by Jen Calonita
Griffin held out his hand. “That mic is Kingfishers’ property, so I’ll need to take it back before you tamper with it.”
If he only knew the Nightingales had already tampered with the guys’ traditional auditions pizza order. Hope you like the taste of anchovies! Lidia thought. Sydney had texted Lidia to say she’d made the order after the jelly beans fiasco. Lidia read the text, but hadn’t responded. She was secretly glad Sydney had pulled the prank, though.
Lidia gave him the mic. “You guys aren’t scared of a group of girls, are you?”
Griffin stepped closer. “I wouldn’t be if I knew what you guys had up your sleeve.”
The words were on the tip of Lidia’s tongue. I’ve liked you for years and never told you and now I’m worried it’s too late. Instead, Lidia laughed and it came out more like a mouse squeak. “You’ll see soon enough,” she said.
“I’ll see you at auditions,” Griffin said.
Auditions meant she, Griffin, and Sydney were going to be in the same room.
She may have been avoiding Sydney’s calls and texts, but that afternoon she was going to have to face the music. Literally and figuratively. “See you there,” Lidia said and watched him walk away. She heard her phone ping. She had several texts. The first was from Sydney.
SYDNEY: Hate when we don’t talk! Meet me in the quad before auditions? Please?
SYDNEY: If you don’t, I will take over the Bradley Academy loudspeaker system and dedicate Kenny Rogers’s “Through the Years” to you and sing it at the top of my lungs.
SYDNEY: Don’t test me. You know I’ll do it.
Lidia had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Sydney would make good on her promise if Lidia didn’t show. The Kenny Rogers tune was Syd’s grandparents’ wedding song and the girls’ cheesy friendship anthem. Lidia hated fighting, especially with her best friend. Nightingales auditions would go up in flames if the two of them fought that afternoon. Lidia winced when she thought of the things she’d said in front of the other girls at Pinocchio’s. She did not want the world knowing what was going on with them or about her crush on Griffin. It was time she got this conversation over with. She wrote Sydney back: Fountain 3 p.m.
Then she read her other text. It was from a number she didn’t recognize.
Hi, Lidia! It’s Miss Pattie Ann at Integral Dance Arts. Are you taking class today? If so, can we chat? There is something I want to discuss with you. How is 4 p.m.?
Miss Pattie Ann was her favorite dance instructor. Maybe she was going to let Lidia move into a more advanced class. Lidia was dying to know, but she’d be at Nightingales auditions till around five. Reluctantly, she texted Miss Pattie Ann that she wouldn’t be in till tomorrow. The school tower bell chimed, warning Lidia she had three minutes to get to her first class. She picked up the backpack she had thrown down before her song session.
Singing with Griffin, a talk with Syd, and a text from Miss Pattie Ann. The first day of school was turning out to be way more interesting than she thought it would be and it was only getting started.
It was a weird feeling watching your best friend and the boy you weren’t supposed to like—but definitely did—talking.
Sydney’s bus driver had gotten lost on their route trying to find a new student’s address, and they’d pulled up to campus ten minutes before the first bell. Sydney had hoped to be there earlier to hand out flyers for the Nightingales’ auditions. Instead she found an elated Lidia dueting with He Who Shall Not Be Named in front of half of Bradley Academy.
It was the moment Sydney had wanted Lidia to have with him for forever, and yet, seeing it play out in front of her, Sydney felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. Part of her screamed, Go, Lid! while the other part yelled, He’s mine! But he wasn’t. This is the way it’s supposed to be, she told herself, but she didn’t stick around to see if they did an encore. Instead, she walked to class and texted Lidia, asking her to meet before auditions.
Now it was almost three p.m. and Sydney was pacing back and forth in front of their favorite bench, the one that faced the dolphin fountain. She had no clue what she was going to say to Lidia. The words “I’m sorry” didn’t feel like enough. Buying Lidia her favorite chocolate nonpareils, balloons, or cute flip-flops didn’t feel right either.
Maybe she should let Lidia hit her. Hard. That might make her feel better.
