by Luke Sharpe
Then a voice in the middle of the audience starts laughing. It’s Emily!
Emily’s laughter is contagious. Soon the rest of the audience breaks out into giggles and cackles too.
“Anyone have any tomatoes to throw at me?” I say. “I could really use them for my next invention. . . . Actually, that’s why I chose to sing badly. We have budget cuts over at Sure Things, Inc., and I was told this is a good way to get vegetables thrown at you. . . .”
The audience howls! Even Gemma is laughing a lot. Dustin jumps up from the judges’ table, claps me on the back, and shouts, “My man!” The rest of the studio audience cheers along with him.
Did I do it? Did I make it to the next round? I have no idea—and Nicholas Campbell definitely doesn’t say anything—but I decide this is probably the best opportunity to take a bow and leave, so I do.
As I walk offstage, I see Manny coming out.
“BREAK A LEG!” I tell him, feeling way too happy for a person who just broke a mirror on live TV.
Manny smiles. “See ya on the other side, partner,” he says, and heads out.
I join the rest of the contestants back on the couch. No one says anything to me. I realize then how much I miss having Manny in the room, and Manny’s only been gone for five seconds! I’m really glad we’re doing the competition together. It makes me really want to come out on top, as team Sure Things, Inc.
I redirect my attention to the TV screen.
“Good evening, everyone. I believe you’ve met my business partner, Billy. I’d like to tell you all about what I do at Sure Things, Inc.”
Manny starts to sing:
“My name is Manny.
My skills are quite uncanny.
I can crunch the numbers, make a marketing plan-y.
I’m the business genius, I’m the mega-money man-ny.
There is no question, there is no doubt,
I am super psyched to be on Sing Out and Shout!
Billy invents a new product, then it’s up to me.
How do we sell it; where should it be?
In big name stores or the mom and pops?
When my brain starts working, it never stops.
Internet only or in a store,
It really won’t matter as long as we sell MORE!”
Okay, I’m not the only one who thinks Manny is incredible. Not only does the audience clap and cheer wildly—even more than they did for Dustin Peeler!—but Manny gets the only standing ovation of the night! He’s a SUPERSTAR!
The audience won’t stop cheering. Then Nicholas, Dustin, and Gemma join in the standing ovation, rising from their seats at the judges’ table. The camera zooms around the audience, then back to Manny, then back to the audience again.
I feel really, really proud of him.
“Well, I think we know who the clear winner is tonight,” says a voice at the judges’ table.
It’s Nicholas Campbell!
He just complimented my best friend, Manny!
“I have to say, I’m a little worried,” says Dustin. “I hope that Manny sticks to business, because I don’t know if I’m ready for the competition as a singer!”
Gemma doesn’t say anything. For the first time all night, she doesn’t need to. The audience screams it for her!
I’m smiling ear to ear. I might have had a terrible performance, but at least my best friend had a good one. Everyone in the green room is talking about Manny. “Did you see him? Did you hear him? Did you hear him SING?” Marcus says excitedly.
The only person who isn’t celebrating, I notice, is Nat.
“You know, Billy, if that were my business partner, I’d be jealous,” she whispers in my ear. “He’s HOGGING all of the spotlight.”
Instantly, my good mood feels crushed, but I don’t respond. See, these are the kinds of things that make me not like Nat so much. Why did she have to say that? Why did she have to ruin such a happy moment? And, once I think about it for more than five seconds . . . why do I feel like she may be right?
I sigh. As happy as I am for Manny, I do feel a little jealous. No matter what happens, I will never sing that well.
When Manny reenters the green room, everyone applauds.
“I guess they liked me,” Manny says in his usual humble way.
“Liked you?” I repeat. “Everyone loved you, Manny!”
But when I say it, I can’t help but think about what Nat said . . . maybe I am a little jealous after all.
Gemma appears on the TV screen.
“Well, the judges, the audience here in the studio, and all of you at home who’ve been texting your votes have made up your minds,” she says.
