"So, when's the happy couple getting back?" David asked sarcastically. It was almost too much that Scott and Shelby got that much time off from classes and group and he didn't. Daisy rolled her eyes. Had she not known that David was jealous, she'd think he actually missed them.
"This afternoon, I think," Jess replied. They were sitting in class, on Tuesday morning, pretending to be paying attention to what Steve, their Biology teacher, was writing on the blackboard. When he started talking again, the note passing began. Here's what went on:
Jess: Daisy, when're Scott and my sis coming back?
Daisy: Uh…this afternoon, at 3. I think that's what Peter told me.
Jules: Hey! Have you guys heard about this surprise Peter's planning?
Jess: Yeah, but he's not telling me anything. Who told you?
Jules: Kate. I love that she's staying.
Auggie: What's this about a surprise?
Daisy: I didn't think you liked notes, Auggie.
David: He doesn't, neither do I, we're just trying to figure you girls out… oh, and to get some inside info.
Daisy: I see. Well, I bugged Sophie about the "surprise" yesterday, and she wouldn't budge.
Ezra: Something big, I'd expect.
David: No shit! Why'd they hide it from us if it weren't big? Auggie, think we can beat it out of Hank?
Auggie: Nah, man, Hank's on the force, isn't he? I can't get into trouble… or I'm going to juvie.
Ezra: Yeah… that's not good.
Jules: Auggie's right, David. Don't do anything stupid.
Ezra: Too late.
David: What are you talking about? I'm sitting perfectly still!
Ezra: I mean, whatever you do is usually something stupid.
Daisy: Ezra!
David: See? She's sticking up for me!
Daisy: You too!
David: Damn.
Jess: Anyway, about the surprise, Peter said they're telling us once Scott and Shelby come back.
David: But I wanna know now!
At this point, Steve had noticed the piece of paper being passed around the table. He gave them all an annoyed look, which made Jules pocket the note. They remained silent the rest of the class. When the bell rang, they raced to lunch.
"Biology always makes me hungry," David said.
"How could it? We were talking about how we'll have to dissect a frog!" Juliette cried out. David shrugged.
"Just does," he reasoned. They ate lunch and proceeded to Calculus and History. That afternoon crawled by at a snail's pace. Some of them, especially the girls, couldn't wait for the return of the newly married couple. Finally, at a quarter past three, they were let out of class. They all rushed to the lodge where they expected Scott and Shelby to be. They did find them; they were talking to Kat, Hank, and…
"Hannah!" Juliette squealed so loudly everyone in the lodge winced. A beaming Hannah turned around to see them all standing there. Juliette, Ezra, Auggie, and Daisy went over to say hello. They all knew her from when she used to work at Horizon. Jess, David, and Emma stood stunned for a minute, but quickly recovered and went to see Scott, Shelby, Kat, and Hank. Juliette introduced Hannah to the three others.
"So, how have you all been?" Hannah asked in her loving way.
"Well, we're married now," Shelby said with a wink in Scott's direction.
"Yeah, about that, how was the honeymoon?" Jess asked curiously. Scott and Shelby beamed.
"Well, I think the most we can safely say is the food was great," Scott said.
"So, you scored a lot then?" David whispered. Scott rolled his eyes, but nodded all the same. Shelby was talking to Daisy, Jules and Jess, telling them about the suite they stayed in.
"Oh, did you guys find out what the surprise is?" Shelby asked.
"Nope, and Kat and Hank won't tell us," Jules said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, and Peter and Sophie aren't budging either," Daisy agreed.
"Wonder why Hannah's here," Shelby mumbled.
"Why? Can't she be here just because?" Juliette suggested. Shelby smirked and Daisy shook her head.
"Probably not," Daisy said.
"Who is she exactly anyway?" Jess asked.
"She was the Cliffhangers' counselor before Sophie was," Shelby explained.
"Yeah, I think she left because her marriage was failing or something, right?" Juliette asked. Daisy nodded.
"I tried to warn her when I was being admitted, but she wouldn't listen," she said.
"The cards?" Shelby laughed. Daisy nodded solemnly.
"Well, now that you're here, and the Rivergliders are on their way, we'll have group," Peter said, walking into the lodge. The whole group grumbled and moaned.
"Come on, Peter, we just got back!" Shelby whined.
"Well, do you want to find out what this surprise is, or not?" Sophie asked, coming up beside Peter. They'd already had a nice long chat with Hannah. She had indeed come back for the surprise.
