The Talent Show

I patted the glowsticks in place, hoping the sellotape would hold. They were stuck all over me, including my limbs, which made it hard to bend my arms. Mrs. Thompson, who teaches second grade and was my teacher last year, had been helping me prepare my outfit. She sat back on her heels and reviewed her work in admiration.

“Danny, you look fabulous!” She gave me a wide smile and pinched my cheek. “Alright, who’s next?”

Chris stuck up his hand and edged forward. “My turn, my turn.”

She started with his legs, holding the glowstick against him and ripping the sellotape with her teeth. I stood beside them in awkward idleness. We were in one of the kindergarten classrooms downstairs. It was full of bright colors and baby things, like posters of the alphabet on the walls. There was a lot of commotion, kids of all ages being decorated or practicing their performances. Parents and teachers flustered around the room, grabbing face paint or glitter sticks, barking orders at the kids to hold still while they fixed their costumes.

I could see my group in the back. They were going over the steps again. Brian was our leader since he was the most experienced dancer. I knew immediately he was annoyed with the others. He was yelling something and then pushing Connor to the back. I shielded myself behind Chris until we were both ready. Mrs. Thompson was now working on Chris’s arms. 

“Are you nervous Danny?” Chris whispered.

“No. Are you?”

“Yeah.” He chewed on his fingernail. “It’s the glowsticks. I can do the routine in my normal clothes. But because of the sticks, it’s hard to move.”

“Don’t worry about it. Try to stay behind me and no one will notice if you get something wrong.”

“Boys, you’re gonna do great, I just know it,” Mrs. Thompson said, pressing the last glowstick in place. “Ok, you guys are all sorted.”

We thanked her and waddled down to our group. Chris clung to me as we weaved our way around ballerinas and musical instruments. 

“All the older boys will see us. And the girls. What if I mess up and Bethany sees?”

I wished Chris wasn't such a wuss. He worried about things all the time. At least he had parents who showed up to his performance. We were about to join the others when Mr. Brogan’s voice called from the doorway.

“Brian’s group, you’re up next!” 

Brian glared at us. “You two were almost late. Let’s get moving guys.”

He led us down the corridor. I was careful to keep the glow sticks attached to my legs, the sellotape was lifting slightly as I walked. We gathered in a group near the edge of the stage. Jacob Bramley was on stage singing by himself. He was two years older than us and had all the confidence and charisma of a professional. There was no way we could follow him. I looked around at the others, most of us were pale with fear.

“Ok guys, let's show them,” Brain said, turning to face the group. Rather than seeming nervous, he had a look of deep concentration on his face. He addressed us with the authority of a school headmaster.

“We can do this. Nobody needs to panic. We practiced for weeks and - Chris! You have green and yellow mixed up on your sleeve.”

Chris stared in shock like a tiger was about to pounce on him. “Ugh, sorry Brian.”

“Go and fix it now!” 

Chris scurried back to the teachers. We stood with our shoulders rigid and our eyes averted, each of us praying we wouldn’t be his next victim.

“Are you all prepared?” 

We nodded. But the atmosphere of the group was one of blind fear. Jacob was finishing off and the crowd erupted in applause. My head felt spacey, like what I was experiencing wasn’t real.

Mr Brogan strolled on stage as Jacob smiled and waved to his adoring fans. 

“Thank you very much Mr. Bramley. A truly gifted musician.”

The crowd renewed their claps and cheers. I knew he was about to announce us. I felt a jolt of wooziness in my stomach. I hoped I wouldn’t get sick. Chris returned beside me and snapped me out of my daze.

“Now we’ll be moving on to a livelier number. Please welcome to the stage the Brian Donaghey Dance Troupe!”

Once more, the crowd burst into applause. Brain leapt forward with his head high and his arm outstretched in an aggressive wave. The rest of us crept onto the stage like prisoners walking to the gallows. The lights blinded me and the heat made it difficult to breathe. The crowd was in shadow, making it less intimidating than it had been from backstage. Chris stood close by me and I could feel him trembling.

“Relax!” I’m not sure he heard me over the applause.

The beats of the song started. We stood in a line and braced ourselves. As the melody started, Brian stepped forward and began his dance. The presence of the crowd encouraged him more than anything. His movements were fluid and graceful, like he was made to be on stage. 

We started our first dance steps behind him. I felt like a robot, thinking only of my routine and keeping my eyes fixed on the stage floor. The plan was, when the music reached its peak, the lights would go out and the glowstick effects would be seen. It was also when our dancing would become more energetic. As the music was building and we kept dancing, my anxiety faded. I was getting in the zone, forgetting the blinding lights and the people watching.

Suddenly the lights dropped and glowsticks dancing were all that the audience could see on the stage. For one second it was perfect. The crowd oohing in surprise could be heard over the music. And then all the delight came crashing down.

