Hey, everybody, back again with a new chapter!
As well as a fantastic new cover art, courtesy of trashyourash! It's literally my very first commission and it turned out so amazing! I highly recommend her if you aren't following her Tumblr account; she does such great art, OCs and commissions.
Steff arrived at the Moon Theatre in a very lively mood the next morning.
Barring her mom nearly blabbing her secret, the evening spent with Ash had perked her up. It was almost enough to make her forgot about Grandma Julie's stage movements she still needed to fully master. Once she'd made it backstage, Miss Crawly had informed everyone that Buster would be rather late to rehearsal. So the contestants had settled for getting on with practicing their acts until he arrived.
After two hours of going over her music and the movements, the former going better than the latter, the skunk decided to have a ten minute break. Stepping out of her rehearsal room, she spied Rosita and Gunter talking with one another outside of theirs. Smiling, Steff walked over to them.
"Hey, guys." Both pigs turned toward her with friendly grins.
"Ah, Steff, guten Morgen!" Gunter waved, adorning his glittering gold hoodie with matching pants. "How goes ze rehearsal?"
Steff winced as she recalled the wobbly footwork and tensed shimmying that still plagued her routine. "It... could be better."
"Same here." Rosita replied, glancing down with worry for a second. "How was your evening out with Ash?" Steff's smile quickly returned.
"Oh, it went really well. It felt so good hanging out again after so long." Rosita fought back an amused smile as the skunk's happy mood began to turn flustered. "Not that it was a date, of course. Like I said, it-it was just a friendly hangout. Between... friends."
"Ohh, I know zat look." Gunter grinned, raising a playful eyebrow. "You have a crush, ja? On Ash?"
"Well, uh... I..." Her eyes darting around, Steff saw that the porcupine was still running rather late. Then, before Rosita and Gunter even had time to blink, Steff swiftly pushed them both back into their rehearsal space and shut the door behind her.
"Okay, yes!" She blurted out. "Yes, I admit it! I love Ash! I'm in love with her! I love everything about her! She's cool, she's funny, she's caring, she's insanely talented on the guitar and behind the mic, we can talk for hours about the smallest things and... those eyes. I mean, they're beautiful. And her smile is just..."
Steff let out a deep, dreamy sigh, leaning against the door frame. "Oh, Gunter, she's wonderful."
"Oh, Steff, that is so sweet." Said Rosita, hand on her chest.
"Ja, so why don't you, like, tell her zese feelings?" Gunter asked.
"Well I would, but I... I just..."
"You don't feel ready?" Rosita guessed sympathetically. The skunk sighed before giving a tiny nod, looking at the floor.
"My mom nearly revealed my crush on Ash when we went out for coffee last night. We've been best friends for so long and by the time I figured out my feelings for her in high school, she'd found a boyfriend. I'm worried it'll make things weird between us if I told her now. Heck, I don't even know if she's into girls." Rosita laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"To be honest, Steff, even if I didn't feel the same way, I'd be quite flattered if my friend cared about me enough to gain a crush on me." She said gently. "Is Ash the type of friend who would hate you for not being straight?"
After thinking for a moment, Steff shook her head. "No. No, she isn't."
"Ja, confessing zis sort of thing is scary but it'll, like, eat you up inside if you keep your feelings all bottled up forever." Gunter added.
"It doesn't mean you have to tell her right now." Rosita assured the teen. "But it'd be better to let her know sooner rather than never. Even if she's with someone now, at least you'll have gotten it out of your system."
Thinking to herself, it finally clicked in Steff's mind just how long she had kept these unspoken feelings caged. And if Ash was truly her friend, she'd completely understand if told the truth.
"...Yeah." The skunk nodded, her smile growing. "Yeah, you're right. I think once this whole singing contest is over, I'm finally gonna tell her."
"Zat's the spirit!" Gunter laughed, patting Steff on the back. Bouncing on her toes, Steff couldn't help giving them both a grateful hug, which they gladly returned.
"Thanks for the advice, you guys!"
"That's alright, Steff." Rosita replied before pulling out of the embrace.
The moment Steff walked out of their rehearsal room, newfound courage flaring within her, the sound of the backstage door opening rang in her ears. Smiling to herself, she turned to see Ash come in. Bounding over, she was about to cheerfully greet the porcupine until she looked closer at her, her smile quickly fading.
