“Wait! Where are you going?” Sydney watched in horror as her group’s newest star ran offstage to take a phone call. Sydney knew stage fright when she saw it. How had she not seen the signs before? Julianna hadn’t missed the original audition. She had panicked then too. She could go after her, but there was no way she was getting her on that stage to sing Sheeran right now.

“Who takes a phone call in the middle of a performance?” Whitney asked, clearly annoyed as she watched Dave and Pasqual high-five.

“You owe me ten bucks,” Dave told Pasqual. “Told you that girl would choke again.”

“She didn’t choke!” Sydney covered for her. “She just had an important call.”

“She kind of choked,” Gabby whispered just to Sydney and Viola. “She made an excuse during the auditions too. I thought you knew that.”

Sydney looked at the spot Julianna had originally been standing in and sighed. “Well, I do now.”

“Poor girl,” said Viola. “Someone should go talk to her. I’ll find her.”

“No, give her space,” Sydney said. “I don’t want to scare her off completely.” They needed warm bodies.

The most talented girl on the squad couldn’t handle singing in public. This was just great! Sydney closed her eyes and tried to breathe. Everything will be fine.

“Syd? You okay?” Griffin asked.

Griffin. She couldn’t do this right now. “Can we start from the top with a new soloist?” Sydney asked, not looking in his direction.

“Do-over?” Dave sputtered. “No way. You had your shot. Now it’s our turn.”

Sydney bit her lip.

“Great work, leader.” Micayla patted Sydney on the shoulder as they filed off the stage.

The guys stood in their classic triangle formation with Dave at the front. Griffin was to his right and Pasqual to his left. They bowed their heads, pressed their palms together like they were praying, and waited. They had two beatboxers who kicked the song off before Griffin’s voice came roaring in followed by Dave, who rapped. They performed the tune as if they had done it a hundred times before.

“No fair,” Gabby whined. “They’ve definitely practiced this already.”

“Of course, they’ve rehearsed already,” Whitney said, hitting Sydney where it hurt.

Gabby shook her head. “The Nightingales’ curse strikes again.”

By the end of the song, Sydney knew there was no contest. The Kingfishers were the clear victors, but she still wasn’t willing to give up her shot. She begged for another chance to perform, promising at the end of the song they’d agree to pick one winner even without Mr. Wickey’s presence.

She huddled with her teammates—minus one—again. “We’re going to be okay,” she said, even if she didn’t feel that way. Her eyes were as wild as her curly hair, which had lost its taming headband. “We can beat them without Julianna.” She looked at the group and pulled them in tight. “Whitney and Micayla, you kick off the first stanza; Gabby and Viola, you do the melody; Pearl, you beatbox; and …” She hesitated when she came to Mercedes and Donna. “You two can join me on the chorus. Keep your voices low so we don’t overpower the others.” Mercedes, Donna, and Ms. Heel nodded.

“I’m not sure of the lyrics,” Gabby said. “Can I hold up my phone and read them?”

“We can’t hold our phones during a performance,” Micayla protested.

“Do we have a choice?” Viola asked.

“WHY DON’T WE SING THE SONG IN A ROUND! I’LL START!” said Mercedes in the only volume she seemed to have—extra-loud.

“A round? Those are lame!” Whitney exclaimed.

“Real a cappella groups don’t do them anymore,” Micayla added. “Unless you’re talking about the Tonal Teens. They do them, but they can do anything because they’re state champs.”

“Instead of the chorus, can Ms. Heel have her own part?” Donna asked.

“Let’s stick with the plan,” said Sydney, trying to get their attention back. The girls turned to the stage to perform.

Sydney quickly regretted that decision.

Pearl started beatboxing but kept getting drowned out by Mercedes, who sang at the top of her lungs. Donna’s puppet hit Gabby in the face when she attempted a spin. Sydney looked at the Kingfishers. One was videoing the Nightingales’ epic fail on his phone. Others were laughing. This was humiliating. Sydney had to end this.

“You guys win,” Sydney said, even though they still had half a song left to sing.

“What? We didn’t even finish yet!” Whitney complained.

