by Lucy Connell
But I also couldn’t bear the idea of auditioning. I was too scared. I felt so torn; I filled out the application and then spent a whole day with Chase at my computer, trying to build up the courage to send it. I felt sick as soon as I pressed send and then checked my emails every five seconds, convinced I’d made a huge mistake and the Guildhall teachers would probably be crowded round the computer, laughing their heads off at my application.
But then an email popped up in my inbox a couple of days later inviting me to audition at the school in London. Just the idea of it made my whole body tense up in fear, and the fact that this was for a course at the school I’d spent my life dreaming of attending made things ten times worse. As Chase lives in London, he’d promised to meet me off the train and take me to the school so at least I wouldn’t have to do it alone.
When the day came, I almost didn’t get off the train when it pulled into London Liverpool Street station. I sat still in my seat, wondering if I should just wait for the train to head back to Norwich again. I somehow found the courage to get off and walk down the platform to where Chase was waiting by the barriers.
‘Are you ready?’ he said, linking his fingers through mine and leading me towards the taxi rank. ‘You can do this, Nina, I know you can.’
I would never have got to Guildhall without him.
‘What was it like?’ Nancy asks, prodding my leg under the duvet. ‘The audition. Were there judges and buzzers and stuff?’
I laugh. ‘No, Nancy. It wasn’t a reality singing show. There weren’t any buzzers or judges. But it was still terrifying. I had to perform two pieces, then have an interview about why I thought I deserved a place on the course. I had no idea what to say, so I completely messed it up, rambling on about my love of music. Such a boring answer.’
‘I’m sure it was better than you think it was.’
‘That’s what Chase said. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that nervous. Ever.’
‘Not even when I forced you to play the piano in front of a big crowd on New Year’s Eve without giving you any warning?’ Nancy says.
‘This was worse,’ I tell her. ‘On New Year’s Eve, I didn’t have to play in front of Caroline Morreau.’
‘Who?’ Mum and Nancy chorus.
‘The director of music at Guildhall and one of the school’s piano teachers. She is a famous pianist with several bestselling classical albums and she also happens to be leading this course.’
I feel a wave of nausea just thinking about when I walked into the audition room and saw Caroline standing by the piano, writing something down. I froze to the spot. I knew she was the director of music there, but I had NO idea that she would be the one conducting the audition.
‘Miss Palmer,’ she’d said in this clipped, expressionless voice, gesturing to the piano stool. ‘Take a seat.’
After a few moments of staring at her while she got back to writing notes, I’d forced myself to walk over and sit down.
‘Your first piece, when you’re ready,’ she’d instructed, moving away and sitting on a chair to the side.
I hadn’t known what to do. My hands were shaking and my heart was thudding so hard against my chest that it was making my ears ring. I swallowed, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck, and tried to unscramble my brain, desperately trying to remember all the tips Chase had given me over the past few weeks for getting over my crippling stage fright. But Caroline Morreau was right there, in the corner of my eye, waiting for me to perform, judging me. I couldn’t play in front of her. I could barely play in front of anyone. But I especially couldn’t play in front of her.
Caroline had sat patiently waiting and, after a while, cleared her throat.
‘Are you nervous, Miss Palmer?’ she’d asked, her voice neutral.
My mouth too dry to answer her, I’d nodded.
She had then picked up her chair and walked across the room with it to a space behind the piano stool, her heels clacking loudly on the floor as she went. She placed the chair against the wall behind me and sat down, so I wouldn’t be able to see her when I faced forward.
‘Try now,’ she’d said. ‘Take your time. There’s no rush. Deep breaths. Play what you can.’
It had sort of worked, too. I had swivelled back round to look at the keys and now I couldn’t see her in the corner of my eye. All I could see was an empty room. I did as she said and tried to get my breathing under control, feeling less pressured to play straight away. When I’d felt slightly calmer, I’d lifted my fingers to the keys and begun my piece. After a shaky beginning, I got into it a bit more and by the time I reached the end I had almost forgotten she was in the room with me.
