During dinner,my Dad was staring at Owen. Owen noticed his constant stares and maintained ete contact with his peas and mashed potatoes
"Owen"my Dad said
"Yes Dad"Owen replied
"Your mom and I are going to Los Angeles this weekend"my Dad said
"Really Dad? Can I join?"I asked with a big smile on my face
"No, you've school"my Dad reminded
"Oh, right"I said disappointed
"And Owen, you're in charge"my Dad said
"Wait! What!"I said
"Yes!"Owen said with joy
"Why Owen?"I argued
"'Cause I'm the oldest and you're my little sidekick"Owen teased
"But Dad you remember last time you left Owen in charge..."I said
(Flash back)
Back in Washington,my parents left Owen in charge of the house and that didn't go so well. Owen pulled a prank on Angela and I. He pretended to have stabbed himself and was covered in fake blood. Angela and I were so scared that we called the ambulance. Owen had claimed to have seen the light and was going to join Grandma in Heaven. This really gote scared. I dialed my mom's number but it kept going to voicemail. The paramedics arrived a few minutes later. Wow! There are fast when it comes to emergency! Owen pretended to be unconscious the whole time. They checked his pulse and saw it was normal. He was taken to the ambulance with a stretcher. My parents arrived just in the nick of time before the ambulance drove to the hospital. Everyone seemed to be fooled by Owen stunt. My mom also broke down in tears. Coco on the other hand, could smell something fishy. She knew that blood looked familiar. She quickly jumped from my arm and climbed on to the stretcher and licked the tomatoes sauce on off Owen.
"Hey, what's the mutt doing?"one of the paramedics said
"I think she found something"the other defended
"Coco, you've blood all over your fur"I said, carrying her from the stretcher
"This isn't blood. It is... Tomato sauce!"the paramedic said after tasting the blood on Owen's arm
"He's right,it is tomato sauce"I said, sniffing my t-shirt covered with his fake blood
"Young Man,do you have something to say?"the other paramedic said
"Umm...I ..."Owen stammered
"C'mon boy, speak up"my Dad yelled
"Okay,I wanted to scare Jocelyn and Angela"Owen revealed
"Why would you do that?"I asked
"'Cause you ruined my date with Amber and I wanted to seek revenge to make you feel the pain I felt"Owen said
"Putting your life at risk isn't the best way to get back at someone"one of the paramedics advised
"Son,you didn't act like a man. I'm really disappointed at you"my Dad said
"And as punishment for pranking the medical services,I think I'll sign up for one week of community service"the paramedic
"What!"Owen screamed
"Yeah,I'll give you a call once the paperwork is done. Goodbye Mr McDonald"the paramedic said and drove the ambulance
Owen sat on the doorstep, thinking how he would spend his whole week in community service...
(End of flash back)
"Well, this time would be much different. I'll be inviting a few friends over to watch the big game"Owen said
"Dad,if Owen is inviting his friends over,can I go to Claudia's house for a sleepover?"I asked
"Sure,as long as you obey your brother"my Dad emphasized
"Okay"I agreed
"Okay,Owen you're in charge and Jocelyn will obey to your rules"my Dad said
"Fine"I replied
"That settles it"my Dad said
"Umm.. I'm full. Thanks for dinner"I said and left the table
I went upstairs to my room and slammed the door really hard. Damn! Owen is in charge! I opened my drawer to get my phone and found out it wasn't there. I searched my whole bedroom and still couldn't find it. My bedroom was a total mess,more like a pig sty. I then remembered it was iny school bag the whole time. Ah! My heart was at ease! I rearranged my bedroom and sat on my bed with my phone in my hands, going through my social life. I got sixteen missed calls and voicemails from Angela.
"Hey Jocky, how are you?"one of the voicemail said
"Hey Jocelyn, remember Linton from summer camp? Maybe you do or not,he asked me to be his girlfriend. I don't really know if should accept his proposal or not. I need your advice on this"the other voicemail said
I skipped to the last one which she said she really wants to hear from me. I left her a reply saying,
"Hi Angela, sorry if I wasn't able to reply to your messages earlier. I was busy. Anyways,I think you should accept Linton's proposal and be his girlfriend. You've this big crush on him and it will best if you'll be his girlfriend. But if he makes you cry, he'll have to answer to me. Got that?"
I replied to a few chats and went to sleep. I had a big ahead of me. I tucked myself in,set my alarm clock and turned off my phone to avoid any distraction. The summer breeze blew and made my room cool. Best atmosphere to sleep in.
