by Jen Calonita
“But what if they boo you?” Julianna said fearfully. “Or you hit a wrong note or miss a step or skip a word? There are so many things that can go wrong when you’re onstage.”
Sydney grabbed her friend by the shoulders. “You have to stop thinking so much! Just let it go and sing. When you sing in the shower, you don’t prepare music first, do you?” Julianna shook her head. “Singing out loud can be as easy as walking down the street—you feel the music move you and break into song.” Seated, she danced around on the bench. “Listen to the band playing right now,” she instructed.
They were performing a cover of a Lyrica song that everyone was singing that fall. Sydney stood up and sang the song at the top of her lungs and didn’t seem to care who heard her. “You keep me spinning like a top, and I never want to stop, but the world stops, stops, stops, when I see you!”
Cocoa barked her approval. “Thanks, Cocoa.” Sydney bowed. “See? Easy! Try it!”
“Now? At the mall?” Alarm bells rang in Julianna’s head. She started sliding away on the bench, pulling Cocoa, but Cocoa wouldn’t budge. She dug in her heels and lay down. Thanks a lot, pal, Julianna thought.
Sydney grabbed Julianna’s arm and helped her stand up. “It’s an outdoor mall. No one is even looking at you! It’s the perfect place to practice.”
Julianna wasn’t convinced. The crowds were thicker than they had been a few minutes earlier. There were more families. More kids. There were too many people who could hear her.
“Let’s try this next week when I’m dressed better and have music with me that I like,” Julianna said. She tried to leave and Sydney grabbed her. Cocoa looked back and forth between the girls and started to whine. She probably thought they were finally going for a walk.
“Watch me first,” Sydney said. “You keep me spinning like a top, and I never want to stop, but the world stops, stops, stops, when I see you!”
A few people smiled, but others didn’t even look up. “See? No one cares!” Sydney said. “The best part is we don’t know anyone here! Look around.” She pointed to people walking by. “That kid is drooling in his stroller, and the couple over there is helping each other with their hearing aids. This is the perfect place for you to sing. Half the crowd won’t pay attention and the other half won’t even hear you! Come on, you can do it!”
It was happening already. Her cheeks felt like they had sunburn. She started breathing heavily. Every sound around her magnified as if she were hearing them through a tunnel. She could hear Sydney’s words over and over in her head: No one is watching you. No one even cares! But it wasn’t working. She felt her brow start to sweat and her mouth go dry.
“I won’t make you do it alone the first time, okay?” Sydney took Cocoa’s leash from Julianna’s hand, then hooked the leash around a tree branch next to the bench they were standing in front of. With Cocoa secure, she grabbed Julianna firmly and pulled her up on the bench. Julianna was sure she looked like a statue. Her body was rigid and her heartbeat sounded like it was being magnified by a megaphone. “Close your eyes if you want,” Sydney instructed as she started swaying the two of them.
Julianna felt dizzy. “I’m going to fall.”
“You’re fine,” Sydney said soothingly. “You look a little like wax, though. I’m going to ship you off to Ripley’s after this performance.” She laughed.
Julianna’s laugh came out like a whisper. “Is there a statue for ‘Girl Who Freaked Out at the Mall’?”
“No, but there’s going to be one for ‘Girl Gives Epic Performance at Barky Hour.’ ” Sydney grabbed Julianna’s hand. “Look at me and only me.”
“Not at the lady who just stopped in front of our bench and is staring at us as she eats her ice cream?” Julianna felt herself perspire.
“Don’t look at her. Look at me.”
Julianna looked at Sydney. Her eyes and her wide smile were so reassuring. Her breathing started to slow. It was just her and Sydney. No one else was there. She heard Sydney start to hum the song, which was coming up to the chorus. Julianna knew the words. They were on the tip of her tongue. Maybe she could really do this!
“Good!” Sydney encouraged her. “Just imagine we’re two friends all alone singing to each other in the car.”
