Chapter 52

**SCARLET**
I stared at myself in the mirror before I went out on stage. I had never experienced standing in front of a crowd. I didn’t exactly understand why I wanted to sing live in an acoustic bar. I also had no experience. All I knew was I had to move on. I had to divert my attention and do something new.
“Hey, newbie! We’re about to start.” An Asian man in a baseball cap appeared behind me.
“Yes, of course. Thank you.” I smiled at him.
“I’m Scott. I play percussion. You are Scarlet, right?” he asked.
“Oh, yes. Hi, Scott.” I reached out my hand to him.
“Pleasure.” He shook my hand.
Scott smiled. He was pretty charming, and he looked younger than me. He had black hair under his cap, covering his forehead.
“If you don’t mind me asking, are you… Japanese?” I guessed, trying to be friendly and making small talk.
“I’m actually Korean,” he corrected, then grinned.
“Oh, sorry!” I covered my mouth, embarrassed.
He chuckled. “You ready? I heard you have a good voice.”
“I’m not a professional, though.”
“Just follow the beat. So, shall we?”
I nodded, biting my lower lip hard. My heart began to pound wildly. Scott swung the black curtain that led to the stage. I blew out a sharp breath and squeezed my palms before I stepped my foot on the stage.
Sean was already on the stage. He was preparing the cables and the amplifier for the sound test. I was their power vocalist tonight for two hours. The other singer who sang last night will be singing after our session. She’d be performing with another band.
We waited for the first acoustic band to finish before our gig. Since it was already nine in the evening, many customers had arrived. Sean told me it would be great for me to perform at this hour for my exposure. People would definitely come again after hearing my voice. I was so flattered by the compliment
Our current band consists of four members. The guitarist, the violinist, Scott, the percussionist, and me, the singer. This was the first time I met the violinist. She was stunning in her ripped jeans, black leather jacket, and sneakers. Our eyes met as I entered the stage.
She smiled at me. I smiled back.
I swallowed hard as I saw the crowd. The stage was brightly lit, so I couldn’t see the people clearly. My nervousness lessened a bit. I knew my friends were watching me in the audience.
Sean gave me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder, “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I’m nervous,” I told him.
“You’ll be fine. Just enjoy the moment. You’ll get used to it. Are you ready?”
I nodded, “Yeah.”
“Good, give them a brief greeting. Say something about our first song,” Sean said, and then he stepped back. He left me in the middle of the stage, in front of the microphone.
I took a deep breath, “H-Hello, good evening,” I greeted the crowd. I glanced at Sean and the group and then focused on the people. “Welcome to Episode. Hope you’re having fun—”
“Just start the song!” Someone in the crowd shouted.
“Uh, yeah. Umm, we will be singing Little Do You Know by Alex and Sierra,” I pressed my lips together as I waited for the instrumental intro. I closed my eyes when I heard the violin play.
As the song continued, I finished singing the first stanza and chorus, then Sean began singing the male part.
My heart lifted when I heard Sean’s voice as he sang from the heart. His emotions reflected on his face. I didn’t know my tears began falling from my eyes. I gripped the microphone tight. My feelings took over. Every pain and sadness I had in me was trying to break free.
I glanced at him, and he was already watching me. He let out a sweet smile while his lips were still singing. We sang together until we finished the song.
The audience’s applause echoed throughout the whole place. Some stood up and whistled. Some shouted, “More! More!”
“Thank you, everyone. Next is ‘Road Trip’ by Michael Perez.”
I began singing again.
Two hours had gone too fast; I didn’t realize our session was finally over. We thanked the audience, and I wished them a great night at Episode. We all went backstage.
Hayley, the violinist, approached me. “You did a great job out there. Congratulations on your first night.”
“Thank you, Hayley. You are a very talented musician. You play so beautifully.”
