Teaching River

Friday Auditions

MYSTIQUE

"Why don't you find me attractive?!" An annoyed river asked for at least the eleventh time that day.

"Why are you still asking me this?" It was Friday and I had been bombarded by River throughout the entire week, and it was getting pretty annoying.

"Why are you answering my question with a question?" He asked raising his perfectly shaped thick eyebrow.

"Just shut up and go home I'm so done here!" I said slamming my locker door closed, "At least for two whole glorious days I won't have to see your ugly face with that annoying smirk!"

"Okay firstly ouch! And secondly I actually really know where you live so I will literally stalk you until you tell me that you like me!" He made that same annoying smirk again.

I felt a little chill crawling up my spine. He was so creepy, and I didn't even want to know how he got that information. "Look Skyscraper I have to go and audition for the choir, okay. Please go and bother someone else." I said closing my hands into tight fists.

I then turned and looked right at him with my arms folded but froze and gulped down. He leaned down so that his face was mere inches of mine. I could sense what he was doing here, this little tactic. He was trying to get me starstruck.

"Ooooh! Can I see your audition? I would love to have a good laugh!" He said, his sweet breath fanning my face.

And just because he said those insulting words, I smiled, nodded and said, "Well you sure are going to be on the floor in shock!" I then proceeded to shove him away from me, causing him to slam into the locker.

"Oh, I'm sure of it!" He said already starting to chuckle, as he got himself away from the locker and rubbed his back.

Such an i***t!

"Okay come along Skyscraper!" He nodded, bowed, and held his one hand out.

"After you milady!"

"Oh, just shut up, you made me late already!"

We walked down the hallway to the auditorium. It was a large room with a huge black, shiny grand piano in the corner of the room. There were rows and rows of seats and near the piano a stand for the choir to stand on. The windows were decorated with red curtains and the room was quite dimly lit to add a mood of passion and creativity. There were quite a few people here, some I had met during the week. And a young woman dressed in the most outrageously brilliant colour scheme sat smiling on a chair by the piano. Her fingers delicately playing piano scales.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen I am Miss Harmony, please be seated. You are each here to audition. Some of you, may not have what it takes. You might not have the dedication, the correct voice or even the ability to be part of this choir. Some of you may have what it takes. Those who are chosen are expected to give this choir their everything! Be here when you need to! Do everything you can to help us all to achieve greatness." She then stood up, "You will come up when Tamryn calls your name!" The peculiar women yelled and then went back to her seat by the piano.

Tamryn was the short, plump girl with dark hair and icy but kind blue eyes whom I had met earlier on in the week. She was dressed in a dress decorated with red roses and wore red pumps. Her fingers were French manicured to perfection and she had dimples showing as she smiled gently.

She waited in silence for us to find a seat. Skyscraper sat next to me with his feet on the seat in front of him. This was really getting the attention of everyone around and started causing unrest. So much so that Miss Harmony had to yell at us three times before we were slightly quieter.

"Why do you have to stick out like a sore thumb?" I sighed, trying to hide myself.

"It's not my fault I'm the only hot guy here!" He said quite seriously. He wasn't wrong though...

"Okay, first one up, George."

George was a short red head with green eyes and a slight limp as he walked. "I'll be singing Nothing is Final by Bleeding Hearts."

I really wished he hadn't sung at all, in fact, I wished he would go right back home, right at that moment. His voice was so terrible that I felt like crawling into a ball and rocking myself back and forth. It was so bad that Miss Harmony had to stop him in the middle attempting a high note which should have been illegal for him. Please officers, take him away! Take him right away!

Eventually he sat back down, to everyones relief, and the next person came up. There were people who had amazing voices and others who were barely better than George. But all the while people were auditioning, I was becoming nervous. My palms were becoming sweaty and my legs were shaking. It was definitely not a good sign.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The look in Rivers eyes could it have been concern? It was, however, too quickly replaced by mischief for me to decipher.

I breathed out a deeply, but the air got caught in my throat as I heard, "Mystique."

I looked around in shock for a few seconds and then realised that it was me. It was my turn.

"Come on Mystique. You are the last to audition today."

Skyscraper gave a little chuckle. "Come on little Chicken. I want to laugh. I'm sure you'll be worse than George!"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, gave me all the determination I needed to get up and begin to walk. I walked up to the front and said confidently, "I'm I Never Believed in Monsters and I'll be singing Mystique Lillian." Immediately a roar of laughter erupted and my skin began crawling.

Shoot! I messed up. Everyone was laughing so hard that they were crying. This included Skyscraper who rolled on the floor laughing. I could feel my cheeks burning red with embarrassment. I began to shake slightly.

"Okay okay, settle down. Do you want to try that again honey?" Miss Harmony asked smiling gently.

I nodded, already put off and said more quietly, "I'm Mystique and I'll be singing I Never Believed in Monsters."

I cleared my throat, closed my eyes tightly and started:

I feel the coldness of your touch

As your burning fingers reach to clutch

My fragile beating heart

I know from it, Ill have to part.

