More Than Music by Elizabeth Briggs

science after so many years.
    We were shuffled into a waiting area for Team Angel’s bands, where we could watch what happened through giant TV screens. The battle rounds weren't live and didn’t use the rotating stage; instead, the two competing bands were both set up on opposite sides of the main stage. As the first competitors went on, I found myself munching non-stop on the chips and cookies they’d put out for us while trying not to watch Jared flirt with the mohawk girl from the punk band. The only way to distract myself was to eat my anxiety away, until Sean appeared next to me at the food table.
    “You’re getting crumbs all over your shirt,” he said, trying hard not to stare at my cleavage and failing.
    “Ugh, thanks.” I brushed off my chest with a sigh. “I thought eating would help, but now I just feel sick.”
    “Me too. This whole week has been overwhelming. Very different from life on a farm, trust me.”
    “I bet.”
    For a few minutes we watched the screen, where two country bands from Team Lissa took turns performing “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. The first band was good, but they were missing a certain spark, while the second one, Fairy Lights, was led by a pretty blonde teenager with an amazing voice. When both bands finished and Lissa chose Fairy Lights, it wasn’t a surprise at all.
    Sean cleared his throat, reminding me he was still there. “So I saw your audition. Your band is really good.”
    “Thanks, but you don’t need to be worried. The song is a much better pick for you.” I left out the part about how Angel wanted to kill us, too.
    “Maybe, but I’m curious to see what you’ll do with it.”
    Was he trying to get info out of me or just being nice? Hard to tell. Maybe I’d try the same tactic on him. “What do you think of Angel?”
    “You mean when she actually shows up?” He laughed but then looked around like he was worried someone had heard him. I didn’t think they were filming us now, but you never knew. “She’s…okay.”
    It sounded like The Static Klingons hadn’t gotten much more mentoring than we had. Of course, they probably hadn’t dropped coffee all over Angel and turned her into a screaming banshee either, but what could you do?
    Jared laughed at something Mohawk Girl said, and jealousy sliced through me like a sword to my gut. I shifted my gaze back to the screen as two other bands went on stage, but that only reminded me that we were going up there soon. The walls in the stuffy room began to close in around me, and the urge to bolt grew strong. I desperately needed some air right away.
    “I have to go,” I said to Sean. “Good luck today.”
    “Thanks. You too.”
    I stepped through a door to an outside area, where a few people were smoking, and found an empty spot by the chain-link fence separating the space from the parking lot. I kicked some trash away, sank to the ground, and closed my eyes. My leather pants would probably get all scuffed up, but at this point, I didn’t care.
    I’d thought I could handle all of this, but the paralyzing fear had crept back in and this time it was mixed with dread. Did it even matter if we performed today? We already knew Angel would never let us stay on her team, even if we blew The Static Klingons away. And odds are I was going to mess up and embarrass the band during our show. I couldn’t even remember how the guitar went in “Somebody Told Me.” What had been simple in practice now seemed impossible. I'd given up my internship for this show, and now we'd be going home in the second week. It didn't seem fair.
    “Hey.” Jared’s voice made me snap my eyes open. “Are you not okay again?”
    His reference to the song he’d sung for me before our audition made me smile—barely—but I wished it had been Kyle or even Hector who had found me. Jared looked especially handsome today, with his hair spiked up and the barest hint of eyeliner making his blue eyes pop even more. Being alone with him