Tyler's P.O.V
"I've gotta go to the bathroom real quick" James says as we leave Economics, "Do you want me to wait on you?" I ask as we stop in front of the bathroom.
"No go ahead and go get your food. I'll meet you at the table once I get mine, this is the one time you're allowed to pay for your own food" he says and I nod walking towards the cafeteria.
I go in and see that the line is really long, I decide to just wait till it get shorter and go sit at our table.
I wait a little and people start to sit down, "Where's your food?" Greyson asks taking a seat across from me. "Um the line is really long so I'm just gonna wait till it gets shorter".
A few minutes later everyone's there, and a tray is sat next to me, I look up and see James sitting down. "Where's your food?", "The like was long I was waiting for it to get shorter" I turn and see there's no one in the line.
I get up and start to head over but then turn around, "The likes empty, they might be out and um I'll be fine" I sit back down
"Nope come on, you're eating" James stands up and pulls my sleeve to take him with him as we go get my food.
There was in fact food there, so I grabbed a tray and he paid for me. We go sit back down and I start eating, "So Vivi are you excited about tonight?" Addison asks after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I think it'll go well" she smiles, "So who's singing in place of Rebecca?" Landon looks over at Viv.
"Um well, that'll just have to be a surprise" she laughs awkwardly. "Okay, well I'm not gonna make it to the practice after this I have a dentist appointment" he says and goes back go hos food.
Thank God, I won't have to deal with him until tonight. "But I'll be on time don't worry", I finish my food and throw away my tray.
I go to the nurse and Vivi comes along, "Does it get tiring?" she asks as I pull out my insulin. "What?" I wipe my stomach, put on the needle then stab, "Having to do this everyday, multipole times a day" she says and waves her hands around.
"At first, but I've just gotten used to it" I throw away my trash, and put my insulin back in my drawer. "So now we go practice?" I ask as we leave the nurses office, "Well first we go move your car to the auditorium parking lot. Then we'll pick our station in the dressing room, then I'll introduce you to Mr. Dupins he's the stagecraft teacher and is in charge of the auditorium. And we're the only group using the piano so we'll be in charge of getting it out of its room and putting it back stage. Then we'll practice".
We go out a side door that goes straight to the parking lot, it's mostly empty by now. We get to my car and I go and park in the auditorium parking lot that has about four cars in it. "So usually people come closer to seventh period to start practicing. So we could practice on the stage and there may just be a couple of people watching, or we could go in one of the classrooms." she says as we grab our stuff and head to the doors.
We go into the dressing room and put our stuff down at two stations next to each other then Vivi leads me back out and we're on the hunt for Mr. Dupins.
"Mr. Dupins, this is my sister Tyler. Tyler, this is Mr. Dupins." she introduces us, "So you're Rebecca's replacement" he says looking over his glasses. "Um, yes, yes I am" I nod, "Okay so, no one knows that Tyler is singing tonight and I was thinking maybe we could start with the curtains closed then about the second verse or so open them? And have a spot light on her, if that's okay of course" she says as I look around.
The auditorium is huge, the stage is ginormous. "Of course anything for you Vivi" he smiles, "You know where the piano is, go get it out and we can practice with the curtains and light" he nods off towards the stage.
Vivi and I go up the ramp on the side of the stage, and through the curtain to the wing. Over on the far wall is a little door that's about four feet tall, "So the piano is in here, I'll go behind it and push and you pull from the front" she says taking the bench out and putting it off to the side.
One of the Tech Crew pulls back the curtain so we can push the piano onto the stage, another than closes the grand curtain. "I've told them what you wanted, they want to run through it once they should have it down after that" Mr. Dupins says coming up to us and takes the cover off the piano.
"Okay, ready Tyler?" Vivi asks taking a seat at the piano, "I guess" I say and go up to the mic.
---
"Okay, I know I said I was gonna do natural makeup, but I found this lipstick in my makeup bag that matches your hair perfectly and I think a bold kind of dark lip will look great on your pale skin" Vivi says holding up a lipstick that does in fact match my hair.
There's about five acts ahead of us before we go on and I'm starting to get nervous, "Okay" I say and take another section of hair to curl. After the practice we went and got something to eat, then came back to start getting ready. But then we had to go on the hunt for Landon's cello, his appointment took longer than he had thought, then he had to go home to go get dressed and got caught in five o'clock traffic.
We had to go all the way across campus to the band room and try and find the case that had his name on it, which was harder than one would think.
But we found it and put it by the piano backstage, then Vivi did her makeup while I did her hair and now she's doing my makeup while I curl my hair. "Okay and your done" she says putting the cap back on the lipstick, I curl the last strand of hair then un plug the curling iron.
"Well, what do you think?" I look at myself in the mirror, this is weird, the makeup looks good don't get me wrong. I'm just not used to seeing myself all done up like this. "Woah" its all I can seem to get to come out of my mouth, "Okay you need to go get dressed, there's only four acts left" Vivi says pushing me to the stall.
I put on the dress and heels and go back out to look at myself. I stand in front of the mirror at my station and look at myself, I look like a completely different person. "Tyler you look HOT" Vivi exclaims once she sees me, she picks up her phone and I stare back in the mirror.