She grinned. “Thanks. Oh, do you want to come? A snack is served for us. Come on!” Hayley had a low voice for a female. She was a bit taller than me and had brown eyes and hair. She wasn’t sweet looking like Katherine, but she totally had the rock star look for me.
“Oh, but my friends are waiting for me. They’re in the audience.”
“Come on, you can ask them to join.”
“Okay, I’ll ask them.” She gave me a brief hug before she left backstage. Scott came with her. I saw him hook his other arm on her shoulder, but she shoved him off. I laughed at the sight of them.
Sean suddenly appeared next to me. He had put the guitar back in its case. “That’s a good performance for a newbie. I might let you stay for a while.”
“Oh,” I sighed in relief, “Is that another test?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Sean, you have a great voice,” I praised. “Why didn’t you become a singer?”
“Playing the guitar is my passion. I’d rather compose a song than sing,” he said.
“But you are really good.” I gave him two thumbs up and grinned.
He let out a soft chuckle. “Come with us. Let’s celebrate your first night here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I still have a class to attend tomorrow. And my friends are waiting for me.”
“Oh, right. I forgot. I’ll take you to your friends then.”
“No, it’s okay. They might be there somewhere.”
“I changed their table to VIP. Come on, I’ll show you.”
“But—”
“No more buts, come on.” He held my elbow and gently pushed me back into the crowd.
The next band was the one playing on the stage. It’s the same singer from yesterday. I didn’t know why they thought I was good; she was better than me. But I was thankful the people liked our performance tonight. Probably because of Sean. He brought me the emotion I should feel while I was singing. That’s how he played his guitar.
Sean brought me to the VIP tables. I found my friends immediately since there were only a few people in the area.
Katherine ran to me, and then she squeezed me into a bear hug.
“You’re amazing, Scarlet. I knew you could do it!” she screamed.
I laughed. “It’s not like I’m professional, you know. I still have a lot to learn.”
“That’s true,” Sean commented.
“See? He knows that I’m not as good as that singer.” I pointed out the singer on the stage.
“Yes, that’s also true, but you sing beautifully and emotionally. You just need to practice and practice,” Sean said.
“Thank you, Sean, for taking care of her over there,” Katherine told Sean.
“For my brother’s friends, it’s alright.” He winked at us.
“Really, just for your brother’s friends?” Katherine twinkled her eyes meaningfully. “Are you sure it's not because of Sca—”
I covered her mouth. “Hey! Um, thank you, Sean. I think we need to go. It’s past eleven.”
“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then, and oh, please give me your number,” he requested.
“My… my number?” I loosened my grip on Katherine’s mouth.
“Yes, so I could contact you about the dates and the time of your schedule.”
“Why not say it here?” Katherine whispered, and then she cleared her throat.
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”
She giggled.
Sean handed me his phone. “Put it here.”
“Oh, okay.” I typed my number right away.
“I’ll save this for reference. Thanks, Scarlet and Katherine. Have a good night. I still have work to do.” Sean said.
“Sure, have a good night, too,” Katherine answered for me. We watched Sean as he walked back to the crowd.
“Where’s Nate?” I frowned.
“He’s over there. Hey, isn’t he a good catch? Not the Scot I promised, but he’s pretty talented. He’s attracted to you too. What do you think about him?”
“He’s…” I sighed. “He’s fine. A professional musician. I should not think about any other things further than that.”
“Boo! It’s time for you to move on, you know.” She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her breasts.
“That’s why I am here. Hey, I need to go to the restroom. I’ve been holding this for an hour.” I told her.
“Sure, over there. We’ll wait for you here.” She pointed out the doors by the stairs.
“Thanks!” I shouted back at her as I ran to the restroom.
I went out of the restroom. The heavy feeling in my belly was gone. I feel refreshed. But just before I could reach our table, I found something I wouldn’t want to see. I don’t know if I was mistaken, but I knew that sharp features too well. Broad shoulders, defined jawline, wide back, three-piece business suit.
It’s Luke, with a blonde Barbie doll in a purple halter dress.