It wasn’t the best I’d ever played, but I’d got through it.
‘Wow, it’s so impressive that you auditioned in front of someone like that,’ Mum says, her eyes brimming with tears. ‘I’m so proud of you, Nina. I can’t believe you kept this all to yourself!’
‘So,’ Nancy begins, glancing back to the letter, ‘is that letter going to say whether you got a place or not?’
I gulp. ‘Yep.’
‘And you haven’t opened it yet?’
‘Nope.’
‘Why not?’
I bite my lip and look down at the envelope. ‘I’m scared to.’
Nancy leans forward and takes my hand, squeezing my fingers and looking me right in the eye. ‘Nina, the fact that you had the guts to audition is amazing. If you don’t get a place on this one, who cares? You’ll try again for the next. Either way, you’re going to have to open the envelope.’
We suddenly hear a sniffle from the end of the bed and turn to look at Mum.
‘Oh, girls,’ she says, dabbing her eyes with her dressing gown. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
‘Nancy,’ I say, as she rolls her eyes at Mum, ‘can you open it?’
‘Really? Are you sure?’
‘Yes. I can’t do it.’ I pass it to her confidently. ‘Just open it and tell me.’
‘OK then.’
She tears open the envelope and pulls out the folded letter inside, her forehead furrowed in concentration as her eyes scan down the page. I try to read her expression, but I can’t work it out. A lump forms in my throat and my palms suddenly feel very clammy. I so badly want this.
‘Well?’ I croak, staring at her. ‘What does it say?’
‘Nina,’ she says, a grin spreading across her face. ‘You got in.’
CHAPTER TWO
Nancy
CHASE!
CHASE?! WAKE UP!
CHASE ARE YOU THERE?!?!?!?!
CHASE WAKE UUUUUUUPPPPPPPP!!!
HELLOOOOOOOOO?!?!
Hi Nancy
Oh hi!! Yay! You’re awake!!
I sure am now. Have you ever heard of weekends?
If you don’t want to be disturbed, put your phone on silent, pal. And hello, you’re a pop star. Aren’t early mornings part of the job?
Yep, when we’re touring or working. The band is having some well-earned time off, remember?
CHASE, NINA GOT IN!
TO THE GUILDHALL COURSE!
Are you serious? That’s amazing news!!
Not that I’m surprised. I’ll call her now
NO OMG DON’T CALL HER!!!!!!
Whoa, OK, why not?
BECAUSE then she’ll know I’ve been messaging you
I’ve decided to throw her a SURPRISE party this evening. You know, to celebrate
That’s really cool of you! I’m in. You need any help?
I know you’re supposed to be coming over for dinner tonight, right? Stick to that story. But I need you to come to Norfolk early and keep her busy for the day. That way I can sort everything out without her noticing that I’m organizing things. That OK?
I’ll cancel my plans and make my way there later this morning. I’ll think of something
You can maybe go to the beach and drink hot chocolate or whatever cringe things you guys do that make the rest of us want to throw up
<
br /> You’re so sweet. Are you going to have the party at your house?
I have a better idea for the venue actually. I’ll let you know if it works out. Btw, I saw you on the Graham Norton Show last week and I’m not sure about that shirt
What was wrong with the shirt?
I think blue is more your colour. Not … vomit yellow
It wasn’t vomit yellow! It was mustard. Cool mustard
Sure. Mustard. Whatever you say
I LOVE that shirt
OK
I looked GREAT in that shirt
OK
Come on. Was it really that bad?
Yes
Anyone ever tell you you’re very blunt?
I prefer the word honest
Fine, I won’t wear that shirt again
See you later, Colonel Mustard x
I am so proud of Nina. I’m not even mad that she didn’t tell me about the audition because it’s just so HER to convince herself there’s no point in telling anyone because she won’t get a place. Just like last term when she didn’t want to do the school talent show because of her stage fright and she thought she was really bad at playing the piano blah blah blah and then what happened in the end? She WON.
