INEZ ARCHER WAS A PRACTICAL POP STAR IN THE MAKING. Or maybe R&B. Hip hop might've suited her well. But the point is, she could sing.
Her voice is so angelic to the point where she hit every note in tune, even if it was on the higher side. Inez's voice was so divine to the point where it was bone-chilling. You could ask the girl to sing almost anything in tune and she will. That's how angelic her singing voice actually was.
No, Inez was not a professional. She wasn't perfect either. But she was pretty damn close. She just had a gift in singing, which she adored and cherished very much.
The second day of school in Advanced Mixed Chorus was a rough day, as Dr. Terry got the choir to begin singing one of their songs, Maybe I'm Amazed. Instead of picking and choosing two students to do the duet, she allowed everyone to sing every single part, closely observing each student's voices — differentiating if they sung it with passion and expression or with no interest whatsoever. She also determined if their vocals were at least decent or if they weren't right where they should've been.
To Dr. Terry, there were many wonderful voices in her choir, but the one that stuck out to her most was Inez's voice, especially when she got the choir to sing the duet. Even if it was her second day in class, she was there to impress, not to sit back. When the choir reached mid-song, Dr. Terry stopped the choir mid-sentence from singing, as well as the soundtrack blasting from the room's speakers.
On a notepad, the teacher made quick notes, mainly of people she'd consider for certain choral parts. Things like these were worth writing down for future reference, so Dr. Terry always had her notepad with her during classes. When she was through with taking notes, she placed it on top of her baby grand piano, which stood at the front of her classroom.
"Alright," Dr. Terry cleared her throat as she motioned the class to sit down since they were standing up. She always insisted that her students should stand up to project their voices better. Students tend to always slouch back with a curved posture while singing in one way or another, so she had to put a stop to that. Plus, she thought that it gave the choir more expression while singing. "It's only the second day back, so I get that you all aren't used to the song yet, which is fine, but I've heard you all sing, and you're off to a great start, which we can continue to work on."
The choir exchanged excited glances at each other, waiting for any other possible good news. Dr. Terry acknowledged that, so she continued as she cleared her throat. "It has not been decided who will sing the duet, but I will let you all know next week, since the concert is approaching soon." She continued, planting her hands on her hips. "I know this is all on short notice, but this concert was scheduled by Berkeley Middle School, which is down the road. We will be presenting our school's Fine Arts program to them, so we need to hustle so we can do the best we can. Any questions?"
Inez Archer's hand shot up into the air. "When will we have to start paying for our Chorus dues. And when will we start doing after school rehearsals?"
"Chorus dues pay for your gowns and tuxedos, possible field trips, and regular chorus T-shirts, so I will have to follow-up with the school for that information, but you all should be able to start paying for them on the school app by tomorrow," Dr. Terry assured with a nod. "And we will have after school rehearsals in the school theater at least twice, two weeks prior to the concert."
Inez nodded her head at the response with satisfaction. Dr. Terry looked around the classroom in case anyone else had questions, but no other student had their hands up, so she chose to move on. The teacher took a look at her copy of the sheet music for Maybe I'm Amazed. Her papers were filled with various notes, highlights, and markings of places she wanted the choir to work on.
"Alright, I would like to look at . . . measure fifty-six on your sheet music," she announced to the class, who began to flip through their sheet music.
The Meadowbrook High School Choir was a busy choir. Even if it was the second day back from school and they were still easing back into things, there was no time to waste with a performance around the corner.
About a week later, Dr. Terry delivered new information to the choir, as promised. She reminded the class that the paywall for Chorus dues was now up on the school app, where students and parents could pay for school lunches, club dues, and all things related to that. Dues were eighty dollars to pay for any possible field trips they might take in advance, formal gowns for ladies, tuxedos for gentlemen, and casual chorus T-shirts for everyone.
For any other student in the room, it wouldn't have been too difficult to get their parents to pay for the dues, or at least pay for them on their own. It wouldn't be difficult for everyone but Alexander. With his father struggling financially, it would be hard to convince him to pay eighty dollars, which could've been more efficiently used for groceries. But one way or another, Alexander would have to open up to his father about it.
If he didn't pay for the dues, Alexander wouldn't be allowed to participate in their upcoming concerts. Singing without the choir by his side didn't sound ideal to him, especially since he was in chorus, a class where everyone all sung together joyously. Being in that class always lifted up his spirit in a way. It's like singing had some kind of power in it that puts people in a good mood. At least, that's how it was for Alexander.
Speaking of lifting spirits, Dr. Terry had good news for both Alexander and Inez. After class that day, a typical Monday afternoon, the teacher called them both to her office, which was located on one of the sides of the choir room. Whenever this happened, both Inez and Alexander both knew that this meant something good was about to happen. But being called together? That meant something was up.
"So, what did you need us for, Dr. Terry?" Inez questioned with a smile, paying no mind to Alexander, who was a distance away from the girl.
He stared at her for a split second before facing Dr. Terry once more, who was situated at her desk. His eyes couldn't help but dart back to all the frames placed on the wall behind his teacher. They contained family photos and college degrees, her doctorate degree in the largest frame. It was impressive how much Dr. Terry has achieved in her career. With those skills, she was willing to help both Alexander and Inez, who were still waiting for the news she was about to deliver.
"I know that for this past week, we've only worked on Maybe I'm Amazed, but I've noticed how both of your vocals stand out," she announced as she adjusted the rim to her raven black glasses. "It was a tough decision to make, but I've chosen you both to do the duet for that song specifically. Inez, you have the female part, and Alexander, you have the male part."
