Duo

I took a deep breath as I walked to the front of the class, gripping my music sheets in my right hand. This was my time. Time for me to perform my solo.

But Mrs. West grabbed my arm before I could step onto the stage.

“Jack is going to perform with you,” the teacher whispered.

My eyes widened in shock. “No!” I protested.

Mrs. West gave me a look. “He has to leave early,” she explained. “His uncle--”

“No!” I said again. “This is my solo. My time to shine. Not anyone else’s.” 

Mrs. West’s gaze hardened. “Millie, he will either perform with you, or your performance will be completely removed.”

I glared at her. “I’m not letting Jack ruin this for me.” I stomped my foot for emphasis. 

She sighed.  “You always have been stubborn.”

I drew back as if I’d been slapped. “I’m not stubborn. I just want my solo for myself. That’s why it’s called a solo, isn’t it? It’s for one person.” 

Just then Jack appeared at Mrs. West’s side. I hadn’t seen him approach. 

“I’m ready,” he whispered. 

“Good.” Mrs. West smiled at me, her expression sickly sweet. “You’re on in ten seconds.” She stalked away. 

I pointed at Jack, glaring at him. “Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself,” I hissed. “It’s bad enough you’re going to be on stage with me. What’s your act?”

Jack gulped. “Singing.” 

My heart dropped to my shoes. No way was anyone going to pay attention to me playing the piano while Jack sang. 

Just then the announcer’s voice blared through the speakers. “Next up we have Millie Jones, playing the piano, and she will be accompanied by Jack Swanson, who will be singing.” 

My hands shaking, I stepped onto the stage and took my seat on the bench. The crowd was looking at us expectantly. 

Jack looked ghostly pale.

Great, I thought. He has stage fright. Then an idea struck me. If he was so afraid, he wouldn’t be able to sing. And so it really would be a solo. 

My confidence renewed, I began to play. The sound echoed through the stadium, ringing in my ears.

But then Jack began to sing. “You could never know what it’s like, your blood like winter freezes just like ice, and there’s a cold lonely light that shines from you-- you’ll wind up like the wreck behind that mask you use.” 

Don’t get me wrong, he was good. A little too good. So I picked up the pace of my playing. My fingers flew over the keys, and my head bobbed to the rhythm. But the faster I played, the louder and more confident Jack’s singing became. 

“Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did! Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid. I’m still standing after all this time! Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind-- I’m still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!” 

The rest of the performance was a blur. Before I knew it, it was over. The crowd was roaring with applause. Jack grinned at me and motioned for me to stand by him. I did, and I bowed, smiling in spite of the fact they were probably just cheering for Jack. 

After the performance, I was waiting for the bus when Jack walked up to me. 

“Great job,” he told me. “I think--”

“You stole my solo,” I snapped. I couldn’t believe the nerve of this kid. 

Jack’s eyes flashed with hurt. “What?” 

“That was supposed to be my solo,” I grumbled. “And you stole the spotlight.”  

Jack backed away. “I don’t--”

The bus screeched to a stop, and I glared at him before stepping on and sliding into a seat. Never again, I promised myself. Next time, it was going to be all me. 

“The next performance is on Friday,” Mrs. West announced the next day. “That means we have three days to prepare, including today.”

There was only one problem. 

Friday was one of my days with my dad, and he lived a long way away from Borderline High School. By the time I would be at his house, the performance would be starting. So I had to somehow convince him to stay in town for the whole evening. 

Mrs. West began walking around the room and assigning partners for us to work with for the rest of class. I was hoping to get paired with my best friend, Shauna, but she got paired with a girl named Kaitlynn. 

“And Millie, you will be working with Jack.” 

My mouth dropped open. “No way!” I protested. 

Some of the students giggled.

My face reddened with anger. “I can’t be--”

“That’s enough, Millie. Music class is no place for your attitude.”

More giggles. 

My fists clenched, but I bit my tongue. As much as I hated it, I was stuck with Jack. But he didn’t seem to mind, even though I’d snapped at him the other day. 

He walked over to me with a bright smile on his face and handed me a paper. “You think you could play that?” he asked.

I skimmed over the notes. Someone You Loved, by Lewis Capaldi. I could do that. It seemed simple enough.

