Hit That Note ↑
The next day, Nick and Breanna walked into the meeting room of The Hits. Before long, everyone else arrived, Ness and Brandon being last. Ness quickly glanced at Nick and turned away. Brandon, on the other hand, took the nearest chair to the door and stared intently at the floor.
Ness stopped fidgeting with the zipper of her shirt and finally looked around the room.
“So we’re only four days away from the Bands on Rise closing concert. I hope this fact has hit you by now. This is what we’ve been waiting for.” She stretched her hand forward and clutched a fist in the air. “I hope you want the prize as badly as I do. We need to win”
Breanna looked over at Nick while nervously tapping her foot. Ness’ speech didn’t make it easier for them to break the news. They waited for a chance to speak and surprisingly it was Brandon who brought it up.
Ness finished talking and sat down. Brandon cleared his throat and looked at Breanna for the first time since he caught her and Nick in his father’s office. He held his gaze there and spoke, “Now there’s a question we have for Breanna and Nick. Are you coming with us or joining Hit That Note in the competition?”
The room filled with deadly silence. Al looked at Nick and nodded. Breanna faced the curious faces, “We’ve decided to go on with Hit That Note. I’m sorry.”
Ness opened her mouth in shock, “You’re joking right? Haha. Very funny.” Her nostrils flared and she gripped the sides of her chair. “How could you drop an opportunity like this? We could shine in Bands on Rise! We could be noticed and signed with a famous company. You’re trading all of this for some lame competition?”
Nick didn’t expect any other reaction from Ness. He looked over at Breanna and saw that she was about to cry. Brandon, his eyes still on her, lowered them and resumed his staring contest with the floor. His shoulders lowered and he breathed calmly in contrast to the tension in the room.
Nick turned back to Ness, “You knew there was a fifty-fifty chance of us coming with you. You should have been prepared for this.”
She stood up, “Nick, just think of what this could get you! Think of your future! You two should use those dim-witted heads of yours. You’re insane!”
Nick smiled at the irony. Brandon’s face flinched quickly enough for no one to notice except for Breanna who didn’t take her eyes off his blank expression. Soon the whole scene blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Breanna couldn’t make out what Nick and Ness were saying. The silence was the worst. She wiped the tears away with her sleeve and saw that Brandon was no longer staring at the floor. He was studying her face and nodded as if in approval of the choice she made.
Mag cleared his throat, “Then I’m out.”
Ness looked at him as if remembering he was there at all. She spoke through her teeth, “You’re what?”
“You heard me, I’m out, ok? I don’t like this anymore. Don’t ask me to join again, ok?”
“So am I,” Al mumbled.
Ness clutched her hands in fists and hissed, “You can’t leave now.”
Al and Mag got up and moved towards the door. Ness winced when the door slammed. She turned back to Nick, “We can still do this. The four of us.”
She forced a smile, “Breanna, we can do this, right? The four of us. Together. One for all and all for one. Come on.”
Nick shook his head, “We made up our mind.”
“Ness, I can perform with you,” Brandon said and she nodded slowly.
“Yes, we can do it without you, Nick,” she said but her voice broke. She rose from her chair and closed the space between them in less than a second. Nick got up from his seat.
“I hate you!” she screamed and tried to punch his shoulder, “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”
Brandon jumped from his seat and circled her waist, holding her back, “Ness, stop.”
Ness’ arms dropped down and she broke away from Brandon’s grip. He let her go easily and walked out slowly as she ran into the hall.
Chapter 18
“Today is the day!” rang a male voice from speakers across the academy, “The day we’ve all been waiting for! Today we will find out which band will win the competition and become the rising stars of the year! Good luck to those who’ve made it this far and get ready to rock!”
“Yeah, that guy can sound all enthusiastic. All he has to do is sit back and watch the show while we sweat it out,” Russ complained.
Breanna jumped at the sound of Reena’s voice.
“Breanna, let’s go! Oh my god. Oh my god. I can’t believe we’re performing today.”
Breanna got out of the changing room to find Reena sitting on the floor in a yoga position.
Despite of her shaking hands and beating heart, Breanna pulled herself together. She helped Reena up from the floor and they sat down on a sofa opposite of Ryan, Nick, and Russ.
“Today is the day!” Ryan imitated the announcement and closed his eyes, “I feel sick.’
“We all do,” Nick stared at his drumsticks and almost dropped them at the sudden roar of the crowd. The show has begun.
No one spoke until Risa entered the room.
