Jenna huffed a little laugh. “Good luck. You’re gonna need it,” she added under her breath.
Wyatt cocked an eyebrow at me. “What was that about?”
“That was Lola’s nemesis. We don’t like her.”
He grinned, nodding like the good boyfriend he was. “Noted.”
I sipped my tea as Wyatt eyed our competition. “What about her?” he asked, a mischievous grin carving his lips as he pointed to a blonde nearby. “Do we like her?”
My eyes caught on a dancer nervously chewing her fingernails. It was Lillian Preston. I’d seen her warming up earlier, without her partner, which explained the nerves.
I didn’t really know Lillian that well, but we’d met at registration and had chatted a bit in the Diva Squad group. She was gorgeous. One of those girls who just looked like she was born to be a prima ballerina. But the routine I’d seen her doing during warmups was anything but ballet. It looked incredible though. I loved that she was just going for it. Her routine was different than what I’d been expecting. I’m sure it would surprise a lot of people.
I looked adoringly at Wyatt—sometimes, different was good.
“We like her,” I finally answered.
“Okay,” he seemed to like this game, and so did I. Plus, I needed the distraction right now. “What about her?” he asked pointing to Rose Parson.
Her hair looked different from the last time I saw her, but she was just as stunning as I remembered. She had star quality written all over her. Of all the Diva Squad, I connected with her the most and was really rooting for her to win in her category. But if for some reason she didn’t, I still had every faith that I’d end up seeing her name on the big screen one day.
“That’s Rose,” I said to Wyatt. “We like her, too.”
He laughed. “Where’s your competitive spirit, Penny Layne?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not supposed to like the competition.”
“Well, I’m not really competing against them.”
“Okay. How about her?” Wyatt asked pointing to the songwriter who was scheduled to go on right before me.
I sighed. “Fine, you’re right. I don’t have a competitive bone in my body. That was always Lola’s territory.”
Wyatt put his hands on either side of my shoulders. “Come on, I know there’s a fighter in there somewhere. Where’s the girl who’s not afraid to call me out when I’m being a wanker?”
I laughed. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.” I winced as I looked at the hopeful faces of my competition. “I guess because I know if I win, it means they don’t, and I hate the idea of taking anyone’s dream away from them.”
Wyatt’s face got that dopey smile I loved. It always accompanied his declarations that made my knees weak. I wasn’t sure I could handle that right now. My knees were shaky enough as it was. But Wyatt didn’t seem to notice. He just went about being dashing and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “How on earth did I ever get so lucky?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re beautiful, funny, smart, talented and kind. And the fact that you’re so unassuming about it, just makes you even more special.” He placed the softest kiss on my lips, drawing back to take my face in his hands. “It’s okay that you don’t have a competitive nature. You don’t have any competition. No one else in the world is on your level. Just go out there and be you, and you’ve already won.”
My lips began to quiver as I felt the emotions I’d barely been containing finally burst. I threw my arms around Wyatt’s neck and held him tight.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For being you, for seeing me, for making me feel special.”
“You are special, Layne.” He grinned. “And we’re gonna go out there and show everyone just how special your music is.”
Wyatt held me until my shaking stopped and I was able to rein in my emotions. I was actually glad I’d gotten a few tears out. I felt more solid now as I watched the first girl in the songwriter group get announced. She took the stage to massive applause.
I harnessed the energy from the butterflies in my stomach as I listened to her songs. She was good. Really good. But I knew that didn’t mean I wasn’t. I leaned back into Wyatt’s chest and let him wrap his arms around me as we both watched the next performer take the stage.
A calm settled over me as we stood there together sharing in this special experience. In a few minutes it would be even more special when we took the stage and sang together. There was nothing else in the world quite like making music with the boy I loved.
When it was finally our turn, Wyatt grinned at me and held out his hand. “You ready, Penny Layne?”
I nodded, slipping my hand into his. For the first time in my life, I truly was ready to go after my dreams. I grinned at Wyatt. It didn’t seem half as scary now that one of them had already come true.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Wyatt
I couldn’t help grinning as I watched Layne. She was in her element strumming her guitar. I was so happy that she’d carried that same confident grace I knew she possessed onto the stage today. I’d seen a lot of talented performers bomb in front of a live crowd. It was different than being in a recording studio. But Layne looked like a seasoned pro as she took the mic, thanking the crowd after the applause for our first song died down.
Bent was up next. It would be the second and final song of the audition. We’d planned to sing it together, but I caught the twinkle in Layne’s eye when she turned to me. My heart swelled, because I knew what she was going to say even before she spoke, and I’d never been more proud of her.
“This next song, I wrote for someone very special. I wrote if for myself, so I think I’m going to do this one by myself if that’s okay.”
I gave her a nod, grinning so big it hurt. “Knock ‘em dead, Penny Layne,” I whispered, giving her a wink as I got up from the piano and hurried off stage.
