Chapter 15

Dave moved his hands around my waist and pulled me close to him. "You're my good-luck charm." He said kissing me.

I smield and kissed him back. Ace pushed the doors to the auditorium open. "God, guys, get a fuckign room."

"ARTHER!" It was the drama club teacher Mrs. Mendle. She had to be over fifty. She looked like a drama teahcer too. She had these shawls in every color and she wore wraps and big googly glasses. She clicked her heels together when she yelled at kids- Ace included- when they did anything wrong. And she lived in a dream that she was still onstage... at Broadway...

Even though she never made it to New York.

We all have dreams I guess.

"Watch you're mouth, son!" She wagged a finger at him.

"I'm sorry Mendle!" Ace said acting too. "It just slipped out."

She gave him a dirty look and walked through the door he held open. Mrs. Masons was normally behidn this but she was out and Mrs. Mendle usually runs auditions anyway. We all walked into the room. Everyone was drama-club/dork-esque. Rachel was there. She was convinced she was the next Avril Lavigne or something. She was awful but she never knew. You didn't want ot be on Rachel's bad side.

We all sat. Mrs. Mendle taking a drmatic seat in front with the selected panel of judges, The class president, the vice-president, the principal, and an empty seat for Mrs. Masons.


It was bad. Not so much with the choir kids who went up and did broadway songs, more the normal girls who wnet up and botched up broadway and songs on the radio. There was a boy who played this trumpet solo that was alright. He was pretty jazzy. "Damn, that kid's nasty!" Ace said when everyone clapped.

"ARTHER!"

"Another slip, Mendle, deepest apologies."

"Another slip and you're out, boy!"

"Kay!"

I was sitting there next to Dave. His arm around me. Laughing at Ace quietly. I looked over and saw Rachel- who had botched up a #1 hit song and was pleased with herself beyond belief- standing talking in front of the stage. She looked so happy. Grinning to herself. Thinking she was the best singer in the world.

"You guys ready?" Cam asked.

"Yeah,"

"Let's go."

Dave kissed me. "Wish me luck," He said.

"Good luck." I said.

He smield and kissed me one more time. It lasted a little longer. And then he got up. I moved a few rows closer to the stage. Rachel walking up the isle now. "Hey Elisa," She said msiling and waving.

"Hi," I said lifting my hand in a wave. I looked over at the stage.

He was sitting agaisnt the stage. One leg stretched out the other bent. His arms were wrapped around it casually. He was jsut looking around watching people. His guitar was on the floor beside him. He was just sitting there not really looking at anything or anyone. Just sittign there. And somehow that made my stomach drop and I felt weird. He looked over suddenly. At me. No expression on his face, he just looked ta me. And I just looked back. I was not so far away. But I realized he probably was jsut waiting for me to look away. Neither of us had blinked. I wondered if he thought I was so weird staring at him. I blinked suddenly.

A smile crossed his face. And he blinked too. My stomach was shaking.

"Number 18," Mrs. Mendle shouted. The acts were numbered there was 19. Second to last. I thought it was Dave. But Bennett stood up. He was so tall. He took out his guitar and went onstage. He had a sticker on his guitar but it was jsut a dash of color on the pale front of the acoustic guitar. I watched him.

He leaned into the microphone slipped the guitar over his shoudlers. "I wrote this a few months ago." He said. And he started playing some soft chords. Four really quickly. He adjusted the tuning quickly. Then he started playing. His eyes falling on me. He blew everyone in the room away. You could tell. We all just sat there or froze and listened and watched. I'd heard a few things about his music with words like "wailing" "emo" "wrist-slitting" but it was so far off.

Out of everyone I was blown away the most.

Our eyes were locked the entire time. I felt myself melt inside. And all he was doing was singing a song that he wrote. His own original song. Dave di that every other Friday and I never felt this.

People clapped slowly. All still in shock of how amazing he was. He walked offstage. The curtains opening and Dave's band being there. The "judges" were busy writign and talking. I'm not sure how I heard it myself:

"Faggot." Dave had said it.

Bennett turned abruptly. "Fuck you." He said just as loud.

Mrs. Mendle heard but she too was blown away. She just let it slide. And Bennett walked off the stage. He was pissed. He put his guitar I watched him. Even as Dave started singing looking at me and winking and smiling. Bennett packed up and left. Swiftly and quickly. Walking by me and not looking at me for once. I had a feeling it was because of Dave. But I jsut watched Dave. His band was a shoo-in.

It was known.

They played a pop-ier song. And it was big in the room. They were good. But in my mind I thought Bennett was better. No matter what.