(althea's outfit for this first part of the chapter is above)

There was a big music showcase coming up, it was something every student had to participate in and Althea was a mess. As the days got closer to the show, Althea started to worry more and more. She was getting more anxious and usually when she was anxious and stressed she wouldn't talk at all and just use sign language because she would get frustrated with her speech and it would make her feel worse. Her friends have noticed her change in attitude and they were worried for her. Even Jade admitted she was getting concerned for Althea and that was saying something. Jade didn't show emotions like that often, but when she did, you know it was serious.

The school day went by like normal, but Althea was more quiet than usual. She didn't chime in with any witty remarks and she wasn't smiling or laughing like she normally did. She wasn't even using sign language like she usually did when she didn't want to speak. She just kept to herself, lost in her thoughts, worrying about the upcoming showcase. André noticed her change in behavior too and it worried him deeply. He knew Althea had a tendency to shut down when she was stressed or anxious, but he had never seen her like this before. He couldn't just sit back and watch her suffer in silence.

During lunch, André decided to ask her about what was going on. "Hey, Althea, is everything okay?" He asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Althea looks up at him, startled at first, but then managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." She mumbled, though her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

André didn't buy it. He knew Althea well enough to see through her façade. "You don't seem fine. Is it about the showcase?" He asks gently. He could see her visibly tense at the mention of the showcase and knew he had hit the nail on the head. He frowns, feeling his heart ache for her. "Althea, you have nothing to worry about. You and Delia are going to do great. You've been practicing for weeks. You could probably do the whole performance in your sleep." He spoke with a small chuckle, trying to lighten the mood and cheer her up a little bit.

But his words had the opposite effect. Althea's smile fell and she looks away from him, her gaze focused on her food. "I'm scared." She admitted in a small, barely audible whisper. She didn't want to admit she was afraid, but she trusted André and knew he wouldn't judge her for feeling this way.

André's expression softens. He could tell Althea was really struggling and was hurting. He hated seeing her like this. "Althea, look at me." He says. Althea looks up at him again. His heart broke a little at the sight of her tear filled eyes. "I promise you, you're going to do great. I believe in you." He tells her earnestly. "And even if you do mess up a little bit, who cares? You're still going to be the most amazing girl out there."

Althea's eyes wells up with tears as she listened to André's comforting words. She knew he meant them sincerely, and it warmed her heart to have such unwavering support from him. She sniffled, trying to compose herself. "Thank you, André," She whispers, her voice trembling with emotion. "I really needed to hear that."

André gave her a gentle smile, reaching out to wipe away a stray tear from her cheek. "Anytime, Althea. I'll always be here for you, no matter what." He promised her.

Althea couldn't help but smile back at him, a genuine smile this time. She knew she could always count on him to be there for her, no matter what. "I'll always be here for you too, André," She murmurs, sniffling again. "You mean the world to me."

André's smile widens as he continues to wipe away the tears that had escaped. "Same here." He tells her. "Thea, you're not alone in this. We're in this together, okay?"

Althea nods, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders knowing she had André by her side. "Okay," She whispers, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. "Thank you, André. You're the best."

André's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he shrugs modestly. "I try," He says with a small laugh. "But seriously, Thea, you're gonna do great. You have nothing to worry about."

Althea takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "You're right. I have nothing to worry about." She said. "As long as I have you and the rest of our friends, I know I can do anything." She was being honest. Having her friends supporting her and helping her out, made her feel like she could conquer the world. She was truly blessed to have such amazing people in her life.

"That's the spirit!" André says encouragingly, grinning at her as he pulled away. "You're going to blow everyone away, Thea. Trust me."

Althea smiles gratefully at André, feeling a surge of confidence wash over her. His words meant more to her than he probably realized. She knew she had his support, along with the support of her other friends, and that was enough to bolster her spirits. "Thanks, André," She said sincerely, her voice steady now. "I really needed that pep talk. I feel a lot better now."

André returns her smile, his eyes sparkling with genuine warmth. "Anytime, Thea. I mean it. You're going to shine up there on stage, I just know it."

With André's reassurance and the unwavering support of her friends, Althea felt ready to take on the upcoming showcase with renewed determination. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she also knew she wasn't alone. As long as she had her friends by her side, she could face any challenge that came her way.