I dashed down into the audience as quickly as my Franken-boot would allow, grabbing one of the seats up front that had been reserved for the performers. I blew Layne a kiss and she began to play.
As usual, watching her sing blew me away. She seriously had no clue how powerful her songs were with her voice behind them.
The lyrics to Bent drifted through the auditorium almost lazily. That’s how good Layne’s slow, honeyed voice was. It seemed effortless. And to her, it probably was. That’s what made her one of the rare talents in this room. She was born to do this.
She sat up there on a stool, so small and unassuming. If you didn’t know her, it was easy to see just a tiny girl—someone easy to overlook. I could see how a lifetime of that perception had shaped her into someone who was scared to show that she could be more, do more, have more.
The labels people give us are hard to overcome. I knew that better than most. But I was so freaking proud of Layne for breaking free of her chains. I had a feeling she was going to inspire quite a few people in this very room to do the same.
For someone so small, her presence took up the whole stage. The spotlight illuminated her, and my heart glowed as I watched her sing her heart out. It was just her, her guitar and my leather jacket. But that was more than enough. She was wearing my fedora too. She’d had it on when we sang karaoke and started calling it her lucky hat, because she told me that was the night she first knew she was falling for me.
I told her I was a goner long before then. Probably from the moment she barged into my mother’s office in her cute dorky glasses. She was wearing them now as she belted out the song that had changed my life. She may be wearing my fedora for luck, but she didn’t need it. And as I looked around at the captivated audience, I knew Layne had this in the bag.
The place was spellbound. And rightfully so.
We were witnessing magic.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Layne
Singing my song
to a live audience and having them leap to their feet to applaud, left me breathless. I was trembling with joy as I waved and walked off stage. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
No matter what happened, I’d always have this moment. I’d done it. I’d faced my fears and chased down a dream. And I’d done it to the best of my ability. I could rest knowing I’d given it my all out there on that stage. And just knowing that made me feel like I’d already won.
The only thing better than the feeling of playing my music on stage, was leaping into Wyatt’s arms when I was done. He met me backstage and swept me off my feet swinging me around in celebration.
We were immediately shushed, so I let him lead me outside where we whooped and kissed until our hearts’ content.
“You nailed it!” Wyatt said, setting me back on my feet after I gave him one of my now famous victory kisses.
“I thought so, too!”
“Layne, you were amazing. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your boyfriend.”
“And musical partner,” I reminded him.
He waved me off. “Everyone knew I was just up there for moral support.”
“And sex appeal,” I teased.
A healthy blush crept up Wyatt’s neck filling the hollows of his cheeks.
“Wyatt Nash, are you blushing?”
“Um, yeah. A rockstar just called me sexy.”
I grinned and twined my hands around his neck. “I prefer the term diva.”
He barked my favorite kind of laugh and gave me one more toe-curling kiss. “Come on, my little diva. Let’s go watch the rest of the show.”
Wyatt and I sat in the front row and watched the rest of the performers in the singing and songwriter categories. There was so much talent in this room, but instead of making me anxious it filled my heart with joy. This was where I was meant to be, and I couldn’t be happier to be here with Wyatt.
I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew that I wanted him to be a part of it. And as he held my hand, tracing circles across my knuckles, I knew that no matter what the results of the competition were, that I’d walk away a winner, because I was walking away with Wyatt—a boy who gave me his heart, and taught me to chase my dreams.
Before I knew it, I was back on stage with the rest of the songwriters, taking our final bow as the judges prepared to deliver our scores. I wished Wyatt were up here with me, but it was just the six of us songwriters. Each of us linked hands as we awaited the verdict.
Honestly, I was just blown away to be standing here next to these talented individuals. I’d listened to all of their songs and had been truly inspired. And as if that weren’t enough, I was standing in front of two of my personal legends—Broadway hopeful, Marissa Munns, and Country queen, Tessa Hart.
Lola was going to die when she found out Marissa was one of the judges. She was Lola’s idol. Marissa had gone to Northwood and won a diva scholarship when she was a senior. She was in college now and had already starred in a bunch of off-Broadway shows. The girl was going places.
I was so relieved the judges’ identities weren’t revealed until after we’d performed. I think my stage fright would’ve been much worse if I knew who I was singing to. Especially, Tessa Hart. The woman was my hero.
Like Marissa, she was from the Northwood area. I’d grown up listening to her band, Mason Jar Hart. I’d never been able to see her perform live even though I tried to win tickets to her hometown shows every year, but knowing I’d just sang a song in front of her, completely made up for that. I could die happy now.
There were three more guest judges whose music I wasn’t as familiar with, but I was sure they were equally accomplished in the music industry. And from the applause the crowd gave them, I’d say they might even be more popular than my personal favorites.
Finally, the excitement over the judge reveal died down and it was time for the moment of truth. I clutched the hands of my competitors and whispered good luck as the judges passed their score cards to the MC. He jogged up to his spot at the podium on stage and took a deep breath. His face looked hesitant as he read the results.