Your hands begin freeze my soul and turns it into flames,

And as it burns, it turns to dust, and youre the one to blame.

Youve been hiding under my bed

Poisoning the thoughts inside my head

Oh, I never believed in monsters. No, I never believed in monsters until I met you

By the end everyone was dead quiet, and I began to slowly open my eyes. All eyes were fixedly on me in shock, some absolutely blown away, and some so emotional I could see sadness and tears on their faces. After a few seconds there was a clap, then another, then another. Until the whole auditorium howled in applause.

I smiled, the weight on my chest gone and my breathing back to normal.

I went back to my seat after getting many, many compliments. Skyscraper eyed me with a sort of curiosity, but still looked shock, nonetheless. I smiled to myself.

"Have a nice laugh?" I asked.

"B-bu-but..."

"Thanks to all those who came to the auditions. The list for who made it will be posted on Monday! Enjoy your weekend and don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Miss Harmony said the last part while wiggling her eyebrows. Everyone sighed in relief and started standing up.

"Hey, Mystique was it? You were really amazing up there! Like your voice was... wow!" Mandy, a girl with straight blue hair and the eyes to match it said.

"Thanks!"

"Well um... I was wondering if you would like to come to a party this Saturday-"

"No! Not this... thing!" Jenny, who literally popped out of nowhere was chewing her gum while looking at me with disgust.

"Just look at the way she dresses!" She looked me up and down. I would be lying if I said I was not scared at that point in time. Me and bullies... we didn't go well together.

Her eyes soon drifted to the person standing next to me. Immediately I could see anger and jealousy flair up in her green eyes and I stared between her and River curiously.

"River! What are you doing here? And with...with her..." she said raging. For a minute I thought I saw smoke coming from her pointy ears.

River, I mean Skyscraper sighed in annoyance.

"Baby! I was just showing her where the auditions for choir was, that's all."

I froze, wishing that life had a universal remote so that I could rewind and then pause. Did he just say baby?

"Babe, you know that you're my girlfriend! My one and my only! I would never cheat on you."

I stood there shocked out of my wits. Someone needed to give this guy an Oscar for his acting skills. I was absolutely blown away! Never had I ever witnessed somebody lie so naturally! Even I believed him for a moment then. But then I remembered, he was Skyscraper.

Jenny soon smiled and then started kissing Skyscraper. I really, really wished there were a bucket for me to throw up in. Their kissing was so disgusting, so revolting that it had my skin crawling.

After a few more agonising minutes they stopped. And then the next words Skyscraper said completely shocked both Jenny and me.

"Hey, baby, I was wondering if we could actually invite this new girl to your party tomorrow?" He dazzled a sparkling, brain-short-circuit-worthy smile for her. Honestly, this whole situation had me realising exactly how River had girls drooling over him. His skills were just disgustingly phenomenal.

"What? Why!" She yelled with her arms swinging everywhere. She really looked like a crazy lady.

"Well, then she can you know maybe find herself a boyfriend and like stay out of your way...you know?" He pouted.

And I guess she did know because eventually she gave in. Skyscraper, ladies and gentlemen, had the tongue of a snake.

"Fine, this loser's invited! Dress better than this!"

I wanted to slap her...in fact I would've had it not been for my social anxiety.

"Okay, bye, babe! I have cheerleading practice!" She said.

All I was thinking, was that I would prefer it if I never saw her again.

"Bye, babe! I'll see you tonight!" He said winking.

After that entire torturous encounter, all I wanted was to clean my eyes from what I had seen, and my ears, from what I had heard.

She fortunately walked away, twirling her blonde hair while trying to sing some song. Note the word trying.

I turned towards the exit but stopped when Skyscraper yelled, "Hey! Wait up!"

I sighed, realising that this was going to be an unnecessarily long journey to my mothers car.

"So, you're coming right?"

I looked up at him confused, and said, "English please, I don't speak Skyscraper."

"Ha. Ha. So funny!" He said sarcastically with an added eyeroll, "I mean you are coming tomorrow to the party, right?"

"Well I don't think so!" I said starting to walk again.

"Why not?" He asked, his gorgeous multi coloured eyes were confused.

"Duh! You are going to be there. Do I look like I want to spend my Saturday being annoyed with you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Well do you want an honest answer to that question?"

I started laughing really hard and then gave him a slap on the shoulder. He started laughing too. This carried on for about ten minutes and then our laughing died down.

He then looked at me with his smug face.

"So, you think I'm hot right." It was a statement and not a question.

"Nope, you sir, are not hot at all. In fact, Im sure that most of the girls here are all blind and have limited options in this school." I said with a shrug. There was no way I was going to feed his monstrous ego.

Eventually we exited the school and I could see my dad's car.

"Bye, Skyscraper. Enjoy your party! And please, keep it PG13!" I said with a sigh.

He just chuckled and walked to his friend's car, wordlessly.

It was then that I realised that there was something intriguing about River. No, not intriguing, but, familiar. Maybe he was just beginning to grow on me.