Musical Star

by Rowan Coleman

  “No, you’re right,” Mr Petrelli said after a moment, breaking into a smile. “Completely right. This is a solo – but we have to sing it for the audition. All the schools do. So how can we make it work?”

  “Well…” I began uncertainly, an idea beginning to form in my mind.

  “Go on, Ruby,” Mr Petrelli said.

  I glanced around, everyone was looking at me again. “Well, we could try and stage the song a bit more,” I suggested. “Instead of us all standing in three rows singing, we could stand apart, with spaces in between us. And we could have solos – get the strongest singers Adele, Talitha, Hannah and Dakshima to sing a verse each. And maybe as one soloist finishes their bit, they could walk over and touch the next one on the arm, like they are passing the loneliness and the song on. Sort of a singing relay. And it would be a bit more of a show then, because it’s a chorus they need and not a school choir.”

  There was a moment’s silence and everyone looked at Mr Petrelli.

  “I like it,” Mr Petrelli said. “Girls, are you happy to sing solo?

  “In front of everyone?” Adele asked him nervously.

  “Yes, Adele,” Mr Petrelli said. “In fact with your voice I think I might get you to start.”

  “No, sir, I can’t,” Adele said, anxiously. “I’m really sorry. I love singing, but I can’t do it on my own. If you make me do that in front of the judges I’ll crack, I know I will.”

  “You might not,” I said, clapping her on the back. “Come on, Adele, you’ve got the best voice here!”

  “Thanks, Ruby, but I still can’t, and I don’t want to mess it up for everyone else. Please, sir, don’t make me.”

  Mr Petrelli looked thoughtful. “Of course we won’t make you, Adele.”

  “I’ve got no problem with going first,” Talitha said.

  “I’ll go second,” Hannah added.

  “Don’t mind when I go,” Dakshima said.

  “Well, this a girl’s song, so we need another girl. Next on my list of singers will have to be…Ruby Parker.”

  “Me?” I said, clapping my hand on my chest. “You want me to sing on my own?”

  “Yes, Ruby, I didn’t pick you to be in the choir just to torture you. You have a nice voice,” Mr Petrelli said. “You need to find a bit more confidence and strength, but out of everyone here you have the most experience in performing. And as it was your idea to stage the song, it seems only fair you get some of the spotlight, excuse the pun…again.”

  “I don’t want the spotlight,” I said. “I’m very happy in the shadows, me.”

  “Come on, Ruby, you’re part of a team remember,” Dakshima said. “We need you.”

  “Yeah, come on, Ruby,” Gabe and Talitha said together.

  “Give it a go,” Rohan said.

  “Just because I used to be on TV and in films and things – well, it doesn’t mean I’d be any better on a stage performing live. I’ve never done that,” I told them.

  “Let’s try it,” Mr Petrelli said. “Dakshima, Talitha, Hannah and then Ruby – and all join in on the last verse.

  Let’s run it through now and I’ll come up with some backing harmonies for the rest of you. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight…”

  Standing completely still, I listened as the other girls began to sing their parts. Every muscle in my body clenched and I knew that this was a terrible idea. I might sound OK as part of the choir, but on my own I’d be awful, I just knew it. I mean, I didn’t even sing into my hairbrush in front of the mirror. I didn’t even sing at a performing arts school – that’s how bad a singer I was.

  I looked over at Dakshima who was singing her heart out and knew it was my turn next. She’d said she thought I didn’t want to be part of the school, that I didn’t want to try, but she was wrong. I even wanted to be part of the choir, especially after Jade was so rude about us. I wanted to show Jade and everybody that you don’t have to go to a posh stage school to succeed and that Highgate Comp is just as good as any other school.

  The only thing left for me to do was to try. And then, I thought, when they realise that I really am awful, at least they will see that I tried and nobody will hate me.

  I took a deep breath as Dakshima came over, touched my arm and I sang.

  “Brilliant,” Mr Petrelli said, clapping his hands together as we all finished together. “You were all brilliant and – Ruby, where did that voice come from? You’ve been hiding it from me all this time.”

