who? eli c. self para
what? new directions audition
when? august 29th, following blaine’s performance
where? mckinley auditorium
cause if one day you wake up and find that your missing me, and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place that we'd meet, and you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. so I'm not moving.
Okay, so maybe going on after Blaine wasn’t his greatest idea. Eli stood off to the side of the stage with his mouth hanging open after the younger Anderson’s performance. Even palming over his mouth to try and wipe it off didn’t do much good. When Blaine turned to go off the stage, Eli might’ve resembled a deer-caught-in-the-headlights as his mind screamed how in the hell was he going to follow that? Yeah, cool. No problem.
Blaine’s hand clasped his shoulder cause that’s what Blaine was bound to do seeing the other boy stunned and swallowing around a golf ball sized lump in his throat. Eli felt like he took a swig of water in slow motion. He heard something and he didn’t remember what it was. Probably never would but, no doubt, it was something alluding to him nailing it or whatever. Another drink and he breathed in deep, tossed nervous smile over his shoulder and walked towards the spotlight.
Here goes nothing..
“Hello, my name is Eli Clearfield. Another new guy. Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll be singing a song I couldn’t get out of my head lately. Hope you enjoy it.” His fingers shook less when he was trying out for football in front of a dozen or so people who didn’t know his face from some random stranger’s and they all looked like they were ready to tackle him to the ground to prove who was the top dog. Yeah, he’d take football try-outs over opening his mouth and nothing coming out any day. Or worse. Some crackling mess of a voice and no means of ever living it down. Funny how the first few notes just seemed to feel good. Yeah, he could make this work. He had to make this work. No going back now.
The music started. Eli exhaled through his nose. Breathe out. Inhaled one long, easy breath. Breathe in. Then gave it his best go.