Ash looked rather jaded, gazing at the floorboards as she walked past her friend, hardly acknowledging her. Steff also noticed she didn't even have her guitar case with her.
"Um... hi, Ash."
"Oh. Hey, Steff." came the downcast reply.
"Are you feeling alright?" Steff asked.
"Yeah, fine." Ash said quietly, slowly chewing on a piece of gum. "Just... didn't get a lotta sleep last night."
"Are you gonna be okay to rehearse?" Steff placed a concerned paw on her shoulder, only for Ash to gently brush it off.
"Yeah, I'll get better as the day goes on. You don't need to worry."
"If you say so..." The skunk responded, albeit in an unsure tone. At that moment, the door opened once again and Miss Crawly stuck her head through, her eyes still staring in different directions.
"Excuse me, can everyone come backstage please?" She called. "Mr. Moon has a very important announcement to make." Their interests peaked, every contestant made their way backstage past all the ropes and levers. Ash trudged along with them as Steff subtly glanced in her direction. The moment everyone had gathered, Buster spun around to face them with some rolled-up blueprints clenched in his fist.
"Now listen up!" He announced. "Tomorrow we're gonna have a full preview of the show, and our audience will be none other than Miss Nana Noodleman!" The second he spoke that name, Steff and everyone else lit up with both amazement and anxiousness, complete with gasps and wows.
"Nana Noodleman? She's still alive?" Mike asked with a surprised laugh.
"Oh, yes, and believe me, she's got some pretty high standards." Buster responded, an excited smile on his own face. "So today, we're gonna have a full dress rehearsal! And I wanna see you light up the stage, folks!" While he asked Meena and Miss Crawly to accompany him, everybody quickly made their way back to their rooms, chatting amongst one another excitedly.
As soon as Steff entered her rehearsal space, that's when the nerves kicked in. She'd only heard stories from Grandma Julie about the theatre legend when she was younger, but to have her coming to judge their performances was nerve-wracking. How could she be expected to perform in front of her parents, let alone Nana Noodleman herself, when she wasn't sure that she'd fully mastered all her grandma's moves?
Especially the tail sweep.
"Two minutes, everybody!" Buster's voice called from the stage area. Snapping out of her worried daze, Steff picked up and took one last worried look at her CD of selected songs.
"I guess I'll have to chance it." She muttered to herself, finally settling on singing No One. "Maybe it'll come to me in the moment."
Opening her door, the skunk stepped out into the backstage area where Gunter was getting a head start on some hip stretches. As Moon rushed past to head up the stairs, Steff looked over to see Ash sat on a stool against the wall, still looking very glum. And to Steff's surprise, she was actually wearing the stupid 'popstar princess' dress Buster had picked out. Frowning, Steff moved across to her and placed a paw on her back. Her friend flinched slightly at the touch before looking up.
"Hey, um... did you talk to Lance last night about writing your own song?"
Ash winced at her question. "...Yeah, yeah, it's... not ready yet."
"Ash, are you sure you're okay to perform today?" Steff asked with concern. "You don't have to push yourself."
"Yeah, I'll be fine, Steff." The porcupine replied, her voice still sounding dejected. "Can I just... be alone for a minute?" Before Steff could protest, Ash had risen from her seat and made her way through the doors leading to the stage.
"Smooth move, Stench." Grimacing at that familiar smug voice, Steff looked down to spot Mike leaning on the corner. The mouse was outfitted in a snappy purple suit and matching hat, clutching a diamond-topped cane in his paw. "If that's how Spike's gonna be out there, this'll be easier to win than I thought."
Glaring, Steff promptly moved away from him; ever since their first interaction, Mike had made every effort to be as unbearable as possible to all the contestants. As such, the skunk had vowed not to speak a word to him. Spying Johnny out of the corner of her eye, her bad mood softened a touch. But before she could open her mouth to start a conversation with him, he was pulling on his jacket frantically and making his way toward the fire exit.
"What the... Johnny, where are you going?" She called, making him freeze in his track. "Rehearsal's about to start soon!"
"Just some, uh, family business I've gotta take care of real quick!" The gorilla called back. "I'll be back in a sec!" With that, he was out the door before Steff could say anything else.
