When we arrived at the Frost Amphitheater, the place was wrapped in an almost unreal calm. It was early, and the sun had barely begun to filter through the empty stands, casting long shadows across the stage. This was the site where everything would happen tomorrow, the place I had been imagining since we decided to perform "A Bad Dream." But as soon as we stepped inside, something felt off.
"Wait... what are they doing here?" Olivia asked, pointing toward the stage.
A group of older students was rehearsing with electric instruments, filling the space with a deafening noise that had nothing to do with our song. One of them, a tall guy wearing a worn-out rock band T-shirt, glanced at us as we approached.
"What do you want?" he asked, not even stopping to listen.
"This is our space," Olivia responded, crossing her arms as if ready to start a verbal battle. "We need it to rehearse."
"Too late," the guy replied, adjusting his guitar. "We reserved it first. Find somewhere else."
Sack let out a heavy sigh, and I felt my heart sink. We had planned this rehearsal to make sure everything would go smoothly, but now it seemed like we wouldn't even have a place to practice.
"How can you be so insensitive?" Olivia exclaimed, being dramatic as always. "This isn't just any rehearsal! It's art! History! An emotional statement!"
The group didn't even look up. One of them even joked:
"If it means that much to you, maybe you should write a letter to the student council."
Olivia opened her mouth to respond, but Sack stopped her before she could say something that would probably make things worse.
"Let it go, Olivia," he said softly. "It's not worth it."
She shot him a glare but eventually nodded. We walked away from the amphitheater, defeated but determined to find another solution.
As we walked toward another location, Sack and I fell a little behind. Olivia led the way, muttering something about "the lack of artistic vision in this generation," but I was too distracted thinking about what had just happened.
"Do you think this will ruin everything?" I asked Sack quietly, feeling insecurity creep back into me.
He looked at me, surprised by the question.
"No," he responded after a moment. "Not at all. This isn't just about the place, Lindsay. It's about us. What we're doing together... that doesn't depend on a stage or some stands. It's something bigger."
His words made me feel a little better, but I was still worried.
"Sometimes I feel like this is bigger than I can handle," I admitted. "I mean, this song means so much to you. What if I mess it up?"
Sack stopped and looked directly into my eyes.
"You're not going to mess anything up," he said with a conviction that made me smile despite myself. "Lindsay, you've worked as hard as any of us. If anyone can do justice to this song, it's you."
Before I could respond, Olivia came running toward us.
"I found a place!" she announced triumphantly. "There's an old shed behind the gym. No lights, no audience, but it has... walls. And a roof. And probably rats. It's perfect! We can make noise without bothering anyone, unlike in the dorm basement."
Sack and I exchanged an amused glance. Though the place sounded terrible, we knew we didn't have many options.
The shed was exactly as Olivia had described: small, dusty, and with a peculiar smell I preferred not to analyze too much. But somehow, it also had a certain charm. The wooden walls creaked every time we moved, and the natural echo made our voices sound louder than expected.
"Alright, let's start from the beginning," I said, trying to keep us focused.
Everything was going well until we reached the bridge. I was concentrating on the lyrics, feeling every word as if it were mine, when suddenly... I made a mistake. I hit the wrong note, and it wasn't one of those small mistakes you can cover up. It was a total disaster. My voice cracked, and the silence that followed was even worse.
"Sorry," I murmured, feeling my cheeks turn red. "I'll try again."
But before I could continue, Olivia burst out laughing.
"Relax, Lindsay! We all make mistakes. Besides, that flub could become our signature. You know, like Freddie Mercury's accidental scream in Bohemian Rhapsody . No one planned it, but now it's iconic."
Sack nodded, though I could see he was concerned too.
"We can fix it," he said calmly. "We just need to practice a little more. Together."
And that's what we did. For the next hour, we repeated the song over and over, tweaking details and supporting each other. Every time I felt like I was about to fail, Sack gave me an encouraging look, and Olivia made some absurd comment that made me laugh and forget the pressure.
By the end of the rehearsal, we were exhausted but satisfied. Maybe not everything had gone perfectly, but we had achieved something more important: we had proven that we could work together under pressure.
As we walked back to campus, Olivia started talking about how the shed would be remembered as the birthplace of a legend. Sack and I just smiled.
When we got back to the dorm, my phone buzzed. It was a video call from my parents. I answered quickly, surprised to hear from them right now.
"Hi, sweetheart!" my mom said, smiling from the screen. "How are you? Everything okay over there?"
"Hi, Mom, Dad," I replied, trying to hide the tiredness in my voice. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just… an interesting day."
My dad appeared next to her, looking as formal as ever.
"Listen, we wanted to tell you something," he said, adjusting his glasses. "The hospital expansion is going incredibly well. Thanks to that deal we made with Mr. Steele…"
I nodded slowly, remembering the meetings I had attended with them. I had been present when they signed the initial contract with Sack's father. Our first real interaction had been at the mall, in the Adidas store, and since then, everything had changed.
"Yeah, I know," I said, trying to keep a neutral tone. "It's great that everything's working out so well."
My mom smiled, but there was a peculiar glint in her eyes.
"You know, sweetheart, Mr. Steele is such a visionary man. And his son, Sack… he seems like a very talented young man. You should take advantage of spending more time with him while you're studying together. Who knows, maybe you can learn a lot from each other."
I felt my pulse quicken slightly. I knew exactly where this conversation was heading, even though they were trying to disguise it.
My dad chimed in, pretending to be casual.
"Yes, and it would be wonderful if our families could collaborate more closely in the future. Not just in business, but also… in other aspects."
I avoided looking directly at the camera. I didn't want to give them any hint of what I really felt for Sack. To them, maybe we were just two people connected by our families' businesses, but to me… it was something completely different.
"You know how I am," I responded carefully, forcing a carefree smile. "I'm always busy with school and everything else. But yeah, Sack is… someone special."
My parents exchanged a quick glance, as if my choice of words confirmed something they already suspected.
"Well, we just wanted to make sure you're taking advantage of all the opportunities you have there," my mom said, her tone suggesting she wasn't just talking about school.
After a few more minutes of trivial conversation, I ended the call and stared at my phone. Sack noticed my thoughtful expression as he put away his guitar.
"Everything okay?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," I replied, shaking my head. "It's just… my parents are happy because the hospital is growing thanks to a deal with your dad. But… I think they also have other ideas in mind."
Sack frowned, confused.
"Other ideas?"
"Nothing important," I said quickly, avoiding going into details. "Just… you know how they are. They're always thinking about the future."
Sack looked at me with understanding.
"It's not always easy connecting two worlds so different," he said. "But that doesn't mean you can't find your own path. You're already doing it."
I smiled, feeling a little lighter.