𝟬𝟱. ❛ NICE TO MEET YOU ❜

          𝓣HE group got together at the rec, waiting patiently for Brooke to bring his nephew. They had to meet him and welcome him to the team.

         "Man, Brooke always talking bout be on time, and don't be late, but where he at?" Bobby mocked the man as he laid on the stage in the center.

         "Bobby, why you so impatient?" Clara was on Ricky's back, having him carry her around for the day since he lost a bet with the younger girl.

          "There he go right now." Ricky pointed as soon as Brooke walked in with the new member.

           Clara hopped off of his back, patting his head as they all turned to greet the much taller boy.

           "This my nephew Ronnie here." Brooke introduced him to the group of teens.

           "What up, man. You got some height. You ball?" Mike inquired as he shook hands with Ronnie. The boy nodded, clearly nervous but chill.

           "Yeah, I do a little some." Ronnie answered, turning to look at Clara and she smiled.

           "Yeah, he from Cathedral." Brooke noted.

           "Hey, Ronnie, it's nice to meet you." The girl extended her hand for a shake and as Ronnie grabbed it he kissed her hand then released it.

           "Nice to meet you, beautiful." Ronnie flirted, earning looks from the other boys.

           Clara could only stare at him, surprised by his sudden surge of confidence. It made her heart flutter, but she quickly recovered, looking away.

           "Man, I don't know if people from Cathedral could be messing with us OP kids." Bobby stated, trying to get Clara's attention at his attempt to joke.

            The girl let out a chuckle. The boys laughed too, but it was short lived when Brooke spoke.

           "Get up, Bobby." The man demanded. Bobby got up in a hurry, standing with the others.

           "Okay, everybody get in position. We're gonna run through the same routine that we did yesterday. Ronnie you stay right in front of them and do it from that way. I'm gone count y'all in." Brooke instructed as he began to count down and the kids followed.

           The kids then performed one of the dances Clara came up with and Ronnie matched every single move, making the girl nod at him in approval.

           He learned all that in just a few days. It took the other boys a week to get it down pact. She could tell he really wanted to be apart of the group.

            "And stop. Good job!" Brooke smiled at the six teens, a satisfied look on his face.

            "Not bad." Mike complimented, moving towards the new boy with an impressed look.

            "For real man." Ricky nodded. "We make one hell of a group." Ralph agreed with them.

            "You're a fast learner." Clara grinned, now being able to make her decision. She would leave her spot in the group in Ronnie's hands.

            "He's ight," Bobby teased, smiling at him as well but didn't shake his hand like the others.

𝓣HAT same day, the group was told to meet Maurice back at the studio with their new member to record their record. It was also time for Clara to make up her mind and give him an answer.

"Alright, guys, let's get in the booth. Put your headphones on so you can hear playback." The man told Mike, Ricky and Bobby.

They followed orders and entered the booth. Ricky and Bobby randomly started fighting over who would get the headphones, tackling each other.

Clara covered her face in embarrassment. Not only were they doing this in front of a professional, they were making a bad impression on Ronnie.

"You might wanna break that up." Clara said to their manager. He sighed, putting down his cigarette as he got up to stop them from fighting.

"Let's just start with you first. You got your lyric sheets?" Maurice turned to Ralph.

"Yes, sir," Ralph was quick to answer. Clara held back a laugh at his nervous expression.

"What you waiting for? You two, uh, Rick— Bob! Whatever your name is, get out of there." The man was unsure as he waved the boys out.

Ralph entered the booth and the others nodded as he sang the lyrics to their new song.

"My girl's like candy, a candy treat. She knocks me out up off my feet. She's so fine as can be, I know this girl is just for me. Candy girl!"

"You are my world! You look so sweet. You're a special treat. Candy girl! All I want to say! When you're with me, you brighten up my day!"

"All I know! When I'm with you, you make me feel so good! Through and through! The way you walk, and the way you talk. You always look so good, make me forget my thoughts!" Ralph winked at Clara.

Everyone in the studio watched him in awe. He sounded amazing. The song was perfect. They all knew it was definitely going to be a hit.

"You got any parts for us to sing?" Ronnie asked, only to be ignored by Maurice.

Clara looked at all the boys with a frown. She knew this would happen eventually. That man was impressed by Ralph and they had to pick a lead.

She didn't get why groups operated like that. Why did the lead singer get all the attention while the others got treated like background characters?

Situations like that almost always ended bad. It created a bridge between everyone, creating negative emotions such as envy and jealousy.

          "Clara!" Ricky waved his hand in her face, knocking her out of her thoughts.

         "Oh, sorry, I zoned out." The girl blushed intently, noticing all eyes in the room on her.

         "It's time for you to make a decision." Maurice chimed, his hands rubbing together.

          "I'll do it. I'll go solo." Clara wasted no time in answering, fidgeting in her spot.

          The boys didn't say anything and it made her wonder if they were pissed at her.

          "I knew you'd make the right choice. I already got a song for you. Head to the booth." Maurice handed the girl a lyric sheet and she took it.

           After putting the headphones on and going over the lyrics, she nodded at Maurice.

          He played the beat for her and she let out a deep breath, closing her eyes as she found a rhythm.

         "Alone, you and I intertwine. Refreshing conversation for the mind."

         "As we stare we both seek to find, real love, purified. Use your heart and not your eyes."

"Baby, just relax and ride. If you got time then I got time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Free your thoughts and watch them fly." The girl sang.

          Once she finished the song, Maurice was giving Brooke a knowing look. That look meant these kids about to be stars. They all smiled.

𝒐𝒐𝒐. AUTHORS NOTE * 𖤐 ༘ミ
ok so the song i'm using for clara's first single is use your heart by swv ! that's the song that's going to get her on the charts and very known worldwide. so credit to them for that masterpiece and even though it was released years after clara's time just pretend

how y'all like this chapter ? it's pretty short but a very important one because clara's making her own moves now, she's officially out of the group

also don't say nun about the lyrics on the song that clara is singing, she's mature and back in the day lil kids was singing the craziest songs ever 😭