by Jen Calonita
Julianna squinted into the bright sun—there’s still no clouds, Mom!—then began poking around the pirate ship. The fifty-foot sailboat, which was larger than a school bus, had a giant black pirate flag that said SALTY SAM and pirate treasure chests on the deck alongside pirate treasure maps tourists got to use on a stop at a small island where the treasure was “buried.” Sam explained it was the kids’ favorite part of the tour. The boat was half-empty, with just a handful of tourists joining the a cappella group for the excursion (apparently, the noon cruise was more popular). When Lidia and Sydney finally came back out on deck, they were in pirate ensembles. The Nightingales had some fun with that, taking pictures of both girls to post online. After a quick pirate sea shanty and a pirate oath, the girls were off duty for the ride out to sea. Julianna joined Sydney in the front of the boat with the rest of the girls.
“I know this group has had a rough start to the year,” Sydney said, “but I think there is still time to turn things around.”
“Are you kidding?” Whitney said with a snort as she stood up in front of the others. “The Nightingales are the laughingstock of the whole school. We should quit while we’re ahead and forget competing this year.” She glanced at Micayla. “Then, maybe in the spring, we can talk to Mr. Wickey about voting for new captains who can actually pull this team back together.”
Gabby brandished her plastic sword at Whitney’s neck, which was covered in colorful plastic pirate beads. “Let Syd finish or I’ll make you walk the plank.”
Julianna whistled in agreement and the others cheered. Whitney sat back down.
“No, the truth is, Whitney’s right,” Sydney surprised Julianna by saying. “We do look like fools.” She looked at Lidia. “Our fight got in the way of us hosting great auditions and missing out on unique talent. The Kingfishers stealing our first song didn’t help. Neither did the pranks or our group’s infighting and constant competition. We’ve wasted so much time already that it would be easier to quit than to keep going. But you know what? I want to keep going.”
“So do I,” Julianna chimed in, smiling at Sydney, who looked grateful.
“I know this might sound lame coming from the co-captain who left the group, but I think you guys can still pull it together,” Lidia said. “I may not be in the group anymore, but I want to help in other ways. Maybe I could choreograph your numbers.”
“I’d love that, if Whitney was open to it,” Sydney said and Whitney looked surprised. “Your say is as important as mine is now.”
“Let’s be real. You hate that I’m your new co-captain.” Whitney looked doubtful. “You’re never going to listen to me.” She swiped Sydney with her sword. “You don’t even trust me.”
“You’re right.” Sydney brandished her own sword. “I don’t. I think the first chance you get, you’re going to try to make Micayla your co-captain.”
“I like that idea,” Micayla said.
Whitney clinked swords with Sydney. Julianna winced. This could get ugly.
“She would be better than you!” Whitney snapped.
“Duel!” a tourist shouted and people stepped in closer to watch. A cloud moved into view, darkening Sydney’s and Whitney’s faces, and Julianna frowned. The weather was changing.
“I can’t be worried all the time that you’re trying to backstab me,” Sydney said as they crossed the deck, striking swords.
“And I don’t want you to think of me as your Plan B captain,” Whitney declared. “We’re a team now, so we should act like it.”
“You’re right,” Sydney said. She dropped her sword to the ground. Sydney looked at the others. “We have to start working together! We have our work cut out for us, but I think we can be ready for Turn It Up in time if we come together. We want to hear your opinions, but we have to make the decisions or we’re never going to be a team.”
“What if you’re not making the right decisions?” Micayla asked. “You haven’t been a leader so far. How do we know you’re going to be there for this team?”
“Sydney was there for me.” Julianna spoke up and the others looked at her. “I’ve got stage fright. You guys know that. I didn’t think I’d ever get over it, but Sydney worked with me till I felt comfortable getting up on that stage.” She looked at Sydney. “Not every captain would take a chance on someone who is afraid to sing, but Sydney did. She stuck by me when I needed her the most.” She looked at the others. “Our group is a sisterhood and sisters stick together. The Nightingales should too.”