"Fine, where are the others?" David asked.
"Here!" Marc yelled out, the rest of the Rivergliders in tow.
"Wonderful. Well, gather around, guys," Peter said.
"Okay, first of all, we'll start with introductions," Sophie said.
"Guys, this is Hannah Bauer-Barnes. She used to be the Cliffhangers' counselor, which is why a lot of them know her," Peter explained. The Rivergliders nodded. "So, go around and just say your names."
"Mark Wood."
"Leonie Hum."
"Kristen Soo." And it went on like that with the rest of the Rivergliders. Hannah nodded and smiled warmly to each student.
"So, are you going to tell us about this surprise, or are we gonna have to beat it out of you?" David joked.
"Oh, right," Peter said, realizing that he hadn't actually told them yet. "Well, Soph and I thought that you guys, and the rest of the school, for that matter, would be in for a little fun before the Morp."
"What kind of fun are we talking about?" Shelby asked, weary.
"Yeah, are we talking our kind of fun, or your kind of fun?" Scott asked, getting scared.
"Your kind of fun," Sophie said, with a roll of the eyes. The two groups sighed.
"So? What is it?" Juliette asked, getting antsy. Peter looked at Sophie and nodded.
"It's a talent show," Sophie said. The groups sat stunned for a while.
"I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong. You said a… talent…?" Alexis asked. Sophie rolled her eyes again, but nodded. "What talent?"
"Speak for yourself!" David said.
"What're you gonna do?" Daisy whispered to him.
"Dunno," he replied, shrugging. She smiled cynically.
"When is it?" Leonie asked excitedly.
"The last weekend of May," Sophie clarified.
"Oh, so that's why Hannah came?" Shelby asked, realization dawning on her.
"Yeah, so I expect you all to shine like I know you can," she said.
**************************************************************************************
The two weeks that followed was filled with classes and practice periods afterwards. They had a half-day on the last Friday before the show in order to have time for last minute preparations. People had been seen doing different things all over campus, but most of what you could see was not representative. For example, someone might be making something, but that object would not be the talent, it would be an aid to demonstrate that talent. The end result was that no one really knew what most people were up to.
The last weekend of May crept up rather quickly for a lot of students, but it came nonetheless. Peter put up a schedule for the presentation of these talents. The Cliffhangers and Rivergliders were going last, so on Sunday.
The Saturday night, once lights out had been called, all the Cliffies and Gliders started getting anxious.
"So, you gonna tell me what you're gonna be doing?" Juliette asked Daisy when they'd all gotten to bed. She'd been asking everyone that question, but no one had given in. Daisy smiled secretively and shook her head. "Come on, a hint!"
"No! You'll just have to wait and see," she said.
**************************************************************************************
After lunch, on Sunday, all the students assembled in the lodge. "Okay, I'm told that for the first Cliffhanger/Riverglider act of the day, we have to go outside, to the soccer field," Peter said loudly to the assembled crowd in the lodge. A lot of mumbling ensued as they followed Peter out to the play field. There was a newly erected cord fence put up. As everyone spread out so as to see what was to happen, they took in the field. It now had five jumps set up. Three were in a line across a diagonal and one jump was set up along opposite edges of this diagonal.
All the Cliffhanger and Riverglider girls ran out onto the field and placed themselves at strategic places in case a jump was knocked down. There were, however, two girls missing from these groups: Emma and Juliette. They didn't take long to appear, though.
From opposite ends of the field, they came in, galloping, Emma riding Belle, Juliette riding Nick. As music began, they slowed their horses to a collected canter and began jumping the obstacles. The crowd cheered as they cleared each fence.
The helpers ran out and put each fence up to 3 feet high when Emma and Juliette trotted around. The two girls then began cantering once more and jumped the jumps at the new height. This went on until the jumps reached a height of 4 feet.
When they finished, not a single refusal had been made, although some jumps had been knocked down.
The two riders came to the center of the field, facing the audience, stopped, and saluted (put their left hands to their sides and nodded their heads once). They then exited the field to a multitude of applause and cheers. Both girls were beaming proudly and laughing loudly.
"That was fun!" Emma cried to Juliette as they trotted off to the barn to untack. "Well, I didn't think two weeks would be enough, but you've came so far!"
"Thanks!" Jules replied happily. "I did try very hard. Nick was extraordinary!"
"Yeah, I've never seen him that good. It must be your special touch," she replied, only slight mock in her voice.