  “Have I?” I said, looking around at the others, who clapped me on the back and told me well done.

  “OK, OK, settle down,” Mr Petrelli said as the girls hugged each other and the boys tried not to look like they cared either way. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We need to tighten up the harmonies on Spotlight, work out some backing harmonies for Alone in a Crowd and this is our last rehearsal. So less patting each other on the back and more singing. And Ruby, if you have any other ideas, let me know, because I’ve got a feeling we might just pull this off!”

  I looked around at Dakshima, Talitha, Hannah, Adele, Gurkay, Gabe and the rest of Highgate Comprehensive choir and suddenly I felt like I really belonged to something for the first time in a long time.

  And it was funny really, because until then I hadn’t realised that it was me who’d been feeling alone in a crowd all along.

  When we came out of school, we were all laughing and talking. Talitha was pretending that she wasn’t deliberately trying to walk next to Gabe when everybody could tell that she was, and Dakshima and Hannah were practising their harmonies. I was surprised to see my mum sitting in her car waiting for me. She hadn’t picked me up from school since I started walking home with Dakshima.

  “Do you want a lift?” I asked Dakshima, waving at my mum, who grinmed and waved back.

  “You mum looks really happy,” Talitha said. “Why is that?”

  “She’s in love,” I said, grimacing. “She’s been happy all the time since she started going out with Jeremy Fort.”

  “A happy mum is better than a miserable one,” Hannah reminded me.

  “I’m going to walk,” Dakshima told me. “See you tomorrow!”

  “And good luck with your happy mother,” Talitha added.

  “Hi, Mum,” I said, opening the passenger door and sliding in next to her.

  “Hello, love. How was your day?” Mum asked, flinging her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek.

  “Same as usual,” I said warily. “Mum, what’s happened? Why are you so…hyper?”

  “Hyper? Am I?” Mum laughed happily. “We’ve got a surprise visitor.”

  I looked at her shining eyes. “Jeremy?” I asked, even though it was obvious from all the soppiness and the fact that she was wearing lipstick at five in the afternoon. Jeremy was filming in Hungary and we hadn’t seen him for nearly a month. He phoned a lot, but I knew that she still missed him.

  “Yes,” Mum said happily. “He landed this morning, says he’s got a week off and he wants to spend it with us.”

  “With you, more like,” I said, and I wasn’t upset; it was just the truth.

  “With us both,” Mum insisted. “He’s got something to tell us apparently.

  “Really?” I looked sideways at my mum. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know,” Mum said. “He wanted to wait for you to get back from school. It’s probably whether or not we would like to go on holiday with him for a bit, or visit him on set in Hungary. Or maybe he’s got a new film role.”

  “Hmmmm,” I said. “Maybe.”

  “Ruby!” Jeremy greeted me with a big hug when I came in, standing up so that Everest had to scramble off his lap to safety. “I was just getting reacquainted with your cat. I think he was after my breath mints. David misses you, you know. He hasn’t been the same since you left us.”

  David was the scrawny little Chihuahua that Jeremy rescued from some starlet who had abandoned the dog when he wasn’t fashionable any more. At first I hadn’t really liked the animal,
with his needley little teeth and bony body, and I think he felt more or less the same way about me. But by the end of my stay in Hollywood, we were pretty good friends, even if it was because nobody else seemed to likes us much.

  “So how’s the new school?” Jeremy asked.

  “It’s great actually,” I said. “I’m in the choir. I sang a solo today and I didn’t completely suck, and on Sunday we’re going in for this competition where the winners get to be part of the chorus of a show. We won’t win, which is shame because we need the prize money more than anything.”

  “You’re singing a solo?” Mum asked me in disbelief.

  “I know,” I said. “Mr Petrelli said it was good. But I went to the Academy for all of those years and no one ever discovered my singing voice there, so I don’t think it can be that good, do you? Which is another reason I don’t think we’ll win.”

  “Sounds like you haven’t completely given up on show business altogether then?” Jeremy asked me.