It was the word “friends” that caught her attention. She and Amy used to sing in the car together. Amy, who had delivered the crushing news: You didn’t make the Tonal Teens. Julianna hadn’t been good enough. Was she good enough now, or was Whitney right? Had she only made the group because they didn’t have enough girls? Maybe Sydney was sugarcoating things. What if her voice really wasn’t good and she was about to make a fool out of herself at the mall?
“Here we go,” Sydney said. “You keep me spinning like a top, and I never want to stop.” Sydney tried to relax her by making goofy, crazy faces. “But the world stops, stops, stops, when I see you! Come on, Julianna!”
Julianna opened her mouth to sing, but then she caught sight of the lady again. Was she laughing at her? Why was that man buying a pretzel? Was it to watch her sing off-key? Why was that mother with the stroller staring at them?
Cocoa started barking wildly and it felt like a warning: Don’t do it! Don’t make a fool of yourself!
The mall started to spin. Julianna closed her eyes and tried to breathe.
Then she did the one thing she’d gotten way too good at. She quit before she even sang a single note.
When Sydney walked out of class that afternoon, Griffin was waiting for her.
“Hi! Why are you—I mean—” Sydney immediately scanned the halls for Lidia. She could still picture Lidia’s face when she came across Sydney and Griffin sitting so close at the piano two weeks ago. Sydney had been avoiding Griffin’s texts to get together or have dinner ever since. It had been twelve long days.
“We’re supposed to rehearse for the music festival, remember?” he said.
She smacked herself in the head and her plaid headband fell off. She’d forgotten about her rehearsal with Griffin! “Let me grab my music notes from my locker and I’ll meet you in the theater center.” He stepped in front of her.
“No need,” he said. “We’re not practicing on campus today.” She looked at him quizzically and he grinned. “We’re taking a surprise musical field trip.”
Sydney couldn’t help thinking how great his smile was, but she didn’t want him to know that. Instead, she tried to look mad. “You’re not trying to take me on a date, are you?”
Griffin pretended to look horrified. “A date with you? Why would I want to take you on one of those?” They both couldn’t help but blush.
“So where are we going, then?” Sydney asked.
“You’ll see.” Griffin’s hazel eyes pierced through her. “It’s just a short bus ride away.”
Twenty minutes later, Sydney was standing in front of a restaurant.
“This certainly looks like a date,” she said.
“We need food while we practice, don’t we?”
“We haven’t eaten during practice before.”
“We’ve only had one practice.”
She was running out of excuses. “What’s Cliff Notes?” she asked, looking at the restaurant’s sign. The place was near the last bus stop in Naples. From the outside, it looked like a dusty, moldy club that senior citizens in Naples frequented to catch an early-bird special. This was his idea of a first date?
This is not a date, she reminded herself.
I wish it were one.
“I’m not hungry,” Sydney said. She actually was.
“They’ve got the best burgers in town.” Griffin opened the door and she peered inside. The room looked dark and musty, just as she suspected. “Your oasis awaits.”
Sydney’s eyes slowly adjusted to the light. It felt like she had stepped back in time. The decor was dated with lots of wood paneling, vinyl booths, and low lighting. Several of the booths were actually full of older patrons. As soon as they saw them walk in, people shouted, “Griffin!”
Huh?
Sydney watched in awe as Griffin walked over to a table with senior citizens and began hugging people.
“Hey, Gladys! How’s your back?” Griffin said to one woman. “How’s the golf game, Phil?”
He’s like the mayor. It was actually pretty cute to watch.
In the center of the room, two pianos faced each other. One man was playing eighties tunes that reminded her of dentist office music. At the other piano, an older man was playing the harmony. He waved to Griffin.
“Hey, Grandpa,” Griffin said and led Sydney over to the piano.
“Grandpa?” Sydney wondered aloud.
The man stopped playing and stood up. “So this is the young lady you brought to sing for us today.” He shook her hand. “I’m Cliff. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Finally? “It’s nice to meet you too,” Sydney said. Griffin had his eyes.
“I want her on my team,” Cliff told Griffin.
