HAZEL FINE SINGS ALONG (WATTYS 2022 Winner!)

Chapter 27: Both Sides Now

One thing that Zoey was right about—the timing of the disclosure was terrible. The Sing Along descended into chaos and divided into two camps: those for and against Martin.

The division were a little surprising. Besides Zoey, Cole and Dave were publicly pro-Martin, tweeting hashtags like #noanonymousaccusers and #proveyourallegations.

Everyone else was too scared to say anything out loud, though many had privately shown support for the accuser in a series of whispered conversations that always stopped abruptly whenever someone else entered the room.

Martin had issued a terse denial and the contestants waited anxiously for something more to happen. More women to come forward, Sarah to say something, an investigation to be announced, anything to break the tension.

But none of that happened. Instead, Zoey moved out of their room, shifting her alliance to Sarah, with whom she had several tearful conversations in the break room, sitting in a corner, nodding her head fiercely.

The move out had happened the day after the story broke, when its effects were still being felt like an earthquake that had felled the competition. That days' rumor was that the Sing Along was going to be shut down, at least for the season, while they waited for the dust to settle.

"I told you so," Zoey said. "You've ruined everything."

Hazel didn't bother to deny it that time. Whether she'd sent the tweet or not was a semantic difference. She hadn't thought through the consequences of her actions, and not for the first time. She'd been so mad at Martin that she hadn't thought past what would happen if he was exposed.

"I'm sorry," she'd said.

"You think you get more than one shot in life, Hazel? This was mine. And when I got cut, I thought it was over. But then Lacey got sick, and I got the call." Zoey stopped and gulped back her tears. "Everything I was praying for was happening. I'm doing well. People like me. I have fans. And now it's all going to go away. We'll all be tainted. If anyone remembers us, it will just be because they think we were the one who slept with Martin."

"You'll get another shot, Zoey. Come on, you're great—"

"No. You don't know what it's like for me. A Black girl in country music? Can you name one?"

"You know I don't follow country." Hazel had been trying to lighten the mood, but it had backfired, just like everything else she'd done.

"But you've heard of the big names, anyway. The white names."

"Yes."

"Exactly. This is why I needed this. I needed this so much more than you."

"How can you say that?"

Zoey rubber the back of her palms against her eyes. "Because you were willing to throw it away just to make a point."

Zoey had zipped up her suitcase then and left, and since then they'd avoided each other.

To make matters worse, from what she heard from others, Sarah was saying that she was the one who'd approached Martin, and she was seriously thinking of dropping out because now everyone thought she was just trying to sleep her way to the top.

Hazel didn't believe that for a minute. Martin had obviously gotten to her as soon as the story broke with threats or promises or both. Either way, Sarah was walking around like she was about to crack wide open, and her performance had been pitchy and off.

Zoey on the other hand had a fantastic night, but when Hazel went to congratulate her, she'd turned her back and walked away.

Now it was the day after their performances, and Hazel, Bella, Benji and Cole were sitting in the hotel restaurant, trying to eat something before the results were announced that night.