Vanessa's point of view

"Kids forever, kids forever, baby soft skin turns into leather." I sang quietly as I did my eyeliner, already having attempted a damn wing twenty times.

I finally got it after another few times, and then took my mascara, shaking it a bit before I started to apply it.

"It's such a waste, when little girls grow into their mother's face, but little girls are learning how to cut and paste," I mumbled, also attempting not to stab myself in the eye with the brush.

I blinked a few times when I finished and I grabbed my glasses, putting them on. I didn't have very long lashes, so I didn't have to worry about them touching the lens of my glasses.

I applied my lip gloss, matting it down with my finger a bit so it didn't look too glossy. I set it down and then washed my hands before drying them on my towel.

I stepped out of the bathroom, walking to my bedroom quietly so I didn't wake Luke up yet. I put my make-up in the right drawers and then grabbed my backpack, throwing it over my shoulders.

I grabbed my beanie and then put it on over my straightened hair. I adjusted the bracelets on my left arm and then smiled smally in the mirror, nerves filling my stomach.

I repeated told myself that I could do it, but as I actually thought about it, I feel like I'd end up crying and making a giant fool of myself.

I shrugged and then grabbed my phone, plugging in my earbuds. I put them in and then played a random song off of my downloaded music.

"Oh no." I said as Wrapped Around Your Finger came on. "Suck it up Vanessa, don't you dare ruin your expensive makeup because of Michael Clifford." I reminded myself, taking a deep breath.

"Uh," someone said and I looked up, seeing Luke there as he rubbed his eye. "What?" He asked me and I blushed.

"N-Nothing um, I'm ready?" I said and he nodded. "Just forget you heard what I said, please."

"I'm telling Michael." He said and I groaned as he went to his room. I went downstairs and then pressed the back of my hand against my lips before I grabbed a glass.

When none of the gloss came off, I filled it with ice water and took a drink. When I looked at it, a small white outline of where my lips were appeared and I laughed to myself.

I finished it and then washed the glass, setting it in the dishwasher. Luke came downstairs in a flannel, some sweats, and a pair of flip-flops. "Come on."

"You scream 'I just woke up', you know that right?" I asked and he nodded as he laughed.

"Course I do, I don't really care too. I'm tired. It's seven in the morning." He said and I nodded as I followed him to the car.

I got in and then closed the passenger side door after buckling my seatbelt. I looked at Luke as he got in, the instrumental to the song now playing.

If someone told me Luke Hemmings was going to walk into the adoption center and adopt me, I would have walked away because I'd think they're on crack.

"So, why would you cry over Michael?" He asked, an amused smile on his lips as he pulled out of the driveway. "What did he do?"

"Emotional song."

"Same." He said and we laughed. "I'd cry myself because I don't have make-up on. I'm hot without it." He said and I shrugged.

"Sure." I agreed and he laughed. "Just putting this out there, I was a Calum girl before I was a Luke girl, so you have competition."

"Just putting it out there, he's twenty and it's not happening." He said and smiled and he slowed the car down, a red light appearing. "Also, if you switched lanes, clearly I'm better than him."

"Keep telling yourself that." I said and he laughed as he shook his head. I adjusted my seat a bit and then stretched a bit, feeling and hearing and crack. "Oh I broke something."

"You're like twelve, you're good." Luke said as he put his arm around then headrest of the seat. "Are you going to need lunch money? I don't remember."

I shrugged and he parked the car outside of the school, reaching into the glove department. I mentally questioned why he had so much money in there, but when he handed me a twenty, I just smiled and gave him a hug.

"Thanks Luke." I said and he nodded as I unbuckled my seatbelt. "Bye, see you later." I said as I opened the door.

"Bye Vanessa, see you later." He said and I closed the door, putting the money behind my phone case.

Here we go.

-

"Hey," a girl said and I smiled at her. "I like your shirt." She told me and I thanked her.

"Thanks, I like your hair." I said and she flipped it over her shoulder, causing his both to laugh. "I'm Vanessa."

"Miranda." She said and held a hand out. We shook hands and we walked to the music hall. "What do you have next?"

"Choir."

"Same!" She said and I was relieved to have a friend, or someone who isn't a complete stranger, in there with me. "I'm an alto, you?"

"I-I don't know, I just got here." I said and she nodded as we walked into the room. I took a seat beside her since she dragged me over there and she pointed to the board.

"He gives us prompts everyday, we have to write a paragraph on it before we do any kind of singing anf stuff." She told me and I nodded.