I sat on the piano bench and began to play. I bit my lip when Jack started to sing. All eyes were on us. 

We finished the song, and the class cheered and clapped. I stood up and sat in a chair at the back of the room. If I got forced to perform with Jack for a third time, I was going to throw up. Or explode. Or something. 

Mrs. West approached me. Before I could get up and leave, she put her hand on my arm.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sick of performing with Jack. He always steals the spotlight.” 

Mrs. West shook her head. “You two make a great duo. Your performance was one of the best at the show last night.”

“They were just clapping for Jack.”

“Quite a few people approached me afterward and told me they’d never heard a high school student play the piano that well before.”

I smiled for a brief moment. “I still don’t want to be in a duo with Jack, though. I’d rather perform by myself.” 

Mrs. West sighed. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option. The judges now see you as a duo, and they haven’t made room in the schedule for you to perform on your own.” 

“I--” Disappointment made my shoulders droop. “Then I guess I’m dropping out.” 

Mrs. West shook her head again. “You shouldn’t drop out just because you’re too stubborn to perform with someone.”

“It’s not just someone,” I grumbled. See, the thing is, Jack didn’t exactly have a good status in school. He was identified as a introverted nerd who was dumb and didn’t have any social skills. I did not want to be caught dead with him, especially since I was considered an extrovert with amazing musical skills who was in the “popular” crowd. “I’m dropping out,” I said again, more confidently this time. 

Mrs. West sighed. “That’s too bad. I know a lot of people who were looking forward to your piano playing.” She walked away before I could say anything else. 

I barely slept that night. I kept tossing and turning, wondering if dropping out was the right decision or not. 

When morning came, I still hadn’t come to a conclusion. 

Was I wrong to drop out, just because I was too stubborn to perform with Jack? 

I remembered how great it felt to be up on the stage, how amazing it was when everyone clapped. How people really enjoyed listening to me play the piano.

And I decided it was time for me to stop being stubborn. 

“Mrs. West?” I knocked on the door of the music room.

She opened the door and gestured for me to come in. “What can I help you with, Millie?”

I took a deep breath. “I’ve decided… I’d still like to perform. With Jack.” 

A smile spread across Mrs. West’s face. “That’s fantastic!” she exclaimed. “I’ll pencil you in.” Her face fell a little. “You should tell Jack. When you dropped out, he did too.” 

“Oh.” I didn’t understand. If he liked performing so much, why drop out? “Okay, I will.” 

It wasn’t until lunch that I had a chance to talk to him. I spotted him at the back of the cafeteria, sitting by himself. He looked pretty sulky. 

“Uh, can I sit here?” I asked.

He nodded. 

I slid onto the bench beside him and set my try down. I fiddled with the hair tie on my wrist. “Listen, Jack, um…” I didn’t know exactly what I was supposed to say. Hey, I’m back in the show, so now you have to be too. “I’m still going to perform. I changed my mind.”

“Really?” Jack’s voice was a little too hopeful. 

“Um… yeah. And I was wondering if you were still going to--”

“Yep!” Jack grinned. “I’m surprised you changed your mind. You’ve always been so stubborn.”

I cringed. “Yeah… listen, I’m really sorry for being rude. I just…”

“Yeah, I know. Everyone thinks I’m a nerd.” He sighed. 

“Well…” I tried to think of something to say to lift his spirits. I couldn’t stand it when someone was sad, or sulky. “Um… you’re really good at singing. I bet no one expected that.”

He smiled, and I relaxed a little. “Thanks,” he said. “Want to stay after school and practice? I have a song in mind, if that’s okay with you.” 

“That would be great.” I smiled back.

After school, I met Jack in the music room. The halls were quiet, the classrooms were dark, and only a few students were still on campus.

“What’s the song?” I asked, setting my backpack on the floor. I walked over to the piano and stood next to Jack. He was looking over some music sheets.

I was so used to hanging around my best friend, Shauna, and she was three inches shorter than me, so it was strange being near Jack, who was taller than me. His messy brown hair fell over his hazel eyes as he handed me the papers.

The song was A Million Dreams, from a movie called The Greatest Showman. “I’ve heard this song before,” I realized. “It’s great.” 

Jack nodded. 