Sydney winced at the thought. She cried when she got a splinter. She couldn’t imagine a sock to the jaw.
Lidia arrived before Sydney had a chance to figure it out.
“Hi,” Lidia said shyly. Her face looked as anxious as Sydney felt.
“Hi!” Sydney said, hovering near their bench, like she was afraid to move. “Thanks for coming. I saw you singing with Griffin this morning. Yay you!” God, that sounded fake.
Lidia looked at the ground. “Should we talk? We have to get to auditions.”
“Yes,” Sydney said, patting the bench. “Let’s talk.”
They stared at each other and quickly sat down.
It was awkwardly quiet. All Sydney could hear was the fountain gurgling. After practice one day last spring, the team had jumped into it and splashed around till a security guard at school yelled at them to get out. Today would not be one of those days. She guessed she needed to go first.
“You were kind of harsh at Pinocchio’s the other day,” Sydney said, immediately realizing it was the wrong thing to say when she saw Lidia’s eyes narrow.
“I was harsh?” Lidia sputtered.
“No, I mean, yes, but it’s just that I know you were mad at me,” Sydney backpedaled, “and you had a right to be, but to tell everyone your side of the story made me look bad.” Lidia’s mouth fell open. This was not going well at all. “I just mean, I wanted to explain everything to you first. Not have every prospective Nightingale hear us air our dirty laundry. People were so upset about what happened, several left right after you stormed out. I think we lost some good candidates because of what was said.”
Sydney could see the veins bulging in Lidia’s neck. “So now you’re blaming this whole thing on me?” Lidia asked.
Okay, maybe that hadn’t been the right thing to say either. Sydney was so bad at this sort of thing. She hated debate class and oral presentations because she could never put her thoughts into words. It was easier to read song lyrics. If someone told her what to say, she would nail it. She was not good at improv. “No! I just wanted you to know that, I mean, I thought you should know that I … it wasn’t … he didn’t … I mean, I didn’t … I …”
Lidia crossed her arms. “We’re going to be late for auditions if you don’t say what you actually want to say.”
Ouch! Did she have to be so mean? She had a right to be furious, but it still hurt to be the one Lidia was mad at. Fighting with Lidia was the absolute worst. Why couldn’t she find the words to apologize with? She needed a script! Oh! That gave her an idea. Her breathing slowed and she tried to focus.
“I know anything I say isn’t enough,” Sydney began, her confidence returning. She adjusted her glittery green headband (it reminded her of Wicked). “I could say ‘I’m sorry’ over and over a thousand times a day for a thousand years and it wouldn’t change what I did. I’d step into a time machine and go back in time if I could. I’d find a genie and rub his magic lamp to get out of this moment. I’d wish upon a million stars too, but maybe it’s better I always remember what happened. I should live with the guilt every day so that I never hurt you that way again.” She smiled tentatively.
Lidia blinked at her. “Did you really just recite that scene from Do Over to me? The one where Samantha apologizes to Jillian? Did you think I wouldn’t know it?”
Idiot! Of course, Lidia would know that scene. They both loved that movie.
Sydney held up her right hand. “Guilty.” Lidia slapped her hand to her forehead and started walking away. “I’m sorry, okay? You know I’m bad at this sort of thing! I screwed up! Badly!” Her lower lip quivered. She just w
anted to forget this whole thing had ever happened. “But I didn’t mean it!” Lidia was circling the fountain now. “It’s not even my fault! If you had stayed and seen what really happened, you’d know it was no big deal.”
Lidia did a double take.
“He kissed me. I did not kiss him back. I pushed him away, but you were probably gone by that point.”
Lidia just looked at her.
“I’m serious.” Sydney tried again. “I think he was just wrapped up in the moment because we’d just done our last In the Heights performance the night before. We put so much time into that performance, maybe he was just trying to thank me for acting, um, so actorly and professional as his co-star.” Sydney suddenly felt very hot.
“Syd,” Lidia said dryly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No!” Sydney was floundering, but an actress always embraced her scene. “You were the one who asked me to get close to him so I could talk you up. That’s what I did.”
Lidia’s face reddened. “I didn’t mean that close!”
