Elena Sergio.

Inhale. Hold it in, one, two. Let it out slowly.

I did just as my mind told me to, inhaling deeply, holding it for two seconds, and then letting it out.

Now do it again.

Again, I followed the instructions of my mind. I took in another deep breath.

Hold one, two, three, four, five...

"You want me to suffocate even before I get to present?" I chided myself, a small smile already forming on my lips.

Okay, sorry, my mind laughed. Take in another deep one?

"Sure," I muttered and took a deep breath.

Now let it out but slowly, very slowly. Once more, I heeded its instructions, letting out my breath slowly.

Okay! You're good to go now.

Are you sure? I wondered.

Yep, go get that role!

"Okay!" I beamed.

I was pretty sure that anyone looking at me right now would think I had gone crazy with the way I was huddled by the door to the hall where the musical audition was to be held, talking to myself and laughing at myself. Thinking about it, putting myself in the shoes of an onlooker, and what their expression would be like on watching me, I chuckled. But I didn't care though. I didn't care what anyone thought of me now, well except for my close friends, the people I love, Matthew. Asides from these, I didn't care anymore what anyone thought of me, or my pale skin. I owed it to myself to be the best of the best and I was already working towards that, the first step? Ignoring everyone's judgmental, holier-than-thou attitude.

With one final exhale, I pushed my weight off the wall, adjusted my backpack on my shoulders, and headed on into the hall.

There were rows of wooden benches to the left and right and an aisle leading up to a wooden stage with a red curtain backdrop. On the rows of benches were already some students sitting in wait for the audition. I could count a total of twenty on the left and fifteen on the right.

Jeez, there were so many.

The fact that I had begun developing thick skin didn't mean I now liked the idea of attention and standing there at the start of the aisle, looking around awkwardly did just that—drew attention to me. A couple of heads and eyes turned toward my direction when I walked in and remained on me.

A mild but invisible tint forming on my cheeks, I ducked to the side and took an empty bench by the right. Sitting down, I got my backpack off my shoulders and placed it on my lap, resting my back against the wooden rest.

Where was Matthew? Why did he always seem to go missing in school most especially when I needed him? Like now. I needed him now by my side, seated here with me, as my emotional support, plus he was auditioning for a role in the musical too so why was he late?

"Dang, Matt," I muttered, glancing around, wondering whether I'd missed him in the crowd earlier. "Where are you?"

After looking around, I confirmed he wasn't in there. Unzipping my backpack, I took out my phone, and turned it on, deciding I was going to call him.

I went straight to my call log and began browsing through my call log when a voice drew my attention.

"Hey."

At once, I looked up from my phone and to my right in the direction of the voice that'd called me.

Beside me, looking down at me with a small smile across his lips was a redbone guy whose face was oddly familiar. Oh yeah, that's right. This was Daniel, the lacrosse team's captain.

And then it hit me. Daniel Spielberg, the freaking lacrosse team captain was talking to me! What in da freak was going on? I blinked. Okay, Daniel was well . . . okay. Yeah, just okay. He wasn't a bully and he minded his own business and was one of the people that it was obviously preferred their own company but somehow still found themselves popular. Very popular. Daniel was charting the top in terms of popularity. Not to mention, I had never seen him talk to someone like me—the regular high school kid, not that he talked much though. But, still, he'd never once talked to me since being classmates from freshman year.

"H—" I began replying when a sudden limo formed in my throat.

Great! Trust my body to always embarrass me at the worst times.

I cleared my throat by drinking some water out of my water bottle.

"Are you okay?" Daniel, who had waited patiently for me to be done with my episode asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah." I nodded quickly. "I'm fine, thank you."

"No need," he shrugged. "Anyone sitting beside you?"

I looked at the space beside me. No one was occupying it, and if Matthew came, he could sit on my left.

"Nope." I looked back up at Daniel, shaking my head. "No one."

"Okay," he drew, "mind if I sit?"

Brain cells exploded in my head. What da actual frig was going on? Daniel, the popular loner who pretty much enjoyed no one's company but his, but seemed to attract all the company because of his otherworldly good looks, wanted to sit beside me?

Realizing I was keeping him standing which I knew was awkward because I felt the awkwardness too, a while ago, I nodded immediately.

"Thanks," he smiled briefly, taking up the spot beside me.

"No need," I shrugged, "as you told me."

He chuckled lightly. Only after he'd stopped did the sweet smell of his perfume invade my personal space and waft into my nostrils.

"What perfume are you using?" I asked out of nowhere, hating that I did immediately after.

What if he took it the wiring way?

"Uh, Onleau," he answered. "Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just thought it has a nice scent," I told him.

"Oh, yeah, I know right?" He smiled. "It was a gift from my grandma last Christmas."

"Oh, that's so sweet," I said softly.

"Yeah," he said. And then we fell into an awkward, to me mostly, but brief silence.

"So," I started again when after a while, Daniel remained silent. "You're trying out for the musicals too?"

"Well, I'm here," he looked with bright brown eyes, "so yeah of course."