****

(althea's outfit for this part of the chapter) 

(delia's outfit for this part of the chapter)

The days leading up to the showcase passed in a blur of rehearsals and last-minute preparations. Althea poured her heart and soul into perfecting her performance, drawing strength from the unwavering support of her friends. It was finally the day of the big musical showcase and Althea was one step away from having a panic attack. Even though this musical showcase happened every year she was still nervous about it every year. She always feared that she would forget the lyrics or just mess something else up and everyone would start laughing at her or boo at her or maybe even both.

And to make matters worse, Delia wasn't there yet, and it was almost time for her and Althea to sing. That's why Althea was pacing backstage, fiddling with her rings she wore. André stood near her, watching her with concern. André knew she was nervous and anxious about this. Usually when she was nervous about something she would pace and when she was anxious about something she would mess with her rings she wore.

"Thea, come on, you gotta stop pacing. You're gonna burn a hole in the ground," André said in an attempt to lighten the mood and relax her a little bit. He frowns when she doesn't react to his words, continuing to pace. He sighs, stepping in front of her and gently placing his hands on her shoulders that stopped her from pacing. "Althea, listen to me." Althea looks up at him, her eyes full of fear and panic. "I need you to breathe, okay? Just breathe with me. In and out."

"I'm gonna mess up." Althea breathes out, her body shaking. "I-I'm gonna ruin the whole thing a-and everyone is gonna laugh at me." She stuttered, her breathing continuing to be frantic. 

André's grip tightens on her shoulders, concern and worry in his eyes as he looks at her. "Althea, stop it. You are not going to mess up. I know you're scared, but you have to push those thoughts out of your head. You've been practicing for weeks; you know the song by heart." He says, trying to reassure her, sighing when she looked down nervously. "Thea, look at me." Althea looks back up at him. He gives her a gentle, comforting smile. "Like I said before, you are going to be amazing out there, no matter what. All the practicing you've been doing, the countless hours you've spent memorizing the lyrics and the dance steps, all of it is going to pay off. I know it will."

"How can you be so confident about this?" Althea whispered, her voice trembling slightly. She hated how weak and pathetic she sounded, but she couldn't help it. The fear and anxiety were overwhelming her. Her mind was spinning, and she could barely focus on anything except her impending doom.

André's expression softens as he gazes at Althea, understanding the depth of her anxiety. His voice gentle and reassuring as he squeezes her shoulders. "Because I believe in you, Althea. I've seen how hard you've been working, how much passion and dedication you've poured into your performance. And I know, deep down, that you have the talent and the strength to overcome any obstacle that comes your way." He pauses, giving her a moment to absorb his words before continuing. "But more than that, I know you. I know how resilient and determined you are. You've faced challenges before, and you've always come out stronger on the other side. This is no different. You have the power to rise above your fears and shine on that stage tonight."

Althea blinked back tears, feeling a surge of gratitude wash over her at André's unwavering support. She knew he was right, deep down. She had faced challenges before, and she had always found a way to overcome them. This was just another hurdle to overcome, another opportunity to prove to herself and to the world what she was capable of. How did he always know what to say to make her feel better? She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"Thank you, André," She whispers. "I don't know what I would do without you."

André's arms wraps around her, returning the embrace. He rests his chin on top of her head and rubs her back soothingly. "You'd do just fine," He replies. "But you're welcome, Thea. I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

His words were a balm to her soul, soothing her frayed nerves and calming her racing thoughts. She felt safe and secure in his arms, knowing that she could always rely on him. They stood there for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's presence and offering comfort and support. Althea had felt like she was shaking when she hugged him. He held her closer and tighter and whispered reassuring things to her until she was feeling calmer. He hated seeing her so upset and stressed, and he would do anything to help her feel better.

Althea let out a soft sigh as she leaned against André's chest, taking comfort in his warmth and strength. She felt her heart rate slowly return to normal as his gentle words and soft touches soothed her frazzled nerves. She was still scared, but his presence helped her find the courage to face her fears and continue down the path towards success.

"If Delia doesn't show up, you're still gonna be amazing out there." He adds with a shrugs. "And if you get scared just focus on one thing or close your eyes the whole time."

"Or you could just picture the audience naked." A voice chimes in. The two best friends look over behind Althea to see Delia walking over to them. "Isn't that what professional singers do when they get stage fright?"

