Chapter 8
I Have a Voice
Another school day went by for Molly. Throughout the day, she noticed a lot of students who were preparing for the talent show in a few days. While Molly herself, didn't plan to participate, she was happy for her fellow students. As the school day came to an end, Molly returned to her room, thinking about the talent show.
"The students sure are excited about the talent show, aren't they, Scratch?" Molly asked her ghost friend.
"Of course they are, and so am I! This talent show is going to be great!" Scratch exclaimed, much to Molly's surprise.
"Really? I thought you hated these kind of events."
"I do, but just think about it, Moll! There's always someone who would have their dreams shattered from being terrible, and that would be perfect for my misery numbers!" Scratch explained, only wanting to impress the Ghost Council.
At that moment, Molly heard knocking on her door. At first, she thought it was one of her family members, but was surprised to hear Libby's voice instead.
"Molly, it's Libby! I'm sorry for coming over unannounced, but it's an emergency! Can I please come in?"
"Uh, just a minute!" Molly called out before turning to Scratch. "Quick, hide!"
With that, Scratch turned invisible so Libby wouldn't see him. Now that Scratch was invisible, Molly opened the door, letting Libby in her room.
"Hi, Libby! What's wrong? You seem to be nervous about something." Molly said, noticing that Libby looked stressed out about something.
"Molly, I just made the biggest mistake of my life!" Libby began to panic. "You know about the school talent show, right? Well, I was going to sign up to help out backstage, but I accidentally signed up on the wrong list in pen! Now, I have to perform in the talent show, but I don't have a talent! What am I going to do?"
"Whoa! Just relax!" Molly tried to calm Libby down. "I'm sure you can think of something! Now, let's think! What are you good at?"
Libby took a moment to think before she replied, "Well, I guess I can, uh, sing?"
At that moment, Molly's eyes widened in joy. "You can sing! Libby, we've known each other for 7 years! How have I not known this? You've got to let me hear it!"
Molly sat down on her bed, waiting patiently to hear Libby sing. She could only imagine how beautiful Libby's singing voice is. She had no doubt that Libby had the singing voice of an angel.
After giving a look of hesitation, Libby decided to sing for Molly. She cleared her throat before she began to sing.
"I have a voice! Hear my battlecry!" Libby's singing voice sounded terrible to Molly. She watched in shock as she was forced to listen to the rest of Libby's agonizing singing voice. "The spotlights blind me and my fears confine me!"
Before Libby could continue her song, she noticed that Molly stared at her with wide eyes, still processing what she just heard.
"Molly, why are you looking at me like that?" Libby stared at Molly, confused.
While Molly stared at Libby in silence, Scratch simply laughed at her poor performance, knowing that she was going to do terrible at the talent show.
"Oh no! You hate it!" Libby pulled her turtleneck over her face to hide her shame.
No! No! No!" Molly rushed over to Libby. "That's not it! Um, to be honest, I thought it was, um, awesome!"
As Molly said that, Libby showed her face once more. "Really? You liked it?"
"I've never heard anything like it!" Molly replied with a fake smile.
That was when Libby breathed a sigh of relief. If Molly is this supportive of her, she knew that there was nothing for her to be afraid of.
"You know, Molly! Knowing that you think I can do this makes me think a really can do this!" Libby then gave Molly a hug. "Thank you! You are an amazing friend!"
After thanking Molly, Libby decided to make her way downstairs, ready to return back home. With Libby gone, Molly collapsed on her bed, her hands covering her face, regretting lying to her best friend.
"Wow! You really messed things up this time, Moll! Not that I'm complaining! This will be perfect for my misery numbers!" said Scratch.
"Ugh! What am I going to do? I just lied to Libby about her singing voice, and now she is going to humiliate herself onstage! There has to be a way to help her!"
Scratch shook his head. "No, there isn't! You either let Libby embarrass herself in front of the entire school, which is a solid option, or crush her with brutal honesty."
It was at that point when Molly felt guilty for lying to Libby like that. Libby was going to be humiliated in a few days, and it was all Molly's fault. She needed to do something to make this right.
"No. I know what I need to do!" Molly stood up from her bed. "Libby just needs a new talent! If I can give her a new idea, she won't have to sing badly in front of the school!"
