✤ SOLO

Chapter eighteen

 

"Why are you still here?" I ask him.

"You look like shit." He says bluntly, "and you told me to wait." He answers my question.

"Well I didn't expect you to." I say wiping my face with the back of my sleeve."

"I did. Are you okay?" He asks with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, what is it that you wanted to say?," I ask him as we walk down the hallway. I'm in a hurry. I was already late for the audition as it is. Another 2hours of torture.

His concern look turns to a mischievous one, then I know something is up. "You know you never cease to amaze me," he starts still smirking.

"What do you mean?" I ask genuinely confused. He laughs and takes out his phone, he taps on it and brings it to my face, showing me a video, he taps play and the video start. It was a recorded video of me singing in the class when I thought no one was around.

"Damn! Would you hear that voice." He says and my face heats up.

"How?..w.where did you get that?" I stutter nervously.

"I don't know." He shrugs," but what I want to know is why the hell are you not auditioning?."

"Because of the rule." I blurt out still panicking.

"Rule smule, you were amazing, I didn't know you could sing like that, you know with the way your voice always sounds like a mouse," I glare at him, "I am so going to show this to Will."

"No you won't!" I say quickly, "delete it!" I try to snatch it but he keeps it out of my reach, this is the second time today I've been trying to take things from people but can't reach it because of my shortness. Curse you genes.

"No way! Why would I do that?"

"Because...because I don't like singing." I say lamely. I mentally hit my forehead. Really?. He gives me an incredulous look, "yeah, I sing but I hate singing, it sprains my vocal chord, that's why I always sound like a mouse."

"Yeah, right." He snorts.

"Listen, James please don't show that video to will, I beg you." I beg desperately. He look into my eyes and thinks for a while before he sighs.

"Fine!, I won't tell him, only because I want you to do it yourself" I sigh in relief, because I know, I'll never do that, "but, I am not going to delete it, in fact I will make a thousand copies because I don't trust your nerdy self not to hack in my phone...."

Is this guy for real? 

"..but tell me this.." He leans forward and looks into my eye, "does Stephanie have anything to do with you not singing?"

I gulp, "w..what? W..why would you say that, of cause not!." I stutter nervously. He scrutinizes my face and furrows his eyebrow. "I know I have a great voice, but I don't want to make a career out of it, it's just a hobby." I lie smoothly.

"Sure...." He drawls as he stands upright. He doesn't believe it. He tucks his phone into his back pocket and sighs, "but you have no idea what you're doing, others would kill for a talent like yours, even Stephanie." He says and I look away.

If only you knew.

"Are you still going to make my sister's chocolates?" He asks changing the subject which I'm grateful for.

"Yeah." I shrug.

"So how much?" He asks taking out his phone again. "Do you prefer venmo or PayPal?" He asks me and I know where he got that line from.