9:00 Showtime
"Oookay, we get on stage..." Hayner looked back at Pence who looked back slowly and hesitated before speaking.
"What?"
"Who's gonna operate the cam?"
"What cam?
"The cam recording the contest so I can send it to Sora."
"...Geez man, 'Sora Sora Sora' when do WE get a break?" Pence dodged through the crowd carrying Hayner's bag with the camcorder inside.
"Hayner, can Pence work the cam AND be at your house? When the both of us are supposed to be up there?"
"...Darn it I didn't figure that in."
"I'll do it." Aerith came up behind them winking.
"Oh Aerith!" Olette smiled.
"What, we're on a first name basis now?" Hayner cocked an eyebrow.
"Shush Hayner! She's been giving me cosmetology tips. I think I know what I wanna do when I get out of school now!"
"Great for you. I'll be a washed up singer in the meantime." She smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow! It's not okay to hit!"
"I'll go get your friend. You better get up on stage. You start in 5 minutes you know."
"Thanks." Olette smiled.
"Break a leg!" Aerith shouted, going through the crowd. Hayner and Olette ascended up the steps looking out over the full room. Wow from up here you could barely see what was going on. Smoke was thick in the air, so was the whooping sounds of happy drunks. Down the front Hayner could see his competition. The smirking, confident faces of a couple of losers who were going down. Hayner frowned and grabbed a hold of the mic.
"HOW WE FEELIN'?!" The room roared back. "WE'RE BRINGIN' THIS PLACE DOWN!" Hayner shouted back and was rewarded with deafening cheers. "That got them fired up." He gave Olette a goofy grin. About that time Pence jumped up on the stage, giving a nervous wave.
"What now?" He whispered behind Hayner. Then a familiar song played on the speakers around the stage. "Aw man..."
"Aw I love this song!" Hayner was about to jump out of his pants in excitement. "Let's tear it up!" He joyfully grabbed up the mic from its stand and held it to his lips. "Follow me guys and everything will be fine!"
"Follow you Hayner? Shouldn't I follow the music?" Olette giggled and picked up her own mic.
"Psh, I AM the music!" Hayner turned back to the crowd. If you knew Bon Jovi's Everyday, then you'd know what song the trio were singing. By the time Hayner was finished, some of him was doused in sweat. He looked to the front row with a panting smile, seeing the freaked out faces of the next act.
"Kay, I need a water...and while the other acts are playing we have time to relax before Olette heads out for grand master plan phase 1." The three of them settled back at the bar.
"Where the struggle bat did that voice come from?!" Zack gaped at Hayner.
"I told you, we're gonna win this thing." Hayner winked.
"Fighting for love really brings out the best in Hayner." Olette leaned her back against the counter, watching the next act. Poor choice in song, it was too quiet and slow.
"You do know you guys have to take turns in singing, right?"
"...we're screwed." Pence threw his hands up in the air.
"What makes you say that?!" Hayner shouted.
"We can't sing, Hayner!" Olette held herself, a worried expression plastered on her face.
"Not true, Olette. You can sing, maybe not as well as other girls. But you CAN sing! We gotta win this! Our photo will be in this place forEVER. This isn't just an accomplishment for Sora anymore, its for all three of us! A milestone in our friendship!"
"But Hayner-"
"But nothing, Pence! You haven't even tried yet! Can you really say you can't when you haven't tried?!"
Olette groaned and bit into her lip. "A-Alright, we'll try. Hayner, please don't hate us if we lose."
"Don't worry, we won't. And if we do, well, we gave our best. And that's all that matters."
"You're right." Pence sighed.
"You know there's nothing the three of us can't pull off. You gotta be pushy, right?"
"Right?"
"Right!" Hayner shouted. "Barkeep! Gimme a water!"
"One water for a minor coming right up." Zack grumbled while his kid brother sat beside him on a stool sipping on a coke. "You treating your buddies too?" A beer mug full of water was placed in front of him.
"What the heck, its free." Hayner downed his water while his friends sipped theirs. "Okay Pence, Aerith said she'd work the cam. We're back on with the plan. It's 9:27 Olette, better head to the house to set everything in motion. By the time you get back it'll be your turn to sing."
"O-Okay, be back soon boys." She took in a shaky sigh and slipped out the bar room door.
"Alright Pence, after this guy you're on."
"That's what scares me..."
At about 20 until 10, Olette came up to the steps. "Omigosh...deep breath girl, you can do this..." She took out the recorder and readied, opening the front door, stepping in and running through, playing the tape loudly. 'Mom I'm home!' She darted through to Hayner's room before his mother could see her.
"Oh honey, glad you came back so soon."
'Love you!'
"Oh I love you too sweetheart!" She smiled, drying her hands off from washing the dishes.
'G'night!'
"Oh guess he wants a good start on school tomorrow." She sighed, so proud of her boy. "Goodnight Hayner! Now let's see if he can get up without me having to wake him up tomorrow morning." Olette pressed the play button on the remote and slipped out the window, adjusting the volume from the outside. She left the lamp on so no one would be suspicious hearing the TV. noise in a pitch black room. And 5 after 10 Olette made it back, her hair almost frazzled.
"Olette what's wrong?"
"I-I ooh Hayner!" She rubbed her chest. "I almost had a heart attack! I had to run through the house!"
"You what?!"
"She was in the kitchen! She had you hear you running by or else it wouldn't have worked!"
"Why was she in the kitchen at this time of night?! She should have been in her room!"
"I heard running water, so she might have been cleaning...what's wrong with him?" She looked at Pence who kept his face down on the counter over his crossed arms.
"Oh." Hayner grinned. "He set the roof on fire with his awesome vocal skills."