Once they'd untacked, they returned to the lodge.
"You guys were so chill!" Auggie said, hugging Jules.
"Thanks, Augusto," she replied.
"Yeah, those were some cool tricks," Alex said, greeting his girlfriend.
"Alex, they aren't tricks. They're jumps. How many times do I have to tell you?" Emma joked.
"Anyway, who's next?" Juliette asked.
"Uh, I think it's the other Glider girls," Alex replied.
"What are they doing?" Emma asked.
"Dunno, I asked Marc, and he had no clue," Auggie said. The small group walked forward to the stage Peter had made to accommodate performances. On the stage, there were three chairs facing the audience. "Scott, man, did Peter say anything about what they're doing?" he asked, coming up to the other Cliffies and Gliders. They'd gotten the long couch for their group, and were kind of squished. Shelby sat on Scott's lap and Daisy sat on David's to accommodate the new arrivals.
"Nope, guess we'll have to wait and see," Scott replied. At that moment, all the lights went out. Seconds later a spotlight shone on the stage.
"I didn't know we could do that kind of lighting here!" Ezra said indignantly. "I would've used it for 'Bobby Joe and Gillian!'"
"Why do you think we didn't tell you?" Shelby asked sarcastically.
"Must be Sabrina; that girl's a genius with the electrical shit," David said. Daisy turned around with and inquisitive expression. "A prank I was pulling… I needed to put out the lights in the lodge," he explained.
"I remember that one!" Scott said.
"Yeah, dude that was painful," Auggie added.
"I won't even ask," Daisy said, turning back to the stage.
"Better that way," Shelby whispered to her. All their attentions moved to the stage. Out of the darkness behind the spotlight, came three girls: Leonie, Kristen, and Alexis. Each was carrying an instrument, and sat on a chair. Ley had a flute; Kristen had a cello; and Alexis had a guitar.
"I didn't know they could play those!" Jess whispered admiringly.
Ley tapped her foot, counting them into the piece and they began. It was the Brandenburg concerto no5.
The crowd listened and watched in awe. They were good. They were very good! Alexis had adapted the piano part for guitar so she could accompany… and it sounded perfect! They played through all three movements: the first one was fast-paced and cheery; the second was slow and solemn; and the third was waltzy and fun.
When they finished, the crowd sat silently, completely taken aback by the girls' talent. Suddenly, Andrew started clapping, bringing the whole room back to reality. The entire audience applauded. Some cried out "encore!" The girls got up and bowed. The only thing was it wasn't so formidable as they began having fits of giggles. They straightened up and grinned broadly at the assembly. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, they turned and left the stage. The crowd was still cheering as they went into a side room to leave their instruments.
"Guys, I think that was the best we've ever played it!" Kristen exploded happily.
"You know, I think you're right!" Ali replied.
"By far!" Ley joined in. They all jumped around excitedly.
"Guys, come on, Alex is about to start!" Marc said, coming into the room. They all looked round.
"Alright, we'll be there in a second," Kristen said.
"Okay, it's outside, next to the caf," he said. Minutes later, the girls exited the lodge and joined the rest of the students. They made their way to where their group was watching.
The students looked on as Alex did a series of olies, quick flips, variel flips, and many other tricks on his skateboard. He then jumped a set of stairs that led to the cafeteria. Everyone oohed and ahhed at all the right times. Emma was bouncing around on the soles of her feet, afraid that he'd injure himself as he started sliding down the railings. Finally, before he actually did get hurt, he stopped, pulling up right in front of Emma. She breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged him.
"You like?" he asked, laughing lightly.
"Yeah, that was really cool."
"Nice tricks, man," David said, popping up next to them.
"Yeah, can you teach me?" Ezra asked.
"Uh, sure… maybe," Alex replied reluctantly.
"Okay, guys," Peter said loudly, stepping on the porch to the caf, "You have an hours of freedom. At three o'clock, Auggie's gonna be doing his stuff in the lodge. So, see you all there."
"Finally, time to ourselves!" Shelby sighed.
"What? Do you have some pressing personal business?" Scott asked sarcastically.
"Well…" she said slowly. She led him behind the caf and started kissing him.
"Oh, I see…" he whispered in between kisses.
"Guys, go do something productive," Sophie said, coming up to them. Shelby was pushed up to the wall, and Scott was kissing her neck.
"Aw, Sophie!" Shelby whined.
