Cassidy}
The crowd's screaming, my adreanaline is pumping, and I'm ready. I've never really performed before. At least not for a crowd this size. What was I thinking? I take a deep breath, walk towards the front of the stage, and hold the microphone to my mouth.
"Hey guys!"
I can make out some "Hey!"s from the crowd.
"So, I'm new at this, and I'm a little nervous. So I'm just gonna sing some songs you guys might now, okay? Great. Now let's party!" I spin around, flipping my hair. I run over to the DJ and hand him my list of songs, whisper him instructions, and run back to the front of the stage.
I hear the opening beats, find my cue, and head right into Kiss It Goodbye by Hannah Montana. The sound people do their thing to make my voice all cool the first two lines.
"KISS IT GOODBYE! IF FEAR IS HOLDING YOU BACK! KISS IT GOODBYE! YOUR LITTLE PANIC ATTACK! KISS IT GOODBYE! I- I DID IT AND- AND IT'S OMG! I'M A DIFFERENT GIRL! KISS IT GOODBYE, EY-EY-EY! KISS IT GOODBYE, EY-EY-EY!" I belt out the words and hope for the best. The crowd has a pretty good reaction.
Then the song's over, and I go straight into Notice Me by Alexa Ray Joel. It's one of my favorite songs. Then another Hannah Montana song, Que Sera. This one's more fun.
I reach out into the crowd, touch some hands. They're acting like I'm famous. I see Justin standing off to the side, just out of the crowd's veiw, and I toss a wink in his direction. He grins.
After Que Sera, I plunge into Dancing With Tears In My Eyes by Ke$ha, and follow that with another one of her songs, Tik Tok. Then Misery Business by Paramore. And then Only Girl (In The World) by Rihanna, and then Pony (It's OK) by Erin McCarley. I pause after that one. I head to the back of the stage and grab a bottle of water. I mouth to Justin if I can do more than ten songs, and he nods enthusiastically. He mouths back that I can do as many as I want.
I nod to the DJ for the next song, Mine, by Taylor Swift. After that one, I hold up one finger to the crowd, telling them to hold on. I need to ask the DJ something.
"Is Iyaz still here?"
He nods.
"Will he do this song with me?" I point to a song on my list.
The DJ shrugs. "Ask him."
I ask one of the dancers if he'll go back and ask him, and shortly after, he returns with Iyaz. I tell him what song, and he smiles, nodding.
Then the DJ drops the beats, and Iyaz and I start jamming with Gonna Get This, another Hannah Montana song, this one featuring, who else? Iyaz, of course.
We both hit all our notes, and it comes out perfect.
"THIS BOY, THIS BOY, THIS BOY!" I dance around while I'm singing, having a great time. The song's over way too soon, and Iyaz gives me a hug, then heads back backstage.
I breath heavily. This is hard work. But I love it. I put the mic on a micstand and grab an acoustic guitar. "Alright, guys, I'm gonna play a song that I really like, it's by Miranda Lambert. Some of you might know it."
I swallow and start strumming. Justin's the only one who's heard me sing AND play this song. As I sing the first words to The House That Built Me, the nervousness fades away, and I immerse myself into the song. The arena is quiet while I sing it, and it's just me and the guitar. I strum the final chords, and the crowd goes wild. Then I play one more song with just the guitar, Saviour by Lights. Once again, the crowd freaks. I can't stop smiling.
And gesture to Justin if I can do one more song, and he nods.
I decide to close my set with a fun song. I quickly decide on Something Like A Party by the School Gyrls. The song sounds exactly like their recording, but with my voice, and I somehow manage to get all the words, everything, even with the backup singers.
And this concert is something like a party. It's crazy. Everyone's jumping and clapping and singing and screaming and cheering and I love it.
"I'M GONNA GIVE YOU WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSIN' AND I KNOW, I'M THE THING THAT YOU REALLY NEED!" I move all over the stage. It's the most fun I've had in ages.
The crowd goes nuts. I grin. Then I wave at the crowd, take a bow, blow a kiss, and wave again, then run off stage. I run to Justin and give him a hug. He spins me around.
"OH my GOD, Cassidy! You did great! That was amazing! Wonderful! I can't believe- OH MY GOSH!" He's grinning uncontrollably. "Holy CRAP!" He picks me up and spins me around again.
Scooter runs over. "Cassidy, that was incredible!"
Justin's jumping around. He slaps Scooter on the shoulder. "I told ya, didn't I?! I told you she was great!"
Scooter nods. "Yeah, you told me! Wow!" Then he gets a call and walks away.
Justin picks me up and hugs me again, then finally sets me down, and I see Caitlin glaring at me behind him. I smile sweetly at her and she turns angrily and stalks off. I hold back my laughter.
"Justin! Go warm up, you're on in twenty!" someone shouts from behind us.
Justin sighs and smiles at me. "I gotta go."
I nod. "Okay. Wait! Did the crowd like me? Like what were their reactions?"
He grins. "They loved you. We all did. Everyone back here. You should have seen the look on Scooter's face. He thought you were gonna be just good. He didn't expect you to be so extroardinarily awesome. But I knew you were. I told him."
"I know. Thanks. Now go get ready. You're gonna do great."
"Not as great as you."
"You're a professional, you'll do better. Don't argue with me. Now go!" I push him in the right direction.
He stops, smiling, and pulls me into a kiss. I smile through it, but then push him away. I smile at him again.
"Go."
"I'm going."
"JUSTIN! GET BACK HERE!" calls another person.
Justin rolls his eyes and leaves.
I sigh and walk back to the green room. Christian runs at me and tackles me in a hug.
"Cassidy! You were amazing!"
"Thanks, Christian," I reply, laughing.
He continues to tell me how awesome I was, and I continue thanking him.
"And you'll do even better with Justin."
Oh, right. I forgot I still have to sing Overboard with Justin. I cough. "Well, I'm kinda thirsty, so, I'm gonna go. And I might take a quick nap."
I walk past him and fall onto the couch, closing my eyes. I'm about to fall asleep when Christian shakes me. "CASSIDY! Wake up! You need to be on stage! It's time for Overboard!"
"Huh?" I jump up, fix my hair in the mirror, and run for the stage. A stage crew guy hands me my microphone. "Twenty seconds and you're on," he says.
I nod.
"Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three..." He holds up fingers for two and one, then gives me a light push. As soon as I step onstage, the crowd shrieks.
I sing the words with feeling and passion. I think I really like Justin. No, I do really like Justin. But I don't think we're actually dating. Or are we? I honestly have no idea. My mind isn't really in the music as I sing.
Justin moves really close to me, putting his hand around my waist and pulling me close. He sings his part, I sing mine, he sings his, and I sing mine. It's very romantic. And then there's the final note, and the song is over. I wave at the crowd again and go backstage. I walk into the green room, where Christian's full of praise again. I collapse onto the couch. And I burst into tears.
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