Wildest Dreams | EJ Caswell

𝚜𝚒𝚡

By the time I'd found a quiet enough space, in the music room with the old piano; I'd only been able to get through my song one time before I was called back into the auditorium, it was nowhere near perfect, but Miss Jenn said she wanted to see something that represented who I was, and I think it did just that, flaws, and all.

I took the spot between Gina and Sebastian near the front of the theater, rolling my eyes as Lily sat in the row ahead. Obviously, her "never done theater" spiel from earlier was a complete lie because she exuded confidence; and not the charming kind. She thought she was better than the rest of us, and I couldn't wait to see the look on her face as each of my friends nailed their auditions.

Ashlyn and Kourtney were the first to go, scattered claps floating through the room as they shuffled onto the stage, looking both nervous and excited all at once, "This is an original song I wrote about... Nerd-alert, the power of friendship." She'd offered a spot in the group to Gina and I earlier, but both of us ended up declining. Me because I was nowhere near as good as a dancer as them, I knew I'd feel more confident behind the piano. Still, I honestly had no clue why Gina said no; it seemed right up her alley, "it was originally written as a solo, but then that was wrong, so I wrote it for four people, and we'll be singing for two."

Lily scoffed in front of us, shaking her head as she no so quietly muttered, "amateurs,"

If it weren't for the people around us and the fact that swearing Lily out would probably get me detention or asked to leave auditions, I would have called her out right here. I could tell Gina felt the same because when I glanced over at her, she was glaring at the back of Lily's perfect blonde ponytail.

"Wait," Gina stood up, rushing up the stairs and onto the stage where Ashlyn and Kourtney were, "Sorry," she apologized to Miss Jenn; I couldn't hear the rest of what she said. But soon, she stood in formation with the other girls, a wide smile on her face.

"Hit it," Ashlyn exclaimed; beside Miss Jenn and Carlos' table, EJ pressed play on a boom box, a proud smile on his face as he watched his younger cousin.

Unsurprisingly, the three of them sang and danced flawlessly, not missing a beat once; I was sad I couldn't be up there, but also glad I hadn't said yes, I would have held them back. Gina only elevated the performance, the three of them shining equally as bright.

"One-two-three, yeah," They all sang, falling into dramatic bows; as soon as they finished, everyone flew out of their seats, cheering loudly for the three girls.

All of us except Lily, "I'm sorry, what was that you said about amateurs?" I leaned down to whisper to her, my voice laced with sarcasm.

Before she could respond, Miss Jenn called my name, "Alright, next up is the lovely Aurora Garcia," she read off her sheet, glancing over her shoulder to look at me.

Just as I went to slip out of the row, Lily glanced back at me, a phony smile on her face, "good luck, you're gonna need it."

I tried to act as if her comment didn't faze me, exiting the row and heading for the steps leading to the stage; on my way up, Kourtney, Ashlyn, and Gina gave my hand reassuring squeezes as they walked down to their seats, nodding at me encouragingly.

Miss Jenn shoots me a smile as I walk up, leaning forward slightly in anticipation, "what are going to be singing for us?" She asked, folding her hands together.

I took a seat at the piano a little over to the side before answering, "an original," I replied, not sounding as confident as I hoped. "I wrote this a while ago, but you asked for something that shows who I am, so..." I awkwardly explain, dragging off the last word, "it's called enough for you."