Carlos let out a deep breath. “For now,” he said. “I love that song. When I forget that anyone’s watching, it’s easy.” Carlos shook his head. “But how will I ever forget when an entire audience is staring at me?”
“It’s hard,” Rhino said. “But you nailed that song today. You made it yours. I’m sorry I kept messing up and holding you back.”
“We’ll keep practicing,” Carlos said. “You’ll get better.”
“I hope so. You deserve it.”
They reached Carlos’s street and he turned toward home. Rhino walked the next few blocks alone.
He’d made some progress today, but he was nowhere close to playing that song. Carlos and Cooper played their instruments without even thinking. Would it become like that for him?
“Rhino!” came a shout. C.J. was waving to him from a block away. He was in his school baseball uniform. He ran to catch up to Rhino.
C.J. patted Rhino on the shoulder. “We won,” he said. “Tough game. Their pitcher had us shut out for five innings, but then we rallied. How’d the session go?”
Rhino thought for a few seconds. “All right,” he said. “It was fun, but …”
C.J. smiled. “Over your head?”
“Way over.”
“But fun anyway?” C.J. asked.
“Yeah.” It had been fun, despite Rhino’s struggles.
“Fun is good,” C.J. said. “We put so much pressure on ourselves sometimes, you know? Like today. I was so nervous when I batted the last time. The whole game was riding on my shoulders.”
“And what happened?”
“Clean single. I drove in the winning run.”
Rhino smiled. “Sometimes the fun comes later. After you get the hit.”
“Right,” C.J. said. “Being calm works better than being nervous. But no matter how many times we tell ourselves that, the nerves kick in.”
They’d reached their house. Being home with Grandpa James was always the best place to be.
“Let’s go,” C.J. said. “I smell Grandpa’s famous pasta sauce, and I’m starving!”
They hurried into the house. Rhino felt hungry, too. He needed a good meal, because tonight he’d be playing the guitar until bedtime. He wanted to practice every spare minute until the show.
The afternoon was warm and sunny. Baseball weather! Rhino took a deep breath and smelled the freshly cut grass on the infield. He loved practice almost as much as the games. He’d been playing first base for nearly an hour, and he was eager to bat.
Crack! The batter hit the ball and Rhino darted toward first base. Carlos fielded a short hop and tossed the ball to Rhino, putting the batter out.
“Good job, Carlos,” Rhino said. He threw the ball back to Coach Ray.
“Infielders up!” Coach called.
It was their turn to hit!
Rhino high-fived his teammate Paul, who would play first base while Rhino took batting practice.
Rhino joined Cooper, Carlos, and Dylan in the dugout. He pointed to Cooper and said, “You can bat first.”
“Yeah,” Dylan said. “You need the most practice, Cooper. I got dizzy watching you swing and miss so many times in the last game.”
Dylan was always teasing someone. At least he wasn’t as nasty about it as he used to be. “I heard that you guys think you’re rock stars,” he said.
Rhino caught Carlos’s eye and gave him a half smile. “One of us is pretty good,” he said. “You’ll see.”
“What a joke,” Dylan said. “I can’t wait to see you guys mess up in the talent show. Squeaky-voiced Carlos will have everybody laughing. Or running for the doors.”
“At least we’re out there trying,” Rhino said. “What’s your talent, Dylan? Making enemies?”
Dylan laughed. “My talent is hitting home runs,” he said. He picked up a bat and headed for the on-deck circle. “Watch and learn.”
Carlos sighed. “That’s what I don’t like about performing,” he said. “Too many people like that to make fun of me.”
“There’s only one Dylan,” Rhino said. “Everybody else wants you to do well. He’s just mad because he can’t sing the way you can.”
Rhino batted after Dylan. With ten swings, he hit three pitches over the fence and four more deep into the outfield. The sweat felt good trickling down his back. His arms were strong and his vision was clear.
“Nice at bat,” Carlos said as Rhino passed him in the on-deck circle. “I guess it’s my turn. You’re a tough act to follow.”
“Relax,” Rhino said. “Just meet the ball.”