"Okay, everybody, the dress rehearsal is now in session!" Buster announced, dashing out of his office and back down the stairs. "Mike, can we see you first?"
Whilst Mike followed the koala toward the stage, everyone else present made their way into the wings. Sitting on a crate next to Rosita, Steff didn't pay any attention to the mouse's performance. Throughout the whole song, she was too busy looking across at Ash sitting by herself on the metal steps leading up to the rigging. Steff couldn't stand seeing her so down like this.
"So how are you feeling about your act?" Rosita asked, snapping her out of it.
"Uh, pretty nervous." The skunk replied. "How about you?"
"Same."
Nodding, Steff glanced back over at the porcupine sitting alone. "I just hope Ash will be alright today."
"I did notice she looked pretty fatigued when she arrived." said Rosita. "Apparently she didn't get much sleep."
"Yeah, that's what she told me." said Steff, her eyes still fixed on her friend. "But... I dunno, I just get the feeling she's not telling the truth."
"Well let's see how she handles herself onstage." Rosita assured, placing her purse down beside her. As if on cue, the backing music to Mike's act finished followed by the sound of Miss Crawly applauding.
"Bravo, Mike, Nana is gonna love that!"
"Ah, you're too kind, Mr. Moon." The mouse replied, twirling his cane in his hand as he swaggered offstage.
"And I myself am loving the new suit, sir!" Steff rolled her eyes at the koala's unintentional inflation of Mike's ego. "Alright, can we see Ash next, please?"
Looking over her shoulder, the porcupine slowly clambered down from her spot on the metal steps.
"Ash, let's get you out here!" Buster called again as she trudged toward the stage, staring down at the floorboards miserably.
"Oh, stand back. Moody teenager coming through." Mike snarked, stepping out of her way. Steff promptly shot him a glare.
"Good luck, Ash." Meena whispered with a small thumbs-up, adjusting the lighting with her trunk. Smiling towards her, Steff and Rosita both got up and moved next to the elephant so they had a good view of the stage from the wings. Ash finished adjusting the microphone to her height as the upbeat opening notes of Call Me Maybe began playing from the speakers.
I threw a wish in the well
Don't ask me, I'll never tell
I looked to you as it fell
And now you're in my way
At first Steff assumed, from the rather dour way she started singing, that Ash was either still tired or still unenthusiastic about the song choice. But Buster and Miss Crawly's expectant smiles faded as Ash's voice began to falter. Lips quivering, she blinked rapidly as if to stop tears from falling.
Your stare was holdin'
Ripped jeans, skin was showin'
Hot night, wind was blowin'
Where you think you're going, baby?
By the time it reached the chorus, Ash was no longer in any shape to sing. Rosita, Steff and Meena all stared in concern as the porcupine's trembling vocals gave way to painful, heaving sobs.
I just met you
This is crazy
Here's my number
So call me maybe…
Ash barely made it midway through the chorus before falling to her knees, clutching the microphone feebly. Steff brought a hand to her mouth at the heart-breaking sight; in all the years they had known each other, never before had the skunk seen her friend cry like this.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay! Enough of that!" Buster called out at last, gesturing toward the wings. "Cut it, cut it!"
While Meena quickly stopped the music, Steff took action and dashed onto the stage, gently pulling the mic away from the porcupine. Kneeling down, she tried in vain to look into her friend's closed eyes.
"Ash? What's the matter?" She asked softly.
"Okay, Ash, um…" Buster cautiously made his way to the edge of the stage. "Hey, come on, Ash. What is it, do you not like the dress?"
Not acknowledging either of them, Ash let out another agonised sob and jerked her head to the left. Steff flinched as a few of her quills launched out, embedding themselves in the stage and Buster's face.
"Ow. Ow." The koala winced, plucking one out of his cheek while Ash ran off into the wings, still crying her eyes out.
"Ash, what's wrong?" Rosita called, worried, as the teenager ran past her and Meena.
"Five minutes." Steff mouthed to Buster, still pulling quills out of himself, before giving chase. Catching up to her, the skunk looked with concern at Ash who had buried her face in her arms on the edge of a flight case, her body convulsing with every sob. The sight of her friend breaking down made Steff want to cry herself.
"Ash, what's the matter?" She asked again while Rosita, Meena and Gunter all gathered behind her. Steff gently laid a hand on the porcupine's shoulder, prompting her to lift her head slightly. Her crying subsided a little bit.
