Cry.

That is what I wanted to do right now. Cry till my eyes are incapable of producing any more salt water. In fact I don't think I'll even be able to stop the tears if they escaped out.

Where was I?

In the best crying place: the girl's washroom.

What was I doing?

Gripping the sink with all my might, trying to hold back the tears that were ready to escape while everyone else laughed their guts out, outside. At me.

No, this was not a dream. If you're thinking that it's just one of those nightmares I got the night before, you're wrong.

Oh how I wish it was a dream. I'd give anything in the world to change this into a dream.

I gripped the sink even tighter, shutting my eyes so hard that even my eyelids were begging for mercy. I had to hold in the panic attack. I couldn't let the people make a bigger fool out of me.

"Ali, you know it will go away soon. Everyone will forget about it," Sam tried to touch my arm.

I flinched away as if her touch had burned me.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Okay? That word sounds like heaven to me, right now."

"Ali-"

"No, Sam. Please. Just Go. I want to be alone," I nearly yelled.

Confused? Of course you are. You don't know what happened. Let's just rewind a bit and go to the part where Nate and Sam had come to my house at night...

"No! Really?" I asked as Nate recited another one of Sam's embarrassing story in which she fell into a pool of squishy tomatoes.

Nate just nodded and I burst out into laughter. Again.

It was almost one at night but I was having so much fun. Sam was turning redder by the second. Her face was priceless.

We were sitting in my room, on the floor. Nate was sitting across from me while Sam sat towards my right.

"OKAY! I think Nate has embarrassed me enough. Let's just change the topic," Sam interrupted before Nate could start another story.

It had just been an hour since I met Nate, but it felt as if I had known him since forever. I wasn't very good at making friends. But these two came into my life so smoothly, I didn't even have the time to think whether it was a bad thing or not.

I learnt a lot about Nate in the past hour. He had a great sense of humour and was a really nice guy. He was originally from North Carolina but his British accent was due to him living in Manchester for two years. He lived with his grandparents here.

"So Nate? Want to hear Ali sing?" Sam changed the topic.

At this Nate nodded his head eagerly. It was like seeing a kid who'd been asked whether he wanted candies.

I let out a cough while Sam just gave me a mischievous smile.

"Please?" Sam pouted.

I rolled my eyes. "You look like a puffer fish, trying to pout like that! Especially with a face that resembles a tomato!"

Nate burst out laughing at this. "I like her," he said to Sam while pointing at me.

"Don't try to change the topic. Now you have to sing."

My laugh subsided as I contemplated the pros and cons.

This might just give me a confidence boost if I sang right now. Maybe then, I might even hesitate less.

But I might just sing badly and scare the new friend I just made.

After weighing both the options, I let my face break into a slow smile.

"Okay!"

"Okay?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Yeah that's what I sai-Wait. Did we just have a reversed TFIOS moment?" I asked her, and she rolled her eyes.

Sighing a bit more dramatically, I said,"Might as well tell you something, my dear friend...."

Sam raised an eyebrow in question.

"I am taking part in the competition."

Sam stared at me as if comprehending what I said. When the words sank into her mind, she squealed and tackled me to the ground.

"Please tell me you're not lying!"

Geez. What was with people thinking that I was lying? First it was Candy, and now Sam.

"Get off me, you mad woman. I need air," I tried lifting Sam off me.

Nate was watching us with an amused expression. "Am I missing something?"

So that's how another hour went by, narrating the story of my life.

"Now. I want to hear the song," Sam demanded.

I grinned before getting my guitar.

Taking a deep breath, I let my fingers play with the chords of the guitar. Instead of singing 'Safe and Sound' I sang another one of my favourite songs, 'Skyscraper' by Demi Lovato.

I really liked this song too. Plus I had practice because it was my favourite since the day it released.

I hesitated a bit at first but then, everything was forgotten as the tune absorbed my consciousness and I sang the lyrics, known to me by heart.

I let the music guide my words and I enjoyed it a lot. The music added life to my existence. And that was saying something. Now that I think about it, I feel incredulous about the reason that made me give up singing once and for all.

And that makes me feel even more stupid than I already am.

I finished the song and finally focused on the faces of my audience.

Nate sat there gaping while Sam was smirking with a hint of appreciation reflecting in her eyes.

I shot them a confused look as Sam held out her hand. "Pay up!"

Nate grumpily dig his hands into his pockets and took out a fifty dollar bill and handed it to Sam who looked happy even though her banana suit was forbidding her from showing off her crazy happy dance moves.

"What was that? Did you guys bet on me?" I asked and Sam turned to me with a wide grin.

"Yup. I made a bet with Nate, saying that he would gape like a fish out of water if he heard you sing. And I was right!"

"I'm not even that great," I said rolling my eyes.

Sam was about to say something when my phone pinged with a message.

I furrowed my eyebrows. 'Who could message me this late?'

I opened the message and read it.

I stared wide eyes at the message.

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"Mom. She wants us to sleep and said that you guys could stay overnight," I replied, still staring at the message, dumbfounded.

"Woah. How cool is that?!"

With that, we decided to sleep since mom was right. It was late.

