When it was finally our turn, Mr. Rick pushed open the dressing room door and looked straight at us.
"Your stage in two minutes," he whispered.
Two minutes.
My stomach flipped.
I glanced at Ethan… and then at what we were wearing.
Our outfits were actually kind of symbolic for the song.
Mine was a soft silver dress that flowed to my knees, light and slightly sparkling under the lights. The fabric moved easily when I walked, like quiet waves. My hair was half tied back, and my glasses were gone for once. The silver looked calm and gentle—like hope.
Ethan's outfit was the complete opposite.
He wore all black.
Black shirt, black jacket, black pants. The sleeves were rolled slightly, and the stage lights caught the edges of the fabric like shadows moving. His dark hair fell over his eyes just enough to make him look mysterious.
Light and dark.
Hope and storm.
Perfect for the song we were about to sing.
A popular duet about two people pulling each other back from falling apart.
I stepped closer to the stage curtain… but instead of looking forward, I kept scanning the crowd.
Row after row of people.
Parents.
Students.
Judges.
But not him.
"Where is he…" I muttered quietly.
Ethan glanced at me. "Who?"
"Mr. Ronson… and Luca," I whispered. "They said they'd come."
I searched the audience again, panic slowly creeping in.
"They're not here."
My chest tightened.
"If they don't come I'll be so stressed—"
Just then, someone waved.
I blinked.
Mom.
She caught my eyes from the crowd and smiled softly, waving at me.
I waved back a little.
Then suddenly—
Tap.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
I turned around.
"Nathan?"
He stood there holding a snack delivery tray, wearing a simple worker uniform.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.
He shrugged casually. "Working. Snack delivery."
I blinked.
"That's actually awesome."
Nathan smiled. "I couldn't miss seeing you perform."
Before I could respond—
A presence appeared beside me.
I turned slightly.
Ethan.
Hands in his pockets.
Expression blank.
But his eyes?
They were glaring directly at Nathan.
The air suddenly felt… tense.
Nathan noticed too, but he only smiled calmly.
"I'll leave you two to it," he said. "But I can't wait to see you perform."
Then he walked away.
The moment he left, Ethan turned to me.
"Ayana," he said quietly. "We have to go."
My confidence suddenly dropped again.
"I… I don't know if I can do this," I admitted.
He frowned slightly.
"My dad isn't here."
For a second Ethan just stared at me.
Then slowly…
He smirked.
"He is."
I blinked. "What?"
Before I could question it, he grabbed my hand and gently pulled me closer to the curtain.
"Look."
I followed his gaze toward the crowd.
And there—
Right in the front section, between students and parents—
Sat Mr. Ronson.
Calm.
Watching the stage.
And beside him…
Luca.
His big eyes scanning the stage excitedly.
My chest suddenly felt lighter.
A smile spread across my face.
"They came…"
I turned to Ethan.
"Let's go."
He nodded once.
And together…
We walked onto the stage.
The entire hall went silent.
This was the last performance.
If we didn't win this round…
We lost everything.
Behind us, Mr. Rick whispered nervously,
"Please… don't mess this up."
When we stepped onto the stage, my heart started beating so loudly I was sure the microphone could hear it.
The lights were blinding.
Hundreds of people sat in front of us.
Students.
Parents.
Judges.
I swallowed hard.
My hands were cold.
My legs felt weak.
For a second I thought I might actually faint.
Then—
Ethan's hand gently closed around mine.
Warm.
Steady.
I looked up at him.
He didn't say anything.
But the small squeeze of his hand said everything.
You're fine.
I took a breath.
The host nodded toward us.
"Introduce yourselves."
Ethan spoke first, calm as always.
"My name is Ethan."
I stepped forward slightly.
"And I'm Ayana."
Together we said,
"We represent Mystic Heights Academy."
The audience clapped politely.
One of the judges leaned forward.
"What song will you be performing tonight?"
Ethan answered.
"We'll be performing Shallow."
Some people in the audience murmured excitedly.
It was a very well-known duet song performed by a male and female singer and famous for its emotional harmonies.
The judge nodded.
"Have you observed how the other contestants performed?"
Ethan nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"They all sang… but added something else."
The judge smiled.
"Yes."
"Dance."
My eyes widened.
Dance?
Everyone danced?!
My head spun.
I leaned toward Ethan quickly and whispered,
"Which dance are we doing?!"
He leaned closer and whispered back,
"You'll see."
That was not comforting.
At all.
The music began softly.
The hall fell silent.
Ethan sang first.
His voice came out low and smooth.
"Tell me something, girl…"
The entire hall seemed to pause.
His voice carried through the room like velvet.
Even I blinked in surprise.
Since when does he sing like that?
Then it was my turn.
I took a breath.
And sang back softly.
"Tell me something, boy…"
Our voices blended together gently.
Backstage, Mr. Rick was gripping his clipboard.
"Good… good… stay on pitch…" he muttered nervously.
In the crowd—
My mom leaned forward, eyes wide.
Mr. Ronson watched calmly but proudly.
Beside him, Luca was practically bouncing in his seat.
"They're amazing!" he whispered excitedly.
Back on stage, Ethan stepped closer.
As the chorus built, he suddenly spun me lightly by the hand.
Wait—
We are dancing.
Simple.
Slow.
Graceful.
Not flashy.
But perfectly timed with the music.
The audience gasped softly.
When the chorus came—
We both sang together.
"I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in…"
Our voices rose stronger.
"Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us…"
The music swelled.
The lights shimmered across my silver dress while Ethan's black jacket moved like shadows beside me.
Light and dark.
Hope and storm.
"We're far from the shallow now…"
The entire hall was silent.
Even backstage no one spoke.
Luca's eyes were huge.
My mom covered her mouth.
Mr. Ronson slowly smiled.
Mr. Rick whispered,
"…They might actually win this."
And when the last note echoed through the hall—
Everything went quiet for one second.
Then—
The audience erupted into applause.