"Welcome, everybody!!" Sebastian shouts into the microphone and everyone claps. "As you all know, this is the first round of the Will Tucker musical competition. We have 15 contestants ready to show us who has the best voice," everyone claps again,

"but only 10 would have the chance to make it to the semifinals. I'll have you know that there are no winners or losers, all of you are winners even if you lose, so let's get this party started!! I mean competition started." He leaves the stage and I roll my eyes at his lame joke.

what does Jenny see in this guy?.

I make my way to the piano, "do you have all the songs?," Will asks me and I raise the bunch of songs in my hand, "good, are you okay?", he wants to know and I nod.

I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, apart from the fact that I cried myself to sleep last night. It's just sad that I've always waited for an opportunity like this and when it came I can't even make use of it. So much for a stupid dream.

I give William a curt nod before taking my sit behind the piano and wait for Sebastian to call the first contestant.

Sebastian calls the first contestant, who is a guy, he is a sophomore, I think his name is Tony or Jerry, I have no idea. The song he wants to sing is dusk to dawn, by Zayn ft Sia, so I start playing. I went on and on like this till the end of the competition.

  "Thank you all for coming and participating," Sebastian says already back on stage, "now Will, will pick the winners for the semifinals, like I said earlier, there's no winner or loser, but...."

"Shut the hell up Shebby!" Someone shouts from the audience cutting Sebastian off.

Sebastian glares at the guy in the audience, "Nobody talked to you, Dickson!" He shoots back.

"Thank you, Sebastian. I'll take it from here." Will says and takes the mic from him.

"Whatever dude." Sebastian angrily leaves the stage.

"Like Sebastian said," Will starts, "thank you all for coming and the contestant thanks for participating, I really appreciate it, but unfortunately some of you will have to go, but that doesn't mean you weren't great. You were just not the best."

Who knew he could talk nicely?.

"So I need the contestants to come up here please," he says and they all appear on the stage.

"Tony Harold, Alicia Hayes, Riley Reynolds, Austin Drake, Summer Willow, Becky....." He kept on calling names until they were ten, "congratulations you made it to the semifinals, the rest of you thanks for your participation." He rounds up and the audience claps for him as he leaves the stage. I clap too, for Riley, I'm glad she made it to the semifinals.

I look around to congratulate Jenny, but I see her talking to Sebastian so I leave her. I pack up all my stuff and leave the stage, I'm so glad we through with the first round because the mid term exams are coming soon and I want to get ready, I mean if I can't become a musician, I might as well go to college.

"Hey! Maria!" Will calls me and I turn to face him.

"Hi, are you ready to go?" I ask him. He has ditched his crutches since Monday, but he's still wearing his cast.

"Yeah, let's go." He says and we head to the schools parking lot.

"James?" I asks when we reach his car.

"He brought his car." He answers.

"Okay." I open the door and we get into our respective places.

"I want Ice cream." He says, strapping his seatbelt.

"Okay." I answer curtly.

"Let's go to Gigi's." He says and I nod. I start the engine, reverse out of the lot and pull over at Gigi's.

"What do you want?" Will asks as we enter.

So he wants to treat me now?

"Chocolate." I answer politely.

"Any toppings?" He asks and I shake my head.

"You can sit down, I'll bring it to you."

"No," I protest, "your leg. I'll buy it, you sit down."

"In case you haven't noticed, I ditched my crutches because my leg is better now, so sit down, I'll bring it to you."

I don't have the strength to argue so I take my seat at the nearest booth and wait for him to buy the ice cream. After a while he appears in front of me and places my chocolate ice cream in front of me with toppings.

"I didn't ask for this." I say pointing to the toppings.

"I know, do you not like it?." He asks.

"No, it's fine." I start eating and I look up seeing him staring at me, so I decide to ask him, "why the ice cream treat?."

"You look, like you can cry any moment from now." He deadpans.

"No, I don't."

"Are you okay?" He asks again.

"I already told you, I'm fine. I'm just tired." Of life. I complete in my head.

He sighs and reaches for his back pocket, taking out a was of money and placing it in front of me. I stop ratings and look up at him. "What is this?" I ask eyeing the money.

"Your salary." He states and goes back to his ice cream. I take the money and count it. $1000.

Are you kidding me?!

"I can't take this!" I drop it like it burned my hand, "it's too much." I push it to him.

"That's your money, I don't need it." He pushes it back to me.

"That wasn't the price I discussed with your mother, so no." I argue pushing it back to him.

"My mum wanted you to have the extra amount for putting up with me, so she says." He gives me back the money, "just take the damn money!" He shouts when I wanted to push it back to him.

"It's the money for your job, and you don't have to drive me starting from next week, I'm getting my cast off. Also I already removed the money for my bike from it" I nod, of course he did.

I take the money, so I'm back to being jobless. I put the money into my backpack and he smiles with satisfaction before going back to his ice cream.

"That reminds me, James said there was something you wanted to tell me." My head shoots up.

That windbag!

"W..what?" I stutter in panic.

"He said something that has to do with the competition." He raises his eyebrow gesturing for me to speak.

If I haven't had that encounter with Stephanie I would have seized this moment, but then I hear her warning ringing in my head.

Your daddy would be fired and you'll have to kiss your dreams goodbye. 

Ugh! I groan internally.

"It's... It's nothing actually. I was just telling him about the lightning and the area the Judges are to sit, you should discuss that with Jenny." I suggest.

His eyebrow raise and he scrutinizes my face before he sighs, "okay." He says, but he looks like he doesn't believe me. I don't care, just as long as James Anderson doesn't tell him anything.

"Thanks for the ice cream." I say once more.

"No problem." He smiles and we go back to eating the already melted ice cream.

Hey guys takes for reading.
Hope you enjoyed it.
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Also check out my other books,

FAR FROM HOME
SKY IS THE LIMIT.
Thanks 😍.

Hannah.