Since Nate and Sam had come in the middle of the night, they were both in pyjamas.

I helped Sam remove her banana suit and kept it aside while she patted her wrinkled night suit.

I sent Nate to the spare bedroom, right across ours and Sam slept beside me.

*****

"Wake up! Come on! Girls?" I heard someone shout.

I just turned my head to the other side and nuzzled into my pillow even more.

"Why the hell is it so hard to wake girls up?" The person muttered, with an annoyed sigh.

"I guess I will have to opt for another method of waking these monsters up."

After a minute if pure silence, the bed moved.

Considering it my wonderful imaginative skill, I ignored it. Something I shouldn't have done.

Because the next thing I knew, I was pushed off the bed along with my duvet.

"Oomph!" I let out as Sam fell on top of me.

"Get off me, banana girl!" I said, pushing her off me. She just rolled off me, still half asleep.

Now that I was fully awake, I turned to glare at the culprit, who was none other than my dear new friend Nate.

I groaned in annoyance and lifted myself off the floor.

"That's a brutal way of waking us up," I muttered and dragged myself to the washroom.

I took a long, relaxing shower and changed into a pair of dark, ripped jeans, along with a t-shirt that read 'Come at Me'.

Drying my hair, I pulled them into a tight ponytail and left the washroom.

To my surprise, Sam and Nate were already dressed for school.

"How did you get ready so fast?" I asked.

"Well, Ms Lazy Ass here didn't shower," Nate said pointing towards Sam, who pouted and crossed her arms across her chest.

I rolled my eyes and picked my lip balm. "Come on, let's go."

****

"You ready?" Sam asked me.

I nodded.

We were standing outside the school gates. Tomorrow was the first round of the Talent Hunt. It meant that today I had to keep my head high and try to get used to having attention on me.

How would I do this?

According to Sam, I had to answer questions in class and not stutter. I also had to talk to random people, if possible.

Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car.

I can do it. I can do it.

Inhaling some more fresh air and letting it out, I began walking towards the entrance of the school.

There was still time before the classes started so there were some students still lingering outside the gates.

They were talking amongst themselves. But the strangest part was that when they noticed me, they all started snickering or laughing.

My heart pumped even faster when everyone started pointing at me and laughing and calling out names.

Confusion clouded my mind but it was overpowered by the fear of being laughed at, again. It was as if the history was repeating itself. Just like it had happened on the stage.

My nerves were in a frenzy as I willed the people to look somewhere else. Anywhere else.

But as I neared the entrance of the building, tears pooled in my eyes but I controlled them. I was still abashed as the laughing and snickering increased with each step.

It took my whole will power to not turn back and run from there. A traitor tear rolled down my cheek as I pushed open the school doors.

I looked around and knew why those people were laughing. That is when I wanted to bury myself six feet under.

All around the school walls, on every locker, on every door, there were the pictures I kept hidden under my bed. The same embarrassing pictures that Aaron had tried to steal.

I had forgotten the presence of my friends until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly looked up to see a shocked Sam who tried to give me some type of reassurance.

But seeing my embarrassing pictures surrounded by the laughing group, threw the reassurance out if the window.

With what small amount of dignity I had, I ran to the nearest ladies washroom.

That is why I was here, gripping the basin tightly, holding in the incoming panic attack that threatened to steal away what little self esteem I had. I couldn't let anyone watch me like this.

I tried inhaling and exhaling, slowly. The door of the washroom opened with a loud bang, but I barely had the energy to look who the person was.

I felt two comforting arms slip around my waist and pulled me to a hard chest.

I didn't have to open my eyes to see who they belonged to. I knew he didn't care if he had just burst into a girl's washroom.

I clutched Aaron's t-shirt tightly, while taking in his scent. He held me tightly as I began to calm down.

Once I was sure that my panic attack wouldn't come up, I opened my eyes. It was almost painful to do that.

I could still hear a few people laughing.

The tears that had pooled up in my eyes, began to fall. And I couldn't stop them.

Sam burst into the washroom, concern etched all over her face as she approached me.

I don't know what came over me, but I pushed Aaron away.

He seemed shocked by my actions. Even Sam couldn't believe what was happening.

"Go away. Both of you, just go away," I managed to croak.

"Wha-"

"You were the ones who wanted me to participate, right? Now are you happy with the small preview of what else could happen if I actually did participate? Gosh! I should've never even considered the thought of participating. What was I even thinking? How could I even consider taking part in the competition?" I rambled on.

Hurt and a wounded look flashed across Aaron's face. Sam too, looked shocked and hurt.

"I should've just stuck to being invisible. I should've never even let the thought of even participating come into my mind. Because it always ends up by me being the laughing stock for everyone."

"Muff-," Aaron tried to step towards me but I cut him off.

"GO. Please go. You're attracting more attention than necessary by being here, anyways,"I said as my knees buckled and I slid down the wall crying.

The look on Aaron's face was heart breaking. He looked worse than a wounded puppy and I could see his eyes glistening under the lights as he absorbed the spiteful words I threw at him.

But I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't even have the energy to wipe of my tears.

Maybe it was over for me.

**************