It was 6:50am, only ten minutes before it's 7am. I woke up earlier than usual,even beat my alarm clock to it. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth took a shower and got dressed. I braided my in s pigtail and went downstairs for breakfast. My parents had already packed their suitcase and kept it in the living room,next to the front door. My Mom made bacon, toast, scrambled eggs and sausages for breakfast. My Dad drank his usual, honey tea with half an inch of milk and no sugar. He prefers his tea natural. Chloe had corn cereals and made a mess our of it. I sat down on my seat, waiting my mom to serve me breakfast.
"Good morning Mom. Good morning Dad"I greeted
"Jocelyn,how are you?"my Mom asked, getting me a plate from the kitchen
"I'm good. Where's Owen?"I said as I couldn't find him at breakfast
"He's in his room"my Mom replied, putting some bacon and sausages on my plate
"Thank you"I said
"Eat up before the bus comes"my mom added
I was eating my bacon and sausage peacefully 'till Owen came and snatched a piece of bacon from my plate
"Hey! What gives!"I complained
"Finders keepers,losers weepers"Owen teased
"Mom! Owen took my bacon!"I said
"Owen!"my Mom cautioned
"What? It was only one piece,no big deal"Owen said, collecting an apple from the fruit bowl
"Ain't you hungry?"my Mom asked
"No,I'm good"he said
I was about to go into the kitchen when the school bus honked loudly
"Hurry up kids,the bus is already here"my Mom said, keeping our lunch on the table
"Thanks Mom"Owen replied
I collected mine and headed to the door. I couldn't bare to leave Mom without giving her a hug. I returned back and her a tight hug.
"Promise me you'll be back on Monday"I said
"I will"my Mom assured
"Bye Dad"I said
"Bye honey"my Dad replied, flipping the pages of his newspaper
I went into the bus and sat at favorite spot which was next to the window. I really liked staring at things as the bus drove pass them. With only fifteen minutes to spare,we got to school on time. Owen was the first to get out of the bus before anyone could. I sadly walked to the hallway with my face facing the floor. I bumped to at least three basketball players before arriving at my locker. I dropped my bag in my locker and carried my Mathematics textbook in my hands. I went to class. Claudia wasn't in class when I arrived. Huh? That's strange. Usually Claudia is always in class. She's always punctual. I sat down on my seat arranging my pencils on my desk. I almost made a pyramids out of pencils 'till Claudia came and tipped them over.
"Claudia!"I said, picking up my pencils
"Hey Jocelyn"she said excited
"Why the long face?"she said as she observed the expression on my face
"You knocked down my pencils"I said
"Oh sorry about that. I got great news"she said
"And what is it?"I asked
"Well,I was going down the hallway when I met Daniel and he told me that the acapellas are holding auditions for new members. I remembered you told me about joining the club so I signed you up"Claudia said quickly
"Really?"I asked
"Yeah sure. Audition starts by 12pm today"she added
"So,I'm finally going to join the acapellas?"I said out loud
"In your dreams"Brianna said sarcastically
"And what do you mean by that?"Claudia defended
"She sounds like a mouse when she speaks,how could she possible sing with her squeaky voice?"Brianna said which made her minions burst into laughter
"I'll have you know that Jocelyn is really a good singer and she will be an excellent soloist. She could be even better at singing than you"Claudia said
"What!"Brianna shouted and her minions gasped
"If you think she's better than me, why don't she sing a song for us?"Brianna challenged
"Oh she will at the audition. Get ready to be crush"Claudia boasted
"Okay. Good luck,you might need it"Brianna said with a grin on her face and left with minions
"I hate that girl. She's a devil. One day, I'm going to hurt her where it really hurts"Claudia said
"Claudia!"I said
"What? She deserves it. I won't let that psycho intimidate you. Speaking of audition, hope you can sing?"Claudia asked
"I can try"I said, unsure of my answer
"Okay, there's no harm in trying"Claudia replied
10 minutes to recess,my mind was buried in thoughts, thinking of the worst things that could happen to me at the audition. What if I embrass myself in front of everyone? What if I sound awful? What if a zombie apocalypse emerges? What if I'm kicked out of school because of my awful voice? What if...?
"Jocelyn! Jocelyn!!"Ms Candy said
"Uh?"I said, coming back to reality
"Are you okay?"Ms Candy asked
"Yes"I replied
Finally,the bell rang for recess. I packed my books and left the class in a hurry. Claudia noticed my sudden movement and followed me. I ran to the girls' bathroom and locked myself up. I kept my books on the edge of the sink, turned on the tap and washed my face. I looked at the mirror and imagined all the worst things that could happen. I was still in there when I heard a knock on the door.
