Musical Star (6 page)

“I
am
one of you,” I said. “I’m sorry, Dakshima. You’re right, I
was
embarrassed about being in the choir, but you saw what Jade is like. I knew she’d laugh at me. And I’ll
be honest with you, I don’t think the choir has a chance of winning the
Spotlight!
competition. But I do care, I really do. And I want to help the choir get as far as it can.”

“Really?” Dakshima asked me. “Because if anyone can help it’s you.”

“They won’t put us through just because I used to be famous,” I told her.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Dakshima said. “You know about theatre, you know how to act a song, how to get us to stand so we look good – you can even tell us what to wear for the audition. Ruby, you can make a difference to the choir because you know all of those things.”

“Really?” I said thoughtfully. “Do you really think so?”

“Well there’s only one way to prove it, isn’t there,” Dakshima said.

“What that?” I asked her.

“Help make the choir so good that even Jade won’t be able to stand in our way,” Dakshima said.

Words and Music by
Mick Caruso

All my friends are around me

Everyone here thinks I’m so great

And I know that I should be happy

But happiness will have to wait

Because until I find you…

I’m alone in a crowd

Unless I have you holding my hand

I’m alone in crowd

Unless you can understand

That I love you so much I want to sing it out loud

But I can’t…no I can’t, because I’m alone in a crowd

Without you

Another handshake, a clap on the back

Another kiss on the cheek

Another compliment, a round of applause

Can’t they see I’m lost and weak?

Because until I find you…

I’m alone in a crowd

Without you my heart can’t beat

I’m alone in crowd

I don’t even want to eat

They all think I’m feeling happy and proud

But I can’t…no I can’t, because I’m alone in a crowd

Without you

And suddenly, there you are standing in the doorway

Your smile is brighter than the star on my

dressing room door

And when you push your way through the crowd

to stand before me

I know that I am not alone in a crowd any more

Not alone in a crowd,

Now that I’ve got you with me

Not alone in a crowd

Because you complete me

And I know that when you’re standing by my side

There’s no fear, no nothing left to hide

When I have you

“Right now, people, put the sandwiches away please,” Mr Petrelli said. “Even with extra after school rehearsals we need all the time we’ve got, so less eating and more singing.”

“I’m starving, sir,” Gabe said, reluctantly putting his Mars bar back in his bag.

“And me,” Talitha said. “I need my carbohydrates, sir, otherwise I get faint.”

“I’m sure you do, Talitha,” Mr Petrelli said. “Ten more minutes then we’ll finish for today, but we need to do something to improve
Alone in a Crowd.
It seems so flat – and I don’t mean the singing. It’s got no sparkle or…pizzazz.”

“Pizzazz, sir?” Gabe said, looking at Rohan. “Isn’t that a type of microwavable rice?”

“Funny, Gabe,” Mr Petrelli said. “I just can’t seem to put my finger on the problem…”

Dakshima elbowed me in the ribs. “Ouch!” I said, scowling at her.

“Ruby might have an idea, sir,” Dakshima said. “She knows all about this sort of thing after all.”

Every one looked at me.

“That’s true, Dakshima. We should make the best use of our assets. Any ideas, Ruby?”

I stared hard at Dakshima, but my “I’m gonna get you” glare can’t have been that scary because she just grinned back at me.

“Um, well…” I said, looking at Mr Petrelli and then back down at the lyrics sheet. “This song isn’t really supposed to be for the chorus, is it? It’s Arial Logan’s big solo, so maybe that’s why it isn’t working. With all of us singing it together, we don’t exactly give the impression of being alone in a crowd, do we?” Mr Petrelli was frowning quite hard. “Or maybe not. After all, what do I know?”

“No, you’re right,” Mr Petrelli said after a moment, breaking into a smile. “Completely right. This is a solo – but we have to sing it for the audition. All the schools do. So how can we make it work?”

“Well…” I began uncertainly, an idea beginning to form in my mind.

“Go on, Ruby,” Mr Petrelli said.

I glanced around, everyone was looking at me again. “Well, we could try and stage the song a bit more,” I suggested. “Instead of us all standing in three
rows singing, we could stand apart, with spaces in between us. And we could have solos – get the strongest singers Adele, Talitha, Hannah and Dakshima to sing a verse each. And maybe as one soloist finishes their bit, they could walk over and touch the next one on the arm, like they are passing the loneliness and the song on. Sort of a singing relay. And it would be a bit more of a show then, because it’s a chorus they need and not a school choir.”

There was a moment’s silence and everyone looked at Mr Petrelli.

“I like it,” Mr Petrelli said. “Girls, are you happy to sing solo?

“In front of everyone?” Adele asked him nervously.

“Yes, Adele,” Mr Petrelli said. “In fact with your voice I think I might get you to start.”

“No, sir, I can’t,” Adele said, anxiously. “I’m really sorry. I love singing, but I can’t do it on my own. If you make me do that in front of the judges I’ll crack, I know I will.”