“I’m with Julianna,” agreed Gabby. “We need to come together.”
The others chimed in, even Micayla and Whitney.
“Okay,” Whitney finally said and shook Sydney’s hand. “Let’s make this official and take the Nightingales code of honor pledge.”
“What’s that?” Donna asked.
“It’s kind of old-school, but you sing a promise to each other that you’ll be there for each other onstage and off,” Sydney explained. “I’ve got the words on my phone.” Everyone gathered around to read them.
Sydney pulled out her pitch pipe. “I promise,” they sang, “to sing as if my song will take flight, to dance as if no one is watching, and to honor my team like I do my family. Being a Nightingale is a privilege and I promise that I will help this team and my teammates soar!”
The girls moved in for a group hug and the tourists on board all applauded.
Julianna grinned. Things were finally working out. Then she felt a raindrop. She looked up. The sky had turned gray and the wind was picking up.
“Pirates!” Sam interrupted. “Please batten down the hatches! Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid we need to turn off course till this sudden storm passes.” The chop started banging the boat around pretty good as the rain began to fall harder. There was nowhere to go but on deck. “We’ll head back out after it passes, or you’re welcome to take half off a future voyage.”
Julianna’s mom had been right. Where was that life jacket?
“Half off a future voyage? I just want to survive this one,” Micayla said as she clung to Whitney.
Gabby grabbed Viola and held on for dear life. “It’s the curse! It’s going to send the Nightingales to the bottom of the ocean!”
Viola lightly slapped her cheek. “Pull yourself together! We’re not sinking! We’re not cursed!”
The ship leaned sharply to the left before righting itself. The wind picked up quickly, and a few of the kids on the boat started to cry.
“Okay, maybe we are cursed,” Viola agreed, hugging Gabby back.
“We’re not cursed,” Sydney insisted. “Everyone stay calm.”
“I need you guys to keep everyone distracted as we make our way back to the dock,” Sam said to Sydney and the group. “Keep them happy. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Julianna heard thunder in the distance.
“Keep them happy? How?” Gabby asked.
A bump in the water caused everyone to fall into one another. The little kids on board wailed louder.
“We do it by acting like a team,” Julianna said, and Sydney and Whitney nodded. “We’ll work together and keep the tourists calm.”
“What’s the plan, captains?” Gabby asked.
The rain began to hit them in the face.
Sydney conferred with Whitney. “We sing, of course. You guys up for it?”
The Nightingales nodded in agreement.
“Song?” Julianna asked.
Sydney and Whitney looked at each other. Sydney whispered in Whitney’s ear. Whitney nodded.
“ ‘Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,’ ” Sydney told them. “Everyone know it? From Guys and Dolls?” The Nightingales nodded. “Great! It’s one of my favorite musicals!”
“They’re all your favorite,” Lidia said and everyone laughed. “Mind if I make a guest singing appearance?”
“Glad to have you,” Whitney said as they hit another big bump and tourists shrieked. “Time to sing. Jump in when you can.”
&nbs
p; “Mercedes, keep your volume in check. Pearl, beatbox us a great rhythm, and Donna, you and Ms. Heel knock out the chorus with the others,” Sydney instructed. “Julianna, if you’re feeling a solo, you and Micayla should go for it. Everyone ready?” She blew into her pitch pipe and looked at the group.
“I dreamed last night I was on the boat to heaven … ,” they sang.
They got some of the lyrics wrong at first. Some of the girls didn’t know the song as well as Sydney and Lidia did, but they all remembered the chorus. Viola knew a stanza no one could remember, and one of the tourists knew the whole song backward and forward. As the wind whipped the sailboat around, the whole boat kept singing, and the Nightingales were singing for all they were worth.
“Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down you’re rocking the boat!”
Standing and sitting along with the commands of the song, Julianna and the Nightingales listened to Sydney and Whitney for cues as if this was what they always did.