Griffin laughed. “Okay, fine! I’ll be with Herb. At least for the first round.” He winked at Sydney. “May the best singer and piano player win.”
Sydney grabbed his arm. “Wait a minute. What are we doing?”
“There’s no way we’re going to find the right duet to sing at the festival practicing on campus. There are too many distractions.” Thankfully, Griffin didn’t say Lidia’s name as one of them. “Here, we can test out some tunes. This place is a dueling piano bar on Tuesdays.” He smiled. “Told you this wasn’t a date.”
“So this is a singing competition?” Sydney was warming to the idea.
“Yep. You versus me. The crowd picks the winner. What do you say? Up for some friendly competition?”
Sydney looked around the half-empty restaurant. The room was dark and the crowd was all over the age of sixty-five. This was the strangest date-that-wasn’t-a-date that she had ever been on. What did she have to lose?
She held out her hand to shake on it. “You’re on.”
“I hope you know Sinatra,” said Cliff, sliding over on his piano bench to make room for her. “Have you ever heard of ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’?”
“Are you kidding?” Sydney looked at the sheet music. “It’s my grandma’s favorite Sinatra tune.”
“Great taste,” Cliff said. “Is your grandma single?” Cliff gave Sydney a look she’d seen Griffin make before.
Sydney laughed. “Sorry. She’s happily married.”
“Too bad,” said Cliff and they both laughed. Cliff started to play again. “Here’s how this works: We sing a stanza, they sing a stanza, and so on. Sometimes the audience picks a song and the first person to start playing and singing is the one who gets to sing it, but sometimes we compete for the same song. Got it?”
“I know that drill,” said Sydney.
Cliff played the first few chords of the song before Sydney started to sing. She could barely see the top of Griffin’s blond hair from where she was seated, but when it was his turn to sing, she could hear him.
His voice always gave her goose bumps, and this was before she knew how good Griffin was at mimicking Sinatra. She was so distracted by his voice, she almost forgot to jump in when it was her turn. Cliff nudged her just in time and Sydney took it away. She had to admit—that Frank Sinatra had some good tunes.
When they finished the song, they waited for the restaurant-goers to vote.
“And the winner,” said Evelyn, the waitress, reading from a tiny slip of paper. “Is Sydney and Cliff!”
“No!” Griffin shouted. “Herb and I were robbed!”
Sydney laughed as she and Cliff stood up and took a bow. Herb and Griffin walked over to shake their hands.
“As my prize for winning, I demand you buy me a burger and fries,” Sydney told Griffin as they walked away from the pianos and let Cliff and Herb continue to play. “They look very greasy and very delicious.”
“They are,” Griffin said. “But if I’m buying, that’s kind of like a date, isn’t it?”
Her heart thumped hard and Sydney thought for a moment. It kind of was. “No comment.”
They sat at a corner booth under a picture of dogs playing poker. For a while, they just watched Griffin’s grandfather play and ate their burgers in silence.
“He’s really good,” Sydney finally said.
“He taught me how to play when I was three. I’ve been singing here with him since I was in kindergarten.” He smiled playfully. “Kids under ten make great tips at a place like this.”
His smile faded slightly. “But when my mom and dad got divorced, this place also sort of became our afternoon babysitter. Now I’m old enough to go home alone, but my younger sister and brother, Rylie and Kyle, come here on the afternoons I have Kingfishers practice. Grandpa keeps an eye on things.”
Griffin had talked to Sydney about being a child of divorce before. They had that in common too and traded stories about vacation planning. Did Mom get the first half of summer break or the second half? Would winter break be spent in Florida where it was warm or Philly where it would be cold? Griffin’s parents both lived in Florida, but about three hours apart.
“My mom just moved to days at the hospital and she has twelve-hour nursing shifts, so sometimes I attempt to cook dinner, but the twins prefer the burgers at Cliff Notes to my home cooking.” He gave her a look. “I burn water.”
She could picture Griffin doing his homework while helping the twins and attempting to cook dinner at the same time. It sounded impossible. “I’m good with pasta dishes. I make a mean smashed lasagna.”
