Chapter 1
The bell rings signalling the end of the period. My stomach is in knots.
Don't be so nervous Darcy.
I keep telling myself that as I gather my books and pens, shoving it in my bag as I walk out of the classroom. I hurriedly zip my bag closed and walk through the sea of students in the hallway. The notice board is just next to the nurse's office which unfortunately for me is on the other side of the school.
Right now, I don't care about arriving late to my next class. I need to know if my name is there or not.
Some students have stopped at their lockers so I have a clear path for now. I make a series of turns before I see the nurse's office up ahead. The notice board next to it has papers pinned to it and there's already a few people in front. I stand on my tiptoes searching the board for the paper.
"Excuse me." I say as I gently push past a girl and take a closer look at the board. There it is.
My name is there.
Everyone did a great job at the auditions, however we can only choose who we think fits the role.
Lead actors: Darcy Freed and Silas Channing
My heart does a little somersault as I read it over and over again. I can't believe it. I made it!
I clasp my hands together, unable to contain my excitement. This is a big deal for me. Acting isn't for me but as soon as I heard it was a musical instead of a play, I had to audition.
I'd been singing ever since I was young and even though my acting skills were a bit bad during the audition, as soon as I started singing, I knew I blew them away.
"Hey Darcy."
I turn at the sound of my name. I gasp. Standing right beside me is the hottest and most popular boy in school.
Jay Webster.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. He's actually looking at me. "Yeah. What's up?" I answer, playing it cool. He points to the notice board. "Congratulations. I saw you at the audition. You sounded ethereal. I'm glad you got the part."
No way. I must be dreaming. Did he just say I sounded ethereal? I can feel eyes on me. Even though the hallway is a bit empty, the rest that are there are definitely staring at us.
"Wow thanks. I didn't see you there."
He smiles. His smile blows me away.
Jay is dark skinned with two lip piercings. He has long dreads and perfect chocolate brown eyes that melt you whenever he looks at you. Apparently he's a DJ at a nearby club in town. He also always carries a big speaker around which he's always blasting music from. Because he's a DJ and has exceptional taste in music, he's become one of the most popular guys in school but he doesn't care about popularity at all.
He talks to whoever he wants whether they're a nerd or jock.
"Would you like to go out with me? Tonight? Maybe we can watch a movie or eat at a restaurant. Whatever suits you." He says it so nonchalantly and my heart almost stops.
"Like a date?" My heart is racing and I can feel my cheeks heating up. There's no way this is real.
He nods. "Yeah, like a date." It's my turn to nod. "Of course." I answer smiling.
Not only did I get the lead role of the musical but the hottest boy asked me out on a date! There are hushed whispers all around me but I don't care. I'm over the moon right now.
"What's your next class?" He asks. I had almost forgotten about class. I just want to go home and tell the news to my parents.
"Tourism. Not too far away thankfully."
"I'll walk you there."
Okay? I nod again and walk beside him. I'm pretty sure I must look stupid with such a wide grin on my face but I can't help it.
"Yo Jay." Someone calls and he stops before turning around. There's a real handsome guy that I don't think I've seen before. He has red hair that looks super soft, brown eyes and an eyebrow ring. His smirk is enough to make a girl weak in the knees.
"Hey Storm." He says before he turns back and walks. I glance at Storm once more as he slowly walks down the hall with his back toward us.
"Is he your friend?"
Jay nods. "We hang out sometimes." We reach the Tourism class and Jay waves bye to me while I enter the classroom. I apologize to the teacher for being late while walking to my seat at the back of the class.
"Don't make this a habit Miss Freed."
"I won't." I don't even care that all eyes are on me. As soon as I take my seat, Coral - the most popular girl in school - leans over and nudges me.
"Was that Jay you waved at?" She asks. "One and only." She doesn't lash out at me or say anything mean to me like I expect. "That's cool." Is all she says as she goes back to filing her nails.
Coral is beautiful with a blonde bob and green eyes. She's always wearing pink and she's literally the prettiest girl in school. I never spoke to her cause she seemed too popular for me and I thought she was rude like all popular girls are but I guess I was mistaken.
The day goes by fast and before I know it, the bell rings and school is out. I go to my locker and place most of my books inside. I take my phone out of my locker and switch it on, checking for any new messages.
I take my earphones out of my pockets as I walk out the school building. "Hey, do you mind if I give you a lift?" It's Jay. It still feels so surreal that he asked me out on a date. Me out of all people. I usually take the bus home which I don't mind cause I can listen to my music and just relax but no way am I turning down an offer from Jay.
"It's no problem." I tell him, shoving my phone and earphones in my pocket before following him to a blue car.
I've never seen his car but this one looks shiny and brand new and it smells amazing too. I don't know much about cars so I have no idea what he's driving but I can tell it's a really cool one.
He puts the radio on and it plays a hip hop song. "I hope you didn't find it weird or anything when I asked you out. I've been wanting to for a while."
My heart skips a beat. "Really?"
"Yeah." He reverses out of the parking space and soon we're off. The windows are rolled down so the wind whips through my hair and I close my eyes, enjoying the moment.
One of my favourite songs come on. Can't fight the moonlight by LeAnn Rimes. It's an old song but I love it so much that I can't help but sing the first verse loudly, feeling the music flow through me.
The car stops and I realise we're at my house already and I sigh as Jay turns the music softer. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you sing." He tells me and I smile at him. "And I don't think I'll ever get tired of singing." A thought hits me.
"How do you know where I live? You stalking me or something?" I ask jokingly. He chuckles. "Not really. I actually live in the same street so I see you every morning."
Really? I had no idea he lives so close to me.
"Thanks for the ride." I say as I unbuckle my seatbelt. "Anytime. Can I pick you up at six thirty?" He asks before I get out.
"Sure. Six thirty is great. What should I wear?" I ask. I have no idea where he's taking me and I don't want to wear the wrong thing and risk embarrassing him and myself.
"Anything. You look good in anything anyway." I smile at his compliment. "Thanks but seriously. Formal wear or casual wear?"
"Casual wear is fine."
"Are you not gonna tell me where you're gonna take me?"
He winks at me. "It's a surprise." I thank him again for the ride and get out. He waves as he drives off and I stand on the sidewalk grinning as I watch his car drive off into the distance.