"Good luck with that! What other talent could she have?"
"You'll see! I just need some time to think of an idea!" Molly said as she spent the day thinking of an idea that would help Libby.
The next day at school, Libby was practicing her singing as she got ready for the talent show tomorrow. Desperate to keep Libby from singing onstage, Molly approached her with new ideas for a talent. At that moment, Libby noticed her best friend and gave her a friendly wave.
"Hi, Molly! Have you come to see me practice?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your talent. Singing might not have been the best option for you after all, so I came up with a list for a bunch of alternatives!" Molly showed Libby her list of talents. "Let's see! Maybe ventriloquism can be your new talent!"
"Molly." Libby tried to speak up, only for Molly to interrupt her.
"Oh, you're right! You don't even have a ventriloquist dummy! How about poetry instead! I know that you are really good at that!"
"Molly!" Libby yelled, now gaining Molly's attention. "Listen, I appreciate what you are doing for me, but singing is what I want to do! You said it yourself! You've never heard anything like it!"
At that moment, Molly awkwardly looked away as she remembered what she said. "Oh right. I did say that."
"Yes, you encouraged me to do this, so I have to try!"
With that, Libby walked over to a nearby microphone before grabbing it. Molly soon began to panic as Libby was about to sing once more. Desperate to keep Libby from singing in front of the school, Molly thought of a plan before rushing over to Libby.
"Hey, do you know what else would be a great talent? Dancing! I can be your partner and we can dazzle the crowd with movement!"
"Molly, what are you- Whoa!"
At that moment, Libby was taken by surprise when Molly took her by the arm and started dancing with her. The dance ended when Molly was spinning around with Libby before holding Libby in one arm. Upon realizing the awkward position they were in, Molly and Libby gazed at one another before their faces turned slightly red.
"Uh, sorry." Molly apologized before she put Libby down.
"It's fine, Molly!" Libby awkwardly looked away before taking a look at her phone. "Listen, my mom is waiting for me, so I'd better get going."
Before Molly could stop her, Libby already left the room and made her way back to the car. As Libby left, Scratch appeared next to Molly with an amused smile.
"See? She could be brutally honest!"
With a roll of her eyes, Molly decided to ignore Scratch before she left the auditorium as well to catch up to Libby. Thankfully, she managed to catch up to Libby before her mom drove away.
Molly approached the car before speaking to Libby, "Libby, wait! I've got to tell you about something!"
"Molly! Libby just told me she's going to be in the talent show!" Leah exclaimed, happy for her daughter. "And it's all thanks to you!"
Hearing this only made Molly feel guilty. If she didn't do something soon, everything would go horribly wrong for Libby tomorrow.
"Oh, and Mom's closing the bookshop early to see me perform tomorrow!" Libby explained, much to Molly's dismay.
"Wait, but it's Slam Poetry Saturday. You and Libby never miss it!" Molly told Leah.
"No one takes slam poetry more seriously than me. No one!" Leah said in a serious tone. "But I wouldn't miss my Libby's performance for anything! I wouldn't doubt that she would be amazing like she was at the softball game! Who knows? She might even end up giving you another kiss!" Leah joked, much to Molly and Libby's embarrassment.
"Mom!" Libby yelled as she blushed.
"Sorry!" Leah apologized, trying not to laugh. "Anyway, was there something you wanted to say to Libby, Molly?"
After getting over her embarrassment, Molly climbed into the car. She knew it was going to be tough, but she had to be honest.
"Uh, yes, but it's not going to be easy to hear." Molly replied.
Soon, Scratch appeared, in the car as well with Molly being the only one to see him. "For anyone but me!"
"Um, well, the truth is-" Molly was about to tell the truth, but hesitated at the last moment. "There's no reserved seating, so if you want good seats, get there early! Okay, bye!"
It was at that moment when Molly jumped out of the car, causing Libby and Leah to share a couple of confused looks with each other. Despite how odd Molly was acting, Libby waved goodbye to her before her mom drove away.
As the day of the talent show got closer, Molly desperately tried to think of a way to stop Libby from performing. All she could do was watch as Libby and the others practiced their talents backstage.