Someone like Anabel would've made me sound dumb with their reply, but Daniel effortlessly evaded such, and for that, I was truly grateful.

"Oh wow, I didn't know you were into . . . all this." I gestured around the room mildly.

He chuckled. A light one, "I play the guitar."

I stared at him. "You do?"

"Yep," he nodded. "Been playing since I was little."

"That's amazing," I said enthusiastically. "I play the piano."

"Oh for real?" His thick eyebrows darted upwards.

"Yep," I nodded, feeling proud of myself.

"That's cool," he stated and I felt my head swell. Getting validation from Daniel of all people was pretty much the best thing ever.

"So, uh," he began all of a sudden, turning to look at me directly.

His gaze was piercing, looking at it squarely, I won't lie, but I kept mine too, my eyes remaining on his. It was the first step to being confident.

"I just wanted to say." He paused and looked down. Then he looked back up at me. "I just wanted to say through the holidays I couldn't stop thinking about the speech you gave on prom night. At the time, it was all I needed, and that's the truth. You saved me from me, you inspired me, and truly I'm grateful for that, so I just uh thought you should know."

Listening to all he just said, I felt my brain freeze. He couldn't possibly be talking about me right? No, he couldn't.

"You . . . you mean me?" I pointed at myself. "M-my speech?"

"Yep." He nodded with a smile on his lips. "Your speech."

"Oh thank you." My mind and brain finally began to function as one once more. "I'm glad it was able to help you."

"I'm glad it was," Daniel said. "And to many others too I'm sure, even if they don't come up to tell it to your face."

"You know it was my best—" Remembering that Matthew and I were more than that now, I stopped halfway.

"It was my . . . friend, boyfriend, that pushed me to give it," I said instead.

"It's a good thing he did. Oh, and one more thing," Daniel said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever let anyone get to you. You're pretty. I wouldn't tell you so if I didn't think you were. And you are. So, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, about you, about your skin. It's what they're good at, bullying. When u was in grade school I used to be called sissy because I'm redbone. It's just an endless cycle that'll never end, doesn't mean it's true, so yeah, don't listen to any of it."

"Thank you," I gave Daniel a genuine smile. "I appreciate all that you've just told me."

He smiled back at once. "Just had to speak my mind."

"Elena!" A breathless voice called.

I whipped my gaze away from Daniel to my right to meet Matthew standing beside me, near out of breath and beads of sweat dotting his upper lip where a budding mustache peeped its presence.

"Hey!" I said a tad too loudly. "Where have you been?"

He sat down on the space beside me then, taking out a black handkerchief from his shirt pocket. With it, he wiped his face. I had to meet up with Coach Gregory.

Matthew was the football team's goalkeeper.

"Uh, I'll be going now," Daniel's voice drew me back to him, as well as drawing Matthew's attention. The expression on Matthew's face said he only just noticed Daniel sitting beside me.

I turned toward Daniel. "Sure, bye."

"Dan, hey," Matthew said then, looking at him with a small smile.

Of course, they were friends, Matthew was another popular loner, plus they were both school athletes.

"Hey, man," Daniel reached out a hand and Matthew did a bro handshake. "Catch you later?"

"Yeah, sure." Matthew nodded. "You here for the audition too?"

"Yep," Daniel said. "You?"

"Same thing."

"Aight cool."

Shortly after Daniel left, Matthew said, "You talk with Daniel now? That's cool, he's a cool guy."

"Not talk with him," I shrugged. "He just said he liked the speech I gave during prom."

"What are you doing here?" A shrill voice interrupted Matthew the moment he began replying to my sentence.

This was the third time a voice was attracting my attention, and this time, it wasn't a friendly one. Clara.

I looked up at her looming over me and tried to seem as friendly as possible. "I'm here for the audition like you are too. Auditioning for the pianist, you?"

"Same role. Don't waste your time, sweetie. I already got it, humph!" Turning around, she clicked and clicked over to a bench in the front row.

A few minutes later the audition began.

"I already have a bad feeling about this," Matthew muttered from beside me.

I looked at him. He was looking straight ahead at the student performing. "Why?" I asked.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I mean, I kinda know because you didn't even practice and it's been a while since I did entertainment vocals."

"Well," I began, thinking of a way to make him feel better. "Either way, I believe in you and I know you'll do your best."

He looked at me then with a smile. "Thanks."

I took his hand then and gave it a quick squeeze. "Sure."

The audition went until it got to Matthew's turn. As far as I was concerned he did amazingly well with his vocalizations. My turn came and having already calmed my nerves, I went up and played the keyboard, adding a touch of singing to my performance.

Guess what? When everything was over and they announced the result and roles, Matthew didn't make it because they needed one vocalist, but I did. I was chosen to be the keyboardist.

I was so surprised I froze as Matthew pulled me into a tight hug of congratulations Clara stared at me with hate and envy burning in her eyes.

I guess my lucky charm was returning once more huh. Everything about my life was silly but surely getting back in place.

A new character has been introduced...