"Now," Sophie said, not moving. The couple left and went into the building to meet up with their groups.
**************************************************************************************
The guys, minus Auggie who went to prepare for his talent, went off to play some b-ball. Shelby and the other Cliffhanger girls went to her room and talked. The Glider girls all went down to the docks to talk. Unlike the guys, the Glider and Cliffie girls had never bonded nearly as much. Well, Emma had, but apart from her, the others pretty much stayed to their respective groups.
At three o'clock, the students all re-united in the lodge. There was a big fake wall put up on the stage. Immediately, the Cliffhangers knew what was coming. They all picked spots in the front to be able to see clearly what Auggie was gonna do. Then, some hip-hop began playing and he stepped out from behind the wall, spray-paint cans in hand. He put them down, and picked a black one.
He began spraying the outline of his tag. Then he picked some red paint and added to the black outline. Some yellow, green, and blue was added before he was done.
"Wow, he can really control the paint, can't he?" David said admiringly.
"Yeah, he nearly went to juvie for being a tagger," Juliette whispered back. When he finished, the students all applauded. Peter was amazed at how good Auggie really was. This was really very good. He had an idea to get Auggie painting some murals around the school. When he finished, he turned to the audience and lifted his hands in victory at the beautiful mural he had produced.
**************************************************************************************
"So, what's next?" Shelby asked as they waited for Auggie, David, Peter, and Marc to move Auggie's fake wall.
"Oh, I think Jess is up," Scott replied. She was still sitting on his lap and he circled his arms around her waist lovingly. She looked down, and played with his hands.
"Really?" she asked, hardly paying attention.
"Yeah, I gotta go… I'll see you guys later," Daisy said, getting up off of David's lap and leaving.
" I think she's doing something with EZ," Scott told Shelby. This caught her attention.
"She is?" she asked, disbelievingly.
"Gee, Shel, I thought you'd know better than me what your only sister was doing!" he said mockingly. She lifted her eyebrows at him, as she turned around to see his face.
"Well, I do know one thing," she replied seductively.
"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?" he asked, playing along.
"That I love you," she replied as though it were so obvious. She leant in and gave him a kiss, but pulled away, when the other students started sitting around them, waiting for the next "act."
Suddenly, all the lights went out and the students heard Ezra's voice coming from somewhere under the balcony, close to the stairs.
"S'gotta be her," he said to himself… but no… he was acting.
"Looks like he's a no-show," Daisy said quietly on top of the balcony. Everyone's necks craned to see what was happening.
"I remember this," Shelby whispered to Scott.
"He'll be here," Jess said, coming up beside Daisy. Everyone started laughing realizing what they were acting out. It was Ezra's old play: Bobby Joe and Gillian (his Romeo and Juliet remake). The Cliffhangers were thinking this especially funny.
"I dunno. Coming from the wrong side of the tracks to meet his pretty little rich girl? It's getting a bit dicey," Daisy said, shutting off the acting.
"We're way past that," Jess replied, brushing it off defiantly. During they're little conversation, Ezra was slowly creeping up the staircase, unnoticed by the girls--or rather, by their characters.
"I'm getting tired of playing watchdog. Security's everywhere," Daisy said.
"He's here. I can tell," Jess insisted.
"Wow, this brings back memories," Scott whispered to Shelby. She nodded, but kept her attention on Jess and Daisy.
"We get caught past curfew, we'll both be on shuns for a week," Daisy protested.
"Back off Tamara, you're probably scaring him away," Jess said.
"This is where we made a mistake," Shelby whispered to Scott.
"Where you made a mistake… my act was clean," he joked. She rolled her eyes.
"Story of my life. I scare away the good ones," Daisy said, leaving the "stage" and going back into the shadows of the balcony.
"Not me," David whispered to Scott and Shelby.
"I dunno… are you a good one?" Shelby whispered back sarcastically.
"That cut deep," he mocked.
"Bobby Joe! Where are you Bobby?" Jess said in a loud whisper. "If you weren't named 'Bobby Joe,' maybe they'd love you like I do."
"You don't like my name? I'll change it," Ezra said, coming up behind Jess. She turned around to face him and a small smile crossed her face, but to stay in character, she quickly erased it.
"Bobby Joe, Gillian, they're only names. That's all," Jess replied after a short pause. "We go a lot deeper."
"Like this," Ezra replied, going in to kiss her.
