Sunlight streamed down through the windows, lighting up the theatre. The chatter from hundreds of people who sat there settled as the curtains lifted. Two adults, who seemed like they were in their thirties, stood at the edge of the stage. The lady said, “Welcome to the big music competition—it only happens every four years! […]
Sunlight streamed down through the windows, lighting up the theatre. The chatter from hundreds of people who sat there settled as the curtains lifted. Two adults, who seemed like they were in their thirties, stood at the edge of the stage.
The lady said, “Welcome to the big music competition—it only happens every four years! So, no pressure, but this is kind of like the Olympics of singing.”
Applause followed.
“Ms. Music-Lady,” the man pointed to the lady, “and I, Mr. Music-Guy, are proud to present to you the people who are operating and performing in the show. Let’s give it up for the TWELFTH GRADERS!”
I shifted in my seat backstage. There were so many people! This was the show I had been preparing for over four years, ever since I was in eighth grade. I had to win this because the prize for the winner was awesome—it was a million dollars plus a flight all the way to Japan. (Yes, I’ve never been to Japan before. I really want to go—I heard they have very good food.) This competition was between several schools in the area and only happens once every four years. There are four grades in high school, and twelfth grade is the last one. That means this is my last chance to win that prize!
“You ready to rock this thing, Ellie?” That was from my best friend and singing partner, Ivy.
“We are coming back with the trophy, Ivy!” I said, trying to sound confident. To be honest, I was terrified—the kind of nervous that makes you forget how to breathe. Our biggest competition was Audrey and Cassy. They were from a different school, and their singing was top-notch. It would be hard to beat them. No pressure, right?
Here’s how it all began. It was the beginning of second grade and my first day at this new, apparently prestigious school called North Bay School. I didn’t know anyone, so I mostly kept to myself. Then came music class. We were going to prepare for a little show, and everyone—except one girl—decided to play an instrument because singing is, well, scary.
Because I was new, the teacher said, “Hey, Ellie. Do you think you can sing Love Story by Taylor Swift?”
Well, it’s not like I had a choice anyhow, so I quietly mumbled, “Sure.”
He handed me the mic and cued the music. To my surprise, I sang beautifully—and I loved it! For the first time in my life, the whole class applauded. Even the ones glued to their phones looked up.
The girl who didn’t choose an instrument came over and whispered into my ear, “You just ought to be my singing partner.”
The teacher nodded as well. “You do have quite a bit of talent there. Once you work on it more, you might even be the next Taylor Swift!” He winked at me—I knew he was joking, but it still felt good.
The girl then stuck out her hand and said, “Ivy.”
I smiled and shook her hand. “Ellie.”
“Sooooo formal,” one of our classmates snickered, stretching out the “o” in “so.”
Ivy shot him a death stare, and Mr. Music-Guy told her to bring me into the recording room. We practiced there, and soon, we became the best of friends.
A whole six years passed, and one day while I was walking into the school building, there were a lot of girls whispering and gossiping about… something. I tried to overhear a few things.
“I heard that Ivy and Ellie will be the ones.”
I also caught words like “singing” and “prize.” What on Earth was going on? It sounded big—really big.
When I got to the recording room, I saw Ivy reeling with excitement. And who was that?
“Ellie, I want you to meet my new boyfriend, Leo.”
“Another one? You just dumped David like last week. Also, I wanted to ask you—what’s up with the gossiping?” I asked as I plopped my bag down on the bench.
“What’s up is that there will be a singing competition, and Mr. Music-Guy chose us to represent North Bay!”
“Wait, what? No way,” I replied.
Before I could say anything else, the bell rang and everyone rushed to class. I’m a straight-A student, but for some reason, I couldn’t focus in class today, which is actually a very big deal for me. I went through a long day of Math, Science, History, English, and Gym without even taking notes. When it was finally Music, which happened to be the last period of the day, I was so excited I could hardly breathe.
The moment everyone settled down, Mr. Music-Guy walked to the front and greeted us, “‘Sup Whales! Today we have a special announcement!” Some people around the room groaned—Mr. Music-Guy always had some sort of “special announcement.”
“No, seriously, today we actually have a special announcement—the big music competition—it only happens every four years—is coming up, and Ivy and Ellie are the chosen ones to represent North Bay! So, no pressure or anything. Just a little spotlight, no big deal.”
Oh, it was a big deal. That wasn’t new news to me, but I couldn’t help but do a happy dance on the inside while trying to look calm, cool, and collected on the outside. This competition was very important. We had to give it our all because this wasn’t just any ordinary in-school competition—it was a school-to-school competition! That meant we would be up against the best from every school in the district. Think of it like a singing showdown—voices instead of fists.
When the day came, I was so excited. Ivy was too.
“…And now let’s welcome the singers from North Bay: Ellie and Ivy!” the host exclaimed.
Ivy gave me a thumbs up, and I smiled back. I was so confident that we were going to win that when we didn’t, I almost burst into tears.
We lost to Audrey and Cassy from Middle Bay. They were good, no doubt—but I thought we were good too! From that day on, I decided to practice every day, every night, to make sure I got that trophy.
A loud, booming applause startled me.
“C’mon, Ellie, let’s show them what we’re made of!” Ivy grinned.
“Okay, we’ve got this!” I drank a gulp of water, and we proudly walked onto the stage. That night was an awesome night. We gave it everything we had and even got a standing ovation! It didn’t matter if we won or not—we had the time of our lives. Though let’s be honest—winning wouldn’t hurt.
When it was time to announce the winners, the room suddenly became quiet.
“In third place comes South Bay.”
Applause followed.
“In second place comes Middle Bay.”
Applause followed. I looked at Ivy, who seemed as nervous as I was.
“And first place goes to—” she paused. I held my breath. Please be North Bay. Please be North Bay.
“NORTH BAY!”
Yesssss! Ivy and I jumped and hugged each other.
We practically ran on stage, and as Mr. Music-Guy handed the trophy to us, I couldn’t help but scream, “GO NORTH BAY!”