Her getting a place on the Guildhall course is the perfect opportunity to throw her a big party. And, to be honest, I think everyone at school could do with a party this weekend. We’ve only just come back from the Christmas holidays and already the teachers have piled on the homework as well as constantly warning us about how our GCSEs are right round the corner. Every morning, Mrs Smithson, our form teacher, has droned on about how it may only be January but exam season will be here soon enough and early preparation is key.
It’s really quite depressing.
So, when I message Layla and Sophie, the most popular girls in our class, and tell them that I’m throwing a party for Nina tonight and to spread the word that everyone is invited, they reply straight away saying they’ll be there.
I still feel a bit awkward around Layla and Sophie, though. We used to be best friends and did everything together. But then, when the whole thing about Chase and Nina came out, Layla wasn’t very nice to me about it. It made me realize that our friendship wasn’t really a proper one. Sure, we both loved make-up and clothes and Chasing Chords, but, apart from that, we were very different when it came to values and stuff. Friends are supposed to support you and love you no matter what – I didn’t exactly get that vibe from Layla. I think it was more a status kind of thing. We were both popular, so therefore we were friends. And Sophie just tagged along.
Anyway, it’s not like we had a big fallout and we hate each other or anything. We’re still friends, just not close ones.
If you’d told me a few months ago that I would end up becoming best friends with Nina again and her friend Jimmy, I would have laughed in your face. But that’s exactly what’s happened. I can’t do anything these days without consulting them.
Which was why, as soon as Nina left the house, telling me that Chase wanted to spend the afternoon together to celebrate the news about Guildhall, I got on the phone to Jimmy and told him to come round immediately.
‘Jimmy!’ I yell as he comes through the door. ‘We have so much to do – I’m freaking out!’
‘Whoa, whoa, whoa,’ he says, laughing. ‘Calm down. We’ve got a good few hours, Nancy. Plenty of time.’
‘Did you speak to the record-shop lady?’ I ask. ‘Hannah?’
‘Haley,’ he corrects. ‘Yes, I did.’
I try to read his expression. ‘Aaaand?’
He grins. ‘She said it’s no problem for us to hold Nina’s surprise party at Neptune Records tonight.’
‘YES!’
Neptune Records is this really old, dusty record shop on our small village high street that, for some reason, Nina loves. She spends loads of time there and has all these vinyl records up on her wall in her bedroom. As soon as I decided to throw her a party, I knew that Neptune Records would be the PERFECT venue. It was much easier to organize it there than try to keep her out of the house for the whole day without her getting suspicious. And not only is Neptune Nina’s favourite place in Norfolk but she also told me that she bumped into Chase there after meeting him for the first time at his concert, so I know it means a lot to her. It was like fate or something.
‘Let’s go to Neptune now,’ I say to Jimmy, pulling my coat on. ‘I’ll message Layla and Sophie and let them know the venue so they can tell everyone else. And we can go to the bakery on our way and get a congratulations cake.’
‘Is your mum at the shop today?’ Jimmy asks, holding open the front door. ‘We should say hello on our way past.’
When our dad left all those years ago, we moved to this village in Norfolk and Mum opened a shop on the high street, something she’d always dreamt of doing. It’s about as difficult to describe the shop as it is to describe Mum. She likes to wear big bows in her hair, full skirts and VERY loud colours, the whole shebang. And her shop is equally wacky. We get a lot of tourists visiting the village, especially in the summer as it’s quaint and near the coast, so Mum’s shop is filled with bits and bobs that might appeal to them, like paintings by local artists, postcards of the beach, hand-painted Norfolk-themed teapots and other weird things.
I know that last year Mum was struggling a bit with sales, but since the news got out that her daughter is dating Chase Hunter of Chasing Chords, she’s had an influx of customers.
