Louder

Chapter 3

      Serena was staring off to the side and my heart sank. I had known Serena since we were six and she'd always wanted to be a singer. It was the one thing she'd been confident about and that was why I found myself giving in. Even though I had a bad feeling about what we'd do, Serena was right. It was just for one event.

     "Fine," I said. Serena whipped her head to look at me. "Just for this one event. Okay?"

     "Yes!" Serena exclaimed, flying at me. "Thank you."

     I yelped when Serena tackled me. She threw her arms around me and hugged me, leaving me laughing lightly. I shook my head, knowing my friend was insane, but hugged her back. Despite everything, Serena was my best friend and I would do anything to make her happy.

*****

     "Vandos is gorgeous, but the basement of it is hideous," Serena said, shuddering as we ducked past cobwebs in gloomy hall.

     The hall was dark and long, and I was following Serena through it. We glanced at the rooms we passed, but they were all filled with boxes. The basement of Vandos seemed to be where they stored everything, and I wondered if we'd be able to find a room I could hide in.

     "Finally!" Serena exclaimed, stopping abruptly.

     I bumped into her and stepped away. Peering into the room Serena was staring at, I saw that it was a small room. There was a single couch in it and a table, and a few boxes laying against the walls. It was tiny, but perfect for what I needed to do.

     Serena and I walked into the room and I plopped down on the couch. Serena placed her purse on the table and rummaged through it, searching for our microphones. I stared at her, admiring the gold dress she wore. It hugged her curves and when she pulled out the microphones, she grinned at me.

     "Here," Serena said, handing me the silver mic.

     I took the mic from her and held it tightly. With it in my hand, I remembered what was about to go down. In a few minutes, Serena would be on stage pretending to sing, and I'd be in the basement actually singing. It would be the first time I would let others hear my voice and suddenly, my heart was racing.

     "Thank you," Serena said, her eyes gentle. "Seriously, this means a lot. I know you never wanted your voice to be known, so it really means a lot."

     "You're welcome," I said, shrugging. "Break a leg on stage. The crowd will love you."

     Serena grinned. "You mean the crowd will love you."

     I laughed lightly and shook my head, but at the thought of the crowd hearing my voice, my heart stammered. Taking a deep breath in, I hoped to calm my nerves before Serena was on stage.

     "Remember to be on FaceTime," Serena said. "Liam is already in the audience. He said he's sitting right in front of the stage, so you'll be able to see me clearly through his phone."

     "Perfect," I said.

     "Okay, I'm going now. Thank you again."

     Serena smiled at me and then turned around. She ran off, leaving me alone in the small room. Realizing I was all alone and no one would find me, I put my legs on the table in front of the couch, and closed my eyes. My heart was racing and I was nervous, and I prayed it wouldn't affect my singing.

     I jumped when my phone rang and quickly picked it up. Liam's face appeared on the screen and he was smiling at me. I smiled back, but it felt forced due to my nerves.