♡ The Boy That Changed Me ♡

~ Chapter 4 - Apology ~

My whole body is shaking uncontrollably against my bedroom door and my breathing is uneven. I'm trying to process what Nirmala has just told me, but it's making my head hurt like hell. To the point where it might just explode.

Me? Going to the same school as the children of two of the most famous pop stars in the world?! I must be in some sort of nightmare!

Yeah, I know I'm decent at the electric guitar, but I'm nowhere near as good as Simba. Have you even seen him on stage? It's like he's never bothered by the fact that millions of people have their eyes on him. And, he can make the whole crowd cheer at just the sight of him. Me? All i've done are school shows and even then, I'm nervous as fuck. And even if I've put my hardest into a performance, all I ever get are a few claps. And don't even get me started with singing, because compared to Nala, I'm a broken record. She has her fans singing along within seconds and her songs are always on the radio twenty-four-seven! Even I can never seem to get that dam "Seven Rings" song out of my head!

[PS: In this universe, Nala has the voice that she has in the the original "The Lion King" movie, but her singing voice is Ariana Grande (JUST GO WITH IT) 😎. If you're wondering what Simba's singing voice is, it's Harry Styles :) Anyways, back to the story!]

There is absolutely no way that I'm going to The Innovative Academy....

***

The house is quiet, and everyone except me is asleep. I still can't help but worry about my new school.

I didn't even deserve to get accepted. I'm just some Scottish girl with a 'boo-hoo' backstory, in a city of British people. They probably just felt bad for me. To be honest, I feel bad for the person who would've gotten chosen if it weren't for me. I know that I'm probably overthinking this, but I can't help it. Everything's changing so fast in my life that it's kinda gotten hard to keep up.

I just want everything to stop. For everything to just calm down. Even if it's just for a moment or two.

I shut my eyes and try to calm down, breathing in for four, then out for four. The method that my mum taught me whenever I started getting worked up about nothing.

Not long after, it starts to work. But just as I'm about to drift off, there's a knock at my door.

"Come in..." I murmer.

The door opens and Nirmala walks in with a mug in each hand. "Hey..." She says with a gentle tone as she sits down on the edge of my bed. "I brought tea."

This means one of her 'one-to-one' talks. Great. That's exactly what i need...

I slowly sit up on my bed, all signs of sleep leaving me, and take hold of the mug she hands me. It's warm between my hands, and I hate to admit it, but the tea smells delicious. "Thanks." I say softly with an awkward smile.

As we sip out tea, I can't help but look over to Nirmala. But it seems as we had the same idea as I'm met with her smiling warmly at me.

After about a minute of total silence and tea-sipping, Nirmala lowers her mug onto her lap and sighs.

"I'm sorry for sending them that video, Rani. I know I should've asked you... but I just really wanted to get you into that school." Nirmana says apologetically.

"Why?" I ask her, genuinely curious.

She gives me a soft smile. "Because you have an amazing talent, Rani, and I dont want it to go to waste. I just thought it would be the best thing for you. Y'know, going to a school where you can do what you love the most. Especially after what's just happened."

I frown, now angry at her again. How dare she use my parents' death as an excuse?! It happened,- and i miss them like hell, but there's nothing anyone can do about it. I don't need her pity.

"How could you know what's best for me, without even giving me a say in this? I've already lost my parents, been forced to leave my home and my friends and start a new life, and now you've sent in a video if me to some prestigious music school without my fucking permission!"

"Rani!" Nirmala shouts, clearly shocked that i swore.

"Oh shush, you're gonna wake Baliyo." I say through gritted teeth.

I wait a few seconds to make sure that he's still asleep, then continue in a more relaxed tone.

"I know that you were only trying to help, but what you did really hurt. I thought I could trust you -"

"And you can!" She says desperately, cutting me off mid sentence.

"How can I? You went behind my back and did something I deliberately told you not to do."

Nirmala slowly takes her gaze away from me and proceeds to quietly sip her tea. Suddenly, I begin to feel bad for shouting at her. Although she went against my word, she didn't mean to hurt me. She was just looking out for me. And although her choice of school will change my future, it might (for once), change my life for the better.

I sigh, getting her attention. "Thanks... I guess." I tell her with a small corner smile.

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Why?" She asks.

"For getting me into that school, you dunce." I laugh, slightly nudging her arm.

Nirmala's shocked at first, but then grins and wraps an arm around me. "I didn't get you in. You got yourself in." She tells me truthfully, giving me a warm feeling of achievement.

"Yeah, but if you didn't send in my video, I wouldn't be going there."

Nirmala's face lights up when I say this. "So, you're not mad anymore?" She asks hopefully.

My eyes widen slightly in realisation. "Oh, I guess I'm not." I say, tucking a strand of my frizzy hair behind my ear. We both grin at each other for a few seconds, being happy in each other's presence. Then, Nirmala pipes up.

"About tomorrow -"

"Yes!" I quickly say with a wide grin.

~~~~~
***
Sorry this chapter took so long, but it's out now :D!
Hope you enjoyed. If you did (or didn't), please leave a review. Both good and bad are fine 😁
See you in the next chapter!!!