According to my schedule, my choir teacher was Mrs. Shammel, and I was pretty sure she was the lady that looked like Olive Oyl from Popeye as she waited for students to come inside the classroom.

When her dark eyes found me, her short black hair bobbed as she rushed over. "Oh, you must be Ember."

I nodded, confused about why she was in such a hurry.

Her hands came together in a loud clap, showing off her long slim fingers. "Excuse my excitement, but I hear you're quite the singer. Would you mind singing for me?"

"Uh... right now?" Glancing at the students passing by the open door, I suddenly felt incredibly exposed, especially with all the rumors flying around the school.

"Oh, it's alright. They'll be in class soon and they all heard my students auditioning yesterday. Do you know the movie Burlesque?"

Even though it sounded familiar, I'd never seen it. I shook my head.

"No problem." Mrs. Shammel waved me off. "Do the names Cher or Christina Aguilera ring any bells?"

Was she kidding? I chuckled. "Yeah."

She clapped her hands together again. "Terrific! We'll be working on some interesting songs this year for our first play. Mr. Tanner, the drama teacher, has agreed to cast my most advanced students, and I've already spoken to him about you. He informed me you're already enrolled in his class."

I pulled out my schedule to show her. "I have drama next."

Mrs. Shammel smiled. "Wonderful! There aren't many who can sing these songs." She took a deep breath like she forgot to breathe as she pressed a hand to her chest. "When you didn't come to class yesterday, I have to admit I was afraid that I'd have to speak to Mr. Tanner about changing up our plans after I auditioned my best singers. So far, Jessica Reed is all I have for the female lead," She pulled me close, lowering her voice to a whisper. "But between you and me, she's awful. I'd like to see what your capabilities are. This play will be so much fun. You're gonna love it."

Whoa. Who was this lady and where had she been all my life? I was really beginning to like Mrs. Shammel. Most people would call her weird or quirky, but I loved her passion for exploring outside the box, and her attitude was contagious.

"What song do you want me to sing?" I let some eagerness leak into my voice.

Her eyes widened with joy as she handed me some sheet music. "Look this over, and I'll be right back. I'll play the original song for you, and then I'll play the instrumental version so you can sing. Sound good?"

I nodded and nervousness took over as I studied the sheet music. Bound to You appeared to be a very complicated slow song. From the singers she mentioned in Burlesque, I knew the style Mrs. Shammel was looking for and this wasn't going to be easy. I practiced all the time by myself, so maybe I could pull this off, but I would have to give it my all.

The last bell rang.

Turning to face the choir students, I counted about thirty people that consisted of what looked to be juniors and seniors. There were only ten chairs, which meant most of the students had to sit on the risers. Every set of eyes stared bullets through me, and suddenly, my head started to spin as I was overcome with stage fright. Why in the hell did I agree to this?

My old school had a gigantic music and drama department. Even though I knew how to sing difficult pieces, I did my best to blend in. I never auditioned for the lead since I had so much going on outside school.

A voice in my head reminded me that I had Juilliard to think about, and I needed to try my hardest this year. For Dad. Not Mom. That's what I had to hold on to. Dad would see me from wherever he was. At least, that's what I hoped.

One set of eyes caught my attention, instantly drawing me in. They were glowing the color of molten gold, framed with thick lustful lashes. Justin.

An immediate sense of ease and anticipation swept through me. Justin was here.

He was seated in a chair with his fingers interlaced behind his spiky head. Leaning his head against his hands, Justin's eyes were glued to me.

Justin's dirty blond spiky hair had a certain artistic appeal. It was done to perfection while expressing a 'don't fuck with me' vibe. Clearly, he put time into doing his hair every day. His seductive good looks combined with his slightly tanned skin took my breath away.

And holy fuck, the way Justin's lips parted while his silky gaze cascaded over me made my heart race. Flutters of desire filled my entire being. Damn. Why did I love the way he was looking at me?

The teacher started the music and rushed over to me while hushing the students, pulling me from the depths of Justin's analysis.

As I listened to Bound to You, I instantly fell in love with it as goosebumps rushed over me. One day, I could only hope to feel the amazing love that I could sense flowing from her voice.

Mrs. Shammel grinned and nodded. "You can feel it, can't you? Listen to the emotion she uses. Just put that passion into your performance, and you'll do great."