“You might not,” I said, clapping her on the back. “Come on, Adele, you’ve got the best voice here!”

“Thanks, Ruby, but I still can’t, and I don’t want to mess it up for everyone else. Please, sir, don’t make me.”

Mr Petrelli looked thoughtful. “Of course we won’t make you, Adele.”

“I’ve got no problem with going first,” Talitha said.

“I’ll go second,” Hannah added.

“Don’t mind when I go,” Dakshima said.

“Well, this a girl’s song, so we need another girl. Next on my list of singers will have to be…Ruby Parker.”

“Me?” I said, clapping my hand on my chest. “You want me to sing on my
own?”

“Yes, Ruby, I didn’t pick you to be in the choir just to torture you. You have a nice voice,” Mr Petrelli said. “You need to find a bit more confidence and strength, but out of everyone here you have the most experience in performing. And as it was your idea to stage the song, it seems only fair you get some of the spotlight, excuse the pun…again.”

“I don’t want the spotlight,” I said. “I’m very happy in the shadows, me.”

“Come on, Ruby, you’re part of a team remember,” Dakshima said. “We need you.”

“Yeah, come on, Ruby,” Gabe and Talitha said together.

“Give it a go,” Rohan said.

“Just because I used to be on TV and in films and things – well, it doesn’t mean I’d be any better on a stage performing live. I’ve never done that,” I told them.

“Let’s try it,” Mr Petrelli said. “Dakshima, Talitha, Hannah and then Ruby – and all join in on the last verse.

Let’s run it through now and I’ll come up with some backing harmonies for the rest of you. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight…”

Standing completely still, I listened as the other girls began to sing their parts. Every muscle in my body clenched and I knew that this was a terrible idea. I might sound OK as part of the choir, but on my own I’d be awful, I just knew it. I mean, I didn’t even sing into my hairbrush in front of the mirror. I didn’t even sing at a performing arts school –
that’s
how bad a singer I was.

I looked over at Dakshima who was singing her heart out and knew it was my turn next. She’d said she thought I didn’t want to be part of the school, that I didn’t want to try, but she was wrong. I even wanted to be part of the choir, especially after Jade was so rude about us. I wanted to show Jade and everybody that you don’t have to go to a posh stage school to succeed and that Highgate Comp is just as good as any other school.

The only thing left for me to do was to try.
And then,
I thought,
when they realise that I really am awful, at least they will see that I tried and nobody will hate me.

I took a deep breath as Dakshima came over, touched my arm and I sang.

“Brilliant,” Mr Petrelli said, clapping his hands together as we all finished together. “You were all brilliant and – Ruby, where did that voice come from? You’ve been hiding it from me all this time.”

“Have I?” I said, looking around at the others, who clapped me on the back and told me well done.

“OK, OK, settle down,” Mr Petrelli said as the girls hugged each other and the boys tried not to look like they cared either way. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We need to tighten up the harmonies on
Spotlight,
work out some backing harmonies for
Alone in a Crowd
and this is our last rehearsal. So less patting each other on the back and more singing. And Ruby, if you have any other ideas, let me know, because I’ve got a feeling we might just pull this off!”

I looked around at Dakshima, Talitha, Hannah, Adele, Gurkay, Gabe and the rest of Highgate Comprehensive choir and suddenly I felt like I really belonged to something for the first time in a long time.

And it was funny really, because until then I hadn’t realised that it was me who’d been feeling alone in a crowd all along.

When we came out of school, we were all laughing and talking. Talitha was pretending that she wasn’t deliberately trying to walk next to Gabe when everybody
could tell that she was, and Dakshima and Hannah were practising their harmonies. I was surprised to see my mum sitting in her car waiting for me. She hadn’t picked me up from school since I started walking home with Dakshima.

“Do you want a lift?” I asked Dakshima, waving at my mum, who grinmed and waved back.

“You mum looks really happy,” Talitha said. “Why is that?”

“She’s in love,” I said, grimacing. “She’s been happy all the time since she started going out with Jeremy Fort.”

“A happy mum is better than a miserable one,” Hannah reminded me.

“I’m going to walk,” Dakshima told me. “See you tomorrow!”

“And good luck with your happy mother,” Talitha added.

“Hi, Mum,” I said, opening the passenger door and sliding in next to her.

“Hello, love. How was your day?” Mum asked, flinging her arms around me and kissing me on the cheek.

“Same as usual,” I said warily. “Mum, what’s happened? Why are you so…hyper?”

“Hyper? Am I?” Mum laughed happily. “We’ve got a surprise visitor.”

I looked at her shining eyes. “Jeremy?” I asked, even though it was obvious from all the soppiness and the fact that she was wearing lipstick at five in the afternoon. Jeremy was filming in Hungary and we hadn’t seen him for nearly a month. He phoned a lot, but I knew that she still missed him.

“Yes,” Mum said happily. “He landed this morning, says he’s got a week off and he wants to spend it with us.”