Everyone smiled as they finally pulled into the dock and the never-ending song came to an end. The tourists even cheered. Julianna and the girls all high-fived.
Julianna knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. A big song-and-dance number in a storm didn’t make all of the Nightingales’ problems disappear, but somehow, Julianna had a feeling that they were on their way to getting their groove back.
For once, the week flew by. Sydney couldn’t wait to get to practice. It still felt weird not to have Lidia in the group, but she had to let Lidia follow her own dream. Even if it no longer was the same dream as her own. Now she had someone new to run ideas by.
“You ready to wow them?” Whitney asked when Sydney found her after school. Whitney had already changed out of her uniform and into jeans and a tee. She was standing outside the aquatic center with one hand on her hip, the other holding a stack of papers. They were song arrangements the two of them had put together the night before without causing physical harm to each other. Mr. Wickey had already approved them and none of the picks conflicted with the Kingfishers’.
The co-captains were making progress. Sydney still thought Whitney was rough around the edges, and Whitney said Sydney was high-strung, but they had similar ideas when it came to song arrangements. Especially one that had to do with Julianna.
“I’m ready to make a cappella history!” Sydney declared, and Whitney rolled her eyes.
“You’re such a cheeseball,” Whitney said and they both laughed.
When they entered the aquatic center, they were surprised to see the rest of the team already assembled. Viola and Gabby were walking around the stage singing to each other, and Pearl was practicing her beatboxing with Donna’s help on vocals courtesy of Ms. Heel. Donna still wasn’t ready to part with her, but Sydney knew they’d work on it like they had Julianna’s stage fright. Donna had on a T-shirt with the Nightingales’ new logo that she had designed after the boat trip. The logo was a birdcage that spelled “Nightingales” in the cage bars. The cage door was open so the Nightingales could take flight. Donna was ordering shirts for the whole team.
Sydney had a feeling they really were becoming one. Everyone seemed to be at practice to sing, not fight or complain about someone’s falsetto or a silly curse. Sydney quickly sat down at the piano to help with pitch while Whitney instructed the girls on their parts for a Fitz and the Tantrums song they’d picked called “HandClap.” The choice had been Whitney’s idea, and Sydney had to admit, when Whitney explained how many parts there were and how easy it would be to get the audience involved in the handclapping, Sydney got excited. They worked on everyone’s individual parts, then put it together as a group. Even though it was early, Sydney had a feeling the song would be a winner. After some song work, the group sat down to go over what still needed to be done before Turn It Up.
“We’re going to keep working on the Fitz and the Tantrums song today and try the Ariana Grande song tomorrow, but we wanted to let you guys know the third song we picked for the season,” Whitney told the group.
“Julianna?” Sydney called. Julianna looked up from her spot on the floor. “We’d like a Ramirez original to be our third pick for the season.” The rest of the girls cheered.
“Really?” Julianna couldn’t hide the hopefulness in her voice.
“Yes!” Sydney said. “Whitney and I loved that song you performed at open house. Who knows? Maybe someone will hear it and want to scoop it up. I’m still waiting for Lin-Manuel Miranda to call me for his next Broadway show.”
“You know Lin-Manuel Miranda?” Julianna marveled.
“No!” Sydney grinned. “But I follow him on Twitter.” The girls laughed.
“And you’re sure you want ‘Rain Fall Down on Me’?” Julianna asked. “I submitted it to a songwriting contest last summer and it was rejected.”
“The judges obviously have no taste because it’s a killer song,” Whitney said.
“Can we hear it again?” Sydney asked.
This time, Julianna didn’t hesitate. She was definitely starting to get more comfortable around them. She closed her eyes and sang the words by heart.
“I can smell it in the air. I can feel it on my skin. The rain is coming and I can’t stop it. No, I won’t stop it. Let the rain fall down on me!”
When she finished, the girls couldn’t stop applauding.
“Nice, Ramirez,” Micayla said, clearly impressed. “I’d be up for singing that.”
