by Jen Calonita
“This is my fault,” Sydney blurted out. “I wasn’t fair to Lidia and I apologized, but she has a right to still be upset.” She smiled encouragingly at Lidia. “Last week was a hiccup, but we take our co-captain status seriously and we’re looking forward to leading this team to their first a cappella victory in five years. No matter what’s gone on between us, we are committed to working together as a team.”
“No,” Lidia said quietly.
“No?” Sydney did a double take. “To what part?”
Lidia looked at Mr. Wickey. “I don’t think the two of us can work together as co-captains. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
“What?” Sydney freaked out. Lidia wouldn’t look at her. “You can’t quit.”
“Lidia, are you sure about this?” Mr. Wickey asked.
Lidia’s voice broke. “I’m sure.”
“Don’t do this,” Sydney begged. “We can work together, I’m sure of it.”
“We can’t even agree on a team,” Lidia said. “How are we going to run one together? I think it’s best if I step down.”
“Your mom will kill you,” Sydney blurted out. “And you have to take a music extracurricular anyway. What are you going to take instead?”
Lidia’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll worry about my mom, thanks. And what activity I take is not your business.” She looked at Mr. Wickey. “I would like to resign.”
“If you’re sure,” Mr. Wickey said. Lidia nodded.
Sydney couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But if Lidia resigns, that means we need five more members!”
“And a new co-captain, or co-captains,” Mr. Wickey said awkwardly. “The a cappella teams always have two leaders for this very reason.”
Sydney’s heart broke. Whitney and Micayla would do their best to oust her and take the roles themselves. It’s what they’d always wanted. Lidia had to know this. “Lidia, please,” she begged. “Don’t do this.”
Lidia shook her head. “I’m sorry. I should go.” She grabbed her bag and went to the door.
“I appreciate you being honest with us, Lidia,” Mr. Wickey said. “Good luck with your extracurricular this year.” Lidia nodded, briefly glanced at Sydney, and ducked out.
“I’ll be right back,” Sydney told Mr. Wickey. She caught up with Lidia down the hall. “I said I was sorry! What more do you want me from me?”
Lidia’s eyes were teary. “Nothing. Sometimes saying you’re sorry is not enough.” She maneuvered around Sydney.
“So, this is it? You don’t want to be a Nightingale anymore, so now I don’t get to lead the group either?” Sydney asked, getting angry even though she was crying.
“You don’t know that’s what’s going to happen,” Lidia said.
“That’s exactly what’s going to happen!” Sydney cried. “If you give up your captain slot, Whitney and Micayla are going to try to oust me. I’ll never survive if one of them gets co-captain with me. They won’t stop till it’s the two of them. The group is already a mess.”
“You don’t even have a group at the moment,” Lidia fired back. “You think you’re too good for any of my picks.”
Sydney almost laughed. “Puppet Girl? You just want her to make me mad.”
“I don’t need Puppet Girl to make you mad.” Lidia wiped her eyes. “But you know what? This is no longer my problem.” Lidia walked down the stairs.
“Wait!” Sydney’s voice cracked. “If they take over, the Nightingales will be finished. You know that. Is that really what you want?”
Lidia stopped walking but she didn’t turn around. “You can’t blame me for this. You did this to yourself. Good-bye, Sydney.”
Sydney stopped talking. She knew she wouldn’t change Lidia’s mind, but she couldn’t walk away. She waited till Lidia was no longer visible before the tears started to come faster and she audibly sobbed.
Lidia had stepped down as co-captain.
The Nightingales didn’t have enough members. Even if they got them, Micayla and Whitney would probably stage a coup and steal the group.
But worst of all?
Sydney had lost her best friend.
Gabby might have been onto something: Sophomore year was definitely cursed.
What word rhymed with “free”?
Let’s go and see?
Nah.
Time for a spending spree?
When did she ever go on a spending spree? She crossed out both sentences.
A chance to be me?
Yes.
Julianna quickly scribbled the new line in her notebook, trying to keep up with the thoughts.
