I can't believe he's here! A girl in the front row whispered to her classmates. He didn't
even go to Brockway when they asked. The administration at Otis High thought that it
was the school that attracted Mr. Wiles' attention.
They had no idea that he'd actually come to see one student in particular. Mr. Wiles
looked at the program for the event. The familiar name on it made him smile.
You silly boy, he thought. I'll have to deliver on my promise this time. Everyone on the
judges' panel seemed to be in a good mood now.
Their initial nerves had started to settle, and all of their attention was now turned toward
engaging Mr. Wiles in conversation. Aiden had no idea that Mr. Wiles had come to the
event specifically because of him. In fact, Aiden had yet to arrive.
At this moment, just as the competition was about to begin, Aiden was still at the
midnight snack corner discussing business. That day, the owner of a famous local
catering business had paid him a visit. He wanted to buy the distribution rights to three
of Midnight Snack Corner's products, and he was willing to pay a high price.
If Aiden landed this business, he would be able to guarantee a long-term source of
revenue for the restaurant. So, even though he didn't have much time, he decided to
quickly negotiate a favorable contract. Once business was settled, Aiden looked at the
clock on the wall and his heart sunk.
It was already 7 o'clock! He rushed out onto East Street, grabbed a taxi, and hurried to
the school. Just as Aiden was hailing a cab on East Street, Chrissy and the rest of the
group were standing anxiously behind the stage at the Otis High football field. Chrissy
looked around frantically, scanning the crowd for Aiden.
He wouldn't stand us up at the last minute, would he? She asked nervously. It's 7
o'clock! We're up soon! On stage, one act followed another. Chrissy examined the
program with mounting dread.
With each passing performance, it was getting closer and closer to their turn to walk up the stairs. Where the hell was Aiden? Next up is Chad Fortenberry. He'll be performing a
solo for us.
Jaden, Chloe, and Chrissy felt sick to their stomachs. Chad was the last performance
before theirs! On stage, Chad exchanged a silent look with a member of the jury, a
middle-aged woman in a fur coat. It was Chad's aunt, Miss Fortenberry, and one of the
school's five senior board members.
Miss Fortenberry turned to face the other members of the jury. Some of you may
recognize my nephew, Chad, she said smiling. Mr. Wiles and a few others nodded their
heads politely.
Oh, I see, said Mr. Wiles. Chad stood confidently on stage and then began to sing. His
voice surprised everyone.
The judges were very impressed. They smiled to themselves as they filled out the
scoring column on the sheet of paper before them. Everyone gave him high marks.
Miss Fortenberry glanced over at the scoring sheets of the judges beside her. She smiled
with satisfaction. After a burst of applause, Chad bowed slightly and exited behind the
curtain on stage.
Behind the curtain, Chad glanced around discreetly and then turned toward a shadowy
corner. There, a small figure was waiting for him. A thousand dollars, it's yours, Chad
whispered.
Remember, this is between you and me. As far as you know, that was me doing all the
singing out there. You tell anyone anything different, and you'll regret it.
The thin figure, barely discernible in the darkness, gave a small nod. Chad walked to the
edge of the stage and made his way down the stairs. At the bottom of the steps, he saw
Chrissy, Jaden, and Chloe, all three nearly shaking with nerves.
He was surprised for a moment and then realized what was going on. Yo, he blurted out
with his characteristic bluster. What are you guys up to? Where's your pal? He seemed to
revel in their despair.
Oh no, did he get scared? That's a shame. He missed my song and everything, and I
really wanted him to see that. The group stared at Chad in glum silence.
There wasn't much they could say. They could hear the host introducing the next
performance. Next, please give a warm welcome to Jaden, Chloe, Chrissy, and Aiden.
They will be singing the song, You at the Same Table. The applause was muted. The
competition was more than halfway done, and the enthusiasm of the audience had
begun to wane.
Many students were playing with their phones, eating snacks, and generally disregarding
the performances at this point. Most of the performances had been pretty mediocre. The
audience didn't have high expectations, but Mr. Wiles was sitting on the edge of his seat.
His eyes were alight. Behind the curtains, the host was trying to urge Chrissy and the
others to step out. Don't worry about your missing member.
You can do it without him. Now's the time. Let's go.
Chrissy bit her lip. How could they possibly perform without their most important
member? But I don't know the piano part, Jaden murmured in distress. Chrissy looked at
the worried faces of Jaden and Chloe and decided it was up to her to take charge.
Forget the piano part, she said. Let's just do our best. She grabbed their hands and
pulled them to the front of the stage.
Just then, Aiden's taxi arrived at the school gates. He jumped out of the car and ran
towards the brightly lit football field. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.
When the audience saw Chrissy, Chloe, and Jaden come forward without Aiden, they
were stunned. Murmurs spread through the crowd. Isn't this supposed to be a four-
person group? A sophomore girl asked.
Why are there only three people? It was clear that the group on stage was flustered.
They looked at each other for reassurance, none of them sure what to do. Boo! Someone
yelled from the back bleachers.
Get off the stage if you're not ready! Next! Another student yelled. On the stage Aiden and Isabel each held an instrument, but no one was sitting behind the piano that
had been rolled out for their performance. Clearly, someone was missing. Mr. Turkle
turned to the woman beside him and asked, what's going on? He was starting to feel
embarrassed that Mr. Wiles was witnessing such a disorganized mess.
The woman next to Mr. Turkle looked even more distressed. She was the event
organizer, and this sort of thing reflected on her very badly. It appears that Aiden Dale is
absent.
She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Aiden! Mr. Turkle thought to himself. Him
again! He was fuming now.
He looked at the woman with hate in his eyes. This Aiden, he growled, repeatedly
disobeys school rules and regulations. He'll be punished for this.
Overhearing this, Mr. Wiles frowned. Even Chrissy, who is usually so brave and self-
confident, felt a rush of shame when she heard the jeers coming from the crowd. Chloe
and Jaden were trembling.
None of them had much experience with public performance. As soon as they set foot on
stage, they had forgotten everything they'd practiced the night before. It was nothing to
do but to start.
At the beginning of the chorus, Jaden made a mistake. During the part he was supposed
to sing, he played his flute instead. This fumble led to further chaos as Chloe and Chrissy
attempted to join in.
Chrissy covered her face in pain. This was a total disaster. How would she be able to
show her face in school after this? The students in the audience hissed and spat.
One of the older audience members in attendance stood up and yelled, I'm deaf in both
ears and even I can't bear to listen to this rubbish. Just as Chrissy was about to burst into
tears, she heard a banging sound behind her. It was the sound of someone running up
the metal steps to the stage.
She turned to look. It was Aiden! He'd come! Jaden and Chloe smiled in relief. A startled
stagehand approached Aiden, not knowing he was a member of the group.
We're in the middle of a performance, please wait your turn. There was no time to
explain himself. Aiden grabbed the microphone that the stagehand was carrying and ran
to the center of the stage.