It must have been the lights going out that disorientated him. Chris was beside me, I could see him before he fell. I saw his arms reaching forward when they weren’t supposed to, I heard the screech of his shoe on the surface of the stage. He landed spectacularly, right on his face. The oohs from the audience quickly turned to cries of concern. Chris scrambled to his feet and ran off stage. The rest of us kept going. The whole incident must have been less than two seconds. By the time he had gone from the stage the crowd were settled and we were dancing like we’d never been distracted. 

We finished our sequence, took our bows and let Mr. Brogan thank us. The cheer of the crowd was a sensational feeling. They were clapping for me! I was so overwhelmed I’d forgotten all about Chris’s fall. Unfortunately, Brain hadn’t. We filed off the stage and walked back to the classroom. Brian picked up his pace, walking ahead of us, with purpose. 

It was easy to spot Chris as soon as we arrived. He was sitting in a corner by himself. His eyes were red and his mouth was pulled down in a deep frown. He saw us and hoisted himself up to his feet. Brain was thundering towards him.

“What is wrong with you? You messed it up. We could have won if it wasn’t for you!”

Chris took his breaths in gasps. “I… I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? That’s all you have to say?”

“I lost my balance… the lights went out.”

“Yeah of course the lights went out we always knew that was going to happen. God, why are you so stupid?”

Brian clutched his hands into tight fists and his mouth snarled. He was shaking with anger.

“You’re always messing stuff up. I knew this was going to happen. I didn’t even want you in the group. My mum made me. Because you don’t have any friends and she felt sorry for you. But she shouldn’t. You don’t have any friends because you’re always ruining stuff and everybody hates you!”

We stood still for a moment. Chris was too shocked to react. He looked at us with wide eyes, pleading for our help. I wish I could say I did something. That I gave him a hug or told Brian to shut up. But I was too embarrassed. I looked down at the ground, scared to make eye contact. 

Chris’s face distorted and he let out an enormous cry. All the others in the room looked over to see what had happened. Chris threw his hands over his face and hung his head low, crying his heart out. Our teacher Mrs. Delaney came over, placed her hands on Chris’s shoulders and spoke in a soothing voice.

“There there, it’s ok.”

Chris pulled away. He ran out the door before she could stop him. She came over to us, with her arms crossed and her eyes narrow. I wasn’t used to seeing her this angry.

“What did you boys do?”

“Nothing,” Brian said. “He’s upset because he fell on the stage and humiliated himself. We didn’t do anything.”

She looked unimpressed with this answer. She bent down to look into Brian’s eyes.

“Don’t you dare lie to me. If I find out you were bullying that boy, so help me it’ll be the last straw for you.” She stood up straight, still glowering at Brian, who held his head up defiantly. Mrs. Delaney walked towards the door where Chris had gone out. As she got to the doorway, she was almost knocked over by a man rushing in. He grabbed her arms, his face was wild.

“Help! There’s been an accident!”

Everyone turned to the doorway. The outcry had shocked them into silence. The teachers and parents moved first, rushing to the doorway and cramming their way through. The horrible sinking in my stomach was back. I squeezed my way through to the yard out front. There was a small crowd gathered in front of the school. A line of cars had formed along the road. 

I made my way to the road, peering through the people. The car was at the top of the line with a broken windscreen. There were so many voices. I looked down and saw a woman sitting on the side of the road. She had to have been the driver. She was shaking violently and hyperventilating. In between breaths I could hear her whimpering.

“I didn’t see him… I didn’t see him.”

With cold dread pressed against my spine, I looked to the front of the car. There was a kid lying in the road. His face was covered in blood. He had a dark outfit and messy blond hair just like Chris. I focused on the boy’s face, telling myself if I couldn’t see properly, then I couldn’t be sure that it was Chris. The boy wasn’t quite unconscious, I saw his hands twitching and his chest rising sharply with his breathing. Two men were bending over him. I could see one of them on the phone, I presumed it was the emergency services.

“Yes, there is a pulse. Can we move him?”

I drew back from the crowd, afraid to listen to any more. The road was wobbly, like I was on a boat rocking at sea. I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit Brian, to kick him and beat him until he was in as much pain as Chris. 

Throngs of people were pouring out of the school now. The talent show must have been interrupted. I walked up the road, past the groups of mothers talking in hushed voices. I wished my own mother was here. I was too ashamed of myself to speak to anybody else.

I was supposed to ring Julie to collect me once the performance was over, but I decided to walk home instead. My glowsticks were losing their adhesiveness little by little. I lost a couple by the time I made it home.

I walked in the door. I could hear Julie humming to herself in the kitchen, interspersed with the sound of knife chopping. I slammed the door shut. As I stomped up the stairs, she called out to me.

“Danny? Is that you? How was the show?”

I went into my room and shut the door without saying a word.