I'm at my locker when I get a text.
Fluke or Destiny? We need to talk
-Stella
"You think it's about the band", Wen asks me. He totally scares me. "Oh, I-", I say, banging myself on all the desks as I walk away. We agreed to meet at Dante's Pizzeria after school.
"We talked about this", Mo says. "It's not gonna happen." "Sure it is", Stella replies. "I signed us up for Rising Star this morning." "We're not experienced enough", Mo argues. "Which is why I also signed us up for the Halloween Bash", Stella says, matter-of-factly. I choke on my Pepsi. The Halloween Bash. Holy crap.
"What?", Charlie asks. "Wait, how'd you pull that off", Wen asks Stella. "It's amazing what a principal will agree to if he thinks his new "problem student" is channeling her energy into something productive", Stella answers.
"Goofing around in detention does not make us a band", Mo says. "So we'll practice", Stella replies. Geez, Stella really wants this band. "You have your own drums, right?", Stella asks Charlie. "Yeah", Charlie replies. "See", Stella tells Mo. "I didn't even know that." "Ok, so, what are we gonna play?", I ask the others.
"You could write our songs", Wen answers. "Me?", I ask. I don't know if he's being serious. "Yeah. That one you did the other day was pretty amazing", Wen replies. "That was nothing. I think I'm gonna be sick", I say, looking at my pizza. "Wait. We can't play the Bash. Mudslide Crush is playing", Mo observes.
"And we are opening for the them", Stella replies. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I don't wanna be some random face in the yearbook. Or a kid people vaguely recall passing in the halls. I wanna be heard."
"Wen and I are in, who's with us?", Stella asks. "I'll give it a shot", Mo says. "Really", Stella asks. "Yeah, but only if everyone else agrees", Mo answers. "Just one practice. If it works, great. If it doesn't, I'm out." All eyes turn to me. "Come on. Say you'll try", Stella pleads. "Please" "It'll be fun", Mo tells me. "Pretty please with sugar on top?", Stella pleads again. When will I have this much fun again, I think to myself.
"Okay, Okay, I'll do it", I reply. "Yess!", Stella screams. Then all eyes turn to Charlie. I'll admit he looks like a confused puppy. "You know what. Heads, we do it. Tails we don't", he says, pulling out a quarter. Heads.
One of the misconceptions about Lemonade Mouth is that we were a natural fit from the start. Totally not true.
"Come on, Charlie. It's a simple four-four beat", Stella yells. "You're not even trying."
"Stella", I say. "Leave him alone, he's doing his best." "I think we need to go a little more hardcore", she replies. When she said that, my temper had enough. Wen could see that, because he mouthed a couple words to me.
"That's it. I'm out of here", Mo says, taking the bass off. "What? You're just gonna stomp away?", Stella asks. "In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm classically trained on the violin", Mo replies. "I don't play whatever this is." "I'm out too", Charlie says, getting up. "Charlie", I say. "Please don't go, we can do this." Wen starts playing his keyboard and I start singing:
Can you see me?
'Cause I'm right here
Can you listen?
'Cause I've been trying to make you notice
What it would mean to me
To feel like somebody
We've been on our way to nowhere
Tryin' so hard to get there
And I say, oh
We're gonna let it show
We're gonna just let go of everything
Holding back our dreams
And try to make it come alive
Come on let it shine so they can see
We were meant to be
Somebody (somebody)
Somebody, yeah (somebody)
Somehow
Someday
Someway
Somebody
I'm so tired
Of being invisible
But I feel it, yeah
Like a fire below the surface
Trying to set me free
Burnin' inside of me
'Cause we're standing on the edge now
It's a long way down
But I say
Oh, we're gonna let it show
We're gonna just let go of everything
Holding back our dreams
And try to make it come alive
Come on let it shine so they can see
We were meant to be
Somebody (somebody)
Somebody, yeah (somebody)
Somehow
Someday
Someway
Somebody
We will walk out of this darkness
Feel the spotlight glowing like a yellow sun
Oh oh oh oh oh and when we fall we fall together
Till we get back up and we will rise as one, oh, oh ,oh
Oh, we're gonna let it show
We're gonna just let go of everything
Holding back our dreams
And try to make it come alive
Come on let it shine so they can see
We were meant to be
Somebody (somebody)
Somebody, yeah (somebody)
Somehow
Someday
Someway
Somebody
Somebody
Ooh ohh oh
"Olivia, did you really write that?", Charlie asks me. "Yeah", I reply, breathlessly. "Guys, we are so winning a record deal!", Stella exclaims.