She’d put her foot into her mouth again. “I know, but I wouldn’t have started spending so much time with him if you hadn’t asked me to.” Lidia grunted. “But again, the kiss was his fault. Not mine.”
“His fault?” Lidia repeated.
“Yes.” Sydney nodded vigorously. Maybe she was finally getting through to her. They had a common enemy: Griffin! “When I walked in to Don’t Be Crabby’s early, it was to snag a table for us. I wasn’t expecting to see Griffin or be kissed! If he had said something about liking me, I could have stopped him, you know? He caught me completely off-guard. To do that in public, where you could walk in at any moment and did walk in? What a jerk!” She put a hand on Lidia’s arm. “You could do so much better than a guy like Griffin. We are going to find you someone much cuter and sweeter.” She waited a beat. “So, are we good?”
“Are you serious right now?” Lidia repeated.
“You’re still upset, I get it,” Sydney said, “but could we put all of this aside at auditions? I don’t want to lose anyone else, and if people think we’re still fighting, it could be off-putting.” Lidia loved the Nightingales as much as she did. She’d see that putting the auditions first was the right thing to do.
“See you at auditions,” Lidia said flatly and walked away.
Sydney exhaled. “Okay. See you in a few!”
That didn’t go so badly after all. They were going to be okay. Who needed Griffin Mancini? Syd closed her eyes for a moment and saw his face. She could picture Griffin running lines with her at the playhouse. Bringing her passion fruit tea (her favorite) when she’d lost her voice, and leaving a protein bar on her playbook because he knew she always forgot to eat when she was rehearsing.
He was a good guy, but what kind of guy just kisses a girl in the middle of a coffee shop when she asks him if he can pass the sweetener? Lidia could do much better than a guy like Griffin. They both could!
“Hey, Syd,” Griffin said, appearing in front of her.
Sydney screamed and pushed him as hard as she could. Griffin went stumbling back and landed in a patch of grass. Ooh. That was definitely going to leave a grass stain.
“What did you do that for?” Griffin asked, quickly jumping up, his face flushed, as he stood too close for comfort. How could a boy look that cute in a cheesy Kingfishers tee with a giant striped bass on the front that said IT’S GOOD TO BE KING? Did he have to smell good too? The coconut aroma he was giving off mixed with Dove soap was dizzying.
The scent reminded her of the kiss that never should have happened. She didn’t want to smell coconut. And she really didn’t want to think about that perfect kiss.
One minute they had been laughing about her use of way too much sweetener, the next he had been wiping the chocolate syrup from her coffee drink off her mouth and they were kissing. His mouth was sweet, his lips softer than she’d imagined, and he smelled even better. She closed her eyes to block out the shameful memory. She had betrayed her best friend and she hated herself for it. She hated Griffin for it! She pushed Griffin again.
“Ow! Syd, what is going on?” Griffin asked.
“You ruined everything!” Sydney almost cried. “Lidia is so mad at me!”
“Lidia’s mad? Why?” Griffin looked really confused.
Oops. He didn’t know about Lidia’s crush. She may have gotten close to him that summer for Lidia, but now that she thought about it, she’d never once even hinted that Lidia liked him. Why hadn’t she told him? Maybe then this story would have played out differently.
Syd pushed her hair behind her ears. “Because you guys pranked us, of course. We were trying to recruit new members and now your jelly bean prank ruined everything.”
“About that,” Griffin said, following Sydney as she went to grab her book bag by the fountain. “Dave just got a pizza delivery for auditions and the pies are covered in anchovies. He’s not too happy. You guys might want to watch your step at auditions today.”
“Why? Are you pranking us back?” Sydney pressed.
“Did I say the word ‘prank’? I don’t think I used that word.” Griffin’s eyes were full of mischief. “Pranks on audition days aren’t allowed, which is why I’m sure you guys had nothing to do with the pizza à la anchovies.”
“Absolutely not.” Sydney folded her arms. “We would never stoop to the Kingfishers’ level.”
Griffin smirked. “Great. No need to start off the season with either group getting in trouble. This is supposed to be fun.”