When a song idea came on, she stopped, dropped, and wrote. She preferred to be in front of her piano at home or have her guitar, but she was waiting for her first Nightingales practice to start so she had neither. As she sat in one of the back rows of the theater, she used her knees as a makeshift desk and the sound of the other Nightingales talking as her background music. Julianna looked down at her notebook and reread the last stanza she’d written.
After years of being shackled to the me I thought I should be,
Now I’m finally free,
The chains are gone, the scars remain,
But I won’t let them continue to reign,
I’m free to be the me I was always meant to be.
The lyrics actually weren’t terrible. They were much better than her ode to late-night french fries that was written on the opposite page. (Drop me in the deep fryer! Just the sound makes my stomach feel like it’s on fire.)
It really didn’t matter what she wrote. Sometimes the hardest thing a writer could do was write. After Julianna got the Sounds of the Future songwriting contest rejection the week before, she was sure she’d never pick up a pen again. She envisioned a bonfire where she burned all her lyrics and idea books. But Sydney’s invitation to join the Nightingales had changed all that. It gave her some faith in herself.
Whether she could actually get up on a stage and sing in front of people was a different story.
Julianna heard someone talking at the speed of light and looked up. Gabby was walking toward her.
“Do we know who else is going to be here? Is Lidia coming? Are they still fighting? I haven’t seen them together all week. Has anyone heard anything? Vi? Vi, are you listening to me? Vi?” Gabby poked the girl listening to music on her headphones. “VI!”
Viola slid off the headphones and let them rest on her neck. “What?”
“Hey! It’s you!” Gabby said, stopping short when she saw Julianna staring. “What are you doing here?”
“I came back to audition and I made the group,” Julianna said shyly, leaving out the details of her audition. “You guys too?”
“Yes.” Gabby counted heads in the room as Viola slipped her headphones on again and started singing to herself. Her voice was really layered. “And good for you! I guess that means there really are enough girls for a group.”
Julianna frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Gabby asked. “The pool of talent was so small, Sydney had to take basically everyone who tried out. We’re lucky we’ve gotten enough girls to compete.”
Julianna’s stomach felt funny. “Everyone?”
Was that the real reason Sydney had picked her? Because she was forced to?
Viola removed her headphones yet again, hearing Julianna’s thoughts. “I wouldn’t sweat it. I’m sure you’re good. Would you have tried out for the group if you weren’t?” Someone called Viola’s name, and Gabby spotted someone she knew too and rushed off talking a mile a minute.
Julianna sat in the auditorium seat in stunned silence. Was she a pity invite?
Her phone started to ring and she pulled it out of her bag. It was Amy. She quickly answered it. Maybe the call would take her mind off things. “Hey.”
“Ju-Ju!” Amy shouted, her voice as big and bright as if she were sitting next to her. “Sorry I haven’t been in touch this week. I’ve been slammed. How’s that fancy school tr
eating you?”
“I like it,” Julianna admitted to herself as much as to Amy.
The girls onstage had started to sing a Beyoncé song. They sounded good, which was a relief to Julianna. Maybe they weren’t pity invites.
“Do I hear singing?” Amy asked. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the school theater,” Julianna said, sitting up straight in the seat, which squeaked. “I have some news.”
“Me too,” Amy said. “Me first! Guess who made captain of the Tonal Teens? Me!” She screamed so loud, Julianna had to hold the phone away from her ear.
“Whoa, that’s amazing!” Amy was only a sophomore, but people in the group adored her. “I have some news too,” Julianna said shyly. She’d been dying to tell Amy, but this was bigger than a text. “Guess who made the girls’ a cappella team at Bradley? Me!” Julianna waited to hear Amy’s reaction.
There was none.
“Did you hear me?” Julianna asked, putting her hand over her other ear so she could hear. The Beyoncé song was getting loud. She looked at her phone to see if the call had been dropped. “Amy? Did I lose you?”
“No! Sorry. You made the Nightingales?” Amy’s voice sounded odd. “That’s great, Ju-Ju! They must really need new blood this year.”