I almost forgot how fast everything moves on live TV. Two of us are getting booted off the show tonight. And if I had to guess . . . I’d say one of them is probably me.
Oh no.
I can feel the tension among the contestants here in the green room. Everybody wants to move on to the next night of the competition. Only four of the six of us will.
“Nicholas, will you please read the results?” Gemma says.
The camera zooms in on Nicholas Campbell. But it zooms in a little too close, and all we see is his nose. (And his nose hairs . . . gross!) It reminds me of one of dad’s paintings.
“We had a fun night here at Sing Out and Shout,” Nicholas says. “From mediocre to okay to downright incredible, I’m pleased to announce the results.”
The audience keeps on cheering. I might be mistaken, but I think I can hear people chanting, “Manny, Manny!” And it sounds like it’s coming from the center of the audience—right where Mom, Dad, Emily, Mr. and Dr. Reyes are sitting. I don’t know why, and I hate to think it, but that makes me feel a little sad.
I’m really nervous. I’m sure I’m going to be sent home. I was by far the worst singer. I mean, I even broke a mirror!
“Based on the votes here and our viewers at home, the two contestants tonight who won’t be returning are . . .”
I brace myself.
“Sarina Brown . . .”
As much as I feel bad for Sarina, I can’t say I’m surprised.
“And Arthur Ling.”
No one, I mean no one, is more shocked than I am.
Arthur Ling? He was great. And he’s really friendly. If I could, I probably would’ve voted for him. How is Arthur out of the competition while I’m still in?
Nat smiles at me. It’s almost like she can read my thoughts.
“They must have felt sorry for you,” she whispers in my ear again.
Note to self: Invent something that makes it so I do not hear what Nat whispers in my ear!
Nat’s words get to me, and I barely notice what happens next. Although Arthur and Sarina may be out of the competition, they are very gracious about it. They shake everyone’s hands and wish us good luck tomorrow.
“It was great meeting you all,” Sarina says. “And, Billy, tell your sister I owe her one. Maybe even a one-on-one makeup tutorial. Ideally not on live TV.” The contestants laugh.
After a few minutes of saying good-bye to everyone, Manny and I meet Mom, Dad, Emily, and Mr. and Dr. Reyes outside.
“You were amazing!” Emily says, running up to us.
Actually, scratch that. Emily doesn’t even look at me. She says that to Manny!
Thankfully Mom seems to notice.
“You gave the most UNIQUE PERFORMANCE I’ve ever seen, honey,” she says, beaming.
“Thanks,” I reply. “I think.”
Emily and Mom decide to take Gemma’s limo back home. Normally I’d be all for a limo ride too, but I think I’ve had enough of the celebrity life for today.
On the drive home, everyone talks about Manny’s performance. “I wanted to be a singer when I was a kid!” Mr. Reyes says. “Like father, like son, huh?”
Manny shrugs.
I don’t say much. Part of me can’t believe that I’ve made it to the second night. Maybe Nat was right. Maybe people did feel sorry for me. But how long will that last? I’ll never m
ake it to the end and sing a duet with Manny—and even if I did, he’d just be better than me anyway.
That’s the thing. Nat’s other words haunt me. I am a little jealous of Manny’s talent, and that makes me feel even worse.
I’m plotting how to make the STOP-HEARING-NAT-WHEN-SHE-WHISPERS-IN-YOUR-EAR invention when I remember something else—something Yamuna told me.
The winner of this show will use his or her special talent to win—and, you might be surprised to hear this, but your special talent might not even be singing.
My special talent.
My special talent isn’t singing, and it’s not even making people laugh—my special talent is inventing.
Inventing!
That’s when it hits me.
I’m going to invent my way to the finals!
Billy’s Special Talent
OKAY, OKAY, LET ME EXPLAIN.
I have no doubt in my mind that Manny will get to the final round of Sing Out and Shout. Not after the way he sang on the first day.