But Carlos struggled. Six of his swings missed completely. He managed three weak grounders and a pop out.
“Dylan shook me up,” Carlos whispered as he rejoined Rhino in the dugout.
“That’s what he does,” Rhino said. “You have to ignore him when he’s like that.”
“Easy for you to say.” Carlos leaned over and tightened the laces of his cleats. “I couldn’t hit at all today. I knew he’d start making fun of me if I didn’t hit well, so I was swinging way too hard.”
Rhino had learned that trying too hard could be just as bad as not trying hard enough. But he had a good tip for Carlos. It was something he’d learned after struggling to hit early in the season. “Do you ever go out into your yard and just swing the bat?” he asked.
“Sure,” Carlos said. “I do it all the time. And I throw baseballs high into the air and catch them, or I bounce a ball off a wall and field it.”
That was exactly what Rhino liked to do. “I’ll bet that you imagine yourself doing great things,” he said. “Hitting a home run or making a diving catch.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t everybody?”
“I know I do,” Rhino said. “The thing is, you have to be that relaxed and confident in a game, too. It’s not so different. The bat is the same. The fly balls drop at the same speed, right? And those rebounds off the wall are usually harder to field than a batted grounder.”
“That’s probably true,” Carlos said. His eyes were wide, taking in everything Rhino said.
“So forget that anyone’s watching,” Rhino added. “Just do the same things you do when you’re alone. Being afraid that you’ll strike out or drop the ball doesn’t help. Listening to someone like Dylan is a waste of time.”
Carlos nodded. “Like when I’m singing. I never get nervous singing alone, in my room. And I don’t feel nervous about practicing with Cooper anymore. But I still get very nervous every time I think about the talent show.”
“But that doesn’t help, right?”
“I guess not,” Carlos said. But he didn’t sound convinced.
As the next batters came in from the outfield, Rhino picked up his glove and headed for first base again. He had a lot of energy, and all those big hits he’d made had him excited. He couldn’t wait for the Mustangs’ next game. That’s what I call a talent show, he thought. He wished he could hit baseballs on the stage instead of trying to play the guitar. First place, he thought. Best hitter. That would be much easier than playing those chords.
Bella was at bat. Rhino smacked his glove with his bare hand and bounced on his toes. “Strike her out!” he joked. Coach Ray wouldn’t want to strike out his own daughter.
Bella hit a zinger that soared over Rhino’s head and dropped into right field. She pointed the bat at him and smiled. Rhino laughed.
Rhino looked around the field. He felt so lucky to be on this team with his best friend, Cooper. He’d learned a lot from Coach Ray about baseball and about being a helpful teammate. And he’d made some good new friends in Bella and Carlos.
Baseball sure was fun.
The week went by fast. The Mustangs won their game on Saturday, and Rhino hit a home run and a double. Carlos gained more confidence every time the band practiced.
But Rhino’s guitar playing hadn’t improved enough.
He did fine when they warmed up with a slower song like “Overtime Run.” But the faster song they planned to play in the show gave Rhin
o a lot of trouble. Three more sessions with the band and many hours at home made him only a little better at it. As soon as the music sped up, Rhino tripped over some of the chords.
Thursday morning at breakfast, Rhino was quieter than usual. The talent show was that night. How did it get here so quickly?
“You’re deep in thought, Little Rhino,” Grandpa James said. “What’s on your mind?”
“His big moment!” C.J. said. “The debut of the band.”
Rhino glared at C.J. “I can speak for myself,” he said.
C.J. gave Rhino a light tap on the arm. “Relax,” he said. There was that word again.
“Sorry,” Rhino said. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
Rhino took a bite of toast. He was excited about the show, but he wasn’t sure how it would go. He’d stayed up late last night thinking about it.
“I’m still going over the notes in my head,” Rhino said. “Getting ready.”
“You’re as ready as you’re going to be,” Grandpa said. “Just enjoy the show. I can’t wait.”
Rhino could wait. Being “as ready as you’re going to be” didn’t sound good. He wasn’t ready. Mustang Rock would have one more chance to practice at school this morning, but only for a few minutes.