“Smashed lasagna?” Griffin didn’t look convinced. “That sounds as bad as burned pasta.”
Sydney feigned being hurt. “My little cousins love it. You break the lasagna noodles and cook the whole dish in one skillet. It’s a huge hit, I promise.”
“Can I get the recipe?” Griffin pulled out his phone and started typing. “I’ve got a whole Pinterest board full of kid-friendly meals.” Sydney tried not to laugh. “Yeah, I Pinterest,” he said defensively, holding his phone close to his chest. “They have easy recipes on there!”
“I’ll give you the recipe, but why don’t you let me make it for you guys?” Sydney suggested. “How about Thursday? I can bring it over. We don’t have practice that afternoon.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Griffin said, sounding funny.
“I want to.” Sydney took another bite of the burger. It was the best one she’d ever had. She might have to bring her dad back here. She could picture the two of them eating dinner with Griffin and his grandfather. No, no, no! Why was she thinking that? She couldn’t date Griffin! “It would feel good to help. I’m not doing much good for the Nightingales these days.”
Griffin threw a fry at her. “Are you feeling sorry for yourself? That doesn’t sound like the Sydney I know.”
“I’m not feeling sorry for myself!” Sydney threw the fry back at him. She kind of was. “I’m just pointing out the obvious. My a cappella career is going up in flames.”
“No, it’s not,” he said. “Repeat after me: I’m Sydney Marino and I am the captain of the Nightingales.” He threw another fry at her.
She threw several fries back. She rolled her eyes and mumbled the words. “I am Sydney Marino and I’m the captain of the Nightingales.”
“Pathetic! Say it like you mean it!” Griffin’s fists pounded the table.
Sydney took a deep breath and shouted, “I am Sydney Marino and I am the captain of the Nightingales!” Wow, that felt good.
Griffin stood up and cheered. “That’s it! I believe you now!”
“I think I believe me too!” Sydney jumped up and hugged him.
Griffin held her tight and it felt good. Sydney wanted to stay intertwined, listening to the piano music, forever. If she moved her head slightly, she’d even be staring directly into Griffin’s face. It didn’t take a genius to know what would happen if she did that. But she still wanted to kiss him. Badly. Just do it, her whole body screamed. Kiss him!
>
He liked her and she liked him. Would it be so wrong if they kissed again?
Sydney thought about it and began to pull away, her face inches from Griffin’s. His breath was warm on her face. Do it! she heard her head scream, but then she thought of Lidia. Even if Lidia had dropped her and the Nightingales, Sydney still couldn’t hurt her that way.
She pulled away. “I have to go.”
“I really like you,” Griffin blurted out. “And I think you like me too.” Sydney looked away, her heart beating fast. “I’m sorry if that makes things weird with Lidia. To be honest, I barely know her, but I know you and I want to get to know you better because I think we could be really great together. Don’t you?”
She did. She really did. Griffin reached for her hand. It would have been so easy to take it, but she pulled away. “No. I’m sorry.”
Sydney was glad the room was dark. This way Griffin couldn’t see her crying on her way to the door.
“Explain it to me again: What is cosplay?”
Lidia’s mom was driving her to the Naples Seaside Hotel so she could meet Jack at the cosplay event. Her mom was having a hard time with the idea of Lidia wearing a Halloween costume in late September.
Lidia adjusted her blond Sailor Moon wig in the car mirror. “Think of it like a huge Halloween party, except it’s not Halloween.”
This was Lidia’s first cosplay experience and she wanted to nail it. She had a wig with a red headpiece and extra-long blond pigtails, and was wearing a white sailor-style leotard and a short skirt with blue pleats, and she had a big red bow tied around her collar. She’d even bought white gloves with red trim that completed the costume. She gave her hair one more glance in the rearview mirror. Gah! Where was the little gold crown headpiece that went on her forehead? Had it fallen off? She felt around the seat.
“Sounds fun,” her mom said. “It will take your mind off the audition. When do you find out if you made the competition team?”