Althea felt relief wash over her after hearing Delia's voice. She and André pulls away from each other to face Delia. "Where have you been? You're late, we're almost up. You had me worried I would have to go out on stage alone and-"

"Before you start to ramble," Delia quickly chimes in with a playful smirk, interrupting her friend's rant. " had to help my parents with getting my three younger brothers in the car. It seems like they fight about literally nothing." She rolls her eyes. "And then we got stuck in traffic."

"Yeah, your brothers are a handful." André sympathetically smiled at her.

Delia exhales sharply and nods. "Yeah, they sure are. But I'm here now," She smiles widely, jumping once since she couldn't contain her excitement. "And I'm ready to blow everyone away with our performance."

Althea smiles nervously. "I'm glad one of us are." She continued fidgeting with one of her rings, chewing on her lower lip as her gaze fell to the floor.

Delia's expression softened. She knew Althea was nervous, but she also knew that her best friend had the talent and the strength to overcome her fears. "Ali, listen to me. You are going to do great. You've been practicing for weeks, you know the lyrics and the dance steps like the back of your hand. All the hard work you've put in is going to pay off. I have no doubt in my mind that you're going to be amazing out there."

"Next performers are Althea Crosby and Delia Myers!" The announcer exclaimed over the speakers and then the audience cheered for the girls.

Panic and nerves crosses Althea's face, and Delia notices it immediately. "Don't think about the audience, Ali. Just focus on the music, the lyrics, the steps, and me. And don't worry, I'll be right by your side the entire time." She gave Althea a reassuring smile, reaching a hand over to place it on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry, you got this." André gave her a gentle nudge, hoping to encourage her a bit more. He never liked seeing her like this, and he wanted to do everything in his power to help her.

Althea lets out a shaky breath and nods. She knew her friends were right. She had worked hard for this, and she wasn't going to let her fears stop her from going on stage. The two of them do their secret handshake they had made up when they were younger before Althea turned to face Delia with a smile. The two girls then linked their arms and walked on stage together. Althea's panic and nerves rose once they were on stage. It was a big stage, and she could see the audience in the crowd. There were a lot of people in the audience. She was starting to feel a little dizzy.

"Don't focus on them, focus on me, the music, the lyrics, the chords, everything else but the audience." Delia whispered to her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze before she pulled away and went to her microphone that was set up on center stage.

Althea nods with a shaky breath before she walks over to her keyboard that had a synthesizer. Althea looks out at the crowd, nervously biting her lower lip when she saw how many people were there. Her heartbeat was beating like crazy and she felt like it was getting harder to breathe. The spotlight was focused on her and Delia, blinding them both a little bit.

But she listened to what André told her to do and after taking a deep breath, she glanced offstage to the left where André stood in the wings. He flashed her a warm, reassuring smile and gave her a thumbs up. Seeing him and knowing he was there for her made her feel a little less anxious. With a deep breath, she looked back at Delia, who was looking at her worriedly. She sent her a concerned expression, silently asking her if she was ready. Althea wasn't, but she knew they had to preform now. So she nodded in response with a nervous smile. Delia nodded in response and turned to look at the crowd with a bright smile.

"Hi, everyone." Delia smiles at the crowd. "We will be singing a song we wrote called 'Move With The Crowd'. We hope you enjoy."

Althea takes that as her cue to start the song by strumming her guitar. Instead of looking at the crowd, she looks at her guitar for now because she knew she would most likely mess up if she looked at everyone looking at her. Before she started playing, Althea had pressed a button on a laptop set up on a small table by her, playing a recording of the rest of the band that she and Delia had recorded for this.

(in the video delia is singing the main parts & althea is the backing vocals)

https://youtu.be/LNNmdYh469w

Althea pressed a button on the laptop to stop the recording at the end of the song, looking at the crowd with surprise because of how loud everyone was cheering and applauding her and Delia. She didn't think everyone would like her and Delia's song, but she was so glad they did. She was even more glad that their performance was over.

While Althea and Delia went backstage, some workers set up the stage for the next performance. Althea felt like she could finally breathe when she got backstage and was met by André who wrapped her into a tight hug. "I knew you'd be amazing, Thea. That was incredible. I'm so proud of you."