Julianna squirmed. Amy couldn’t have meant it the way it sounded. “What do you mean?”
“Oh my God, Ju-Ju, I’m sorry,” Amy said, laughing. “I just meant you didn’t make the Tonal Teens that one time you tried out, and I never hear you sing so I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
Double ouch. “I know I didn’t make the Tonal Teens, but I do sing,” Julianna said defensively. In the shower.
“Well, you must if you got up the nerve to try out,” Amy added. “You threw me! I guess I didn’t expect you to try out for an a cappella group.”
“A music group elective is a requirement here,” Julianna said, but she felt funny explaining herself, as if she had to justify why she was now singing a cappella.
“This means we’re going to be competitors now,” Amy said. Amy didn’t sound happy about that.
“Maybe this means we’ll get to see each other at a competition,” Julianna suggested. “That would be fun.”
“Yeah, fun,” Amy said. “Listen, I have to go. Captain duty calls. Talk to you soon!” She hung up before Julianna could even say good-bye.
That was bizarre. What was up with Amy? Julianna made a mental note to talk to Naya later and see if anything was going on. She closed her notebook and headed toward the other girls, who were still warming up. Gabby ran over to her.
“Guys? This is Julianna. She’s new!” Gabby threw her arms around her. “Julianna, the team.”
A small group of girls said—or sang—hello.
“Shouldn’t Sydney and Lidia be here to make the introductions?” a pretty girl with wavy hair said. “You’d think the captains would get here early to welcome us.”
“Chill, Whitney. I’m sure they’re on their way.” Viola quickly made introductions. There was Mercedes, a girl who spoke as loud as someone wearing headphones. A girl named Donna had a puppet drawn on her fist.
“This is Ms. Heel,” Donna explained. “Hello!” the puppet said.
“Your fist has a name?” Micayla asked, looking at the others. “Are we being pranked? There is no way a puppet is a Nightingale.”
“Micayla,” Viola said, sounding a lot like a mother, which seemed to suit her. She had a calming way about her that put Julianna at ease. “Sydney and Lidia know what they want for this group. I’m sure Ms. Heel will fit right in.” She winked at Donna.
“It wouldn’t work in my group,” Micayla muttered.
That anxious feeling Julianna was trying to ignore was creeping back.
“Four, five, six, seven, eight.” Whitney counted the girls. She had the reddest lips Julianna had ever seen. They were glossed to a high-test sheen. “Wait a minute. Who’s missing? There’s only nine of us and we need ten. Who’s number ten?”
“Actually, we need two more to form a group,” said Sydney as she walked down the ramp with a huge box that had pink wigs sticking out of it.
Everyone started talking at once, a flurry of questions being shouted over one another. Viola and Sydney tried to keep everyone calm, but it didn’t work. Sydney finally whistled loudly and everyone stopped talking.
“As I was saying, we need two more members.” She frowned. “We have to have at least ten to compete.”
Whitney motioned to the small group. “You’re telling me everyone who tried out got a slot?”
Sydney’s cheeks colored. “Pretty much.” Everyone started talking again. “But that doesn’t mean you didn’t deserve to be here! We’re lucky we had such talent show up.” She pushed her blond hair behind her right ear. “Now we just have to work on fine-tuning everyone’s talents a little bit and possibly finding a new member. Fast.”
“Where’s Lidia?” Micayla asked, a small smile playing on her lips.
Julianna looked from Gabby to Viola to Sydney. Did everyone know something the others didn’t?
Sydney looked down at the box she was still holding. “She’s not coming.” There was an awkward pause. “Lidia decided to leave the group.”
The uproar started up again. Everyone was talking so loud, Julianna couldn’t hear a word Sydney was trying to say.
“Listen!” Sydney shouted at the top of her lungs and everyone got quiet again. “Geez. I have to stop screaming or I’m going to damage my vocal cords.”
“Lidia’s gone?” Whitney asked again.