“Seriously?” Julianna sounded surprised.
Micayla nodded. “Yes! Didn’t I just tell you that?”
“I’m sorry.” Julianna blushed. “I guess I’m still getting used to someone paying me a compliment for my music. At my old school, I didn’t even make our a cappella group. My best friend had them nix me.” The girls all sounded outraged.
“You don’t need toxic people like that in your life.” Viola smiled. “You’re a Nightingale now.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Great! Now that that’s settled, let’s try ‘HandClap’ again, keeping up the energy,” Sydney suggested. “Mercedes, your voice is perfect to kick off the song. For once, we want you to be really loud.” They all laughed.
Mercedes opened the song onstage alone and was soon joined by Gabby, Viola, and Donna. Pearl appeared next, her beatboxing loud and clear, thanks to her microphone. Little by little, the rest of the Nightingales came in. The group commanded the stage, spreading out to every corner instead of shrinking into a tight circle like they usually did. Mercedes’s voice worked for this song while Micayla and Julianna had solos that highlighted their talents. Sydney could tell the girls were finally getting comfortable with one another. The mood felt like it had on Salty Sam’s boat. This was the teamwork they all needed.
When the song ended, they heard someone clapping enthusiastically from the bleachers across the pool.
“You guys!” Lidia shouted. “You sound amazing!”
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at dance?” Sydney asked.
“One of my teachers is sick so they cancelled the first class.” Lidia said. “I thought I’d help you work through some dance moves.”
“Maybe we should do a warm-up dance party first?” Whitney suggested.
“I’m always up for a dance party,” Lidia said.
She quickly pulled Beyoncé’s Lemonade up on her phone and the girls danced around, singing to one another. Lidia and Sydney spun each other around, and Sydney realized how happy she felt. Seeing the group come together like this was better than winning at Turn It Up.
Oh, who was she kidding?
She still wanted to win!
Why were boys so weird?
Jack seemed to like her. If he didn’t, why was he always buying her chocolate? And texting her funny messages? And inviting her to dress up as a manga character and hang out with superheroes and comic book geeks on a Sunday afternoon?
Except all that had stopped after their weird exchange on the bus that day she ran into him with Griffin. Jack still
texted her back, but the answers were short. He didn’t show up at Kyle’s before their classes the following week like he usually did. When she jokingly asked where he had been hiding, his reply hadn’t been funny. It had been strange, she told Sydney.
“What do you think happened?” Sydney asked as they talked on the phone for the first time in months. There hadn’t even been a reason for the phone call. Syd had just called Lidia to ask if Mr. Kramer had been coughing all through English like he had in her class. Both girls were sure he’d just given the entire school the plague.
“I think Jack thought Griffin and I were together, but we were really only together to go find you.” Lidia curled up on her bed for what she hoped was a long call like they used to have. “And I would tell him that if I ever saw him in person. He hasn’t met me at Kyle’s for ages.”
“Yeah,” Sydney agreed, “this is one you need to explain in person. You need to hunt him down.”
Lidia’s stomach felt funny. She finally liked someone other than Griffin, and Griffin was going to ruin it for her. She covered her face with her pillow. How had she screwed things up so quickly?
“Go somewhere else you know he will be and ambush him,” Sydney suggested.
That could work. The next day, Lidia put a plan in motion. She was waiting outside the coding studio with a massive bag of nonpareils in her hand. Jack was definitely in this class, even if she wasn’t sure which head was his. From behind, all the boys with dark hair looked the same.
A woman on the street passed her and did a double take. Lidia just smiled. She’d gotten a lot of stares that afternoon. When Jack’s class ended and people exited, everyone looked at her strangely. Finally, Jack appeared. He stopped short when he saw her.
“Did I miss an email?” he asked. “Was there a cosplay event in town today?”
Lidia liked how he dressed now that the air was slightly cooler. He had on jeans and a graphic tee that featured a comic book character. He made no apologies for his love of comics. She really liked that about him too.