Althea's arms were tightly wrapped around his torso and she smiled, leaning against him and closed her eyes as she tried to calm her breathing. She didn't have much time to do that since Delia joined the hug, wrapping her arms around both of them and jumping in excitement.

"That was so much fun! Everyone was cheering so loud, it was amazing!" Delia exclaims. "Oh my gosh, Althea, you did so good! You killed that solo, I'm so proud of you." She smiled widely, her eyes bright and full of joy and pride.

Althea felt herself blush, still feeling a bit shy and awkward after her performance. She was always a bit like that after performing. But she was happy and relieved that her and Delia's performance went well. She hoped the rest of the night would go just as smoothly.

"Yeah, you did great, Thea." André smiles at her. "I knew you would. You had nothing to worry about I just hope my performance will be as good as yours."

"Dude, you have nothing to worry about." Delia comments. "You're super talented." She pointed out, giving him a smile.

"Yeah," André nods and then a grimaced expression forms on his face. "But the person I got paired up with isn't really talented."

Althea pats his shoulder to comfort him. "Trina isn't that bad..." André and Delia sends her a look and she nods, shrugging her shoulders. "Okay, I was trying to be nice, but you guys are right. She isn't that talented." She smiles reassuringly at André. "But don't worry, I'm sure your performance will still be amazing."

The three teens then exchanged a confused look when they heard muffled cries of pain. When they followed the sound, they found out those muffled cries of pain were from Trina because she had a swollen tongue. People were surrounding Trina, some looking at her with concern, some looking curious about how this happened, and others looking disgusted. Lane went to go get Trina's parents and sister so they would know what happened to Trina.

Althea stood between André and Delia with a worried look on her face. She wondered how this happened and she felt bad for Trina because she could tell that it hurt. "What do you think happened?"

Delia had her elbow leaned on Althea's shoulder with a grimaced expression and André crossed his arms as he looked disgusted.

Lane guides Trina's family over to her. "Here she is!"

Trina's mom, Holly, gasps and immediately rushes over to her daughter with a worried look. "Trina!"

"What happened?" Trina's dad, David questioned.

Trina replied but it sounded all muffled because of her swollen tongue. Tori, Trina's sister, looks at her with wide eyes. "It's huge!" Trina glared at her and said something that sounded like she was scolding her.

The nurse looks around at everyone. "Does anybody know how this happened?"

Everyone is silent for a few moments before Tori points at Trina. "The Chinese herb gargle." Trina pointed at her nose with one hand, using her other hand to point at her sister as a way of saying she was right.

"Wait," David looks at his daughters with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"She found some website that shows you how to make a special Chinese herb gargle that's supposed to help you sing better." Tori clarified and Trina nodded.

"Well, she must have had an allergic reaction to it." The nurse said, glancing back at Trina. With sad eyes, Trina touched her tongue and mumbled something that sounded like 'my mouth feels huge'.

"Will she be okay?" Holly asked the nurse as Trina let go of her tongue and looked around worriedly.

"Well, her tongue is obviously engorged and-" The nurse touches the tongue and her eyes widen. "Oh, it's throbbing erratically."

Tori's eyes widen. "Throbbing erratically?"

Delia grimaces, glancing at Althea. "That can't be any good." Althea shook her head in agreement.

Trina touches her tongue, mumbling something that sounded like she said it was throbbing erratically. Lane leans over, looking at the nurse with a hopeful smile. "Any way she'll be able to perform today?"

"Of course not." The nurse answered and Trina immediately shouted something while looking upset. She then grabbed the nurse's shoulder and glared at her as she mumbled something in a threatening tone. No one could quite understand what she said the whole time because of her swollen tongue.

"Stop talking!" The nurse demands, looking at her worriedly. "Your tongue could burst!"

Trina backs away and she whines with a look of worry and fear in her eyes. Her family looks at her worriedly. Her mom puts a comforting hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

Her dad puts a hand on her other arm, sympathetically smiling at her. "Next year."

"I'm gonna take her over there and massage her tongue." The nurse explained, pointing to the other side of the backstage area. Trina said 'massage my tongue' in disbelief but still followed the nurse. Trina could still be heard mumbling words of confusion and panic as her parents went to follow her.

André crosses his arms. "I guess my grandma came here for nothin'."

"No, she didn't." Delia shakes her head. She tilts her head to the side, glancing around at everyone. "I'm sure someone else here knows all the moves and the lyrics to the song, right? They could fill in Trina's place."

