Chapter 22
Lapis P.O.V
It was finally time. I finally had my foot in the door and I couldn't mess this up. I was praying to every god there was that this would go smoothly. I had reread my song over and over again. I had practiced and practiced until my fingers were raw and bleeding again. I was not going down without a fair fight, not this time.
My eyes scanned the small crowd in the seats around me looking at other contestants. I was happy to check out the competition while I could. There were some electric guitar players, pianist and I even saw someone with a ukulele. I was an acoustic player but l surely wasn't the only one.
As everyone lined up and got their numbers, I felt all the tenseness I had been feeling throughout the entire morning kick into overdrive. I had to breathe and remind myself that I was anything but alone. I had Greg, I had Steven. I had Peridot. They would be with me through what ever came my way.
After a while of waiting in line, I was given my number, contestant 23. I taped the piece of paper to my chest and waited.
Peridot P.O.V
It was finally time. The moment that would define the beginning of Lapis' career.
In the 1:50 chance that she would win, she would be awarded a concert in front of thousands of people looking for fresh musical blood and potentially a deal with a record label. If she failed, I had no doubt that she would scramble back to her feet and bounce back. She wouldn't give up on her dreams, would she?
As I began the drive towards downtown Beach City, I tried to remain calm myself. I could only imagine how Lapis was feeling.
Stopping at a red light, I pushed the button on my touch screen, bringing the speakers to life. The music did nothing to sooth my nerves as I tried to keep my attention on driving safely.
One more corner and the arena came into view, I needed to get in and get to her before she went on. She needed to know that it was going to be okay and that I wouldn't be disappointed in her if she didn't win. But for some reason, the only place I wanted to be was in her arms. Why?
Realising I had forgotten something of great importance, I made a sharp left hand turn at the next intersection and headed for the Big Donut. I needed to get some donuts for afterwards.
Letting out a sigh of relief at the fact that the same young man wasn't working today, I approached the short and stout blonde at the counter. At the sight of me, she flashed a knowing smile.
"Heya! Welcome to the Big Donut." She leaned her forearms on the counter as I checked out what they had.
"Hi." I smiled as I met her gaze.
"You're Lapis' friend, right?" It was between the ordinary glazed and the chocolate glazed. Why not get both?
"How do you know Lapis?"
"I'm in her class in college."
"I'm Sadie by the way."
"Peridot."
Lapis P.O.V
"23, please make your way to the stage."
In a sorry attempt to slow my breathing, I tried to stop thinking.
'Holy shit, you're next.' was all I could think in that moment and it repeated like a broken record. Picking my guitar up by the neck, I placed the strap around myself and let my arms fall. The young teen on stage before me looked about fourteen and she sat in front of a piano.
The song that began coming out of the instrument was sweet and innocent, just like the girl on stage. It was crazy to me that this girl, eight years younger than me, was able to play an instrument so wonderfully. I thought that without a doubt that she was going to beat me.
As her song went on, I felt more and more nervous. Fear sat in my stomach as the last of the chords rang through the air. As she left the stage, my heart kicked into gear.
"Contestant 23, please make your way to the stage." with shaky knees, I climbed the steps to the stage, trying my best not to fall flat on my face. Just like I did at the cafe, I looked through the audience searching for all of the familiar faces. Indeed, they were all there. Steven, Greg, Peridot and, to my surprise, the sorority?
But there was no time to think, it was time to go...
"Hi my name is Lapis Lazuli and I'll be playing a song I wrote called Better." Taking a deep breath, I began the opening notes of the same song I had played in the cafe. This time, I was determined to get it right.
We're all evil if you think about it
We all have demons, we don't speak about it
We keep the shadowed parts in the dark
But, the shadows leave the darkest mark
I'm tired of staying, making no sound
There's no use lying about it when you're ten feet underground
I'm not afraid to show what's underneath
Because it's salvation that I seek
The more I played the song, the more nervous I felt. As I tried to make sure my hands didn't freeze, I made sure to keep my eyes straight forward, focusing on nothing. There was extra pressure playing my own work and I decided right there that performing original songs were much harder than ones written by someone else.
Just hold on
And say it twice
Once for them and once for advice
Today will be better than yesterday
You're not alone
Not anymore
For others have gone through that door
Today will be better than yesterday
Breaking out into the chorus, I started to smile. My mistake at the cafe sure shot me down but it made this song into what it is now. I decided to keep it as a reminder, to always remind myself that we all make mistakes.
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
I started to enjoy myself more and more as I played along. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sometimes a little stage fright was good from time to time.
If you wish to lie where your demons lie
Why do you wish for something you can't decide
You hope for your own insanity
But it's not as great, you'll see
Just hold on
And say it twice
Once for them and once for advice
Today will be better than yesterday
You're not alone
Not anymore
For others have gone through that door
Today will be better than yesterday
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
Take a step, take just one step back
Look at your life and the side effects
Is this one thing the only choice?
For death to block out all the noise
Just hold on
And say it twice
Once for them and once for advice
Today will be better than yesterday
You're not alone
Not anymore
For others have gone through that door
Today will be better than yesterday
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
Today will be better than yesterday, better than yesterday, we'll be better than yesterday
Holding the last note, everything turned into silence before the crowd broke out into applause. Steven, Greg, Peridot and the sorority hopped up to their feet. Almost all of them had tears streaming down their faces. Soon enough, the entire audience was on their feet and I had received a standing fucking ovation. Panting from anxiety, I felt my knees go weak as black specks dotted my vision. This was too much. Seeing the overwhelmingly bright stage lights was the last thing I remembered before I fell onto the stage.
A/N : Tadaa! G here, back with the Monday upload! These were originally two separate chapters but I couldn't help but merge them because of how short they were -_-
On another note, it seems that some of you were confused with the boxing match thing, so i'll briefly explain it!
Lapis, due to her past, deals a lot with mental illness (anxiety/depression/all that fun stuff). As a sort of coping mechanism, she sees her struggle with her mental illness as a boxing match (hens the random boxing scenes). In those scenes she fights against Her, Malachite, a personified version of all her mental struggles. (I hope this makes more sense!)
Anyways as always we love hearing from you so tell us your questions comments and concerns (PMs always open!).
Happy Reading:)
- G