The pair exchanged glances at each other. Instead of jumping for joy, they blankly stared at each other, hesitant on what to say or do. Sure, having a special part in the song was great, but if it was with each other, it didn't seem so great.
"This will take a lot of commitment, so I'd recommend for you both to practice your parts alone and together when you get the chance," Dr. Terry insisted with a smile. "Inside and outside class if you can."
"Okay . . . have a nice rest of your day, Dr. Terry," Alexander tried to cover up his forming grimace, his voice beginning to slow.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Inez added before following Alexander out of the room. Singing the duet together was far from what they wanted. Sure, they both wanted a part in the duet, but together? Neither of them liked the sound of it.
Doing a duet together also meant practicing together. Practicing together meant they would have to communicate with each other. That was the polar opposite of what they both anticipated. How were they going to fight for the spotlight if they both had it?
Inez's lips tightened at the idea, but she knew that she was going to earn the spotlight for herself, fair and square. She wanted to prove it by rocking her part of the duet. It would take practice, but since Alexander and her would be forced to work together, the practice would definitely be worth it.
Alexander, who stood beside Inez quietly, acknowledged that.
"So, it looks like we have to work together, Nezzie," he hummed before holding the swinging door so Inez could exit.
"Unfortunately," Inez groaned before grimacing, her head shaking with dissatisfaction. "And don't call me Nezzie, Alexander."
The boy chuckled, but didn't flinch, nor say a word.
The walk to the exit doors were silent between them. Neither of them bothered to say a word, or even flinch. Dr. Terry did suggest for the two to work on the duet outside of school if they could, but they didn't own up to it. Alexander opened his mouth for a split second, remembering what the teacher suggested, but backed out.
Inez, however, didn't even bother to ask. Her stomach churned at the idea, so she decided to stay silent. They both did. Once they were out of the school, they went their separate ways. Dr. Terry's words rang through their heads mockingly, over and over.
Maybe talking things through would've been a reasonable idea. But neither one of the individuals flinched.
When Inez arrived home from school, she was greeted by her father, Jared, and her mother, Gabrielle, who were putting up newly bought, landscaped portraits on the walls to brighten up the house's foyer. There wasn't a particular reason why, however. They just wanted a little extra decoration in the house. Putting up a few extra additions wouldn't hurt one bit.
"I see you finally bought those portraits you've been talking about. They look great," Inez acknowledged before she slipped off her shoes. They were black Converse all-stars, the signature pair of shoes that Inez usually wore. Because she wore them so much, they were kind of ruled out, but that didn't stop her from wearing them.
"Thank you, Nez," Gabrielle chirped as she held out her hands to properly angle the portraits. "How was your day?"
"It was okay. I got the lead female part for one of the songs we'll sing at our first concert next month," Inez shrugged before climbing up the first few steps of the tan, carpeted stairwell.
"That's impressive. We're proud of you, Inez, we really are," Jared remarked before extending his arm to briefly pat his daughter on the back. With acknowledgement, Inez smiled slightly before taking off to her bedroom. Her room was her everything. It was where she sang alone and hung out. It was her source of comfort and shelter, regardless of anything.
She exhaled heavily before diving her head face-first into the plush, heavy sheets of her bed. Inez believed that she sugarcoated the whole idea of her singing the lead part of Maybe I'm Amazed. Even with her parents, she didn't inform them that she would have to share the role with Alexander.
How would she do that, anyway?
Inez's parents had no clue what was going on between the two. The girl never told them anything about how they were rivals. Frankly, she never told them anything about Alexander. She kept them in the dark about the entire situation for several years now. It's not like there was anything they could do about it, anyway.
Alexander and Inez would just stay rivals for the rest of the school year if no actions were taken. But first, they'd have to deal with working together on their first performance.
Inez retrieved her phone to contact her best friend, Jolien. It was the only option ideal to her, considering that Jolien was the only person Inez opened up to about the burning conflict between Alexander and her. Typically, Jolien could recommend some sort of advice so her best friend could cope better. All Inez hoped, however, that it would be the case this time.
"Nez, hey," Jolien exclaimed with enthusiasm. "What's going on?"
"Well, it turns out that I have to do the duet part of Maybe I'm Amazed with Alexander," Inez complained as she brushed her palm across her forehead. "Freaking Alexander. Out of everyone in the choir, it had to be him."
"Looks like you're in a ballpark all by yourself. How do you plan on making it . . . work?" Jolien asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I could just practice my part of the duet on my own," Inez insisted, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "At our performance, we . . . put what we have together. Hopefully it'll all turn out great."
"Nez, you say that as if that's going to work," Jolien scoffed. "I hate to break it to you, but eventually, you will have to practice with him. Even if it's not outside of school, Dr. Terry will force you two to practice together during class. You know how she is."
"You're right, you're right," Inez said bitterly through gritted teeth, followed by a lengthy sigh. "Well, I guess Alexander and I will have to just work together as things are."
"Good luck with that," Jolien remarked through the phone.
"Thank you," Inez said before hanging up. "I'm gonna need it."
Things didn't turn up exactly how she expected them to. That was just how life was, regardless of if she wanted it or not. Working with Alexander may have not been what she originally wanted, but there was one thing she knew: Working with Alexander would only turn up the heat more.
And there's one thing that's commonly said: Don't play with fire.
a/n: bonjour! looks like there's some competition between Alexander and Inez. i love creating tension between characters. it's so much fun :)
so, let's discuss: do you think that them sharing a duet will cause more tension? will it be weird? feel free to place any thoughts in the comments, i love reading them.
speaking of tense situations, have u ever been one? what was it all about, if you don't mind sharing?
thanks for reading!!