Read Online Solo Star by Cindy Jefferies - Free Book Online Page A

disappeared with Julie.
    Danny picked up his drumsticks and put them down again. He beat out a nervous rhythm with his fingers on his leg. It was almost their turn.
    Ayesha and Rob were fantastic. They sang wonderfully together, and Chloe was sure the TV audience would love them. Their performance was impressive and truly professional.
    But now Julie was back, waiting to take Chloe and the boys along to the studio. Chloe jumped up. Suddenly she didn’t feel ready, even after all the time they’d spent waiting for this moment. But she had wanted to be a Rising Star ever since she had started at Rockley Park. She had to be ready. She took a deep breath.
    I can do this, she told herself. Of course I can . I’ll be fine. It felt so right being here. This was what she was made for. Yes. Of course she could do it. As long as no one made a mistake.
    â€œMake sure you leave your cell phones behind,” warned Julie.
    Chloe put her phone on the table, the makeup lady flicked a last spot of powder on her cheeks, and they were ready to go.
    Chloe exchanged a nervous smile with Danny. This was it. It was their turn now. She and the boys bunched together behind Julie.
    â€œReady?” she asked. They all nodded nervously. In a moment, they were in the narrow hallway heading toward the brightly lit studio. Rob and Ayesha were coming toward them, and Chloe could see that Ayesha’s eyes were bright with excitement.
    â€œGive it all you’ve got,” she said to Chloe as they met. But there was no time for a reply. Chloe had to hurry to keep up with the boys. Then they were at the studio door and Julie opened it for them. All the lights were on and the space was ready.
    It was strange walking back onto the white circle with rows of people watching. Chloe had never before had a real audience so close to where she was performing, before. As she and the band appeared, the audience applauded but the clapping sounded very thin because there were so few people there. It felt very hot under the powerful lights, and Chloe had to work hard not to lose her concentration.
    She had been told to watch for the small light on each camera that showed when it was filming. Think of the camera as your friend , she told herself firmly, and smiled into camera two as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Danny slid behind the drum set and the rest of the boys picked up their guitars. Chloe took her microphone from its stand, Zil played the opening chord, and they were off!
    For the first couple of bars they were feeling their way and Chloe was afraid that the song wouldn’t sound confident enough. Then she reminded herself to listen to Danny. He was playing away as reliably as ever. All they had to do was listen to his beat and keep to the same rhythm. If they did that, they couldn’t go wrong. She turned toward the band to give them some encouragement and just then Zil caught her eye and grinned. Chloe felt herself grinning back and hoped that the cameras had caught the moment.
    But now they were reaching the critical part of the song. Lenny’s riff was coming up and Chloe’s heart started thumping.
    Keep calm, she told herself. She couldn’t allow herself to panic or her breathing would be affected and then she wouldn’t be able to sing properly. Come on, Lenny. You can do it, she thought. Don’t make me have to help you out!
    She turned to glance at him and to her horror she could see that he was beginning to panic, too. She had to sing one more line and then his riff would take over, but poor Lenny looked as if he’d already decided that he would probably flub it. She gave him an encouraging look and delivered her line perfectly for him, willing him to succeed.
    His first few notes were fine, but then he got to the part he often stumbled over and began to mess it up. Chloe couldn’t leave him hanging. She had to do something to help. If he had a few seconds to compose himself, maybe he