“Are you ready?” She smiled from ear to ear and looked at their nervous faces. “Come on, you guys. Where’s the spirit?”
“We’re just nervous,” Ryan said.
“Why? It’s just a bunch of people. And a bunch of judges that will write down little numbers on little papers…”
“No offence but you’re not helping,” Reena cut her off grumpily.
More shouts and whistles echoed from the auditorium. Larisa gave up trying to make them feel better and smiled in reassurance. Her phone vibrated and she nodded into the speaker.
“Hit That Note, you are up next,” she said, “Just go through that door and go along the black hallway. Once you reach the end, someone will lead the way. Good luck, kids.”
Breanna dragged her feet alongside Nick. The hallway floor and walls were painted black. Many doors lead to various exits on the sides. Only a single light lit the way.
Suddenly Breanna grabbed Nick’s hand and dragged him into the nearest door on their left. No one noticed the abrupt absence of their dark silhouettes.
They were standing in another hallway. It led to a narrow stairway. No one was in sight.
“Nick, listen,” Breanna spoke hurriedly, “I can’t do this. I can’t let them go on their own.”
Nick didn’t say anything. He looked at her face.
“I… I can’t let anything happen to Brandon. I would do this for anyone. It’s wrong to just let his father take over.”
Breanna’s hands shook from nervousness. Nick smiled, “Brea, I knew you’d do this. You’d never let anyone down.”
“I’m letting Hit That Note down, Nick. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she looked down at her feet.
“We’ll still perform. Reena will burst in happiness once I tell her she can sing. Go,” he sighed and pointed to the stairs, “Before it’s too late.”
Breanna gave him a hug before he left. Once he was out of sight, she ran as fast as she could. No one was there to stop her: everyone was watching the show. She ran outside and continued, remembering the way. Soon, the alleyway came into view. Breanna was panting when she reached the subway sign and walked through the rusty door. The subway station was the same as she remembered, except someone dropped a glow stick, and it lay abandoned on the floor. Breanna reached out for the telephone and felt a wave of panic. She didn’t know the number. The beeping sound mockingly repeated itself in her ear.
She dropped the phone and looked around. There has to be something, she thought. She traced the walls with her eyes and noticed the small red light. A camera.
Breanna grabbed the glow stick from the floor and waved it in the air in front of her. She made as much movement as she could and, to her relief, the door swung open. Deafening rock music seeped through the doorway, where Brandon stood with a look of shock on his face.
“Brea?”
Breanna hesitated. She didn’t expect to see him this soon. Brandon stared at her in disbelief. Then she stepped forward and they embraced each other.
“You have to go back,” he spoke through her hair, “You can’t do this to yourself.” He pulled her away, “My father is cruel.”
“I can’t let you two do this on your own,” Breanna answered, “I’ll perform today and I’ll sign your dad’s contract. Then we can run away.”
Brandon laughed tensely, “Brea, this isn’t some movie where we can run away and live happily after. You’re smart enough to know that. This is serious.”
“I know.”
“If you knew, you wouldn’t be here risking your career.”
“I want to be here. Now let’s get a move on before we miss our turn,” she moved past a large dance group. They pushed their way through the crowd. Breanna kept her eyes on the screen that illuminated the upcoming bands. Brandon found Ness and her eyes widened when she saw Breanna but she didn’t speak.
“Breanna, be reasonable,” he pleaded behind her, “He’ll force you to sign his forms. You coming here is as good as you saying yes to his face.”
“Brandon, you can’t force me to leave. I’ll get you out of this.”
“Brea…”
“Brandon, quit it. We’re up.”
Breanna pointed to “The Hits” glowing on the screen. She looked at his pained face and sighed.
“Ok, I promise I won’t sign your father’s forms. I promise. Just let me perform right now.”
Brandon smiled, “You can’t break a promise.”
“Exactly. Now, let’s go.”
As during the opening concert of Bands on Rise, there was no one to host the show. The Hits stepped on the stage and took their place. While they prepared, another ear-splitting rock song played in the background. Ness grabbed an acoustic guitar and Brandon sat behind the drums. Breanna asked for a stool and placed it in the middle of the stage. Many heads turned to look at the strange trio.
As soon as Breanna sat down, the interval music cut off and the hall became silent. Whispers subdued and everyone waited for the guitar to blow into a new noisy beat. But they were surprised to hear the acoustic guitar begin playing a soft melody. Eyebrows rose and many shook their heads in disapproval.
