#anxelin

„Chill, Anx,“ he told her, raising his hands in mock surrender, „You’ve got it, I’m sure. If you want to join the school choir, you get in. No debate on that one.“

Anxelin breathed in, to start arguing, but she barely got beyond agitated „But–“ when Junior cut her off again.

„No buts!“ he told her, „ “but” isn’t how my mom won the war, or how yours got out of the tower.“

Oh, how Anxelin hated this, hated being compared to her mother’s shining example all the time. 

And he knew it, too!

She glared at him.

Which had absolutely no effect, dammit.

„Look, I’m just saying, it’s gonna be fine.“

More glaring, this was not even worthy of an answer.

A pillow flew her way now, and she threw it back at his head. He caught it easily, of course, and laughed. She couldn’t help but laugh too.

„Hey, I’ve got a keyboard over there,“ he said, pointing at the instrument carelessly, „Wanna practice? Might take the anxiety away a bit.“

Anxelin considered this for bit: As much as she hated to admit this, he was probably right. Besides, it beats just sitting around and overthinking.

„Fine, yeah,“ she allowed, „You know the accords?“

Shang was good, she knew, but „When will my life begin“ wasn’t exactly his type of music.

„Obviously, there is not a song in this world or other that I do not know by heart,“ he boasted, before breaking into a laugh.

„Loudmouth,“ she complained.

„I’m googling it now.“

And really, in a moment, the first tones of the song rang through the room. Anxelin let the opening notes pass and then started singing along, trying to channel her mom through her voice, or, well, at least her joy. Her mom was the most joyful person Anxelin knew, one of the two people who could sing praise about doing laundry and moping, the other being Cinderella, of course.

Anxelin sings, lost in the music, and almost doesn’t notice when another voice joins her.

Shang Junior.

He has a voice from <i>heaven</i>.

Her jaw almost drops as she stops singing, listening to her friend instead, but that doesn’t last long. He notices her silence, and lets the song fade into nothing.

„What?“ he asks.

„You sing so well!“ she can barely contain her excitement and awe, „Why didn’t you tell me? You should join the choir!“

He shrugs.

„I don’t sing that well, really, and I enjoy mixing music more. You know I’m a DJ.“

She knows that, of course. But still, her face falls as she sucks at the inside of her cheek. „Hmm,“ she manages to murmur noncommittally.

Shang plays a single dissonant note on the keyboard. 

„Stop it, sunshine,“ he tells her, and she makes a face at that, „I don’t want to be in the choir, but you do, and you totally got this. You’ve got an amazing voice, and you know the song.“

„Yeah but–“

„No but, Anxelin. You go to the auditions tomorrow and blow them away, hear me?“

Well, Anxelin isn’t too sure about that; she tells him he should go with her, to make up for showing off just now.

He laughs at her, gets another pillow in his face, and then promises.

They even go over the song another few times before Anxelin has to leave for her own room, and by that time, she’s feeling reasonably sure of herself.

Unfortunately, that changes before the auditions roll around, and her anxiety is getting better of her again. She’d rather stay holed up in her room forever than–

„Anxelin!“ Pounding at the door cuts off her spiral, „Open up!“

„Go away!“ she yells at her best friend.

„If you don’t open in half a minute, I’m breaking the door, and you know I can do that!“

She reluctantly opens the door, already making a face at Junior.

But since he’s here, well, she lets him drag her out, more or less, only hissing death threats and curses for about a minute, which is her personal record.

But now they’re in front of the door, and Anxelin stops.

„I’m doing this,“ she tells herself, trying to calm the bundle of nerves in her stomach, „I’ve got this.“

„Absolutely, girl, go get them.“

She walks through the door, and when she turns around, Shang flashes her a quick thumbs-up and a smile.

As she waits for her turn, she does a few breathing exercises her dad taught her, and before she can knows, she is standing in front of the judges, and the opening notes are playing.

Last deep breath–

And then she is singing.

She lets the melody carry her away, the melody and the memory of her mom’s smile and hugs and the stories she told. With that on her mind, Anxelin stands up a little straighter, and closes her eyes for a moment.

A shiver runs down her spine as the song grows into an anxious staccato and she remembers the eyes of Mother Gothel, staring at her from the portrait mom painted–

She shakes that away, her short black hair flying around her face. Her hair, yes, she’s not her mother, she is Anxelin, and she’s auditioning for the school choir.

The song is just about ending, and Anxelin looks at the judges as she finishes. The last notes echo for a bit, the room frozen in silence, before the jury breaks up into an applause and blinding smiles.

„Congratulation, Anxelin Fitzherbert,“ one of them tells her, „You’re officially in the school choir of Auradon Prep. Practice is every Wednesday and Friday, from six o’clock.“

Anxelin barely hears anything beyond the first word, and she can barely contain her excitement. She got in! 

She did it!

„We’re looking forward at you,“ tells her another one of the judges, and she barely manages to nod along and not jump in the place from excitement. She flaps her hands just a little, and practically runs out of the room as soon as she can.

She falls around Shang’s neck; „I did it!“ she cries out, „I’m in the choir!“

„I know, I heard you, you were awesome!“ Shang matches her excitement and admirably doesn’t flinch away even though she just more or less screamed directly into his ears, and just now Anxelin realises how tightly she is clinging to her best friend.

„Sorry!“ she giggles nervously, letting go of him and stepping away from him.

„Don’t be!“ he laughs too, and then they’re laughing together, the last of her nerves flooding away.

She did it!

And he helped her and supported her so much –