"Pawpaw was able to make It" she says looking at a text, "What's wrong?" she looks at me in the mirror. "You can see it, every one's gonna stare at it." I say and touch my Dexcom, "No, it's fine. No one will notice" I can tell she's lying but I nod anyway.
"Do you wanna wear any jewelry?" she says holding up a pair of earrings, "No, I'm good" I say messing with my necklace from James, it lands perfectly above my dress.
"Okay then let's head backstage" she goes to the door, we go backstage and Landon is standing by the piano with his cello in hand. "Woah, Tyler!" he says quite loudly, then get's shushed by some of the crew.
"I know doesn't she look great" Vivi says coming up behind me, he looks over me one last time. Then his eyes land on my arm, "What's that?" he asks poking it I smack his hand away. "Landon, no" Vivi says shaking her head at him.
"Okay, ya'll are about to go up" one of the crew members says, we go over to the wing and some crew members push the piano to the other wing. The grand curtain closes and we go on, the piano is locked in place and Vivi takes a seat, Landon sits down on the chair that's placed for him, I go up to the mic and we wait.
"And now for our final performance" I hear Mr. Dupins say on the other side of the curtain, we're given a thumbs up from a crew member in the wings. Vivi looks at me and I giver her a nod, then she nods to Landon, they start.
"I've seen the world, done it all, had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant, and Bel Air now"
The curtains start to open.
"Hot summer nights, mid-July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?"
---
James P.O.V
When the curtains open I expected to see Vivian at the piano and Landon behind his cello. However I was no expecting to see Tyler standing center stage behind the microphone, she doesn't sound like her when she sings, her voice is deeper.
"Did you know this was happening?" Greyson asks leaning over to me, "No, no I did not" I cant take my eye's off her.
"I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now
Channeling angels in the new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you'd play for me at your show
And All the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul"
"Who's that singing?" my mom asks on my other side, "That's Tyler, my girlfriend" I smile. "She's very beautiful" she looks at me, "She is isn't she" I smile even bigger.
I hear whispers coming from Tyler's family and the football team behind me.
"Dear Lord, when I get to Heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes, tell me that you'll let him in
Father, tell me if you can
All that grace, all that body
All that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?"
---
Tyler's P.O.V
"Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm not young and beautiful?"
The last note that Landon, and Vivi paly hums through the air, then everyone in the audience stands and applauds. The curtains close and we leave the stage, the crew pushes the piano off stage and back into its room and Landon put's his cello back in its case.
I go to the dressing room and grab my messenger bag that now has my clothes from earlier shoved in it, and my converse and head out to the lobby, Vivi earlier said shed grab the rest of our stuff. I go over to where Greyson and all them are standing, "Tyler look at you!" Addison is the first to notice me.
My face heats up, Vivi then comes up to us with the stuff and puts it down and lunges at me. "Ahhh Tyler you did it! You did it!" she says wrapping her arms around me tightly, "Nope, nope, nope, no hugs" I say prying her off me.
"Ya'll did great" Pawpaw says smiling at us, they all start talking and I look around for James. "Lookin' for someone?" I turn around and am now face to face with him, I smile "Maybe".
"Come on, my family wants to meet you" he says and nods over to where a group of people are standing talking to the football team. When James said that they were all coming I wasn't expecting them all to really be here.
We go over and I get nervous, more nervous than before performing. "Mom, dad, Uncle John, Aunt Clare, this is my girlfriend Tyler" they smile at me, "Hi" I do a little wave. God I'm so awkward.
"Tyler, you're beautiful" his mom says and goes to take my hand, I pull it back quickly. "Tyler doesn't do touching" James says when his mom looks at me confused.
"Landon you didn't tell us Tyler was singing with you" one of the player's says bringing attention onto me now, "I didn't know till we we're about to go on" he shrugs. They all start looking at me, a few of them stare at my arm, I bring my hand up to cover it.
James sees this and takes off his jacket putting it on me. I'm never putting it on my arm again, it's too visible too many people look at it.
"Tyler would you like to come over for dinner?" James dad asks taking my attention from the players. "Uh, ill go see if I can" I say pointing over my shoulder at my family, family that's the first time I've called them that.
He nod's and me and James go over to them, "Um James parents have invited me over for dinner, can I go?" I ask Chris. "Yeah of course" he nods. "You gonna ride with me or drive your car?" James asks me, "If Greyson will drive my car, I'll ride with you" I look over to Greyson.
"Yeah I can" he says, I pull out my keys and toss them to him, "Okay I'll go tell my parents" James says and goes back over to his family. I sit down in one of the chairs and take the heels off so I can put my converse back on, I put on my fuzzy socks of course and then my worn out shoes.
"I gotta say I was a little surprised once I realized it was you up there" I look up and see Greyson standing in front of me, "Yeah, you weren't in a turtle neck and your fuzzy socks and converse" Addison comes up to us. "Vivi wouldn't let me" I say looking up at them, "You did good, I'm proud of you for getting up there and doing that" Greyson says and tussles my hair.
James comes back over and we start to head to the door, "James" Daniel calls and we turn around. "Midnight, have her home by midnight understand", "Yes sir" James nods at him and we continue making our way to the door. James takes my bag and I'm left with just the heels in my hands.
---
Writing this I was getting stage fright for Tyler, and this isn't even real!