Selina Aakifah Maxwell was just like her mother. At the age of 16, she was the Queen of Pengry Private School. She was captain of the cheerleading team and was the lead actor in many of the school plays. Many of the girls admired her unprecedented b...
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3 weeks later
"Breathe," Tai told me, handing me a bottle of water. I nodded, taking deep breaths in. I sat in my dressing room, wearing a shit ton of makeup and a tight bodysuit. These weeks have gone by so quickly and tonight was the day of my concert. First I would be singing my song Recipe of Hate, then I would be singing my song with Madison Beer, First Love.
I hadn't spoken to Ricardo and I stayed clear away from the auto shop in these last few weeks. But no matter what I did, it seemed like my crush on him never faltered. I hated my heart for being so vulnerable and I honestly wish I never met that asshole.
There was a knock on my door and one of the stage managers walked inside. "Selina, it's time to get you in position,"
I began to panic, feeling like I couldn't breathe. Tai grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. "I wanna go home. I-I can't do this,"
"Home is 4 hours away from here—Atlanta. We've been here for a week, rehearsing for this day. You have 3,000 people who paid to watch you sing. So you're going to take a deep breath again, and you're going to give them a show they won't forget," She assured, fixing my hair. "You can do this,"
Together, we did some breathing exercises before I was rushed out of the dressing room. From backstage, I could hear the chatter of the people who came to hear me.
Madison talked with Nick before her eyes connected with mine and she smiled at me. She hugged me, something that I truly needed. "It's going to be so incredible when they realize Madison Beer here. They're going to go crazy,"
"Nah," She said, shaking her head. "They came to see you. They're going to go crazy when they see you,"
The Stage managers pulled me away and guided me to the platform behind the curtains. They adjusted my earpiece, making everything prepared for me.
The curtains opened, and instantly, lights shined on my face. On the stage were a drummer, a guitarist, and a few backup singers all wearing black. My throat tightened and I closed my eyes, breathe Selina.
"Hello, Atlanta!" I yelled, making my way to the microphone, feeling my nerves dance.
"Thank you for having me. Ya'll ready for tonight?" I said, earning even more cheers from the audience. A grin appeared on my face, there was no way this was real. The soundtrack began to play, and my grip on the microphone tighten. Closing my eyes, I tapped my heel while silently counting. Come on, Selina. You can do this.
Then, I began to sing Recipe for Hate.
"All along you weren't with me. You said 'I don't want you here anymore, so leave me. I said, 'But how could I do that if you haven't freed me?'" I was surprised to hear the audience singing back, but it only encouraged me.
