Annalise

Chapter 25: Tamara

My cheeks rose high as my lips stretched far out, beaming a foolishly wide smile at the arrival of Alice. She flashed me a wink before returning her eyes on the audience.

"You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh."

Me and Alice sung together the small part, reaching the last of the chorus.

"I know it's hard, know it's hard
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh."

The last words we shared together were up, leaving me to go solo on the verse approaching. The shakes were receding to a mere minimum, barely recognizable anymore.

Comfort prompted me to persevere through the dark doubts dangling in my mind, spewing words containing timid thoughts.

I looked far into the crowd, ignoring the stares from the front row and only seeing my friendly peers. I easily spotted out Michael who was standing with two thumbs up and a goofy smile, he was pulled down by Zach.

Brendon was also there, sitting down as he looked completely through me, his mind some place else. Sadie was also sitting and watching, two of her friends on either side of her.

"I got my hands in my pockets,
Kicking these rocks.
It's kinda hard to watch this life go by."

A prominent grin took over my face as I began moving, breaking my tense military posture. I walked towards the front of the stage, switching the mic to my left hand.

"I'm seeing all the angles,
Thoughts getting tangled-"

Suddenly the doors to the auditorium savagely banged into the walls behind them, announcing not the entrance of someone, but rather the leave of a person. I assumed it to be Ricky due to his sturdy, muscular physique, and the fact that his people were urgently trailing behind. Heads whipped at the impact of the noise, stirring up panic as whispers quickly spread amongst the students.

I lowered down my mic, watching the whole front, right row walk out. Hovering my hand over the mic, I turned to Alice, who reflected my actions.

"Asshole," she muttered, her hawk eyes settled upon the distraction.

"Should we continue?" I asked, walking closer and leaning in towards her.

"No, no one is listening," Alice huffs, gesturing to the crowd of kids facing each other, and not us.

The spotlight flickered off, returning the orange lights from above that lit the whole stage. The lights near the seating area also came on, making it easier to see the emotions sketched onto people's faces.

Fear. Anxiety. Confusion. Powerless.

"What do you think we should do?" I inquired, my eyes set on Noah's hurried walk out the doors, followed by a line of his crew.

"We're definitely leav-"

Mrs. Fluent's squeaking heels smacked onto the wooden floor, grabbing the microphone out my hands and stating, "Please settle down, the performance is not over! And the bell has not rung!"