And I know that I told him I’d try to get to the finale so we could sing together—for publicity for Sure Things, Inc.
I have to make it to the end for our company. Not to mention to ensure that the donation goes to the Young Inventors Organization!
So what I need to do . . . is invent a MAGICAL MICROPHONE—a device that will make my voice sound better!
I sort of have mixed feelings about inventing the Magical Microphone. Is it cheating? I’m really against cheating, especially at school or playing board games. But I’m using my own special talent, and that’s exactly what Yamuna told me to do, isn’t it? I mean, I can’t do what Sarina, Arthur, and Marcus can do, and they used their special talents onstage tonight. So technically it isn’t cheating. After all, it’s not my fault my special talent happens to be inventing.
I walk around my room Saturday morning, collecting materials that I can probably use for a Magical Microphone invention.
I find an old flashlight and attach a small battery pack. With a few changes, the flashlight works really well as a microphone—and, I think to myself, is kinda cool because it’s a spotlight you can carry around! Then I add some more things I find around my room. When the microphone is ready, I dangle it over an old boom box and play different kinds of music. The microphone amplifies them.
“I love youuuuuu,” plays a song by a woman with a raspy voice.
Then there’s a hip-hop song that kind of makes me want to get up and dance.
I play another song and REEEEE!!! the boom box screeches out some screamo musics. “Move away from the mirror—your face has always looked like that,” Emily shouts from her room.
“Ha-ha,” I say. Leave it to Emily to come up with some kind of snarky comment about why she hears screaming coming from my room!
A couple of hours later the Magical Microphone is ready to test. There are small buttons on the side of it that program it to a different kind of singing voice. I hit the beat box and a funky rhythm comes pounding out. Well, I think. Here goes nothing!
“I’m so suuuuure about inventing;
I’m real suuuuure about creating.”
I stop. I check my bedroom mirror. It’s still there! No cracks!
I sing a few more lines, this time quieter. I sound good. Really good. If I sing with this microphone, Manny and I will probably make it to the final round together!
Later that afternoon, me, Emily, Mom, Dad, and Manny all pile into Dad’s car. Manny’s parents promise they’ll catch up with us later. I ask Emily why she doesn’t take Gemma’s limo today, and she sticks out her tongue at me. I guess that’s the best answer I’m going to get.
Today Emily is wearing a hat that is fully decorated with Christmas lights. There’s even a little Santa light. They blink on and off in different patterns. I don’t remind her that it isn’t Christmas.
“How are you feeling about tonight’s show, Billy?” Dad asks.
“Pretty good, actually,” I say, reaching down and feeling the Magical Microphone in my pocket.
Manny smiles. “I’m really glad,” he says. “I was kinda worried that you’d be discouraged after yesterday. But hey, we’ll get some more publicity for Sure Things, Inc. tonight, and hopefully even more at the finale tomorrow night!”
See? Even Manny says staying on the show is important.
“I’ve been practicing,” I say, which isn’t entirely untrue. “I think my singing will be a whole lot better tonight.”
Emily rolls her eyes and shakes her head, causing several strands of blinking lights to fall off the hat and wrap around her ears.
At the studio Mom, Dad, and Emily head to the audience while Manny and I go to the green room. On the way, I notice Nat in the hallway talking to a man wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard.
As soon as Manny and I walk into the green room, Gemma comes over to Manny and gives him a BIG HUG.
“You sounded great last night,” she says.
“Thanks,” he replies.
Then she rushes off. Am I chopped liver? I start thinking about what exactly chopped liver is. Is it really that bad?
“Billy? You there?” Manny taps me on the shoulder a few minutes later. “It’s time for you to meet with Yamuna for tonight’s song.”
I smile sheepishly at him and head over to the rehearsal room. Yamuna has a whole new set of lyrics for me for tonight’s appearance.
“I have a really good feeling about these lyrics,” I tell Yamuna after reading them.
“That’s the spirit, Billy,” she says. “Just show off your special talent. The song will take care of itself.”