“We didn’t have an arrangement,” Sydney said. “They clearly already had one. They should get the Sheeran song.” Dave hopped up onstage and shook her hand. Sydney wouldn’t let go. She looked him straight in the eyes. “You get the arrangement, but we get the theater.” Dave’s face fell. “I know I booked Tuesdays. Stop trying to mess with us.”

“Fine. Better luck next time.” Dave winked. “I’m sure there’s a lot of great songs out there that we haven’t claimed yet. Not.” He and some of the others laughed.

She waited till the guys were gone to collapse onto the stage. The others plopped down next to her.

She’d had such big dreams for the Nightingales and they included that Sheeran song. She’d been working on an arrangement already, but that arrangement hinged on Lidia, who was going to tackle a tricky solo. Just the thought of Lidia made her blood boil. How could she do this to her? Dropping out of the group because of a boy? How could she do this to the group?

“So when are you going to pick a new co-captain?” Micayla asked, playing with her chunky beaded necklace. “Because the Nightingales and Kingfishers have always had two.”

Whitney sat up on her knees. Her blue eyes were gleaming. “Do we apply to Mr. Wickey? If so, I want to go now so I can get my name in first.”

“Whit! I just said I was applying!” Micayla pouted.

“We can both apply!” Whitney told her and the two of them looked at each other as if a new thought had occurred to them. It was one Sydney was already worried about.

She was not getting ousted! She would make this team work! She’d teach Mercedes to sing softer and Donna to lose the puppet. She’d duct-tape Julianna’s feet to the stage floor so she couldn’t run. She’d find another member if they needed one. Sydney stood up. “I don’t need another co-captain,” she declared.

“What?” everyone said.

Sydney’s voice was firm. “I am telling Mr. Wickey I don’t need another co-captain.”

“He’s not going to listen,” Whitney said, but Sydney didn’t care.

“Syd, it’s a lot of work,” Viola said. “Don’t you need help?”

Sydney ran her hand through her hair again, making it wild, and blinked as she stared off at the theater lights. Lidia may have been more organized, and the calmer of the two of them, but Sydney had one captain trait that Lidia didn’t: She wasn’t a quitter.

“I’ll be fine,” Sydney told them, her eyes blazing. “We’re going to be the best Nightingales team Bradley has ever had! It’s going to be an amazing season!” She threw her fist in the air and cheered. No one joined her.

“What should we do about Julianna?” Gabby asked.

“I’ll talk to her tomorrow. For now—” She patted her notebook. “We have plenty of songs to choose from. Great songs!” Sydney looked at the girls. “Text your parents and tell them you’re not making the late bus. We are holding a three-hour meeting to pick songs and then we’re going to submit them to Mr. Wickey tonight!”

Viola stood up and put an arm around Sydney. “That seems like a lot to do in one day. Why don’t we concentrate on one song and try to figure out harmonies? Didn’t you bring a box of pink stuff you wanted to show us?”

“Ah! My magic!” Sydney squealed, running over to the box forgotten about on the floor. “The Kingfishers made me forget. I downloaded a montage of winning a cappella group videos to show you guys as inspiration. Then I thought we’d kick off the practice with a fun improv a cappella number set to someone we’d normally never cover like the Fidget Femmes. That’s why I brought these pink wigs, boas, and light-up sunglasses.”

“Is this an a cappella group or did we join the circus?” Micayla asked.

Sydney put on a pair of glasses and lit them up. “An a cappella group. Now come on.”

The girls all reached into the box and came out with wigs, boas, and sunglasses.

“Mine doesn’t fit right.”

“My glasses are broken!”

“I think I’m allergic to this boa.”

“Why do we have to sing with props? The Nightingales never use props!”

They were talking over one another again and it was hard to concentrate with so much noise. “Come on, guys!” Sydney tried. “Just go with it! It’s time to face the music!”

Everyone looked at one another. Then they burst out in song.

“Turn up the music, turn it up now! Let it move you, move you now!” they sang to one another. Pearl came in and beatboxed while the group continued singing through a second and third verse of the popular Fidget Femmes song before finally stopping.

Sydney looked at the group in awe. “That sounded good!”

“It sounded hella amazing!” Viola said.

Sydney agreed. Who needed Lidia?

This was going to require serious work, but no one was taking the Nightingales away from her.