"Shut up Hayner!" He mumbled through his arms.
"Oh he sang? I missed it." Olette pouted.
"No worries, Aerith has it all on tape. Coz I wanna be a cowboy baybay~"
"OH MY GOD NO WAY!" Olette laughed.
"I didn't choose the stupid song!" Pence shouted, his face bright red as a tomato.
"He was pretty good." Zack nodded, his kid brother munching on some popcorn watching the people walk by. "He's right though, the songs are chosen at random."
"Oh no." Olette frowned. "What if one of us doesn't know the words?"
"Then you better hope someone else on your team knows or forfeit." He shrugged. "That's what I heard some other performers say anyway."
"I wouldn't worry Olette." Hayner smiled. "I know a few songs and I know you do too. So don't freak, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Oh, the duo finished. I think it's your turn." Hayner looked over her shoulder to the stage.
"Whaaat? Already?" She bit her lip nervously.
"A lot of people dropped out from the contest. Due to Cinderella's performance earlier." Zack nodded at Hayner.
"Guess Twilight Town doesn't have a lot of talent as far as singing goes." Hayner laid his head on the counter. "At this rate, we'll be home before midnight, all the better."
"Well...w-wish me luck." She inhaled deeply, brushing herself off.
"Good luck." Hayner winked. "Give it your best."
"R-Right..." She left the bar and went straight to the stage standing in front of the mic stand. She smiled nervously and waved when a song came on that she was a little familiar with. 'Oh...this...this is momma and daddy's wedding song!' She smiled and parted her lips. "Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you~"
Hayner smiled and rested his elbow on the counter, his jaw in his hand. "See, I knew she could sing."
"Now THAT'S a diaphram." Zack even relaxed a bit, settling down some to listen. Pence felt the embarrassment fading to even lift his head up and watch.
And the ending of the song Olette took in a deep breath, feeling all the hot lights on her and hearing the people cheering. It was...kind of fun. It was no future for her, but it felt nice to share in the dream. She left the stage and ran back to Hayner as fast as she could. "Omigosh!" She gasped clinging to him. He just laughed and patted her back.
"You did it! See I told you you could do it!"
"I-I couldn't breathe! All those people staring!"
"You were fine!" He reassured her. "Wasn't she Pence?" Pence's mouth was open as he nodded.
"Well...I did take choir lessons when I was little...so I guess that helped." She settled herself on the stool.
"Okay, these guys are gonna sing and then we'll bang a finale. Pence, you know what to do." Hayner looked back at his friend who inhaled a great sigh.
"Yeah yeah. See you guys soon." And he took off out of the bar as fast as he could. He was NEVER coming back to this place after tonight!
10 minutes after 11. Pence should be back any moment. Hayner looked at Aerith. "We still have tape left over?"
"Oh yes, quite a bit." She smiled. "Show's almost over. You coming up soon?"
"Uh yeah I think. Guess it'll be over sooner than midnight huh?"
"Uh huh, oh Olette are you ready?"
"F-For what?"
"Didn't you hear? The final round the customers get to choose who they want to sing." Hayner's jaw dropped when he heard.
"B-B-B-But why?!" She shrieked. "I can't do that again!"
"O-Olette you gotta!" Hayner panicked. "I didn't know-oh man!"
"It's okay, just calm yourself. Breathe, and go sing just like you did last time. People love you, that's why they voted for you."
"B-But..."
"I trust you Olette." Hayner gripped her hand, pulling her close. "Okay? I believe in you, just sing."
"O...O-Okay..." She shook like a leaf and went straight to the stage. She waited for the song when-
'I...I don't know this song...I-'
"Olette sing!"
"I-"
"OLETTE!"
The song had started, but Olette hadn't. Hayner hissed and darted through the crowd, she froze on the stage. All she saw were the looks the competition were giving her. Haughty, snobbish smirks confirming her negative self opinion. She couldn't sing. But then, she started to sing-no wait...she wasn't singing, so who was?
"There's not a soul at there, no one to hear my prayers."
"H-Hayner?!" Olette gasped as her friend stood in front of her...singing the song that she was supposed to sing.
"Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight!" Hayner sang loud and proud. "I want somebody to help me chase these shadows away! Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight take me through the darkness to the break of the day!" Oh...my god. Olette blushed. Was it even right for Hayner to know that song? The competition thought as much as well. Regardless, Hayner didn't choose the song. He was covering for his friend and that took courage. People in the back started jumping up and cheering. Olette felt her courage return as she heard the cheers and Hayner sing. She even started learning a few of the lines.
'We can do it!' She took on her determined face and stepped in line with Hayner, holding her microphone to her lips. They both sang the same lines, danced out on the stage and ignored the somewhat disturbed looks the front row was giving them.
Hayner was embarrassed alright. The only reason he knew this song was that his mother loved it. She'd play the cassette in the car whenever she was waiting for him to get out of school. On the way home she'd play it. That was when he was a little boy. He couldn't get the haunting lyrics out of his head.
The song was now coming to a close and now everyone save for the competition were standing and cheering, some even singing along with them. Confetti was sprayed out over the room as Aerith approached the stage with the trophy and a big grin.
"The votes were tallied and the winners of Twilight Town's Dusk Tavern first annual singing competition: Team Hayner!" She shouted over the song as Olette simply squealed. Hayner roared victoriously and thrust a fist into the air, running to claim the trophy, both him and Olette holding it above their heads. "Congratulations!" Aeris took a picture of the both of them holding the trophy with the biggest smiles.
"We did it! We did it, Olette! We-..." The music was still playing but that victorious smile was instantly replaced. In the doorway of the bar he saw his mother and father, with a shamed Pence. "...I think this is where I say...I'm screwed."