"You're my best friend, I wanna help you however I can." The skunk said calmly, gazing into Ash's glistening eyes. "But I can't do that if I don't know what it is that's troubling you."
Propping herself up onto the box, Rosita spoke in that motherly tone of hers as she patted the spot next to her. "Do you wanna tell us about it?"
Giving a loud sniff, Ash finally nodded and lifted herself up next to the pig. Steff took the spot to her left whilst Rosita offered the teenager a handkerchief from her purse, which she quickly accepted. She then began her tearful explanation.
"I... I got home last night... after me and Steff went out for c-coffee... and..." Everyone waited patiently as she paused to wipe her eyes. "And... a-and when I got inside... Lance was cheating on me!" Every contestant's eyes widened at those words.
"Oh, my gosh." whispered Meena, bringing her hands to her mouth.
"He didn't." Steff replied, her voice laced with shock and utter disgust.
"Uh-huh." Ash nodded before blowing her nose. "He had this other girl Becky with him. They were playing a song together and they... they were about to kiss!" Steff grimaced at the memories of Lance's insufferable attitude toward her friend. And knowing he would sink this low only deepened her dislike of him.
"Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry." Rosita rubbed Ash's shoulder comfortingly while Gunter folded his arms with a rare frown.
"Ja, zat's, like, totally not cool!"
"And in your own apartment? That's horrible." Steff said, gazing at the porcupine in sympathy. Ash furiously wiped at her eyes as more tears started flowing.
"I kicked both of them out. But it's just... I thought he cared about me! I entered this contest for us! And then he does that behind my back!" Steff's brow furrowed as she thought back to yesterday evening.
"So that text you sent me last night saying you were alright..."
"I..." Ash choked out. "I didn't wanna be a burden and dump all my problems on y..." Before the porcupine could finish, Steff quickly took her free hand in her own, causing her to look up.
"Ash, listen to me." The skunk said gently but firmly, locking eyes with her. "You are not a burden. You didn't deserve what he did to you. Don't you ever think that reaching out for help after experiencing something that terrible is being a burden."
"Steff's right, sweetheart." Rosita added kindly. "None of this was your fault. And you don't have to go through this alone. We're all here for you whenever you need us, so don't be afraid to ask." Steff gave Ash's arm a reassuring rub as she blew her nose one more time, the tiniest inkling of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Thanks, guys."
"And it sounds to me like you are way better off without that... that..." Gunter finished Steff's sentence with an accurate, if pretty odd, description.
"Zat total super jerk dinkle-schplat!"
"Exactly." Rosita nodded. "Total super jerk dinkle... sch-schplat."
"Rosita, Gunter, you're on next!" Buster called out from the amphitheatre. Meena quickly took her place back in front of the lights panel while Gunter rushed onstage excitedly. Rosita quickly placed her purse onto Ash's lap.
"Okay, here, there should be some gum or some candy in there somewhere. Just help yourself." She said kindly before following her partner, Ash giving her a tiny smile of gratitude. While her friend helped herself to a new piece of gum, Steff couldn't help giving a smile of her own; in only a few days, in spite of the fact that they were competing against each other for a big prize, they'd all become quite a close band of friends. Excluding Mike, of course.
The bang of the stage doors flying open, followed by an out of breath Johnny bursting into the wings, made both Ash and Steff jump.
"Rosita, Rosita, Rosita, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" He cried, making the pig stop in her path. "Can I take your place please?"
"Sure, Johnny, go ahead." She said without a moment's hesitation. The gorilla smiled at first until the backing music for Shake It Off began playing, with Gunter getting a head start on the dancing.
"Okay, get ready cos I'm warning you!" He said, unzipping and tossing away his gold clothes to show off his red leotard. "Zis stage is about to explode with major piggy power!"
"I'm so sorry, I have no control." Rosita murmured, making her way onstage with her mic as Johnny glanced at his watch with an impatient groan. Sniffing the air, both Ash and Steff took notice of the green cloud behind them.
"Dang it, not again!" the skunk cried out, fanning the cloud with her hand as best as she could. Turning around, Johnny winced sheepishly.
"Oh, sorry, Steff." He dashed over, holding his nose as he helped her and Ash fan it away through the open doors.