Breanna closed her eyes and once the introduction was over, began to sing. The song was quiet and calm. Yet no one was criticizing. When Breanna reached the chorus, the drums kicked in and slowly everyone began to move with the beat. The speakers weren’t bursting with music; however the hall was filling with energy. As the song progressed, the guitar got louder and Breanna stood up for the bridge and her final solo to wrap up their performance.
Once the song was over, Ness and Brandon approached and together they bowed to the crowd that burst in cheers. They walked off the stage and while they received congratulating comments, Breanna saw Frederic Waulters in the distance. He was applauding with a wide grin on his face.
Brandon walked Breanna back to her dormitory and they stopped outside her room. On it someone has pasted a box with pins that read “Hit That Note”. Over it was a huge pink sign, “Hit That Note=Champions” in glitter. It was Reena’s handwriting. Breanna gasped.
“They won! Brandon, they won!”
Brandon laughed, “Don’t tell me you didn’t think they would?”
She smiled and they grabbed a pin out of the plastic box.
“My dad is planning to ask you if you agree to work with him tomorrow morning. He told me to tell you he’ll be waiting for you in his office at ten. If you don’t show up, he’ll know you rejected his offer,” he said looking worried, “You remember your promise, right?”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t let me forget,” she answered and looked away, “Can’t you be selfish for once? Your dream of becoming a musician will be over if you let me walk away.”
“Don’t count on it,” he beamed, “Now go get some sleep.”
Breanna walked into her room and looked at Reena who was fast asleep with a large tiara on her head. Breanna smiled and changed into her pyjamas. She felt horrible for lying to Brandon. Knowing she would break her promise left a sick feeling inside but there’s nothing that could change her mind. Before climbing into bed, she set her alarm to ring at nine.
Chapter 19
The next day, Breanna carefully made her way through halls. She traced the path she made with Nick when they sneaked into Frederic Waulter’s office. Finding it was much easier than she thought. She lowered her pace once the door was in view. It was wide open, making it hard to miss. Taking a deep breath she stepped inside and found herself staring into four unfamiliar faces.
Three men and one woman, all dressed in black, were peering back at her. Frederic Waulters was nowhere in sight. The woman was the first to introduce herself.
“Hi, I’m Belinda, a music producer, and a very talented one, I must say,” she smiled and reached out her hand, “You must be Breanna?”
Breanna shook her hand and couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Belinda was.
“Yeah. Where’s Frederic? I agree to sign his contract.”
Belinda smiled, revealing straight, perfect teeth. She pointed to a stack of papers beside her and nodded, “The forms are right here, darling. We can discuss this in a while. But first,” she reached out and brought up a compact disk from her pocket, “I want to hear this.”
She placed the CD into a player and turned up the volume. Breanna recognized her own voice. It was the song The Hits performed at the opening concert of Bands on Rise. Then the music shifted to the song they played the day before. Belinda closed her eyes while the men’s stares remained fixed on Breanna.
She felt awkward listening to her own voice and was relieved when the song was over. Belinda opened her eyes.
“That was you singing, right?”
“Yes.”
“Beautiful. Simply, beautiful,” she approached Breanna and placed the palms of her hands on her head, “You know, Breanna, I was like you once. Passionate. Talented. Full of spirit. A true leader. And I had a wonderful voice, too.”
Breanna tried to shift slightly away from Belinda but her grip didn’t let her go.
“Can we please get this over with? I just came here to sign the forms,” Breanna said.
“I was impatient too. Very impatient, indeed,” Belinda continued on, ignoring Breanna’s question, “I was eager to make my mark in the music industry. A producer noticed me and asked me to work with him. It was a dream come true. I am what I am because I agreed to work with him. You have a similar opportunity to become famous in front of you right now. You don’t want to lose such a great chance to shine, do you?”
“Of course not. I’d love to work with Frederic Waulters,” Breanna lied openly.
“I was explicitly passionate,” Belinda laughed and her eyes darkened and she whispered, “Passionate, yes. But inevitably foolish.”
Breanna looked at the men watching them. Don’t they see this woman is crazy? She looked back nervously at the door.
“When is Frederic Waulters coming? Can I sign the forms right now?” she asked.
Belinda laughed once again. The sound was forced.
“Breanna, you would do this for Brandon?” she asked.
Breanna took a step back, panicking inside. So they knew she knows. There was no point in denying it now.
“Yes,” she answered.
Belinda lowered herself into a chair in the corner of the room, “Then you are ready. Now we wait for him.”