Surprised at her confidence in me, I knotted my brow. Somehow, Mrs. Shammel already knew the difficulty of this song would be attainable for me.

Mrs. Shammel blushed as she whispered in my ear. "Forgive me, Ember, but your mother sent over samples of your work a few days ago, and I know what your capabilities are. I just need you to audition in front of the other students so they can see that you were awarded the part, fair and square."

I skimmed over the sheet music again and decided I needed to do my best. "I promise to put on a good show."

Mrs. Shammel's dark brown eyes filled with relief as a smile crossed her thin lips. "Thank you."

Once the original song ended, Mrs. Shammel turned on the instrumental version and gestured for me to get started.

Starting slow, I kept my eyes pinned to the sheet music and sang my freaking heart out. I thought about my dad as I tried to give the lyrics the right amount of emotion. I missed him so much. I let go of all my hesitation, knowing I had to show my vulnerabilities, which somehow took my voice to new levels. Even though I screwed up a few high notes, overall, I thought I did okay.

After I was done, I wiped a tear from my cheek and kept my head down, giving myself a moment to pull my shit together. Finally, I found the confidence to look at the class. It was shocking to see tears running down Mrs. Shammel's cheeks.

Instantly, my eyes shot to Justin. Leaning forward in his chair, he rubbed his hands together as his tongue licked back and forth over his bottom lip before he sent me a soft grin of approval. His golden gaze was full of pride, admiration, and straight-up hunger.

A beautiful blond with an orange-tipped ponytail was sitting next to him. His girlfriend. Ashamed of eye-screwing her man, I averted my gaze, roaming over the remaining faces in the room.

Everyone looked totally different than they had five minutes ago. They were in a daze, and completely dumbfounded. A few girls were even crying.

What the hell? I wasn't that good, was I? I never really threw myself into a song like that, but I actually made people cry. Was that a bad thing?

Wiping her eyes, Mrs. Shammel approached me and wrapped one arm around my shoulders. "Ember will sing the female lead."

Justin's girlfriend stood, folded her arms, and scrunched her face in anger. "But that's my part!"

"I didn't award the part to anyone until now, Jessica. As I stated yesterday, we were still waiting for one more audition. Ember was the last person, and now that she's tried out, I know she's perfect for the part." Mrs. Shammel gestured for me to take a seat.

A guy with curly brown hair scooted over on the risers and patted the empty space at the end of his row. "You can sit here, Ember."

Full of gratitude for Curly's generosity, I smiled and took him up on his offer. "Thanks."

As I sat, I couldn't help but glance at Justin since I could still feel him watching me. The corner of his lips tugged up, revealing one dimple before his girlfriend continued on with her debate.

"But that's not fair! I was the best yesterday, and you implied I would be the lead," Jessica argued. "This slu... She can't just come in here and steal what's mine."

Mrs. Shammel glanced around the class and nodded. "Okay. I'm a fair instructor, so let's put this one to a vote."

A vote? Was she kidding me? I didn't want to know how many people hated my singing.

"Fine," Jessica said sarcastically as she nodded, causing her blond ponytail to jiggle. "Raise your hand if you want the new girl to sing lead."

Curly raised his hand. I glanced at Justin and his arm was raised high as he winked and sent me a warm smile. Heat washed over me. I couldn't tell how many, but it looked like a lot of hands were raised. I was just happy that they enjoyed the way I sang.

Curly nudged my elbow before whispering in my ear. "You knocked it outta the park. You got this."

"I don't know about that, but thanks," I whispered.

Curly gave me a sweet smile as he scooted closer. "Seriously? I've never seen anything like that in my life. You blew that shit up."

I glanced over to see Justin's gaze darken as he threw an intense glare at Curly.

Curly must've felt it because he cleared his throat before scooting over, putting space between us.

Jessica huffed as she glanced at Justin's raised hand and walked to the front, facing the class. "Come on, guys. Don't let me down. You all know I got the part yesterday. How many of you really want me to sing lead?"

One hand raised. Damn. Poor Jessica.

Mrs. Shammel smiled at me. "That settles it. Ember will be the lead singer for the performance. Jessica, don't worry, dear, you'll have another chance to audition for the lead in our spring play next semester. Now, we need to get started, we have a lot of work to do."

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