"It's alright." She replied once it was gone. "Did you take care of that family business stuff?"
Fidgeting anxiously, Johnny took another peek at his watch. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, it-it's fine."
Raising an eyebrow but choosing not to pry, Ash and Steff turned their attention back to the two pigs onstage. At first, Rosita started the song fine with a little bounce in her step. Until she quickly faceplanted onto the floor, earned a cringe of sympathy from both teens.
"Are you okay?" asked Buster worriedly.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" Gunter answered obliviously while his partner picked herself up.
"Okay, Johnny, let's get you out here!" said the koala while Gunter helped Rosita offstage. Johnny meanwhile pushed his piano onstage and hastily sat down to start performing his own song. "And you guys, you've gotta work on that routine. Take it away, Johnny!"
"You can't just sing, you've got to show ze fire und desire!" Gunter explained whilst the gorilla played, shimmying his shoulders for emphasis.
"The fire went out a long time ago." Rosita replied miserably, holding her sour snout.
"Vat?"
"Look, I can't even keep count of the steps!" she cried stressfully. Steff looked from Rosita to the floor, too lost in her own thoughts to hear Gunter's next words. Seeing her fall like that had planted a large seed of doubt in her mind. What if her own dance moves went poorly? Would she trip over her own feet too?
"My body parts are not responding, okay?" Rosita's words snapped the skunk out of her worried trance. "It's never gonna happen." Taking her purse back from Ash, the pig turned with a sad sigh and headed for the exit.
"I should just be getting groceries." She muttered in a broken tone. None of Steff's or the other's protests convinced her to turn around. As the doors shut with a clank, even Gunter looked downtrodden.
"Hey, don't worry, Gunter." Steff said, climbing down from the flight case and placing a hand on the pig's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come back, she just needs some time to figure things out." Gunter breathed a sigh through his nose.
"Ja, I guess so." He replied, though his saddened expression didn't change. The skunk gave him a comforting yet sad smile before they all turned their attention to Johnny's cover of All Of Me. While the gorilla's singing was positively lovely, Steff winced at the occasional wrong note he played. It wasn't until halfway through the song that Johnny stopped despondently.
"Johnny, uh, I know I'm asking a lot of you..."
"Mr Moon, I'm really trying, I promise!" The gorilla responded pleadingly.
"Mmm, what about your backup song?" The koala asked, looking at his notes while Johnny checked his watch anxiously. "Have you practiced that?"
"Um… well, not yet..."
"Well why don't we go back and work on that one, okay? I mean, look, if you play like that in front of Nana Noodleman..." Before Buster got the chance to finish, Johnny had sprinted off the stage, leaving an empty spinning stool. He then thundered past the others and out the doors once again.
"Where does he keep running off to?" Ash asked, watching the doors clank shut. Steff shrugged.
"More family business, I guess?"
"I hope he's alright." Meena added with concern.
"Okay then, uh... Steff, let's see you next!"
The skunk's heart stopped at Buster's words. Only now did it occur to her how quickly the other performances had gone by. Steeling herself, Steff took in the deepest breath; there was no turning back now.
"Right. Here goes." She whispered to herself, picking up her mic and making her way onto the lit stage. Looking back, Ash mouthing 'good luck' to her made the skunk pick up the pace slightly. Once under the spotlight, Meena pressed a button and the backing music for No One sounded from the speakers. Tapping her heel to the rhythm, Steff began:
I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
Giving her ponytail a flip, Steff cocked her eyebrow and rolled her left shoulder in a sultry manner. Unfortunately for her, the movement came across as stiff as if she were trying to draw a square with her shoulder. Buster and Miss Crawly looked at each other in confusion, which Steff tried to ignore as she continued.
When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain
From the wings, the others all furrowed her eyebrows at Steff's attempted graceful motions as she sang, Ash especially. She might not have seen Steff sing much, but she could tell from how uncomfortable she looked that this wasn't her usual style.
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry 'cause
Everything's gonna be alright
People keep talking, they can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright
Throughout the chorus, Steff tried to do her grandma's strut across the stage. The key word being 'tried' as she rigidly placing one foot in front of the other. Even though she continuously wobbled midway through, the skunk pushed on anyway.