While Molly worried about the upcoming talent show, Scratch eagerly awaited the moment everyone would perform so his misery numbers would increase. Despite the fact that everything went from bad to worse, Molly was not ready to give up just yet.
"Okay! There's still time! If I can't find a new talent for Libby, there is only one thing I can do!" Molly told Scratch.
"What's that?" Scratch asked.
"I'm going to stop her from performing!" Molly answered, determined to do whatever it takes to keep Libby from humiliating herself.
"No! You're not stopping anybody! I need those misery numbers!" Scratch argued.
"I'm doing it!" Molly ran away, not even listening to Scratch.
Once the talent show began, students performed on stage one by one. While the rest of the students were performing, Libby was getting ready for her act, unaware that Molly had plans to stop her.
During Libby's walk to the auditorium, Scratch noticed that Molly has been making multiple attempts to stop her in her tracks, whether it was repeatedly blocking her way, putting up signs to lure Libby in the wrong direction, or stuffing Libby in a box and putting her in the back of a delivery truck. Scratch had no idea how that last one was even possible, but decided not to let it faze him too much. He took over the delivery truck and drove it back to the school so Libby won't miss her performance.
The time for Libby's act got closer, but Libby was nowhere to be seen. Feeling that Molly had something to do with it, Scratch searched the school. It wasn't long before Scratch found Molly standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Alright, Molly! I know that you are the one messing with my chance to impress the Ghost Council, and it's not funny! Where is Libby?" Scratch demanded.
"Oh, relax, Scratch! Libby is perfectly fine right here!"
At that moment, Molly opened a nearby door to reveal Libby tied to a chair and was gagged with a white cloth tied around her mouth. Libby desperately struggled against her ropes and gave muffled yells of anger.
Shocked by by what he saw, Scratch turned to Molly as he couldn't believe how desperate she was. "Are you insane?! You kidnapped Libby?!"
"It's for her own good, Scratch! This is the only way to keep her from performing! Besides, Libby looks kind of cute tied up like that!" Molly blushed as she turned to Libby.
Creeped out by what Molly just said, Scratch replied, "You know, Molly! Sometimes I wonder which one of us is actually the scary one here!"
"Listen, I tried everything I could, but this is the only thing I can think of to spare Libby's feelings." Molly explained.
"Okay, you know what? No! This is going too far! Look, I promise I will stop trying to bring Libby onstage and cause her misery for the ghost council!"
"Really?" Molly perked up.
"Yes, but only if you promise to tell Libby the truth!"
At that moment, Molly brought her attention to Libby, who was still struggling against her ropes. Upon realizing that she was going too far, Molly decided to finally tell the truth. As Molly approached her best friend, Libby let out muffled pleas.
"Mlly! Lht mh gh!" Libby yelled at Molly to let her go so she won't be late for the talent show.
"It's okay, Libby. I will let you go now." Molly replied, knowing fully well what Libby was trying to tell her.
With that, Molly untied the gag from Libby's mouth to speak to her.
"Libby, I haven't been honest with you. You can't perform in the talent show because-" Molly paused before she finally decided to tell the truth. "Because you're singing is terrible!"
"What?" Libby was surprised by what she just heard. "But you said-"
"I know. I lied." Molly interrupted. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt your feelings!"
Now that she realized that Molly has been lying to her this whole time, Libby glared at her, "So you waited until now to tell me?! When I'm about to go on?!"
As Libby was panicking, Molly tried to say something to make her feel better. "Uh, don't worry! We can run away escape into the night like criminals! New names! New faces, maybe? We'll live on our own on the road! In the trains! Just nobody! Just us two!"
Hearing Molly's suggestion caused Libby to blush. She wasn't going to lie. She kind of liked the idea of only being with Molly. However, she wasn't just going to leave her family behind. After all the time she spent preparing for the talent show, Libby was not ready to give up just yet.
"No. I'm done being scared. I have to go out there!" Libby declared.
"What are you going to do?" Molly asked.
Libby pondered for a brief moment before she replied, "I think that is something that I want to do, but I can't do it alone! Do you think you can join me?"
This surprised Molly. Despite everything she had done to stop Libby, she still wanted her to perform with her.