“Exactly,” Sydney agreed. That’s what sophomore year was supposed to be. No SAT worries or college talk yet. All she had to worry about was her a cappella group. That meant there was no time for boys. Sydney and Lidia had to take the Nightingales from worst in south Florida to first, and that started with auditions. She looked at her fitness tracker, which doubled as a clock. She had to get going.
What if it was already standing room only? Maybe there would be so many girls they’d have to hold auditions two days in a row. She could just picture the Kingfishers’ smug smiles fading as they saw who Bradley was really embracing this year—the Nightingales! It was going to be a great season and she just wanted to get started.
“The Nightingales don’t have time for major pranks this year anyway,” she said, heading to the arts center. Griffin followed. “If we score well at the Turn It Up competition in November, that will get us into the Panhandle Pump It Up, and then if we get in the top three there we’ll be on to the Daytona Word of Mouth and …”
Griffin stepped in front of her. “Are you saying you have no time for me? I hope not.”
Griffin was standing so close she could grab a fistful of his T-shirt. She stared at the cartoon bass on the front. “No time. I’m very dedicated to my craft this year and only my craft. I’ve got no time for anything or anyone else.”
He stepped closer. His eyes begged to be looked at. “Even me?”
His breath was minty and he looked so good. Why did he have to stand so close? He should be standing that close to Lidia like he was that morning. He was hers for the taking if Lidia still wanted him. “I have to go.” Sydney pushed past him.
“Remember what I said,” he called after her. “Watch your step! It’s the only warning you’ll get from me this year if you have no time to talk.”
“I don’t need your help!” Sydney stomped past the fountain, sending a few birds flying. She clutched her Nightingales audition notes and scales to her chest. She repeated the words over and over again, hoping they’d stick: Griffin who?
That was what Sydney was worried about? How their fight would look to girls auditioning for the Nightingales?
What about the fact that she had kissed the boy Lidia had liked since eighth grade?
Lidia was fuming—fuming!—as she speed walked away from Sydney and headed to the theater for auditions. Classmates moved out of the way when they saw her stony expression.
Her talk with Sydney hadn’t made things
better. It had made things worse! She knew Sydney tended to get tunnel vision—she’d get so wrapped up in a project she couldn’t think of anything but the prize—but this was their friendship. Sydney was like the sister she didn’t have. Their relationship was sacred, or at least it was supposed to be. How could Sydney not see how wrong she had been to hide this from her? Maybe the kiss with Griffin had been a mistake, but if it was, why couldn’t Sydney have been truthful?
Hot tears plopped down Lidia’s cheeks. She quickly wiped them away before anyone could see. She felt like a fool. Her best friend had traded her in for the boy she liked. Did Griffin know how Lidia felt? He hadn’t said anything that morning. Would he say something that afternoon at auditions?
Lidia stopped short and took deep breaths. She knew she couldn’t face them both that afternoon, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t just not show up at her own team’s auditions.
“Hey, Lidia! Something wrong?”
Lidia spun around, wiping her eyes again as she spotted the two girls walking toward her. Great. Of all the people she could run into, it had to be Whitney Corcoran and Micayla Reves.
When Mr. Wickey had put out the call for potential new captains, it had been Whitney and Micayla who had campaigned against them. Things had gotten ugly quickly, with Whitney and Micayla trying to convince other Nightingales not to vote for Lidia and Sydney, but in the end, she and Syd had won anyway. Whitney and Micayla had been bitter ever since. Lidia wasn’t even sure they’d come back to the team this year, but here they were on their way to auditions.
“Hi, guys.” Lidia forced a smile. “How was your summer?”
“Amazing!” Whitney was sporting a deep summer tan that accentuated the gold in her highlighted hair, which hung in perfect waves down her back. “I was accepted into a musical theater program run by the University of Florida. Way more fulfilling than what I could have been doing in community theater. No offense.”
That was a dig at Sydney. “No offense taken.” Lidia played it cool. She’d seen their thinly veiled social media comments about a certain team making the biggest mistake of their lives and how the group wouldn’t survive the year.