"Like before, we'll stop there, pending further discussion," Sophie cut in. Everyone sighed frustratedly.
"Them and their rules," Leonie sighed, rolling her eyes. Everyone started clapping and cheering. Ezra, Jess, and Daisy came to the edge of the balcony and bowed.
"I thought Daisy was doing something with you, David," Shelby asked.
"She's just filling in on this one," he explained.
"Makes sense, she did that role last time," Juliette said.
"That was a chill play," Auggie said. The Cliffhangers all laughed.
The actors came down from the second level, and joined the rest of the Cliffies and Gliders.
"You guys were awesome!" Shelby said, hugging Jess.
"You didn't make nearly as many mistakes as Shelb did," Scott joked.
"Hey!" Shelby interjected.
"Yeah! I didn't make any mistakes!" Jess protested sarcastically.
"Hey!" Shelby cried again. "I was under a lot of pressure!"
"Aw, don't worry, Shel, we still love you," Jules said, patting her back.
"Thanks," she replied, laughing.
**************************************************************************************
A few minutes later, Peter came up on stage to announce the next act.
"Alright, guys, three more. The next act is, once more, outside. So, everyone, I'd like you to get up and follow me to the basket-ball courts," he directed.
"Come on, guys… and chicas," Auggie added, seeing the look on Jules' face. She'd been giving him speeches about not calling her and the girls "guys."
"Meh, it's better than nothing," she sighed, shrugging.
They all went out to the basketball courts. There they were: James, Andrew, and Marc, dressed in long shorts and muscle shirts trying to look their best.
"Ow! Andrew! You look hot!" Leonie called out, laughing. Emma wolf-whistled.
"Hey!" Alex replied, looking at her with a slightly hurt expression. She just looked him over and leaned in
"You look way better than them… and if you want to go to the barn after lights out, I'll prove my… devotion to you," she whispered. He looked shocked, but when she winked he just nodded and swallowed hard. He let his arms slid around her waist as she stood in front of him. She smiled at him. He really was very cute when he wasn't dying with jealousy.
All of a sudden, some music started playing and the "act" began. The three boys started shooting at the hoop. They were also doing a lot of tricks. The onlookers were actually quite impressed.
"So that's what they were doing all this time! I was starting to wonder when he'd prepare for his talent," Kristen remarked.
"Oh, but he was," Ali pointed out.
"Yeah, I see that now," she replied sarcastically. The guys continued to do some very difficult tricks, and shoot perfect shots from afar.
"Well, I'm impressed," Shelby told them, once they'd finished to a whole lot of cheering and wolf-whistles.
"I dunno if I like the attention you guys are getting in those shirts," Ali said, giving James a hug. He smiled.
"And you don't think the attention you get all the time bugs me?" he replied, laughing. She just smirked.
"Alright, guys, dinner's now, and then we have Daisy, David, Shelby, and Scott presenting… in that order," Peter said, getting their attention. They all acknowledged and left for the caf. As they approached, Emma grabbed Alex's shirt, and led him to the barn, making sure no counselors saw them sneak off.
"What's into you?" he whispered as they walked down the aisle. She shrugged. "Uh, you know, it's not after lights out," he pointed out.
"Oh, yes, I know quite well," she replied, entering Belle's stall. He looked at the horse.
"I'm not going in there!"
"Why not?"
"There's too much shit on the ground," he said, pointing.
"Okay, it's not that much, and honestly, no one will look for us here." He still remained where he was. "If you don't want to, I'm heading to dinner," she said, folding her arms. Quickly, like he was electrically shocked, he walked into the stall, put his hands on her hips, and started kissing her. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and kissed him back. He pressed his body up against hers, and she started backing up, looking for something to lean against so she wouldn't fall backwards.
**************************************************************************************
"Hey, do you guys know where Emma is?" Jules asked, when they sat down at dinner.
"Nope, do you know where Alex is?" Marc asked.
"No, but I know they're together," David pointed out, smiling evilly.
"Is that all you think about?" Daisy asked, shaking her head. He nodded happily. "Thought so."
**************************************************************************************
So, Emma had bumped into Belle, and luckily her horse hadn't moved. Alex had deepened the kiss even more, roaming her body with his hands. She loved the feeling he produced in her. It was so warm. So unlike all the people back home.
He was so happy. He really liked Emma. She understood him, and helped him. She made him want to be cured. She made him want to be a better person. He loved that about her. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but there was just something about her.
He pulled away and looked her in the eyes.