"Y-You actually want me to help after I've been a bad friend to you?"
"It's okay, Molly! I know that you were only looking out for me! I would be happy that you would perform with me because there is no one I'd rather be with!" Libby confessed, to which Molly gave a grateful smile in response. "But I want you to promise that there will be no more secrets between us! Can you promise you won't lie to me anymore?"
That was when Molly's eyes briefly moved over in Scratch's direction. As much as she didn't wan to lie again, she still needed to keep Scratch's existence a secret.
"I promise!" Molly lied with a forced grin.
After untying Libby from the chair, Molly quickly led Libby backstage just in time for the talent show. The girls were now dressed in poet attires, both of them getting ready for a poetry act Libby had planned. Libby took a peek from the curtains to see her mom sitting in the front row.
Molly and Libby were both ready to perform when Andrea finished her performance onstage. Even though she was ready to perform with her best friend, Molly noticed that Libby still looked a little nervous.
"Hey, I'm sorry I've been lying to you. I promise that now matter what happens, we will do this together!" Molly promised.
Hearing this made Libby feel more relaxed. "Thank you, Molly! I'm glad to have you by my side!"
Once they were ready, Molly and Libby made their way onstage. The bright light of the spotlight shined down on Libby, making her visible to everyone in the crowd. As scared as she was, Libby had to face her fears. She walked over to a nearby microphone before she began her poetry act.
"I have a voice. Hear my battle cry. The spotlights blind me, my fears confine me. I'm scared, but I still gotta try!"
Before Libby could continue, her eyes focused on the crowd before she remained silent. Seeing that Libby needed help, Molly continued the act for her.
"Even if you are scared, never forget about the friend who always cared! You do not need to hide, for I will always be by your side!"
Touched by Molly's words, Libby gave a grateful smile as she was no longer scared. With her courage regained, Libby continued.
"You have always filled my life with sunshine and light, and I am happy that we are friends every day and night!"
The audience watched in awe as Molly and Libby took turns reciting poetry together, while also expressing how much they care for each other. As they were ready to finish their performance, Molly and Libby spoke a couple more lines of poetry.
"To my friend who loves turtles, I thank you for getting me through all of life's hurtles!" Molly smiled.
"You are my best friend, and I am glad that we will both be together til the end!" Libby replied, ending the performance.
With their performance finished, Molly and Libby smiled at one another, holding each others hand, both of them grateful to be a part of each others lives. It was at that moment when the audience cheered for Molly and Libby. No one was more proud than Leah. As Libby noticed how proud Leah was of her, she leaped off the stage, into her mother's arms, both of them crying tears of joy.
Molly watched in joy at Libby's heartwarming moment with her mom. After giving one last bow to the audience, Molly made her way backstage before Libby followed shortly afterwards.
"Libby, you were amazing!" Molly exclaimed before giving Libby a tight hug.
"Thanks, Molly, but I really couldn't have done it without you!" Libby replied with a smile.
"I'm sure that you would have been great even without my help! Oh, and sorry for repeatedly keeping you from performing and, uh, kidnapping you." Molly now realized that she really didn't think things through.
"It's okay, Molly! I'm just glad that there are no more secrets between us!" As Libby said that, Molly remembered the promise she made to her. "Anyway, thanks for everything!"
After Libby hugged Molly goodbye, she left with her mom. Despite everything working out in the end, Molly secretly wished there was a way for her to tell Libby about Scratch. She was soon startled out of her thoughts when her ghost friend appeared next to her.
"It looks like everything worked out for everyone! Everyone except me, at least! Libby's misery would have set me up for afterlife!" Scratch complained.
"Sorry, Scratch! I couldn't let something like that happen to Libby! Why don't I buy you an ice cream to make up for it?" Molly offered.
This made Scratch feel a little better. "Why not? I think I can really use something to eat!"
As Molly and Scratch left the school, Molly was deep in her thoughts. As much as she wanted her two best friends to meet, she couldn't let Scratch get in trouble with the Ghost Council. Remembering that she promised to never keep secrets from Libby again, as long as she and Scratch were friends, Molly knew that she would never be able to keep that promise.