I started to play, and after a moment, Jack began to sing. His voice was strong and clear, and the lyrics echoed around the room, sending a chill down my back. He was really good at singing. 

The song ended, and I grinned at him. “It’s perfect.” I glanced at my watch. “I have to go now. Practice tomorrow?”

Jack nodded. 

I left school with a big smile on my face.

“Alright, class, today is Thursday, which means it’s your last opportunity to practice before the show tomorrow,” Mrs. West announced the next day. 

Frantic whispers swept through the class. Everyone seemed nervous except Jack and I. We shared a smile as Mrs. West quieted everyone down. 

“For the rest of seventh period, you will be practicing. Those who are able to may stay after school for an hour as well.”

The students scattered to different corners of the room, and the air was filled with the sound of music. Jack glanced at me.

“Maybe we should ask if we can use the stadium,” he suggested.

I nodded and tapped Mrs. West on the shoulder.

“What can I do for you, Millie?” she asked.

“Could Jack and I use the stadium to practice?”

“Of course!” She smiled. “I know it can be difficult to focus with so many other things going on at once.”

I nodded. “Thanks.” I grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him out into the hallway. “Do you have the music sheets?” I asked. 

“Uh… y-yep!” His face was a little pink for some reason. He held up the papers.

“Great.” The rest of the day flew by. Jack and I practiced in the stadium after school, I went home, and fell asleep almost right away. I was prepared for the show tomorrow. There was only one thing left to take care of: convincing my dad to stay in town all Friday evening. 

It was after school. I was standing outside with Jack, when I saw my dad’s silver truck pull into the parking lot. 

“Here we go,” I muttered under my breath. My heart was pounding. If my dad refused, everything would be ruined. Not only would I be disappointed, but Jack would be absolutely crushed. I didn’t think I could bear seeing him so sad. “Hi, Dad!” I called, waving.

He hugged me tight. “I’ve missed you, Millie,” he said, smiling. 

“Me too.” I took a deep breath. “Listen, Dad… could you do something for me?”

He glanced at Jack for a moment, then looked back at me. “What is it?”

“I have a show. Tonight. Could you stay in town this evening? I mean, like, all evening.” 

My dad frowned. “I don’t know, Millie. I have an important call.”

Panic rose in my throat. “Please, Dad. This is really, really important to me.” 

He glanced at Jack again. Why did he keep doing that? After a long moment, he sighed. “Okay, Millie. If this is important to you, I suppose I can stay.”

I laughed in relief. “Thank you!” I hugged him, and then I turned to Jack. “I’m going to go get ready. Then we can practice once more before the show.”

“Sounds good,” Jack agreed. 

I rushed to the dressing room. I was wearing a slim-fitting black dress with a jean jacket over it, and plain white sneakers. My shoulder-length brown hair was in a half-up, half-down style, and I’d brushed on a tiny bit of gold eyeshadow to bring out my pale green eyes.

I flexed my fingers. I was ready.

“And for the last performance of the night, we have Millie Jones and Jack Swanson!” 

I took a deep breath as the announcer called us onto stage. I glanced at Jack. He looked so incredibly nervous, and I put my hand on his arm. “Hey,” I said quietly. “It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.” 

He smiled at me gratefully, and we stepped onto the stage. 

Hundreds of faces looked at us expectantly, and bright spotlights beamed down on us. I took my place at the piano and began to play. 

The crowd seemed to be holding their breath in suspense.

I glanced at Jack. He was as white as a ghost. So I did something that not only surprised him, but I also surprised myself. 

I started to sing.

I was quiet, but it gave Jack the boost of confidence he needed. 

“I close my eyes and I can see the world that’s waiting up for me… that I call my own.” 

His voice rang around the stadium. The crowd stared, wide-eyed, as we performed. My fingers flew across the keys, and I smiled widely. 

When the song ended, the crowd was silent. Jack glanced at me nervously.

Then they stood up and began cheering, clapping, calling our names. 

I laughed and ran to Jack, throwing my arms around him. “We did it,” I whispered into his ear.

He hugged me tight, and when I pulled away, there was a huge smile on his reddened face. I grinned and waved at the crowd, holding his hand.

We’d done it. Together. 

The End.