Of Notes, Nerves, and First Moves

Luna couldn’t sleep.

She twisted in her bed, eyes wide open as moonlight painted her ceiling in silver. In just a few hours, she’d be standing on the small stage in the music room, trying not to trip over a mic stand while singing in front of half the school.

What if her voice cracked?

What if she fell off the stage?

What if Alan was watching?

That last thought caused her pillow to become a muffler for her scream.

By morning, her nerves had tangled themselves into a full-blown storm. Even her cat Muffin looked worried. Still, Luna pulled herself together, pinned her lucky music note brooch to her bag, and walked to school with Liya, who was practically skipping with excitement.

"You’ve got this,” Liya grinned. “You’re gonna blow their ears off."

"Um, I think you mean ‘blow their minds’?"

"Same thing," Liya shrugged. “And guess what? Edwin’s auditioning too. He’s apparently playing guitar.”

Luna nearly choked on her own breath.

“What?!”

“Yup. Mr. Flirt and Mr. Moody Piano might actually be in the same room. Pray for balance.”

The music room buzzed with nervous energy. Students milled around—tuning instruments, doing vocal warmups, or pretending to be cool about their trembling hands.

Alan was already there, sitting quietly at the piano. His fingers brushed the keys absentmindedly, playing a soft, familiar tune that made Luna’s heart flip like a pancake.

He hadn’t looked at anyone. But when Luna walked in, his fingers paused for half a beat before continuing.

Luna's turn came.

She stepped onto the stage, knees made of jelly and hands colder than ice cream.

She closed her eyes. Took a breath.

Then she sang.

Her voice started small, hesitant—but as the first notes filled the room, something magical happened. The anxiety melted away. Her soul slipped into the melody, and the whole room quieted. No whispers. No snickers. Just… Luna and her song.

And Alan, watching.

When she finished, the silence was thick. Then applause burst out like fireworks. Even Ethan, the eternal ghost of the classroom, clapped once, genuinely.

From the corner, Edwin grinned. “Well damn,” he whispered to Liya. “She’s got lungs.”

Liya beamed with pride. “Told you.”

Next came Alan.

No introductions. No flair.

He sat at the piano, head low, fingers poised.

Then—music.

Rich. Deep. Moving. It didn’t need lyrics. His notes spoke. They danced with hers in the air, even though their performances were separate.

When it ended, there was silence again—but the stunned kind. Ms. Sophia’s eyes shimmered. Liya had goosebumps. Luna couldn’t breathe.

Alan stood, nodded once, and walked out.

Later, outside under the big oak tree, Luna sat with Liya, legs swinging off the bench, heart still somewhere in the clouds.

“Do you think he even noticed me singing?” she asked softly.

Liya gave her a smug look. “He noticed. Trust me. He was watching like you were a Netflix series”

Luna buried her face in her hands.

Meanwhile, across the school yard, Edwin cornered Alan near the vending machine.

“So,” Edwin said with a smirk. “You and Clumsy Girl. What’s the vibe?”

Alan gave him a deadpan look. “There’s no vibe.”

“Sure,” Edwin chuckled. “That’s why you watched her like she was the last song you’d ever hear.”

Alan opened his drink, didn’t answer.

But Edwin caught the faint smile before it disappeared.

That afternoon, the club results were pinned to the board. Luna, Alan, Edwin, and—to everyone’s shock—Ethan had all made it.

Ethan walked past the crowd, pretending not to care, but a corner of his lips twitched up as he walked away.

Ms. Sophia, watching from her classroom window, smiled to herself.

As the sun dipped low, casting long shadows through the school grounds, Luna found herself walking past the music room again.

She heard the piano.

She peeked inside.

Alan was playing—soft, slow, something unfinished.

She opened the door without thinking.

“Was that… the same tune you played during my song?”

He looked up. Didn’t smile, but didn’t seem annoyed either.

“Sort of,” he said. “It matched.”

Luna blinked. “You changed your tune to match mine?”

He looked away. “It sounded better that way.”

Luna's heart tripped over its shoelaces.

Maybe—just maybe—this year wasn’t just about classes and chaos.

Maybe it was the start of something she never saw coming.

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