Then, just like the day before, the remaining contestants practice in the green room until the show starts. I tell Manny I’m too nervous to practice, so we go through his song a few times. Then Gemma sticks her head in. Once again, it’s showtime!
Magical Sounds
THE FOUR CONTESTANTS GATHER AROUND the green room monitor and the show begins. It’s all exactly like yesterday—but this time, I’m not nervous. I feel good!
“Good evening and welcome to part two of Sing Out and Shout!” Gemma says from center stage. A few people in the green room clap, and I do too. “We have four contestants remaining. Each one will sing a brand-new song. Then you’ll vote for your favorite to see who will be back tomorrow night.
“And now, please welcome our first contestant this evening—Marcus Rebu!”
Marcus nods to all of us. “SEE YA,” he says, and dances his way onto the stage, spinning, leaping, and waving his arms around. Once he’s onstage, he grabs his mic and starts singing:
“My moves are smooth, my song is sung.
Don’t go away, ’cause I’ve just begun.
I express myself by doing a dance.
Come on, audience, give me a chance!”
Marcus’s dance moves are incredible, but his voice sounds a little hoarse. Maybe he strained it too much yesterday. But even though his voice doesn’t sound great, the judges—with the exception of Nicholas Campbell, who probably doesn’t even love his teddy bear—love him.
Nat is up next. She seems even more charming than she did yesterday. The music begins and she sings her song:
“See a need, solve a problem, sell a product, oh yeah!
Inventing, inventing, inventing.
Now that success has come my way,
I’ll do what I can to help other people,
Every morning, every evening, every day!”
Wow, she really seems sincere—which is good, because sometimes I think she’s just in the inventing biz to crush on Manny. The judges like her again too.
“You have what we in the industry call ‘presence,’ ” Dustin Peeler says.
“Charisma,” Nicholas Campbell adds, nodding. He doesn’t comment on her voice.
After a short commercial break, Gemma waltzes up to the stage, looking like a million dollars. She’s wearing a SPARKLY GREEN DRESS, which kinda does literally look like it’s made of a m
illion dollars.
“You met him yesterday—you’ll meet him again today. Everyone put your hands up for Manny Reyes!”
At Manny’s name, the crowd goes berserk. Everyone is cheering and screaming as Manny takes the stage. They’re screaming louder than they did after Marcus and Nat’s performances. Wow! He hasn’t even started yet.
From the TV screen, I see Manny’s cheeks turn a little red. He takes the microphone like a pro anyway and sings:
“Working as a team is the only way to go.
Sharing with my partner is the only way I know.
To run a big-time business, and be a big-time friend,
We have to work together—beginning, middle, and end!”
When he’s done, a group of kids in the first row hold up WE LOVE YOU, MANNY signs. The judges give Manny another standing ovation. No question about it. Absolutely, 100 percent, no question. Manny is going to the finals!
I’m the only one left to sing, so I leave the green room and head to the stage. My heart pounds. My stomach tightens. I wasn’t nervous before, but for some reason, now I am. I reach into my pocket and grab the Magical Microphone.
Gemma walks to center stage. “And now our final contestant—everyone, please welcome Billy Sure!”
I walk to the middle of the stage. The lights go out. I use the darkness to secretly pull out the Magical Microphone.
Then the spotlight hits me. Okay, I think. This is it. Now or never. Even more than before, I have to make it to the end with Manny.
I bring the Magical Microphone up to my mouth and start singing. . . .
Boom-chika-bop-bop, boom. Boom-chika-bop-bop, boom.
Wait—what? Those aren’t the lyrics. . . . I look into the crowd, feeling flustered, when I realize the crowd is cheering and clapping along! I quickly hit another button on the microphone. I can’t beat-box my entire way through this song.
“Building in my workshop, working at my bench,
Have you heard of the Stink Spectacular? Man, that stench!”
Only I must have hit the wrong button, because this time I’m belting it like an opera singer!
The audience bursts out laughing.