“Remember one thing,” Grandpa said. “The talent show is supposed to be fun. You have a whole day at school, so don’t waste time worrying about tonight. Concentrate on your schoolwork.”
“I will,” Rhino replied. But he knew that wouldn’t be easy.
* * *
At school, Mrs. Imburgia explained how most of Earth’s energy comes from the sun. Rhino knew that already, but anything about the solar system interested him.
Later, he worked on math problems. Every few minutes he looked up at the clock. Move faster, he thought.
As soon as the classroom bell rang at ten a.m., Cooper turned to Rhino with a serious look. “This is it,” he said. “Our last chance to get it right.”
Rhino gulped. Anyone entered in the talent show was allowed a short practice session today instead of going to recess, and Mustang Rock was taking advantage of that. Rhino and Cooper hurried to the auditorium to meet Carlos. This would be their final session.
There was no time to spare. Instead of warming up with a slower song, they started in on “Upside Down, Inside Out.” Cooper tapped out the rocking beat. Carlos joined in with his keyboard and Rhino on the guitar.
Rhino watched his fingers, moving them as quickly as he could to change chords. But as soon as Carlos started to sing, Cooper banged on the bass drum to get them to stop.
“Sorry,” Rhino said. He’d hit two sour notes in a row.
Cooper frowned and shook his head.
“Just relax, Rhino,” Carlos said. That was the same advice Rhino always gave Carlos about baseball.
“Try it again,” Cooper said. “This is the real deal. We have to play it all the way through at the right pace.”
Rhino couldn’t keep up. He’d practiced so hard for this, but he just wasn’t ready for the faster song.
“I should drop out of the band,” Rhino said. “You two can play without me. I’m holding you back.”
“No way!” Carlos said. He sounded scared. “Look, let’s play ‘Overtime Run’ first.”
“That won’t help!” Cooper said. “We only have a few minutes left to practice.”
“It’s okay,” Carlos said calmly. “Rhino plays better when he’s had a chance to warm up with something slower. It gets us into a groove. We’ll do the faster song later.”
Rhino let out his breath. He didn’t want to drop out, but he also didn’t want to mess up Carlos’s performance.
They ran through the slower song. Carlos’s voice was strong and clear.
“Once more,” Carlos said as the song ended.
“We’re running out of time,” Cooper said firmly. “We have to be back in class in five minutes.”
“It’s all right,” Carlos said. “Let’s play ‘Overtime Run’ one more time. Just a little faster than usual.”
Cooper shook his head with more force. “We need to do the other one,” he said. But he started the beat for “Overtime Run” anyway.
Rhino kept up with the slightly faster pace, but this song was easy. He kept thinking about how foolish he’d look as he messed up “Upside Down, Inside Out” on the stage. But he also noticed how calm Carlos seemed all of a sudden.
The bell rang seconds after they finished.
“We’re in trouble,” Cooper said. “We didn’t even practice ‘Upside Down, Inside Out!’ ”
“Don’t worry,” Carlos said. He nodded to Rhino and whispered. “We’re ready for the show. I promise.”
Rhino felt a cold sweat run down his neck. He wasn’t ready, and he knew it.
Cooper was mumbling about how they had wasted the entire practice session. But Carlos was relaxed. He was even smiling. Sure, he’d sung very well. Carlos was definitely ready. But Carlos also insisted that Rhino would be part of the band tonight no matter what.
Rhino followed Cooper back to their classroom. Carlos thinks I’m ready, Rhino thought. Who is he trying to kid?
One thought kept coming back to Rhino for the rest of the school day: Performing “Upside Down, Inside Out” was going to be a disaster!
Rhino put on his blue Mustangs jersey after dinner. He’d only worn it for baseball games, but tonight was special. Cooper and Carlos would be wearing their jerseys for the performance, too.
Rhino hadn’t finished his chicken. That never happened. But his stomach was in knots as he thought about the performance.
You’ll do fine, his thinker told him. But Rhino thought his thinker was wrong.