"What?" she asked. "Did I do some--"
"No… I just can't believe you."
"What do you mean?" There was a dreamy look in his eyes.
"You're so perfect," he breathed.
"Well, thanks, Alex. You're pretty good, yourself," she replied, smirking, and kissing him again. He started kissing down the side of her neck. She couldn't believe it. This felt too good to be humanly possible.
**************************************************************************************
"I'm going to find out what those two are up to," David said, getting up.
"David… I don't think they'd appreciate you walking in on them," Daisy pointed out.
"I know," he whispered, and left. She rolled her eyes.
"Well, they're going to be a happy bunch this evening."
**************************************************************************************
When Alex had begun to let his hands roam over her body, Emma looked up and…
"Alex. Stop," she whispered.
"What? Why?" he asked, though he did pull away. She gave a meaningful look behind him. He turned around and saw a stunned David.
"Oh no!" he sighed.
"Oh yes!" David replied mimicking him.
"No, no, Alex had it right," Emma said, arranging her clothes and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She was also checking Belle over now, to avoid looking at David.
"Well, you two should be thanking me," he replied, still smiling evilly.
"Why would that be?" Alex growled. He wasn't very happy David had interfered. He was quite enjoying that make-out session.
"Hey, guys, aren't you supposed to be at dinner?" Fred asked, coming up to the trio. Alex sighed. He was thankful that he'd have to deal with David and not Fred or Peter.
"Uh, yeah, Emma was just coming to check up on Belle, and I came along," Alex explained. Fred nodded and looked at David, awaiting his explanation.
"Uh, I came up to check on them. They were taking too long," he said, smiling while cocking his head to the side. Fred nodded slowly.
"Well, that's nice of you, David," he replied, looking at him carefully. "Alright, guys, back to dinner."
**************************************************************************************
"Right, now for the musical stylings of Daisy and David," Peter announced to the student grouped in the lodge.
"Did he say musical?" Shelby asked, stunned.
"I hope not," Marc whispered. Kristen gave him a nudge. All eyes turned to the stage. Scott was at the piano, Ali, on the guitar, and Marc was playing the drums. All were accompanying them. Scott and Ali began the first cords of the song.
David and Daisy were looking at each other, fighting hard not to laugh.
"I kept the right ones out, and let the wrong ones in," David began.
"Had an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins," Daisy then began. There were some gasps from the crowd. No one knew either could sing that well.
"There were times in my life, when I was going insane," David sung.
"I tried to walk through the rain," Daisy sung. It included a rather high note, and some Cliffies cheered.
"And when I lost my grip."
"And I hit the floor." They were singing one line each.
"Yeah, I thought I would leave, but I couldn't get out the door."
"I was so sick and tired of living a lie."
"I was wishing that I would die," David bellowed. From here, they sang together.
"It's amazing, with the blink of an eye, you finally see the light.
Oh, it's amazing, when the moment arrives, that you know you'll be all right.
Yeah, it's amazing, and I'm singing a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight." They were in pretty good harmony, which mildly surprised everyone.
"That one last shot's a permanent vacation, " Daisy sung.
"And how high can you fly with broken wings?" David answered back.
"Life's a journey, not a destination."
"And I just can't tell just what tomorrow will bring."
"You have to learn to crawl," Daisy sung.
"Before you learn to walk," David finished.
"But I just couldn't listen to all that wretched talk, oh yeah." Daisy smiled at him.
"I was out on the streets, just trying to survive," David sung as he grinned back at her.
"Scratching to stay alive."
"It's amazing, with the blink of an eye, you finally see the light.
Oh, it's amazing, when the moment arrives, that you know you'll be all right.
Yeah, it's amazing, and I'm singing a prayer for the desperate hearts tonight," they sang together.
Here, Ali played a nice solo and quite a few students applauded and cheered her on.
As they all finished playing, and Daisy and David finished putting in their two cents, the students all applauded and cheered. Some even gave standing ovations (mainly the Cliffies and Gliders.) Peter and Sophie stared on in shock. Kat was jumping around, and Hannah was laughing… she was past the point of grinning in joy.
The performers walked off stage, thanking their audience for their applause.
"Wow, Dais, I'm impressed… yes, you too, David," Shelby said, giving her best friend a hug.
"Yeah, nice singing voice you got there, girl," Emma said, coming up to her.
"Who's next?" Alex asked.
"Scott and me," Shelby said.
