IMESSAGE

joshy 🛹
hey today's the big day!
ready to perform our song
in front of our cast mates??

livvy 🌹
god idk why i'm so nervous
about it lol

like they're our friends i know
they won't make fun of us or
laugh or anything but i'm nervous
anyway??

joshy 🛹
hey don't sweat it, we're
gonna be great

just remember it's not just
you up there, it's me too,
sometimes that helps me
knowing there's other people
besides me performing

just breathe, look over at me
if you start to freak out, and
we're gonna do great, got it?

livvy 🌹
yeah, you're right, we're
gonna kill it out there

thanks for the little pep talk,
pep text? lol

joshy 🛹
ofc, glad to help :)

see you soon

livvy 🌹
yep, see ya!

•••

Olivia felt her heart race as she walked onto set, knowing that today was the day she and Joshua would have to perform their song for the first time. Sure, it was for their cast members and crew, but it still gave her jitters.

As soon as she caught a glimpse of Joshua, she thought it might soothe her nerves; unfortunately, it did the opposite, reminding her of how real and current her situation was.

Joshua must have felt her eye on him, because he turned around as she approached him and gave her a smile. "Hey, don't worry we still have another half hour or so until they want us to sing. Wanna go warm up now for a bit?"

"Oh, um... sure," Olivia gave him a brief nod as she followed him towards his dressing room. He sat on his chair as she pulled up another one, his guitar in hand. They took some time to warm up their vocals and practice some verses from the song until deciding they were ready, Joshua more than Olivia.

The two walked out onto the school's stage, their small audience sitting in the chairs of the auditorium before them. Olivia felt her hands begin to shake as she gripped her microphone, knowing that if she opened her mouth to speak or sing, nothing but a squeak would come out.

Joshua noticed her nerves and took a step closer to her, reaching out for one of her hands and prying her grip off of the mic and into his own hand. "Hey, look at me, remember what I told you this morning? We're gonna kill it, there's no need to be nervous. We wrote a killer song and we want it on the show, and it's going to be on it if we sing. So let's do this, yeah?"

Olivia locked eyes with him, nodding. The corner of his mouth tugged up in a smile before he began to strum the first chord of the song. He never took his eyes off of Olivia—even as he sang—until she came in to sing her first verse, "I fell in love with a boy and I can't tell if I fell out..."

The two continued further and further into the song until they found themselves facing each other, their eyes locked on the other's. They subconsciously stepped closer to each other and only did they realize how close they were when they finished singing and their audience erupted in applause. Joshua had almost forgot about everyone else there as he leaned in, but snapped back into reality once Olivia turned her head towards the others and grinned, taking a small bow. He did the same, although he had wondered if she had felt their brief shared moment, too.

Sofia and Dara ran onto the stage grinning as they wrapped their two friends into a group hug. "You two sounded heavenly!" Sofia gushed, Olivia thanking her in another hug.

"And you two expect me to believe that killer song is an original? It's so good it's almost hard to believe," Dara laughed. "You two are insanely talented and if they don't use this song in the show, I'll sneak into editing and find a way to put it in there myself."

"No need, Dara, but thanks for the warning," Tim chimed in. "There's no need to do that because she's right, you two are crazy talented and wrote a beautiful song, we'd be crazy not to use it." He then winked before walking away, leaving the group to freak out.

Joshua and Olivia exchanged excited glances before Olivia leapt into his arms, cheering at the fact that their song was going to be on a show heard by several people.

"This is unbelievable, I feel like I'm dreaming," Olivia admitted as she pinched her arm. "But I guess I'm not."

"I'm so proud of you, Liv, no way I could've done it without you," Joshua smiled.

"And same to you, Joshy. But I don't think I'm gonna stop shaking and my throat is feeling kinda dry, I think I need some water or something," Olivia replied.

"I have some in my dressing room, come on," Joshua nodded to his left and the two walked off together, leaving Sofia and Dara alone.

Dara noticed Sofia watching the pair longingly out of the corner of her eye; at first, she didn't want to comment, but her mouth moved before she even knew what she was saying, "What's going on, girly?"

"Hm?" Sofia shook herself out of her trance. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"That look you just had didn't seem fine. Talk to me."

Sofia sighed as the two sat on stage together, their legs dangling off the edge into the orchestra pit. "Promise not to tell anyone, especially not those two?"

"I promise, whatever you've got to say, it stays between us."

Sofia glanced around to make sure nobody else was listening before she continued, "Um, so I know we live in a time where things are changing and our generation is much more open to these changes and such. Heck, I'm on the first Disney Channel show to have a character come out, but it still makes me nervous to say the words aloud, because only recently did I discover that I'm... well, I'm bisexual. I don't think I've actually said the words aloud, wow," Sofia wiped her eyes which were threatening to drop tears down her cheeks, but she tried to let that go unnoticed as well. "Anyway, I've discovered that while I was helping Josh try to get with Olivia that... well, I started to catch feelings for her, too. I feel really stupid about it and we're just starting to become pretty good friends and I don't want to ruin that, nor do I want to ruin what could potentially happen between her and Josh because I love them so much and want them to be happy, you know? So please, don't tell anyone."

Dara wrapped her arms around Sofia and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Your secret is safe with me, and I thank you for trusting me with it. Everything is going to be okay."

•••

A/N: i started this draft a couple days ago and forgot about it until now oops 👁👄👁 tea is stirring *sips slowly*

so anyway, i know a lot has been going on in our world, and while my platform here on wattpad may be small compared to others, i know that my voice is heard and while these have been shared around by many already, i want to share as well. please find a way to participate in the black lives matter movement, whether that's signing petitions, donating, sharing resources, being an ally, and much more, we can all find a way to do so to show our support. so i'm going to put this link here that can show you where to donate and sign several petitions (there will also be one in my bio): https://www.bleumag.com/2020/06/03/30-blm-petitions-you-should-sign-right-now/
and i apologize if my words sound bland or generic or repetitive with what others have said, there are times (like these times we are currently dealing with) where it is hard for me to find the words. but please do know that while i may not be black, i stand with you, i support you, i hear you, and i love you 🖤

anyway i hope you enjoyed this chapter! if so please don't forget to vote comment and share because i love your feedback!

thanks, until next time ;)