He picked up the guitar and tried the chord pattern again. When he played very slowly, he was able to do it without any mistakes. But it barely sounded like a song. Carlos would never sing that slowly.
* * *
Rhino didn’t say anything on the ride over to the school. C.J. and Grandpa tried to start a conversation, but then they left Rhino alone to think.
The talent show contestants were supposed to report to the gym. They’d be told the order in which they’d perform, then take seats in the front row of the auditorium.
Rhino carried the guitar case toward the gym. He said hello to Coach Ray, who had dropped off Bella.
Rhino spotted Cooper under one of the baskets.
“This is it,” Rhino said. “Where’s Carlos?”
“Not here yet.”
Rhino waved to Bella and Ariana. Four other dancers were stretching on the side of the gym with them.
Rhino looked straight at Cooper. “Do you think there’s any chance Carlos won’t show up?”
“I don’t think so,” Cooper said. “He definitely seemed ready this afternoon.”
“I’m glad one of us is.”
“Just do the best you can,” Cooper said. “If you make a mistake … I mean, when you make a mistake, just forget about it and try to catch up to where we are.”
“Okay,” Rhino said. He went over the chords in his mind again. If this was a school test, he could write every note in the correct order.
But playing the chords was another story.
“We’re the eleventh act on the schedule,” Cooper said. “Out of fourteen. So we’ll have a long wait.”
Carlos came into the gym, smiling broadly.
“What’s with him?” Cooper said. “All of a sudden he’s Mr. Confidence.”
Rhino shrugged. “That’s because he knows he’s good. I smile like that when I’m in the on-deck circle, waiting to bat.”
“Hi, guys,” Carlos said when he reached them. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me out. There’s no way I would do this without you.”
Rhino laughed a little. “I hope you’ll be thanking me after the show.”
“I will,” Carlos said. “This is going to be so cool.”
Rhino’s eyes met Cooper’s, and they both winced.
�
�I don’t want to ruin your mood, Carlos,” Cooper said, “but why are you so confident? We couldn’t get through ‘Upside Down, Inside Out’ even one time today. We’ve never played it without a bunch of mistakes. Do you have some kind of magic wand that’s going to fix everything?”
“I have a plan,” Carlos said.
“Well, let’s hear it,” Cooper replied. “The show starts in a few minutes.”
Carlos pulled his friends closer to him, as if they were in a football huddle. “It’s like this,” he said.
Rhino listened carefully as Carlos explained his idea. It made a lot of sense. It might not be enough to win the talent show, but it would make things go a lot more smoothly.
Cooper nodded slowly.
Rhino grinned.
Maybe he wouldn’t mess this up after all.
* * *
Rhino felt much better as he took his seat in the auditorium. He cheered loudly and let out a whoop when Bella and Ariana’s dance team went through their lively routine.
One performer after another impressed him with their ability to sing, tell jokes, or play an instrument. To Rhino, Carlos was probably the best. But Carlos hadn’t performed yet. Even with the new plan, anything could go wrong.
Before the tenth act went on, Mrs. Imburgia motioned for Mustang Rock to come backstage. They’d be next.
Mrs. Imburgia whispered to them as she looked at the list of performers. “ ‘Upside Down, Inside Out,’ ” she said. “I love that song. It should be fun.”
“There’s a slight change,” Carlos said. He pointed to the list and told the teacher what he’d decided. She said she’d be sure to announce the change when she introduced the band.
Rhino swallowed hard. Any minute now, he thought. Glad I’m not the one singing.
The audience broke into applause. The tenth act left the stage. Rhino followed Cooper out. Carlos trailed behind.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to introduce Mustang Rock,” Mrs. Imburgia said. “There’s a change to the program. They’ll be doing a different song than the one that’s listed. Please enjoy ‘Overtime Run.’ ”
Cooper tapped a drum three times, and Rhino and Carlos joined in. The pace was faster than they usually played it, but Rhino knew this easier song well. Playing it was almost automatic. He hardly had to think about changing chords.
The Talent Show Page 3