This is fine, this is fine, this is fine... She thought frantically. But as the koala and lizard in the front row kept their bewildered stares, Steff knew this performance was anything but.
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one, no one, no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you
Can get in the way of what I feel
Smiling awkwardly in an attempt to look flirty while she sang, Steff mentally prepared herself. Next was the double pirouette with the tail sweep. Her grandma's signature move that would make or break her act. Not that it could be anymore broken than it already was.
I know some people search the world
To find something like what we have
I know people will try, try to divide something so real
So 'til the end of time, I'm te-AAH!
Steff didn't catch herself from falling this time, landing hard on her side and knocking her glasses off. The mic flew from her grip and clattered to the stage with a harsh squeal. Gasps rang out from the wings before Meena ran to pause the backing music.
"Whoa, are you okay, Steff?" Buster called from his seat. The skunk said nothing, merely breathing heavily as she stared at the floorboards. "Hey, hey, it-it's alright. You know, your voice still sounds great. Buuut maybe you might wanna consider toning down those, uh, moves a little bit. I mean, I applaud your boldness but..."
Buster's voice began to fade out until it was an incomprehensible echo. Turning her gaze toward the koala, Steff watched him and Miss Crawly gradually morph into three different shapes. In their place now sat her parents and Grandma Julie, all wearing uncharacteristic scowls of utter disappointment.
Clenching her eyes shut, Steff grabbed her glasses off the floor and leapt to her feet. The skunk then rushed offstage and out the doors before anyone can stop her.
"Steff, wait!" Ash yelled, lifting the hem of her garish dress to give chase up the steps.
Once through the backstage doors, she spotted Steff's rehearsal room door slightly ajar, a soft sniffling noise coming from inside. Approaching slowly, the porcupine gingerly opened it wider. Her heart crumpled at the sight of her friend leant against the wall, looking totally destroyed. She sat with her knees up to her chest, furiously wiping at her eyes.
"Steff?" Ash stepped closer before sitting down next to her.
"I'm supposed to be as good as my grandma!" Steff cried out, removing her glasses. "But I can't even honour her memory by doing the thing she was great at! It's not fair, I've worked so hard on this! I've gone over these moves a thousand times and gotten nowhere! I'm a failure!"
With that, the skunk buried her face into her hands and bawled. Tears gushed from her eyes with each sob, drenching her sleeves. Ash quickly laid a hand on her friend's shuddering back.
"Hey, hey, don't say that." She spoke in the same gentle yet firm tone Steff had talked to her in. "You're many things, Steff, but you are not a failure."
"Aren't I?" Steff lifted her head to gaze at Ash with tear-stained cheeks. "I've practically tainted my grandma's legacy! She was so elegant and smooth and I'm just... not! I'm never gonna be like her!" As she went back to crying into her hands, the porcupine pondered over her words for a few seconds.
"Well whoever said you had to be?"
Sitting up, the skunk managed to calm down slightly before speaking again. "Well... whenever me and my moms remember her, they always talk about how great she was when she sang onstage. How gracefully she moved. And I... I just feel like I'm being compared to her. Like I'm supposed to live up to the legacy she left behind. I know they aren't doing it on purpose but I can't help it."
"Do they know that's how you feel?" Ash asked. Steff sniffed, looking down at the floor before shaking her head in response.
"Maybe you should tell them. I think you'll feel a lot better if you get this off your chest." The porcupine reached a hand across and tilted her chin up to look into Steff's eyes, smiling softly. "To be honest, Steff, slow and sultry really doesn't feel like... you. The way I see it, if you're up on that stage expressing yourself through singing, something I can see that you love doing as much as she did... you're already honouring her memory."
The skunk thought back to the past couple of rehearsals. The difference between her singing skills and her attempts to emulate her grandma's moves exactly was clear as day. Singing came much more naturally to her than strutting or shimmying.
At last she let out a deep cleansing breath, rubbing her stinging eyes. "I think I should take the rest of the rehearsal off. I need to rethink my act, clear my head." Ash nodded in agreement
"Yeah, me too. Maybe after I wipe him from my memory, I can finally start work on that song." Ash held up the edge of her princess skirt with playful distaste. "After I get this stupid dress off." In spite of her tearful breakdown, Steff couldn't help chuckling at her friend's little joke.
