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CHAPTER TWO:
Social Anxiety And Choir Solos

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During the beginning of lunch I was getting my songbook and water bottle out of my locker, due to me having Honors Chamber Choir afterwords.

"You got everything?" Melanie Porter, a sophomore that was on the archery team and Chamber Choir with me asked, coming up to me by my locker.

The blonde and I agreed to practice our solos together during lunch, due to us being the alto/soprano duet partners that our Chamber Choir teacher (who is also one of our archery coaches) Miss Winters always pairs up.

"Yeah, let's go." I replied as we made our way to the music room.

Once inside the familiar room, we set down our water bottles and approached the piano.

"You wanna go first or no?" I asked the slightly fidgeting sophomore.

"Can you go first?" Melanie asked timidly, making me smile.

"Sure, kid." I chuckled, grabbing my songbook and setting it down on the sheet music holder on the piano.

I sat down on the familiar bench and placed my hands accordingly on the ivory keys.

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Once I finish the song I took a deep breath and smiled proudly to myself. Melanie applauded loudly and squealed with joy, causing laughter to bubble from my lips.

"That was so good!" She complemented with a wide grin.

"Alright, alright! Your turn, Mel!" I chuckled, standing up from the bench and grabbing my songbook.

"Okay, okay, fine!" She laughed, before taking my place at the piano.

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"That was awesome, Mel!" I cheered, clapping for the younger girl.

"Thanks, Alessa." She laughed, standing up from the piano. "Solo number two, come on, your turn!"

"Okay, okay!" I chuckled,  sitting down again and putting my songbook in the place it sat during my previous song.

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"Okay, that was so cool! When did you write these?! You did write them, right?" She asked excitedly, making me laugh.

"Yeah, I've been working on them for the past few months. I just finished writing 'You Don't Even Know Me' about a month ago and 'Exothermic' about three weeks ago."

"No, way! That's so cool!" Melanie told me with a grin.

"Alright, your turn for your second solo piece." I told her, shooing the younger girl to the piano, once I'd gotten up. Instead of sitting down at the piano, she had grabbed a guitar and sat on a random stool.

"Alright, let's do this!"

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"Holy crap, Mel! That song was awesome!" I exclaimed with a wide grin. "Did you write that?"

"My sister and I did." She responded with a nod and a proud smile.

"It literally made me want to go find Mia and hug her." I told the younger girl with a laugh. "That's how wholesome it was! It triggered my Twin Affection Instincts!"

She set down the guitar and caught the water bottle that I'd tossed her way. "Alessa, your TAI can literally be triggered by a wind change. You're always showing some kind of affection to your sister."

"Now that I think about it, I really do." I agreed, before jokingly asking. "Does that make me the clingy twin?"

Melanie just laughed.

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"Alright, ladies! Today you perform your solos. I told you each to choose two songs, original or not original, either is fine." Our Chamber Choir director announced as we all sat down on the choir bleachers.

"However, you will each perform only one of the two songs that you have chosen. This is due to the time limitation of the class period." She continued, before her eyes began scanning the class. "Who would like to begin?"

None of us moved or spoke, despite the non-rhetorical question that was asked. In spite of the pounding of my heart, I rose my hand with a very visible cringe on my face.

"Oh, what the hell."

"Very good, Alessa!" Coach Rachel cheered with a knowing grin, making me roll my eyes jokingly. "Original or non?"

"Original." I replied simply, as I stood and approached the piano with my songbook in hand.

After sitting down on the piano bench, I set my songbook on the music stand and opened it to the right page for 'Exothermic'.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and adjusted my fingers onto the cold, ivory keys. The notes flowed through the air, as I began to play.

"Dancing around in the rain again.
'Cause you said that I was my only friend.
Playing with the flowers that I picked myself.
'Cause I know they won't come from anybody else.
Wrap myself up to warm my hands.
From the biting ice that you made them stand.

Trace my footsteps in the water
'Cause you said when you left I'd be lost forever.

And ever, whatever.

I'm still moving cities and I'm still causing storms
I don't know if you know this,
But when I shoot, I score.
Took this pain inside of me, turned it into gold

I made this Exothermic,
Now watch my heart explode.

Now I'm exo, oh, oh
Now I'm Exothermic
Oh, watch me exo, oh, oh
Watch me exo burn this
I deserve it, oh, oh, oh
Now I'm Exothermic
Oh, watch me exo, oh, oh, oh
Watch me exo burn this
I deserve it, ohh
I deserve this,
I deserve it, woah!

Dancing around in the dark again,
But I'm happier now, than I ever was then.
Feel my heart as it is ablaze
Making room for another in these better days,

Days, days

(Repeat chorus 2x)

Oh, watch me exo, oh, oh, oh
Watch me exo burn this
I deserve it, oh."

Just as I had finished the song and my classmates started to clap, the choir room door was opened with a loud creak.

All attention was turned towards Brendon, who I was confused to see considering that he should be in Debate with Mia and my teammate Georgia Quinn.

"Sorry to interrupt, Coach, but I need Alessa." The González boy explained with an awkward expression on his face, probably due to the entire honors chamber choir staring at him.

"Is there a reason why you're pulling her out of class? Or are the two of you ditching Calculus again?" Coach Rachel chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

"Her sister got sick during her debate speech, Mr. O'Connell sent her to the nurses office to lie down." Brendon told us, making my eyes go wide in worry.

"He sent me with an excused absence note, so Lessa could go and check on her sister." He said, holding up the salmon colored piece of paper.

"Go ahead, Alessa and tell Mia that I hope she feels better."

"Thanks, Coach!" I exclaimed, before gathering up my things and following Brendon to the nurses office.

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"Hey, sissy." I told Mia, as I sat down next to her in the nurses office. My twin simply groaned in response, not lifting her head from her hands.

"Brendon told me what happened. He said you made it further than the last speech this time! That's really great, Mia!" I stated with a small smile on my face. "You know what that means, right?"

"No, Lessa. What does it mean?" My sister replied miserably, lifting her head up to give me an exasperated glare.

"It means that you're getting better!" I explained, making her scoff doubtfully. "I'm serious, Mia! That shows that slowly, but surely you're getting over your social anxiety!"

"Yeah, right." Mia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "And we're secretly princesses of a foreign country."

"You never know, MiMi. I mean, I'd look pretty fabulous in a tiara." I joked, sending my sister a teasing wink. The two of us broke down into a fit of laughter at the absurd thought.

Mia and I? Princesses?

No way, in this lifetime.