Althea's eyes widen when she remembered something, and she gently elbows André to get his attention. "Tori was there when you practiced, right? She probably knows the whole song and could fill in for Trina." She signed to him after he looked at her.

His eyes lit up and he grins. "That's a great idea, Thea."

Tori looks at André and the brunette beside him. She didn't personally know Althea, she only knew of her because André talked about her all the time and she was happy to finally be able to meet her. "Hi, you must be Althea!" She sends a friendly smile to Althea, offering her hand to her. "I'm Tori Vega, Trina's younger sister."

Althea returned her smile, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Tori." She signed to her after shaking her hand.

Tori was still smiling at her, but she looks confused. She glances over at André and Delia. "What did she say?"

André looks over at Tori. "She said it's nice to meet you." He explained to her.

Tori's smile widens as she looks back at Althea. "It's nice to meet you too. It's so cool that you can do sign language. Maybe you can teach me sometime?" She asked hopefully. She wanted to get to know Althea better and figured sign language would be the way to do it. 

Althea smiled wider and nodded in response. She felt happy and excited Tori seemed to genuinely want to learn sign language. Most people just learned it to talk to her because they thought they were being nice and they never bothered to learn more after they learned the basics. She always felt like most people didn't care. But Tori did, or at least she seemed to.

"Awesome, thanks!" Tori smiles happily and looks at Delia. "You're Delia, right? André said you were like Althea's sister."

Delia wraps her arm around Althea, grinning at her. "That's me! Nice to meet ya, Vega. But let's get back to the fact that you know the whole song."

Tori's eyes widen. "Me?" She shakes her head, looking panicked. "No, no, no, no. I just helped them rehearse." Lane smiles, pointing at Tori. As Tori began to ramble, Althea elbows André and gestures with a nod of her head for him to go over to Tori. She was silently telling him he should go encourage Tori. He seemed to understand what she meant because he walks over to Tori. "I'm not even a student here. I couldn't go onstage-" André grabbed Tori's wrist, pulling her over to the side to talk with her.

André lets go of her wrist, smiling encouragingly at Tori. "You know this whole thing inside and out- the song, the choreography-you can do this, come on."

Tori shakes her head again, looking at him with disbelief. "Nuh-uh!"

Despite Tori disagreeing, André looks back at everyone with a wide smile. "She said she'll do it!" He exclaimed and everyone cheered.

"No. No, I did not say I would do it." Tori frowned, glancing over at Althea and Delia for help. They just sent her sympathetic smiles. There wasn't really much they could do to help her and they felt bad about it. 

As the cheering died down, Lane points at the outfit Tori had on. "Woah, woah, she can't go on stage wearing that."

Tori looks at him with offense. "Excuse me."

"What he meant is," Delia chimes in, walking over to where Lane was now with André and Tori and Althea walks with her. "The outfit you have on isn't what someone would wear during a performance." She said and Althea nodded in agreement.

Lane looks at a costume designer, pointing at them. "Go get her something cool to wear." The costumer designed nodded and rushed over to where the outfits were.

"I am not going, okay?" Tori kept trying to tell everyone she didn't want to do this, but no one listened to her. Althea did feel bad they all were basically forcing her to do this, but she did know the whole song and no one else did so there really wasn't any other choice. She only hoped that Tori could sing better than her sister.

"Bring her." Lane said to André, Althea, and Delia and the three teens nodded.

"No-wait!" Tori shouted. Althea sent her an apologetic look as she helped André with trying to get her ready. She felt bad for Tori being forced into doing this, but there wasn't much she could do to help her. André and Althea grabbed Tori's arms, pulling her in a direction with Delia following and making sure Tori didn't try to escape. However, Tori did manage to escape, but André ran after her and got her back.

The band and the backup singers were on stage, everything was ready. Everyone was just waiting on Tori. Althea and Delia were backstage, and they exchange a worried look. "I hope this turns out okay." Delia spoke.

"Yeah," Althea nods in agreement, looking back at the stage nervously. "Me too."

A/N first chapter finally done! althea & delia are besties, i love them! but i think i love althea & andré even more! they're so cute!! also the song move with the crowd is from the show how to rock!!! that show is super good & you guys should go check it out, its on paramount+!