"Well, we know he can do that!" Juliette joked. Shelby gave her a playful glare. "But what are you doing?"
"You'll see, we'll blow you all away!" she said, smirking.
"You'll see, well I have to go get ready, so toodles," she replied, leaving the group.
"I know what it is," Jess said.
"Pray tell," David said, sitting down beside her on the couch. She shook her head.
After a few minutes, Scott began playing and everyone fell silent.
They all knew that song, except for the newer students. Kat had joined the Cliffies as she enjoyed being a part of their group once more. Kate and Jules gave a little squeal when the first cords were played. It was the quintessential Horizon song: the Dazra song, played during a video David and Daisy had made the previous year.
Shelby stepped out onto the stage. She was wearing a white tank top and a black flowing knee-length skirt. The kicker was what was on her feet: pink satin point shoes. She was going to dance.
"Shelby?" Juliette gasped. Shel looked out into the crowd, met Jules' eyes, and smiled acknowledgingly. No one could believe it. They'd never seen Shelby dance. The only ones who knew she used to love it were Jess, Daisy, and Scott.
Scott looked at her encouragingly and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back, walked to the middle of the stage and began to dance. She twirled, leapt, and flowed. She looked so graceful. Everyone's eyes were glued to her beautiful form and she traveled the lengths of the stage completing difficult and complex footwork. Their ears were taking in Scott's beautiful playing, and smiles were appearing on their faces.
When the pair had finished their performance, the audience erupted into cheers. Shelby grinned ear to ear and curtseyed. She then turned to Scott and jumped into his arms, hugging him.
"I did it!" she cried. He smiled into her.
"You sure did… and you were absolutely stunning!" She pulled out and looked at him. She leaned in and kissed him, smiling into it.
"Okay, guys, lights out in ten minutes!" Peter called out. Everyone scattered, leaving Scott and Shelby on the stage. "I'm gonna go do bed-checks, you get the Cliffhangers to bed and get those two to their room," he whispered to Sophie, laughing.
The Cliffhangers had gone and were talking to Kat, Hank, and Hannah. They all had very warm good-byes to say.
"Look, when we graduate," Juliette began, "we get together every month at someone's house."
"To keep in touch," Auggie filled in.
"Hey, I dunno if I wanna keep in touch with you guys," David joked.
"Okay, I'll give my number to Sophie and Peter and we'll talk some more later on," Kat agreed.
"Yeah, we have a flight to catch back home," Hank added.
"Me too. I dunno if leaving Jerry with a new-born is such a good idea," Hannah teased.
"Yeah, and say hi to Leah for me," Juliette squealed.
"Me too," Jess agreed.
"Right, well, we'll see you all later, bye," Kate said. She gave everyone a hug, as did Hank. Hannah also said her parting words and hugged them all.
"You're all doing so well, and I'll see you next year. Jess, Emma, David, it was a pleasure to meet you. And Jess and Emma we'll see you in two years."
"Alright, guys, off to bed," Sophie said, ushering them out. Scott and Shelby joined them, once they sent off Kat, Hank, and Hannah.
"It feels so empty without Kate around," Jules whined.
"That's what you said at the beginning of the year, and in the summer when you stayed here," Shelby said.
"Yeah. That summer was fun, though," she said.
"I agree. I didn't have to go home, and spent it with Scott," Shelby replied. "And Jess, and Daisy," she added. Everyone nodded as well.
"Are you guys sticking around this summer?" Jess asked.
"Well, Daisy and I are off for Europe," David said.
"Oh, that's so romantic," Emma said sarcastically.
"I'm going to university," Ezra chirped in.
"Yeah, me too. Shelby's… what are you doing?" Scott asked her.
"I dunno yet. I think I have an idea though. It may involve some college, though. But that's a secret," she said mysteriously. The others stared and Scott did his famous puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, I'll tell you in a minute."
"Jules and I are both going to college. I got into this great arts program," Auggie said.
"That's great, Aug," Scott said.
"Well, goodnight, girls, see you tomorrow," Shelby said. The guys and girls parted ways, Shelby leaving with the guys, and the girls going to their own dorm.
"So, what's your plan?" Scott asked curiously, once they got into their own room.
"Well, I think I'd like to work with kids."
"Teaching?"
"Uh… more like a… counselor?" she said, laughing. Scott laughed too.
"Wow, the end of the year's close," he observed.
"Yeah, but at least we'll all still have each other."