  “I have,” I said. “I’ve given up on people following me around and writing mean and untrue things about me and my family when they don’t even know me. But I quite like being the choir. It’s surprisingly fun.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy,” Jeremy said, suddenly looking rather nervous. “I’ve something I wanted to tell you and your mother.”

  “Really?” I said. “Are you offering me a new film project? Because I’m not accepting any roles. I’ve turned down two since we got back from Hollywood. One was a Japanese martial arts film, and one about a school prefect who discovers she can fly.”

  “No,” Jeremy said glancing at my mum. “It’s not about work, it’s more about…home. I wanted to ask both of you if you thought it would be OK…by which I mean a good idea, if I were to move back to London permanently?”

  “Really?” My mum clasped her hands together. “You’d be living in London?”

  “Yes, if you’re amenable to the idea,” Jeremy said, beaming at my mother who was clearly about as amenable as a person possibly could be. “I’m tired of film making and I miss the buzz of live theatre. I’ve been offered the post of creative director at the Harlequin in the West End. I’m going to take it. I’ll bring Augusto, Marie and David with me too, of course. And best of all, I’ll be near all of the people I care about,” he looked at me. “By which I mean you and your mother, Ruby.”

  “Oh, Jeremy, that’s wonderful news,” Mum said happily.

  “It’s great,” I said. “And of course we will.”

  “Of course you will what?” Jeremy asked me.

  “Help you buy a house!” I told him. “How much money have you got? Do you want a ballroom because those houses are quite pricey, we’ll need to know how many loos, bedrooms, a swimming pool…”

  “Oh, right,” Jeremy said. “I see, I hadn’t thought – what do you think?”

  “I think a ballroom is really handy for parties,” I told him. “And at your age you need all the exercise you can get, so a swimming pool is a must.”

  “I’m going to be in Hungary for the next few weeks,” Jeremy told me, “so I think I’ll leave the details up to you. Just find me a house somewhere near here that both of you really like. Because if you like it, then it truly will be a home.”

  “Oh, Jeremy,” Mum sighed.

  “That was so corny,” I said. “Is that a line from a film?” And we all laughed, except Everest, who was still searching for Jeremy’s mints.

  Later that evening, after Jeremy had made us all lasagne for tea and I was lying on my bed trying to do my maths homework, Mum came up to see me.

  “Ruby?” she called my name quietly on the other side of my bedroom door.

  “Come in,” I said, glad of an excuse to put my books away for a minute.

  “How’s it going?” Mum said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Fine,” I said. “Maths, you know. Bleugh.”

  “I didn’t mean with you homework…” Mum hesitated. “I meant with you. Are you OK about everything?”

  I blinked at her and sat up. “Yes,” I said, and then just to be on the safe side. “OK about what?”

  “It’s just the last time I thought you were really happy and fine about things, I got it completely wrong and you ran away in the middle of the night and put yourself in terrible danger. So I just wanted to check, to see if you’re worried anything. About Jeremy moving to London. About me and Jeremy becoming closer. If any of that makes you feel uncomfortable, sad or angry, then I want you to tell me so that we can talk about it.”

  I made a note to myself to never EVER run away in middle of night after stealing my mum’s credit cards to book flight across the Atlantic ever EVER again. All it really achieved was Mum worrying about me far too much, far too often, and when she really didn’t have to. And a lot of intense conversations while she tried to work out if I was having a nervous breakdown or not.

  “Do you mean am I upset that Jeremy is moving to London to be closer to you?” I asked. Mum nodded, a frown slotted between her brows.

  “No, of course not,” I told her. “I’m glad he’ll be around more. You and he might be…you know, a couple and that, but he’s my friend too, Mum. Don’t forget he was my friend before you two even got together. And it will be cool to see David again, the scrawny mutt. Plus when Jeremy’s around, you’re all happy and shiny and I get away with a lot more stuff.”

  “Like what?” My mum asked me laughing.

  “Like being able to wear just a tiny bit of clear lip-gloss to school in the morning like almost all the other girls do?” I asked her quickly, hopeful that her happiness would make her relent.

