“What?” Kyle asked and then spun to face Jared. “Did you know about this?”

“No! I would never trick Maddie into joining the band. I swear, I didn’t know.”

Kyle tossed his clipboard on the table. “That’s it then. It’s over. Let’s get our gear and go.”

“I told you we should have waited until next year,” Hector muttered.

Jared scanned the contract again. “This can’t be it. There must be some other way.”

Kyle sighed. “Should we call Becca? Maybe if we begged her…”

“No. Definitely not. We can’t trust her to keep it together for the next five weeks.”

“I know, but—”

While the guys argued, I stared at the contract in my hands. The decision I made here could impact the rest of my life, and the two choices weighed on me, heavy with their uncertain futures. I could leave the band now without any hard feelings and go back to my normal life and the internship I had worked so hard for. That was the safe path, the one I’d been traveling on for the last three years. Once I washed off the makeup and returned the clothes to Julie, I’d be regular old Maddie again, who only practiced guitar in secret and had her future figured out.

Except…I didn’t want to go back to my normal life anymore.

I’d joined the band thinking it would only be for this one audition. But now that I’d played with them, I wanted more. I wanted to compete with them, to perform their songs on stage, and maybe even have a shot at winning this thing. I wanted to fight for my dream—my real dream—for once in my life, instead of standing in the audience and cheering for someone else.

“I want to do the show,” I said, my pulse racing with equal parts fear and excitement. “If you’ll have me in the band, that is.”

“Are you sure?” Kyle asked. “You were so excited about your internship.”

“I was, but when I practiced with you guys last night, it just felt…right. Like this is what I’m meant to be doing. I don’t want to look back years from now and wonder what if, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that.” He turned to the rest of the band. “Well, I’m happy to let Maddie join the band permanently. What about you guys?”

“I’m cool with it,” Jared said.

“Of course you are.” Hector rolled his eyes. “But yeah, let’s do this.”

Jared grinned and draped an arm across my shoulder, sending another spike of heat through me. “Welcome to the band, Maddie.”