I took my notebook for this class out and then a pencil. I scribbled down the period, date, and my name before writing the prompt on top.

Who is your favorite music artist and why?

I smiled and quickly began to explain the guys, saying that I love their music, they seem like amazing people, and inspire me to be a great musician, to follow my dreams.

"You like 5 Seconds of Summer?" She asked and I looked at her. She seemed shocked and kind of disgusted.

"Uh.... no?" I said, turning my paper over. "I hate them?"

"It's fine if you do, it's just, personally, I don't like them." She said and I turned my paper over. "They just irritate me for some reason. I look at them and I see wannabes."

"They're great though," I said as I continued writing. "Their recent songs are great and then they're just great people in general." I told her, looking at her paper. "You listen to Chris Brown?"

"Yeah."

"Not being shady or anything, but at least 5sos didn't beat their girlfriend and then tattoo the picture of her bruised face on them." I said and she laughed so loudly that the teacher threatened to move her.

"Touchè." She said and I nodded. "I don't like him, I like his music... his old music. There's a big difference." She told me and I nodded.

We finished the prompt and I stood up to go turn it in with her. The teacher looked at me and I smiled smally. "Vanessa Hemmings?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes?"

"Follow me, I need to evaluate your vocal range." He said and I nodded, following him into a hallway that seemed to connect all the classrooms.

"I'm going to play a note and you're going to sing it, we're going as low and as high as we can, all while it's comfortable for you." He told me and I nodded.

He played various pitches off of his phone and I sang them as best as I could. He nodded, seeming impressed. I smiled and he played a really high note that I couldn't hit without straining my voice.

I don't even think Zayn Malik could hit that.

"Did I do well?" I asked and he nodded. "What level am I in?"

"Soprano." He told me and I nodded. "Come on, currently we are working on a few songs for a concert in a few months. I'll print out the packet and it's up to you if you want to be apart of it." He told me and I nodded.

I sat down beside Miranda, wincing as everyone was singing but no one was in time with one another. "What are you? Alto?" She asked me.

"Soprano." I answered and she high-fived me. "What songs are we going to be singing?" I asked her.

"Some artists that were voted on." She said and rolled her eyes. "One Direction, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, and then we're ending with Queen." She told me and I nodded.

"That's like seventy-five percent of my music taste." I said and she laughed as she nodded.

"Hemmings!" The teacher called, a lot louder than before, and so many girls looked at him and looked around.

"Fuck." I said and stood up, going to get the packet. I thanked him and lowered my voice. "Can you please not say my last name? It's important to my guardian and I for them not to like..you know..."

"All you had to do was ask, I didn't need to know everything." He said and laughed. "I won't call your last name, done. Go practice now Vanessa." He said and I thanked him before taking my seat.

"Hemmings?" Someone asked. "Like-Like Luke Hemmings?"

I didn't answer them, I just flipped through the packet with red cheeks. I knew these songs already so I didn't have to practice singing then myself, but the teacher said we'd have a group practice in ten minutes.

"I can't hit that long note right now." She said and cleared her throat. "If you love me let me go," she sang and as she said, her voice cracked towards the ending. "Fuck."

"Lip sing." I said and she laughed as she nodded. "I don't want to brag, but I can do it." I said and she crossed her arms, telling me to do it

"If you love me let me go," I sang, closing my eyes to help me drag the note out. "Cause these words are knives that often leave scars, the fear of falling apart, truth be told I never was yours."

The classroom quieted and I blushed. "Sorry, I was too loud." I said and Miranda clapped, followed by the students around us, then mostly everyone, then the teacher. A few even whistled.

"Yes." The teacher said and I blushed harder. "She just got here and she's already better than all of you, where are you guys at?" The teacher asked and laughed with the class.

"We're trying man!" A boy called out and I smiled at Miranda as she nudged me.

"Think you can do that Harry Styles high note in Drag Me Down?" She asked and showed me the booklet. I nodded and pushed the booklet away and cleared my throat.

"I can do that in my sleep."

"Well then, be a cocky lil' bitch." Miranda said and laughed as I sang, trying to be quiet but failing.

"Keep up that work Vanessa and maybe you'll be able to solo." The teacher said and a few students cheered, saying that I should.

"But you said I was going to solo!" A girl said, glaring at me. "I'm supposed to solo!"

"Oops." Miranda said and the teacher shrugged as he told us we have five minutes until group practice.