‘I had to shoo a group of girls out at closing time,’ she told us the other day. ‘They’d been waiting in the shop for two hours, hoping Chase or Nina might stop by. They had to keep buying things to have an excuse to hang around. Great for business but, goodness me, they’re dedicated!’
I laughed when she told me that, partly because of her baffled expression, but also because it wasn’t that long ago that I was one of those girls. I was Chasing Chords’ biggest fan. I was so devoted to them that I even had a fan-fiction blog. I used to write stories about the band all the time and spent most of my free time tracking them on social media, making sure I was completely up-to-date with their every move. Chase Hunter was my phone background and I even printed out and framed a tweet the band once sent me in reply to a comment about their latest single.
Which, now that my sister is dating Chase, all seems a bit creepy.
Over the holidays, I took down any Chasing Chords memorabilia I had around my room, including the framed tweet and a picture of Chase. It would be a bit weird to keep a picture of my sister’s boyfriend on my desk. My phone background is now a picture of Nina and me pulling faces at each other. I also decided to shut down the blog. I may still love the band’s music, but I wasn’t exactly going to continue writing stories about the boys now that we’re friends.
I’ve got to know Chase well over the last few weeks and through him have met the band, including Miles, the drummer. Who has nice arms. And nice eyes.
Not that that’s important. Just an observation.
Anyway, now that I know Chase, the dream fantasy I had about him has gone right out of the window. There’s no denying he’s hot and everything, but the idea of fancying him is really gross. He’s my twin’s boyfriend. We get on very well but we definitely aren’t compatible.
No offence to him, but he’s got this whole broody, serious thing going on, which is great and everything, but the other day I made a HILARIOUS joke about Nina’s obsession with the composer Austin Golding and Chase didn’t even laugh. He just waited for me to finish laughing at my own joke and then went, ‘Oooh, actually, Austin Golding’s latest composition is quite nostalgic of a bygone era, blah blah blah.’
I zoned out straight away but Nina was totally engrossed.
‘Oh my goodness, Nancy Palmer!’ A woman wearing a Stevie Wonder T-shirt beams at me from behind the counter of Neptune Records as I walk through the door, before racing round to give me a big hug. ‘I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl and you first moved to the village
. I’m Haley.’
‘Hi, Haley, thank you so much for letting us hold the party here,’ I say, glancing round. It’s exactly how I remember it, with the same dusty old-book smell.
‘Not at all. Nina comes here all the time.’ She puts a hand on her heart and sighs. ‘Jimmy told me about Guildhall when he phoned about the party. I’m so proud of her! She didn’t say a word to me about it when she was in here the other day.’
‘She didn’t tell anyone,’ Jimmy says, coming through the door behind me and putting down the bags of decorations that we just bought. ‘We didn’t even know she was auditioning.’
‘I can’t believe how brave she is. Just the word “audition” makes me feel nervous,’ Haley says before putting her hands on her hips. ‘Right, well, we can get to work decorating the place. We officially close at five, but I can try to close earlier if you’d like the party to start before then.’
‘No, don’t go to any trouble. I can tell everyone to get here by five, if that’s all right with you, and I’ll message Chase to ask him to bring Nina along a bit after that.’
Haley nods. She has a customer in the shop at the moment, standing at the back and flipping through a stack of old records, but I’ve noticed that he’s glanced over at Jimmy and me curiously several times. Haley follows my eyeline and then turns back to me with a knowing smile.
‘You know that’s Max Rogers, right? Nina’s piano teacher.’
‘No way.’
‘I knew I recognized him from somewhere!’ Jimmy says.
‘He’s in here all the time, too. Let me introduce you. Max!’ she calls out, gesturing for him to come over. ‘Max, I assume you can guess from her appearance, but this is Nancy, Nina’s twin sister, and Jimmy, her friend.’