"Yeah, glittery lavender definitely doesn't suit you." After giving a small laugh herself, Ash stood up and helped her friend to her feet. The porcupine then found herself suddenly wrapped in a hug by Steff.
"Thanks for listening, Ash." She whispered. After a second, her friend gladly returned the gesture.
"Anytime, Steff." She replied, smiling warmly. "You helped me through my troubles. What kind of friend would I be if I weren't willing to do the same for you?"
After she and Ash had managed to get permission from Buster to leave the rehearsal early, Steff had jumped in the first taxi back home. And along the way, she took the time to mull over the changes she would make to her act. More importantly, she thought of how she would confess her self-doubt to her parents.
Once the skunk arrived, she stood outside the café door, took a deep breath and pushed it open.
"Hey, moms." Looking up from their duties, Cassie and Andrea's eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of their daughter home already.
"Steff? You're back early." Cassie said with intrigue, closing the cash register while her wife finished placing a customer's muffin on their table. Steff said nothing for a moment before finding the courage to speak.
"There's... something important I need to tell you."
Without a second's hesitation, the two of them spent a good five minutes shooing the customers out, encouraging them to pour their mugs into the cafe's recyclable cups and take their food with them. As soon as the last one had left, Cassie and Andrea promptly shut the café doors, flipping the sign to CLOSED before following their daughter upstairs to the living room worriedly. They both sat down on the couch while Steff stood before them, her hands clasped in front of her.
"Is something wrong?" Andrea asked in concern, adjusting her glasses. Thinking back to Ash's words of encouragement, the young skunk's gradually nervousness melted away.
"Alright, here goes..." Looking her parents in the eyes, she finally laid all her feelings bare.
"Moms..." She began softly. "Ever since Grandma died, I've spent every day missing her like you guys have. I loved talking and playing with her and watching all those old videos of when she used to sing. And whenever we talk about her now, you always bring up how amazing and graceful she used to be onstage. And hearing those words coming from you... always made me feel like you guys were comparing me to her. Like I had to be exactly like her to be considered as great as she was. I know you didn't mean to but... it's just how I felt."
As her parents stared at one another in silent shock, Steff continued her confession.
"And when I found out about the singing contest, I thought this was my chance to do just that. To uphold the legacy she left behind. And... to make you guys proud of me. But all week, I've been running myself ragged trying to copy Grandma's elegance, her moves, everything about her." The skunk cringed as she recalled her painful trip-up earlier today.
"And today's rehearsal went horribly wrong. I thought I'd let her down... along with you. So with a little help from Ash, I thought it'd be best if I came home early, rethought my act and talked to you guys about all this." When she finished talking, both her moms' eyes were brimming with tears.
"Oh, sweetheart..." Cassie whispered. The two of them got up from the couch and gently pulled Steff into a hug.
"We're so sorry we made you feel that way." Andrea's voice was choked with guilt. Steff returned their embrace, starting to get teary-eyed herself.
"It's okay, Mama."
None of them broke the hug for a full ten minutes, quietly letting out all their emotions. At last, Cassie pulled away and looked into her daughter's eyes, laying a hand on her cheek.
"Steff, don't concern yourself with trying to be the next Julie Pearce." She said with a warm smile. "There was only one her. Instead look inside and ask yourself: what are my strengths? What does Steff Pearce bring to the stage?"
"We promise, Steff, we'll be proud of you however you perform onstage." Andrea added kindly. "And I know Grandma would be too."
The teenage skunk let their words sink in. Slowly she realised that she'd misinterpreted Grandma Julie's words of wisdom from all those years ago. She could still be a great singer like her. She could keep her legacy alive. Not by trying to become a carbon copy of her, but by embracing her own skills that made her stand out behind the microphone.
By being the first her.
"Thanks, Moms." As she hugged them both again, a smile of newfound confidence graced her lips. "I think I know what I want to do for my routine."
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Regarding Steff's breakdown, I debated myself on whether it should be Ash or her parents who gave her the pep talk. I finally decided "why not both?", with Ash encouraging Steff to open up to her parents about her self-doubt and the pressure she's placed on herself, and Cassie and Andrea then persuading their daughter to be herself onstage and play to her own strengths that make her stand out as a singer.
The movie Sing belongs to Illumination Entertainment. I only own my OC, Steff Pearce.