chasing love ;; cth

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The day that the rest of my life depended on had finally arrived. Ever since I was a kid I knew that music is something that I would want to be a part of every single day of my life. Today was my audition for VCA in Melbourne, the only performing arts college that my mother allowed me to apply to. My father left us when I was at a very young age, and even though she can be tough on me, she has working so hard since the day he left just so I would have enough college funds. I've been preparing for this audition ever since I found out the school existed and now the day has finally come.

The school split the auditioning process into two days. All people with last names A through H auditioned Saturday, and all people with last name I through Z audition today. I'm all the way at the end of the alphabet at W, which means my audition isn't till like 6:30. The first audition starts at 9:00, so my mother insisted I get there extra early so I will have a room to practice my performance in. I know 9 and a half hours of practice is a lot, but my mother says I should practice every chance I get if I really want to get into this school.

My mother drops me off at 8:45 sharp. I walk around the school with my head held high, hoping that next year I will get to walk these halls everyday. The campus has a very vintage decor, from what I've seen so far, and that's exactly what I hoped it would be like. It sure beats that dump for a high school that I have to go to. Most of the doors are locked until I finally find one that's opened. I look at a clock on the wall to see that it's 5 minutes till nine. I hesitantly turn the door handle and make my way into the room. I was quite intimidated by how big it was, but it was the nicest classroom I'd ever seen. There were aisles filled with chairs, I guess for a choir and a ebony grand piano in the corner of the room. The piano was in perfect condition. It looked like it had barely been touched, and was definitely one of the most beautiful instruments I'd ever seen. I instinctively place my guitar case down next to the gigantic instrument and take a seat on the bench. Before I know it my hands  immediately start pressing on the keys. Before I know it I'm playing a ballad of minor and major chords, and it doesn't sound half bad. I remove my hands from the keys and silence fills the room when I hear voices from outside followed by the sound of the opening door. I panic slightly before I hide behind and old Casio AP-620 at the back of the room. The voices come to a complete silence, as I hear footsteps continue into the room, getting louder by the second. 

"Are you ready for your audition?" I hear a women ask.

"I sure am," A boy replies. He seems extremely confident which is probably a good way to start your audition. I'll probably be so nervous that I won't even be able to speak. I'm just nervous sitting here behind this piano. 

"Okay, start when you're ready," The lady comments and I soon hear the steady beat of a drum. I peek my head out slightly from behind the piano to see if I can get a good view. The women has her back to me, but from the way she's dressed and has her hair up in a neat bun, I can tell that she is very serious about what she does. I look past her towards the boy who is a little further away then the women. However, he is facing towards me, so I can clearly see how concentrated he is in what he's doing. He moves his head along with the beat and licks his top lip every so often. His dirty blonde hair that has a slight curl to it is rested perfectly on his forehead, and bounces along with his head as he moves it up and down. He appears to be about the same age as me, maybe a year or two older. I was so intimidated by his attractive appearance at first that I failed to realize how extremely talented he is. With talent like his there is no doubt that he will get in to this school. When the song comes to an end, a big smile fills his face, as he is clearly pleased with his performance. If I put on a performance like that, I would be smiling too.

"I would like to hear you sing for your next piece," The women says once his performance comes to an end. She writes a couple things down on her clip board that I can't make out from this far a distance. 

"Well I don't really sing that much, but I've sung Ordinary People by John Legend a couple times. I could sing that for you," He suggests, his smile fading a little. Clearly he hadn't expected to sing when he came here. He starts to tap lightly on his drum, in place of the intro of the song. He opens his mouth his upper lip curving a little, before he begins to sing.

"Girl I'm in love with you

This ain't the honeymoon

Past the infatuation phase

Right in the thick of love

At times we get sick of love

It seems like we argue everyday..."

From the minute the words leave his mouth I am automatically blown away. He has a beautiful voice, and with competition like him my chances of getting in this school are slim to none. However I do notice that his attitude is very different than it was during his first piece. At first he was beating the shit out of his drums. He flared his nostrils and stuck out his chest. You could easily tell he was a lot more confident. Now that has all disappeared. He is slouching slightly and he is tapping his drum so lightly that you can barely hear it. He seems to be uncomfortable when he sings, which he shouldn't be because he is insanely talented.

"We're just ordinary people

We don't know which way to go

Cause we're just ordinary people

Maybe we should take it slow

We're just ordinary people

We don't know which way to go

Cause we're ordinary people

Maybe we should take it slow 

Take it slow oh oh ohh

This time we'll take it slow

Take it slow oh oh ohh

This time we'll take it slow," He gives a weak smile, as he finishes the song.

"That's all I need to hear," The women begins as she stands up from her seat. I move back behind the piano, so I am completely out of view. I hold my knees to my chest, my breath hitched in my throat as I wait patiently for the room to clear so I can get the hell out of here, "Acceptance letters will be sent out this upcoming weekend, so good luck" she finishes as I hear footsteps, following an opening and closing door. Even though I couldn't really see her she sounds really tough, and I hope that I don't have to audition for her. I wait a couple seconds just to be sure that the room is completely empty before I stand up from behind the piano. 

"He did a pretty good audition didn't he?" A voice startles me. I jump back slightly, holding my hand over my chest from the mini heart attack I just had. I look next to me to see the boy who had just auditioned. He is even more attractive up close. His eyes are the most beautiful shade of green and he has such a cute smile. He chuckles in my defense, which only makes him more attractive, because his laugh is insanely adorable. 

"What?" I say try to act like I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You know I saw you behind the piano, you're not very good at hiding," He laughs again and I can't help but admire how incredibly cute he is.

"Oh haha," I laugh it off slightly, shifting my weight to the other foot, "You are really talented by the way,"

"Thank you," He flashes me a toothy grin, propping himself up with his elbow that is currently leaned against the piano, "Are you auditioning?"

"Um yeah, I came in here hoping to practice before my audition, I didn't mean to intrude during someone else's," I apologize, picking my guitar case up off the floor.

"Oh don't be silly, you didn't intrude. I need to get used to preforming in front of other people, so it was good practice," He replied, pushing away the hair that had just fallen over his eyes, "Anyway what's your name love?"

"Valerie," I smile warmly as I hold out a hand for him to shake,

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you," He returns the smile as he graciously shakes my hand, "I'm Ashton,"