  “No, Ruby,” Mum said mildly, standing up and leaning over to kiss me. “No make-up to school.”

  “Just a tiny, tiny bit,” I pleaded. “You’d hardly know it was there!”

  “Nope,” Mum said, going to the door. “Now get on with your homework.

  “Mum-um,” I protested, letting my head flop down on to the bed.

  “Oh and Rube?” Mum said, making me lift my head so my hair flopped all over my face. “I’m so proud of you, now more than ever.”

  I looked up, then smiled. “I know you and Jeremy are in love, but you have got to stop being so soppy,” I told her. “It’s ruining my cred.”

  Mum was laughing as she closed the door.

  SPOTLIGHT! THE MUSICAL ©

  Produced by Caruso Carousel Productions In conjunction with Bright Young Things TV

  The Spotlight! School Choir Competition©

  Rules for Competitors

  All choirs must be pre-registered by their teachers at least two weeks before the regional heats.

  The names of choir members must be submitted at the time of registration. New members are not permitted to join after the commencement of the competition.

  Choir members may not also participate in the SPOTLIGHT!: SEARCH FOR A STAR© (Produced by BYT-TV)

  Parents and guardians of all choir members must give their consent for their child/children to appear on SPOTLIGHT!: SEARCH FOR A STAR THE FINAL© (Produced by BYT-TV) before the competition commences.

  Parents and guardians must give their consent for their child/children to appear in the live televised premiere of SPOTLIGHT! THE MUSICAL©.

  All choirs must sing the songs that have been chosen for them.

  All choirs must be amateur choirs affiliated with the school and receive no professional training outside of the school.

  The SPOTLIGHT! SCHOOL CHOIR COMPETITION© believes in equal opportunities for all and fair play. Any choir deemed to be going against the spirit of the competition will be eliminated.

  Enjoy the competition and Good Luck!

  Chapter Seven

  It was Saturday morning, the day before the auditions, when Anne-Marie and Nydia came up with the best idea they have ever had. Me, Anne-Marie, Nydia and Dakshima had gone to a café for hot chocolate. At least Nydia, Dakshima and I were having hot chocolate.

  “You’re having a
n espresso?” I asked Anne-Marie as a tiny cup of strong black coffee was placed in front of her.

  “I am,” Anne-Marie said airily. “I’m fourteen now, Rubes. I have sophisticated tastes.”

  “What, just like that, overnight, you stopped liking sweet, milky, chocolatey drinks topped off with whipped cream and a flake, and started to like small, hot, dark bitter ones?” Nydia and I grinned at each other.

  “Actually, I’ve liked espressos for ages and I fancy one this morning,” Anne-Marie said. “It’s no big deal. Honestly, you thirteen-year-olds are so immature.”

  “Are you telling me that after my birthday in a few weeks’ time I’ll be necking coffee?” Dakshima asked her.

  Anne-Marie raised an eyebrow. “Sophisticated tastes come with more than age,” she said archly, but with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Thank goodness for that,” Dakshima said. “Coffee is rank, man.”

  I took a big slurp of my chocolate so that it left a whipped-cream moustache on my top lip and grinned at Anne-Marie. “Drink up then,” I said, nodding at the espresso.

  Anne-Marie looked at the tiny little cup. “I’m waiting for it to cool down,” she said, making the rest of us collapse into giggles. “I am!” She protested, trying not to laugh. “It’s very hot!”

  “Tell us more about Jeremy moving to London, Ruby.” Nydia said. “Do you think he is going to ask your mum to marry him?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “I suppose he might one day, but not yet. Mum called Dad and told him about the move last night, but I’m not seeing him until he takes me to the choir competition tomorrow so I don’t really know how he feels about it. I shouldn’t think he’ll mind though. And today Mum and Jeremy are going to look at houses. They’re going to rule out all of the rubbish ones and then call me in for an opinion when they’ve got a shortlist.”

  “To think that Jeremy Fort fancies your mum,” Nydia said. “You can see that he really, really loves her like mad.”