Audition Day cont.

“Hi, I am Luna Ramos and I will sing the song Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade.” Luna took a breath and relaxed her hands and started singing.

“The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting/Could it be that we have been this way before?/I know you don't think that I am trying/I know you're wearing thin down to the core/But hold your breath/Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you over again/Don't make me change my mind/Or I won't live to see another day, I swear it's true/Because a girl like you is impossible to find”

“Luna, do you have a backup song?” This was the one thing she was worried about most. Singing a song by a male singer, knowing that they would tell her to sing a female singer’s song.

“I do, but I am not fully ready for those songs because I need more time to learn the meaning behind the songs.”

“Can we ask, what were the other choices that made you choose this one?”

“No One by Alicia Keys and Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis.”

“Can we ask you to sing one of those songs? It’s not like we didn’t like your audition song, but we want to hear your range.” She could feel her heart dropping, more than that… she felt her heart stopping because this was the hardest moment. She automatically knew why they wanted to hear the other ones.

“Okay, I will sing No One by Alicia Keys then.” She turned around and faced the wall to catch a huge breath to calm down. She had to remember the words correctly at this big moment.

“You and me together/Through the days and nights/I don't worry 'cause/Everything's going to be alright/People keep talking, they can say what they like/But all I know is everything's gonna be alright/No one, no one, no one/Can get in the way of what I'm feelin’.”

“That was incredible. Can you sing that song for the talent show?”

“I’m sorry, but no. I didn’t want to sing that song because sometimes I forget the words. I chose Fall for You because I knew every word and more. Can I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you want me to sing a song that I haven’t fully learned in the entire school and more?”

“Well, Miss. Ramos, if you must know. We think that if you sing that song, it sounds better. You sound just like Alicia Keys, and we want you to perform it for the talent show.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know that song very well and I know I cannot hit all the notes that Alicia Keys hits in that song. It was a backup because I know the chorus, and I make the chorus the best part of the song.” She knew it was a mistake singing that one song because she knew they would make her sing a “girly,” song which made no sense in her eyes. She wanted to sing the song that she knew all the lyrics to, not just a song that was written by a female artist. She knew that singing her song would blow up in her face, but she did it anyway because she wanted to show them it was okay to get rejected for singing a song of her choice. She looked up at the teachers.

“Have a good day. I will head back to class now.” She felt more defeated than anything because she was excited. She was ready to share her voice with the world, or at least the people in her school. She got off the stage, and she gestured to Oliver to say, ‘let’s go.’ Her heart was dropping into her stomach. She could taste her stomach acid, and what was worse was that they thought she sounded like Alicia Keys. She already knew that she sounded like Rihanna and she was proud of that, but she didn’t want to sing any sad songs like Take A Bow or Unfaithful, especially since Oliver was going to be the first guy to hear her sing on a stage.

Before going back to class, Luna caught a breath. She felt like her world was scattering under her feet because she wanted this more than anything in the world. She was already doing well in school, but she wanted to feel like she could do anything if she set her mind to it. That’s what she did when it came to learning her multiplication table, and that’s why she could multiply up to 12 in only the fifth grade. The moment she stopped moving, Oliver stopped with her. He could tell that she was kicked in the stomach and even when she was down on the ground, they still kept kicking, which he could understand why she felt like that because he was witnessing all the pain that was being given to her.

All he could say was, “It’s okay. I am proud of you for even trying.” She heard that line, and all she did was nod, but she knew she wanted to cry in his arms, knowing that she wanted to feel safe again. That would not happen. For the rest of that day, she felt defeated. She didn’t want to speak. She didn’t want to smile, but she knew that if she didn’t smile at least once an hour, Oliver would pester her about how she was feeling. She knew how to fake her happiness because of her time with her dad, but she hated doing that when it came to being with Oliver. She went home that day feeling like crap. What was worse was that no one knew and no one even bothered asking her if she was okay?