By “him” Breanna knew she meant Frederic. Everyone sat in silence and Breanna kept glancing at the stack of papers on the table. The sooner she signed them, the faster she would know Brandon is safe.
Soon, footsteps echoed in the hallway and Frederic Waulters stepped into his office. He smiled, looking pleased, at Breanna before taking up the whole room. His eyes shifted to the four men in surprise.
“Breanna, I see you’ve brought company?” he asked.
Breanna was taken aback, “They were here when I came. I thought they were with you?”
Now everyone was looking at Frederic.
“Brea, you’re here?” Brandon’s stunned voice rose from behind Frederic. She didn’t notice him enter the room. He took a step forward, “How could you do this? You promised me.”
“Brandon, I…”
Frederic cut her off with laughter, “Tsk, tsk, Breanna. Didn’t your parents teach you not to lie? And to break a promise? Now that’s something. But,” he paused, “I guess I didn’t do a good job with you either, Brandon. You told her behind my back.”
Brandon looked at his father in anger and clutched his fists, “Frederic, she won’t sign it.”
“Now, now, son. Since when do you call me Frederic?”
“Since you stopped acting like my father.”
“Well either way, this isn’t up to you to decide. Right, Breanna?”
Breanna nodded while avoiding Brandon’s piercing gaze.
“No!” Brandon yelled and turned to Frederic, “If you do this, I’ll run away and take her with me.”
Frederic laughed, “And what good will that do? I practically own the police stations around here. Breanna, here’s a pen. The forms are right there. Just sign where you see the little highlighter marks.”
“She won’t,” Belinda rose from her chair, and only then Frederic noticed her in the room. He studied her face and his mouth fell open.
“B…Belinda? Is that you?”
She glared coldly back into his face. Her smile was gone.
“Yes, Frederic, I see you remember your ex-wife.”
Breanna’s pen fell from her hands.
“Mom?” Brandon turned to the stunning woman in the corner of the room in disbelief.
“What are you doing here?” Frederic’s threatening tone of voice was gone.
“Stopping you from destroying Breanna’s future like you demolished mine. Or, to be more precise, the way you think you demolished mine. I didn’t need you to become successful, Frederic. Too bad it took me this long to realize it. I’ve finally collected enough evidence against you to put you in jail. This girl,” she pointed at Breanna, “Is not going to sign those forms.”
The four men rose from their seats and one removed handcuffs from his jacket. Without an effort, they pushed Frederic outside.
Belinda hugged Brandon and tears ran down her smooth cheeks.
“Son, I’m sorry. So sorry I wasn’t there for you. Frederic didn’t let me come near you.”
Breanna looked away. She dropped herself into the couch beside the window and closed her eyes. She didn’t realize someone was sitting beside her until a hand ran over her hair.
“Brea, are you actually sleeping?” Breanna opened her eyes to find Brandon laughing beside her. Belinda was watching them from Frederic’s desk.
“There’s something my mom wants to talk to you, to us, about.”
Breanna turned curiously to Belinda.
“What is it?”
Belinda smiled, “Well since I’m an amazing producer and all,” she winked at Brandon, “I could sign The Hits on a contract. What do you think of that?”
Breanna looked at her bewildered, then at Brandon. He was smiling.
“You, me, and Ness. What do you think, Brea? Could you stand seeing my face everyday?”
Breanna felt speechless. She stood up and gave Belinda a wide hug to show her agreement.
Chapter 20
“Breanna, did you flush yourself down the toilet or something? We’re up in three minutes,” Ness knocked wildly on her door.
Breanna finished typing a text message to her mom and Tristen and pressed send. When she stepped out, Ness had one hand on her hip, the other around Nick’s waist.
“Brandon is going crazy looking all over for you.”
“Sorry guys,” she smiled, “I love my mom too much.”
They walked to meet Hit That Note and The Hits who were talking in a large group. Nick looked at Breanna, “I’m glad Brandon’s mom arranged our concerts together. I couldn’t stand being away from you for so long.”
She laughed, “Same. This is just amazing.”
Brandon smiled as Belinda came over and fixed Breanna’s hair.
“Stand in a circle,” she pointed to the “x”s on the floor. One for each band member. Breanna looked up and saw a hole in the ceiling matching the one below them. She heard the crowd screaming their names out above. The circle The Hits and Hit That Note were on slowly began to rise. Breanna let her mind fill with the music and lifted her microphone.