"Jocelyn! Jocelyn!! Open up,I know you're in there"Claudia said
"No, Jocelyn isn't here. Just a nice old lady"I mimicked
"C'mon Jocelyn,I know it's you"Claudia said
"I don't want to go for the audition. I think Brianna is right,my voice isn't good enough to compares her. Maybe am not more of a vocalist than I thought"I said, discouraged by Brianna's words
"So,what if Brianna is a better vocalist than you? What if she's good at everything she does but that doesn't mean you are not. Jocelyn,my mom once told me you won't know what Pasta till you try it"Claudia advised
"I wasn't talking about food"I replied
"The point is,you won't how it feels till you give it a try"Claudia said
"You're right Claudia"I said and unlocked the door
"Now, let's go nail that audition"Claudia said
The music studio was packed with a lot of student who wanted to join the acapellas. Brianna and her minions were at front while Claudia and I were at the back. The studio was a bit noisy 'till Mr Williams,the music teacher walked in.
"Settle down students. The audition is about to start. Remember, music is a thing of the soul and not just an art. It comes from within. So,I want you to put your heart in to it"Mr Williams said
"Yes Mr Williams", everyone chorused
"Okay, first up, we have the Chamelians? Wow! What an usual name for a band?"Mr Williams said
The Chamelians were a group of boys dressed in blue suits and wore hats. They were mainly rappers. They rapped with their bass voices and added a little bit of dancing to it.
"Let's give it up for the Chamelians"Mr Williams cheered
Everyone applauded for them. They seem to be the best so far. Then there were the Jimmy's five, British girls,a pianist and lots more. After a lot of presentation,it was down to two contestants, Brianna Browns and I.
"Next up we've Brianna Brown"Mr Williams announced
Everyone applauded for her.
"We love Brianna"an anonymous voice
Brianna came,filled with pride and determination.
"There goes my heart beating
'Cause you are the reason
I'm losing my sleep
Please come back now
And there goes my mind racing
And you are the reason
That I'm still breathing
I'm hopeless now
I'd climb every mountain
And swim every ocean
Just to be with you
And fix what I've broken
Oh, 'cause I need you to see
You're the reason"Brianna sang You're reason lyrics by Calum Scott
"Wow! She's good"Claudia whispered
"Yeah"I replied
"I don't think I can't beat her. Look at her,she sings like an angel"I admitted
"You can,I believe in you"Claudia encouraged
"Thank you Brianna for that lovely song. Next up, Jocelyn McDonald"Mr Williams called
The mention of my name gave me goosebumps.
"Umm... Jocelyn McDonald? Is she here?"Mr Williams called after I refused to come out
"Jocelyn McDonald?"Mr Williams called me for the third time
"She's here"Claudia shouted, pointing at me
"Claudia, what are you doing?"I asked nervously
"Helping you"Claudia said
"Ah! Jocelyn McDonald! C'mon out and sing for us"Mr Williams said
I came out, nervous about the millions of eyes staring at me. I stood at the centre of the room and froze like a statue. There was a cough among the audience. Everyone was silent.
"What are you waiting for,get on with it"an anonymous voice yelled from the crowd
"I know she can't sing. Claudia was only bluffing"Brianna chuckled
"You can do this. I believe in you"Claudia cheered
"Just breath Jocelyn,you can do this. You've done this a million times in the shower, what's the worst that could go wrong? Just show them what you're made of"the little voice in my head said
"This is a dark parade
Another rough patch to rain on, to rain on
I know your friends may say
This is a cause for celebration, hip-hip-hooray, love
Photographs in sepia tones
It's so still, the fire's barely fighting the cold, alone
There are times when I can feel your ghost
Just when I'm almost letting you go
The cards were stacked against us both
I will always love you for what it's worth
We'll never fade like graffiti on the overpass
And I know time may change the way you think of us
But I'll remember the way we were, you were the first full stop
Love that will never leave
Baby, you will never be lost on me"I sang Overpass Graffiti lyrics by Ed Sheeran
I sang beautifully that it melted everyone's stone heart. Claudia stood up and began clapping. The others followed. Brianna got angry by the applause and left the studio with her minions.
"Wow! Jocelyn, that was beautiful! The melody, your voice,the song actually melted my heart. It left like I was in Paradise"Mr Williams congratulated
Claudia came out and gave me a big hug
"I knew you could do"Claudia cheered