From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 132: Team Black Swan (1)

"Nervous?"

"Not really."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I think I’m going to barf."

"Don’t." Ari glanced over at Leo, who looked as if he was about to throw up as he watched Rex’s team perform on the TV, as their team did their final stretch while adjusting their in-ears and headsets before being called to the stage.

On the screen, Rex was at the center of his team’s dance break, basically flying across the stage as he performed the choreography to the intense electronic beat of the Radioactive song.

Although the rest of his team was good, Ari’s gaze couldn’t help but be drawn to Rex, who was dancing so hard that the silver-studded leather choker around his neck snapped and flew off from the intensity of the dancing.

Rather than be bothered about it, the boy gave a pleased smile and danced with even more energy.

"He’s so good. They’re so good."

They were, Ari had to admit it.

The quality of the performances that went before them had been exceptionally high, except for one team, which did terribly.

But that didn’t stop what his team had to do.

Seeing that Leo was biting his lips nervously while muttering, Ari elbowed him sharply in the side before nodding at the cameraman entering the room.

"Hey, focus. You’re not him, and we’re not them. We practiced hard, so we’re going to kill it on stage. Okay? Gather the team Leader; let’s do one cheer before we get on stage."

Leo gave him a bitter look, rubbing his side before sighing and calling out to everyone.

"Team Black Swan, let’s huddle up!"

All nine team members wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders, and unfortunately, Ari found himself stuck between Gale and Ian.

Holding back his dislike of the two boys, Ari lightly held both their shoulders as they did the same to him.

Leo glanced at everybody’s faces before he began speaking slowly,

"I’m no good at motivational speeches, but I’ll do my best. We practiced hard this week. In singing, dancing, rapping-"

"And arts and crafts!" Minho added with a side glance at Ari.

"And arts and crafts. We worked really hard, so let’s go show off our hard work to those who came to see us. Team Black Swan on 3. One, two, three!"

"Black Swan!"

As they cheered, they piled their hands in the middle before raising them into the air.

Then, following Leo, they walked onto the stage once the stage crew took them out.

"Good luck." Sherill Lanole, the stage director, whispered to Ari as he walked past, and he silently nodded in thanks.

For some reason, as he walked, Ari was starting to feel nervous.

His heart was pounding, and his palms were getting sweaty as he followed Suzuki Rei onto the stage.

When he stepped out onto the stage, the moment the crowd became visible, Ari froze for a second.

The heat from the lights, the sound of the audience screams, the blurry faces of the audience, the faint smell of sweat, and the voice in his in-ears.

They all blurred together into one chaotic scene that was burned into his mind.

He felt completely overstimulated and, just like everyone had been saying, a slight feeling of nausea overtook his body.

He really, really felt like throwing up.

It was in this moment that he realized all these people had taken time out of their day to drive through the traffic, get tickets, queue up, watch, enjoy, or hate his and his team’s performance.

Willingly and without being forced, they chose to be here.

It was a strange thought, and he didn’t quite know what to make of it.

"Are you coming?"

[Are you pretending to be a statue now?]

[Move.]

As Suzuki Rei glanced back at him and the blue screen filled with NOVA’s sarcastic message filled his vision, Ari took a deep breath to clear his mind and continued walking.

Thoughts were for later; now it was time to perform and try not to disappoint others, and more importantly, himself.

It would be a shame if he wasted all those hours of practice by panicking here.

"Everyone, please welcome Team Black Swan, who will be performing the song Swan! Good luck, boys." The MC, Ryan Leary, gave them a thumbs up before dashing off the stage, and Ari joined the rest of the team, getting in position.

They had the classic V formation with Mathew anchoring them in the middle due to claiming the Main Dancer and Center position, while Ari stood to his left and Suzuki Rei stood to his right. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

After adjusting their spacing, each of them tilted their head to stare at the ground with their arms clasped behind their back as they waited for the music to begin.

*******

After watching several pretty good performances, Justine was excited to finally see her favorite contestant, even though he was performing a song that she thought didn’t fit his vibe.

As the boys came onto the stage, Justine immediately spotted Ari since he was the only one with an entirely white painted face.

She couldn’t help but admire the fit of his all white outfit while lamenting that once again, she wasn’t able to see his face due to the all white makeup.

Still, his face paint looked less thick than usual, and she could see the thick lashes that framed those catlike sea green eyes, his natural, pink lip color, and the sharp angle of his nose.

Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought he looked even more handsome than before, and her eyes were glued to him as his group got in formation as the song began.

Boom!

Dun dun dun dun dun dun!

Boom!

Dun dun dun dun dun dun!

With each drum beat as the bright pop melody played out, the nine boys took a step forward in unison while their arms rose and fell, giving the illusion of one continuous white wing flapping up and down.

Bada bada bada bada bada bada

As the drumbeats increased in speed, everybody except Matthew dropped to their knees, shifting the flapping motion to imitate the fan tail feathers of a bird while Mathew pirouetted for several sections, his hands pointed precisely in the air.