sigh.
"Cool!" Newt said happily as he went to go to the other side of the stage. Mack's face turned red as his attention strayed. Rebel's mouth dropped open.
"You're blushing!" she mouthed Mack quickly looked away, praying no one else noticed.
"Last but, er, not least, at least not in your books, Newt Livingston and Rebel Samuels." Dr. Vanderslice said into the microphone. Rebel took a deep breath as the music came on and they performed to "You are the Music in Me"/
She looked pretty scared when she went out on stage, but then as she got adjusted to Newt's presence with her and the beat, she let the music take her in.
In the wings, Sophie was rocking out to the song, "They're better than Zac and Ashley!" Mack smiled at her, "They do sound good together don't they." Sophie nodded in agreement.
Meena stood off stage with Cory, "They rock!" Cory said
"No they don't, she is not the music in him, I am, and I always will be!" she said bitterly Cory rolled his eyes at her and went back to watching the two on stage.
Back on the side of the stage Jason stood with his arms crossed over his chest, "Why is she having fun out there, she's not supposed to be doing that, it's Livingston!"
"Jealous are we Jason?" Mack asked with a smirk?
Jason's eyes widened as he looked away, "No, what makes you say that? I mean, psh!"
At the end of the song, Newt had kneeled down on one knee and Rebel was sitting on his leg that was propped up like Corbin and Ashley in the Got Milk ad. The crowd cheered loudly as Rebel and Newt high fived. Mack looked over at Meena who was still gawking angrily at the two.
"I think they just won the freaking kitten caboodle!" Mack said, "In your face!" She threw up her rock hands and smirked. Meena crossed her arms over her chest.
"That's what you get for stealing my best friend's song!" Jason said with a nod of agreement.
After the applause settled down Dr. Vanderslice came back on stage, "The winner of the mall gift card by a landslide is your school president Newton Livingston and Miss Rebel Samuels!"
Rebel jumped up and hugged Newt, "We did it!" she said happily They went on stage and accepted the prize and went off stage. They passed by Meena and looked at her. She looked mad and hurt, but mostly mad. As they went back over to Jason, Sophie and Mack, Meena came up to them, Cory following behind them.
"Samuels, not half bad, you do remind me of Sharpay in a very obvious way, and Newt," she began to smile sweetly in his direction, "I think you did great, did I mention that you look great in pink!"
Newt looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Sure."
They walked out of the stage area and out into the quad to find their parents. Ms. Samuels walked up to them, "Sweetie, you did great! What happen to your other song?"
"You don't want to know." Rebel said, glaring at the Parooms who were talking to Mr. Baxter.
"Well, other song or not, it's good to see you three friends again." She said, gesturing at Rebel, Newt, and Mack.
"It is isn't it?" Rebel smiled with a nod.
"You're so going to the dark side." Mack said as she shook her head and smirked.
"Wanna come with?" Rebel questioned with a pleading look in her eyes.
"What the heck?" Mack said as she blinked.