Disclaimers: Just a reminder that these characters belong to Disney and I'm not profiting from this little story in any way. Also, in my Cheetah-world Galleria only likes Angel as a friend and fellow musician, not as a love interest. As always, I'd love to hear what you think of my work, so give that 'Review' button some love!
Random note: I drove down to Columbia, SC today to hear Raven at the State Fair. I had a great seat and got some amazing pictures. She looked great and sounded even better! If you ever have a chance to catch her live, you should definitely take it!
I'm standing with the rest of the Cheetahs outside the Dancing Cat. We're almost to the front of the crazy long line of squealing, excited teenagers. When I see Chanel craning her neck to get a peek inside the club, I take my chance to give her a thorough once-over without her noticing. She looks especially beautiful tonight, all glammed out for the club. We're finally at the front of the line and I tell the bouncer who we are. Joaquin had us put on the VIP list, so the bouncer immediately let us through. I quickly scan the crowd for Joaquin and head toward the table he's holding. He greets me with a hug then immediately grabs Dorinda to kiss her cheeks. I shoot her a teasing smile and wink, then settle myself onto a stool. Chanel takes her spot at the stool next to mine and grins at me. We're both looking around the club, checking out the scene. Teen clubs sure aren't this nice and fancy in New York!
Joaquin tells us that he's seen several of our competitors in the club tonight. I immediately feel my competitiveness awaken and say that I'm glad, because we'll have the chance to show them what the Cheetahs' growl power is all about! Just as I finish saying this, a new song starts up and the spotlights draw my attention to a girl up on the balcony. The girl looks about my age or maybe a little younger. She is dressed really stylishly and edgy. As soon as she starts singing, I am impressed. She has a great voice and the song is catchy. It occurs to me that the New Voices Competition might not be quite as easy as I thought. I turn to Chanel and can see she's thinking the same thing. We ask Joaquin who she is. He tells us that her name is Marisol and that she is the hometown favorite to win the contest. I give the others a meaningful look and turn my attention back to Marisol, so that I can get a good idea of what we're going to be up against. She's working the audience like magic, and it's obvious that she's having a lot of fun. By the time she finishes the song, I know that it's going to take a lot of hard work and focus from the Cheetahs if we are going to beat Marisol. My earlier cockiness has drained away, so when Joaquin offers to have us added to the list of performers I make up some lame excuse about jet lag. The other girls must be feeling the same way too, because they immediately back me up.
When Marisol passes by our table, Chanel reaches out to get her attention. She says something to Marisol in Spanish that I couldn't understand. I guess she's probably complimenting her on her performance. Any way, Marisol thanks her and then keeps walking. Chanel turns her attention back to us and we all have to admit that the girl was definitely good.
A male voice comes through the sound system to draw our attention back to the stage. The voice belongs to Angel, and he has his guitar with him again. He explains that he's going to slow things down and play some classic Spanish lullaby. He teasingly asks if any 'kittens' in the audience know the lyrics. After the first few notes, Chanel's face lights up and she tells me that she knows the song. She starts singing the song and it doesn't take long before the audience has turned to watch her. Even though I don't know what she's saying, I am enchanted. The song is beautiful, and Chanel seems so peaceful and in her element. A few moments later, Marisol is back at our table and singing along with Chanel. They sound great together, and the entire audience is hanging on their every word. I quickly analyze the tune in my head and silently get Dorinda and Aqua's attention to clue them in. The three of us join in to sing backup harmony.
When the song ends, the applause is thunderous. We introduce ourselves to Marisol and she tells us we sing very beautifully. We all chat for a bit before Marisol's mom comes up and starts speaking to us in rapid-fire Spanish. Marisol notices Doe and me looking confused and translates for us. Her mom, Lola, apologizes to us and switches to English. She is very nice and offers to help us get ready for the contest. When she mentions giving us her phone number, I whip out my phone to take down the number. Instead she ignores me and turns to Chanel, explaining that it's easier for her to speak Spanish. Even though this makes sense, I can't help but feel a little hurt. It makes me feel left out, and it's not a good feeling. Once Marisol and Lola leave our table and my focus is back on the music, I feel better.