My heart was beating double time in my chest as I watched him frown and speak into his headset like he was verifying something. Maybe that was normal. I hadn’t paid such close attention to the other results. I just knew the judges gave their scores and, in our case, our popular vote percentage was added to that and then the winner was determined.
I supposed the popular vote factor added another variable that might be causing the delay, but I knew I had nothing to worry about there. I’d won the popular vote by a landslide thanks to my song being on the radio.
Finally, the MC cleared his throat. “Well, NRSDA is nothing if not exciting. I’m going to get right to it. Please hold your applause until I finish with the announcements. The songwriter with the highest overall score determined by both the popular vote and our esteemed judges, is . . .” I held my breath. “Layne Hall. However . . .”
I gasped when I heard my name, but the fact that is was followed by the word ‘however’ made my knees knock together.
“Due to circumstances just brought to our attention,” the MC continued, “The songwriter scholarship will not be awarded to Miss Hall. Sadly, the fact that her song has been played on a nationally syndicated radio station makes her ineligible for the competition, based on the rules strictly outlined in the bylaws.”
A murmur rippled through the auditorium, and I felt my face flush as everyone on stage turned to look at me.
The MC cleared his throat. “So, without further delay, the scholarship will be awarded to the songwriter with the second highest score. Congratulations to—”
My pulse was pounding so hard in my ears that I couldn’t hear the name of the winner. I only knew it wasn’t me. I hadn’t won. Well, I had, but then it was taken away on a technicality.
I stood in place trying to digest what had just happened.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Wyatt
“Wyatt, please keep your voice down,” my mother warned.
“I don’t care who hears me,” I argued. “This isn’t fair, and you know it!”
The moment I heard the MC announce Layne had won, then take it away, I’d been out of my seat.
I had to do something. All of this was my fault.
I’d been pleading with my mother since the moment I’d found her, but she wasn’t budging on her decision.
“Please,” I begged. “This isn’t Layne’s fault. I’m the one who put the song on the radio. She didn’t ask me to do it. That has to count for something, right?”
“Darling, I realize this is upsetting, but there’s nothing that can be done.”
“That’s not true! You’re one of the sponsors.”
“Exactly,” she said. “And how do you think it would look if I gave preferential treatment to my son’s girlfriend, when you used a radio station your father has a stake in to get her an unfair advantage?”
“But—”
“No, Wyatt. I’m sorry. This program is important, and I will not have its validity jeopardized because you acted without thinking, as usual.”
Her words stung, but not as much as knowing I’d let Layne down—again.
I was devastated. How was I going to face her when I’d just single-handedly dashed her dreams?
“Darling, I’m sorry. Truly, I am. But sometimes disappointment is how we learn from our mistakes.” And with that, my mother walked away, each clack of her heels hammering another nail into my coffin.
I slumped against the wall, closing my eyes as I rested my head against the cool bricks. It suddenly felt too heavy for my shoulders. I replayed my mother’s words, wondering if there was anything else I could’ve said. But I kept getting tripped up on her parting words. ‘Disappointment is how we learn from our mistakes.’
I had been learning from my mistakes. I’d taken responsibility lately. I was trying to find my direction and stop treating each day as another aimles
s joke.
Layne had changed all of that. She made me want to figure out my future, because I wanted her to be a part of it. And that’s why no matter what way I looked at it, I couldn’t see what I’d done as a mistake.
Of course, I wished putting her song on the radio hadn’t caused her to get disqualified. But not doing it would’ve meant losing her. Not only that but she probably would’ve given up on the competition, too.
Or maybe she wouldn’t have.
If I’d learned anything, it was that Layne shouldn’t be underestimated. The girl was capable of greatness. As long as people like me didn’t get in her way.
This sucked!
I couldn’t believe she’d come so close only to have this dream taken away. And it was my fault. Maybe my mother was right; I needed to learn from my mistakes.
I still couldn’t rectify that doing what felt right in my heart was a mistake, but it was hard to argue that Layne might be better off without me. She certainly wouldn’t have gotten herself disqualified if I wasn’t in her life.
I sunk onto my crutches, which my mother had handed to me, adding insult to injury. Though I might need them, considering my legs felt like they could give out at any moment thanks to this catastrophic blunder.
I didn’t think I could feel any worse, until I saw Layne approaching. She had tears in her eyes, and I felt my heart cave in. Despite my best intentions, I’d hurt the girl I loved.
My throat tightened with emotions. I didn’t deserve her.
“Wyatt,” she sobbed, throwing herself into my arms.
I let my crutches fall, not caring one bit about the scene we were causing. This could be the last time I ever got to hold her—my Penny Layne. I caressed her hair, committing her soft coconut fragrance to memory.
I was ruined for life. Nothing would ever compare to this girl. How could it be over? But how could it not?
I’d wrecked everything.
I pulled back to run my hands down Layne’s cheeks, wiping away her tears. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my heart breaking with each word. “This is all my fault.”
Kissing The Hero (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 2) Page 24