“With you, more like,” I said, and I wasn’t upset; it was just the truth.

“With us
both,”
Mum insisted. “He’s got something to tell us apparently.

“Really?” I looked sideways at my mum. “Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Mum said. “He wanted to wait for you to get back from school. It’s probably whether or not we would like to go on holiday with him for a bit, or visit him on set in Hungary. Or maybe he’s got a new film role.”

“Hmmmm,” I said. “Maybe.”

“Ruby!” Jeremy greeted me with a big hug when I came in, standing up so that Everest had to scramble off his lap to safety. “I was just getting reacquainted with your cat. I think he was after my breath mints. David misses you, you know. He hasn’t been the same since you left us.”

David was the scrawny little Chihuahua that Jeremy rescued from some starlet who had abandoned the dog
when he wasn’t fashionable any more. At first I hadn’t really liked the animal, with his needley little teeth and bony body, and I think he felt more or less the same way about me. But by the end of my stay in Hollywood, we were pretty good friends, even if it was because nobody else seemed to likes us much.

“So how’s the new school?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s great actually,” I said. “I’m in the choir. I sang a solo today and I didn’t completely suck, and on Sunday we’re going in for this competition where the winners get to be part of the chorus of a show. We won’t win, which is shame because we need the prize money more than anything.”

“You’re singing a solo?” Mum asked me in disbelief.

“I know,” I said. “Mr Petrelli said it was good. But I went to the Academy for all of those years and no one ever discovered my singing voice there, so I don’t think it can be
that
good, do you? Which is another reason I don’t think we’ll win.”

“Sounds like you haven’t completely given up on show business altogether then?” Jeremy asked me.

“I have,” I said. “I’ve given up on people following me around and writing mean and untrue things about me and my family when they don’t even know me. But I quite like being the choir. It’s surprisingly fun.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Jeremy said, suddenly looking rather nervous. “I’ve something I wanted to tell you and your mother.”

“Really?” I said. “Are you offering me a new film project? Because I’m not accepting any roles. I’ve turned down two since we got back from Hollywood. One was a Japanese martial arts film, and one about a school prefect who discovers she can fly.”

“No,” Jeremy said glancing at my mum. “It’s not about work, it’s more about…home. I wanted to ask both of you if you thought it would be OK…by which I mean a good idea, if I were to move back to London permanently?”

“Really?” My mum clasped her hands together. “You’d be living in London?”

“Yes, if you’re amenable to the idea,” Jeremy said, beaming at my mother who was clearly about as amenable as a person possibly could be. “I’m tired of film making and I miss the buzz of live theatre. I’ve been offered the post of creative director at the Harlequin in the West End. I’m going to take it. I’ll bring Augusto, Marie and David with me too, of course. And best of all, I’ll be near all of the people I care about,” he looked at me. “By which I mean you and your mother, Ruby.”

“Oh, Jeremy, that’s wonderful news,” Mum said happily.

“It’s great,” I said. “And of course we will.”

“Of course you will what?” Jeremy asked me.

“Help you buy a house!” I told him. “How much money have you got? Do you want a ballroom because those houses are quite pricey, we’ll need to know how many loos, bedrooms, a swimming pool…”

“Oh, right,” Jeremy said. “I see, I hadn’t thought – what do you think?”

“I think a ballroom is really handy for parties,” I told him. “And at your age you need all the exercise you can get, so a swimming pool is a must.”

“I’m going to be in Hungary for the next few weeks,” Jeremy told me, “so I think I’ll leave the details up to you. Just find me a house somewhere near here that both of you really like. Because if you like it, then it truly will be a home.”

“Oh, Jeremy,” Mum sighed.

“That was so corny,” I said. “Is that a line from a film?” And we all laughed, except Everest, who was still searching for Jeremy’s mints.

Later that evening, after Jeremy had made us all lasagne for tea and I was lying on my bed trying to do my maths homework, Mum came up to see me.

“Ruby?” she called my name quietly on the other side of my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I said, glad of an excuse to put my books away for a minute.

“How’s it going?” Mum said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Fine,” I said. “Maths, you know. Bleugh.”

“I didn’t mean with you homework…” Mum hesitated. “I meant with you. Are you OK about everything?”

I blinked at her and sat up. “Yes,” I said, and then just to be on the safe side. “OK about what?”

“It’s just the last time I thought you were really happy and fine about things, I got it completely wrong and you ran away in the middle of the night and put yourself in terrible danger. So I just wanted to check, to see if you’re worried anything. About Jeremy moving to London. About me and Jeremy becoming closer. If any of that makes you feel uncomfortable, sad or angry, then I want you to tell me so that we can talk about it.”

I made a note to myself to never EVER run away in middle of night after stealing my mum’s credit cards to book flight across the Atlantic ever EVER again. All it really achieved was Mum worrying about me far too much, far too often, and when she really didn’t have to. And a lot of intense conversations while she tried to work
out if I was having a nervous breakdown or not.