“Yes. She’s already talked to Mr. Wickey, so it’s a done deal. There’s no changing her mind so don’t even bother trying.” Sydney wouldn’t make eye contact with them. “She wants to do other extracurriculars this year and I’m happy for her. Really.”
The group was quiet.
“So it’s got nothing to do with you kissing Griffin Mancini?” Whitney asked and Sydney’s cheeks colored.
Micayla tsked. “Kingfisher and Nightingale hookups are frowned upon. You know that.”
“This has nothing to do with a guy,” Sydney said. Julianna had a feeling there was more to the story. “If Lidia doesn’t want us, then we don’t want her. People should be here because they want to be Nightingales.”
“Like me!” someone said and they all turned around.
Pearl Robbins was running down the aisle, her hair bouncing wildly. She practically tackled Sydney. “I heard you are short members. I know I didn’t make the cut again, but please, please, please let me try out again.”
Whitney and Micayla snickered.
Julianna bit her lip. She’d heard Pearl sing. She was pitchy. Could they help her with that so she could make the group? Julianna had no idea.
“Pearl,” Sydney started to say.
“No! Listen,” Pearl begged. “I tried to sing at auditions, but I have another talent that I was afraid to show you.” She bit her lip. “There is something I’ve gotten good at this summer.” She looked at the others. “You see, I love the Pentatonix and I’ve been watching them a lot and learning how to do percussion sounds. Anyway, Vi says I’m good so …”
“You’re rambling! Good at what?” snapped Whitney. “This is an a cappella group. You need to be able to sing. You better not have a puppet too!” Everyone started bickering again.
“Hey! Let the girl talk,” said Viola, popping gum into her mouth. “She’s really good at what she does. Show them, Pearl.”
Pearl suddenly seemed shy. “I learned how to beatbox.”
Sydney’s right eyebrow went up. “Beatbox. We haven’t had one of those in a few years.” She sounded sort of excited.
“I learned it this year.” Pearl shifted awkwardly. “If you give me a song, and someone agrees to sing, I can show you how I do it.”
Whitney and Micayla stepped back as if they couldn’t be bothered, but Viola raised her hand.
“I’ll sing and you do your thing,” Viola told her.
“Guys, we need more members and we don’t have a beatboxer. Let’s give her a chance.” Sydney took a seat on the arm of one of the auditorium chairs. “Pearl, let’s hear what you’ve got.”
Pearl whispered something to Viola, who nodded. Then Viola started to sing a Drake song they were all familiar with. One stanza in, Pearl came in, but she wasn’t singing lyrics. She was making sounds. Her mouth was clicking, her tongue was moving, and the noises she was making sounded like instruments. Pearl’s mouth was like a symphony with percussion instruments and every sound was coming out of this one tiny girl.
When she was done, everyone seemed momentarily stunned. Julianna was the first to clap. Others joined in and finally Sydney stood up and bear-hugged her.
“That was … that was …” She couldn’t seem to find the words. “OMG, that was amazing! How did you learn that arrangement?”
Pearl shrugged. “I didn’t. I just listen to the music over and over and come up with something that works for each song.”
“And you’d be willing to work out arrangements with me for all our songs?” Sydney asked. Pearl nodded. “You’ll have to show Mr. Wickey too just to make it official, but I say you’re in! Welcome to the Nightingales!”
Everyone, even Whitney and Micayla, applauded.
“Aww, a group hug!” said Dave as he and the Kingfishers burst into the auditorium talking loudly. “What are you guys doing? Saying good-bye, since you don’t have enough members for a group?”
“We do too have a group,” Sydney said indignantly and looked at her phone to check the time. “And what are you guys doing here? We have this space today.”
“Do you?” Pasqual feigned innocence. “I thought we had it on Tuesdays. Or was that Wednesdays?” He shrugged. “Well, we’re here now and unlike you guys, we’re already working on arrangements. Our Ed Sheeran track is on fire and we need to lay it down today. So if you girls are just chatting …”
“Which Ed Sheeran song?” Sydney sounded suspicious.
“The new one,” said Dave.