Zoey was as nervous as I was backstage. We could see each other across the stage with her stage left and my stage right. It felt like a chasm. That chasm made me anxious as she was about this performance. When it came to the upcoming show, it felt like someone would pop out of nowhere like a jack in the box with two middle fingers to screw us.
For weeks, I'd been careful around Paulie. I had to make sure he thought he broke us with his last stunt. Both Zo and I were dressed in pretty gowns and we looked the part of a nice cute performance number. I'm still not fully sure what he meant by less urban. But Rux was backstage pulling a favor for us, he'd make sure the music kept going no matter what.
"That was Team Broadway. What a great performance. Judges, what are your thoughts?" Paulie's smile was so wide, directed at Kyle. If he could have sparkles and dollar signs in his eyes, it would be less obvious. Kyle and Lucia walk offstage with the arena crowd still applauding. Lucia waves at me, but Kyle ignores me completely. It's been weeks since our initial conversation at the show party. At this point, you would think he would have got over it. He moves his boy band hair to the side and smiles at the TV camera, giving it the thumbs up and mouths to vote for us.
"Team Rock!" The crowd goes wild, snapping out of my dance. The music starts up, then the drop comes in and changes the tone. We step out and my eyes like gravity gaze into the hazel nebula of possibilities that is Ashers. I smile while singing the song, feeling it while his head bumps with the music.

***
"And the winner after our fast count voting is...." He paused and smiled as if his next words were his golden ticket. "Team Broadway! Followed by an unexpected tie between two teams. Team Pop and Team Rock, tied." Paulie said the last words like something was stuck in his throat. I was going to clip this video to send to Zoey's brother Noah and my brother Maurice. What I liked most was we were who we were, period!

A/n: sorry for this short chapter. This was going to come out as a bonus chapter but I got sick and it messed up my sleeping and writing times.  See yall soon.