Free #3 Turn Up for Real by Stephanie Perry Moore Page A

hair was a little mangled. You could tell they didn’t have much, but they had great spirits, and they were fired up to sing. As I was playing with them, they blossomed even more, appreciating the time. Then, at the end, Taylor’s mom told them that the sessions were going to be ending soon. This was a paid after-school music program, and the funds were going to be cut.
    The little kids squealed in a chorus, “No!”
    My heart broke. When I saw Taylor crying, I knew she had a heart, too. I got it. Many of these kids didn’t have any other place to go. This program provided so much. They got a snack in the afternoon. Without this program, a lot of them wouldn’t be fed until they got back to school the next day. This program couldn’t go away, but when I realized I had no way to help, I became depressed, and I started singing “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music . Doing so, at least I put a smile back on the kids’ faces as well as on mine, even if it was only for the here and now.

    â€œSo you and the queen are going to be a group?” Shelby asked when Charlotte came over to our house to practice.
    I hit my sister in the side. She was playing, but she was serious. Shelby had doubts about how Charlotte and I would sound.
    â€œJust hold on,” I told my doubting sister.
    When the two of us started singing, all four of my sisters’ mouths hung open.
    â€œOh, you guys need to be doing this,” Sloan uttered as she clapped.
    â€œYeah, you two sound really good,” Yuri said.
    â€œI’m ready to take some pictures,” Ansli commented.
    â€œMy bad,” Shelby looked at me and said. “I stand corrected. You all sound great. We’ve got to get you guys the entire package: a name, a look, and a demo.”
    â€œI know a guy who can help us with that,” I said to Charlotte.
    â€œYou let me know. I’m ready. Send me over the track you were talking about, and I will practice it,” Charlotte said.
    She was so easy to work with. She wasn’t trying to out-sing me. She just wanted to be a part of it.
    When my sisters left, Charlotte and I had to talk business. I asked, “How are we going to do this?”
    â€œI just want to be an artist. I don’t want to be a part of the business side.”
    â€œWell, I’ll ask my dad for some money to cut the record, but that’ll mean I’ll own more of it. Is that cool?” I questioned, knowing these tough negotiations needed to be addressed.
    â€œAbsolutely. You got all this help with all your sisters to do a record label.”
    â€œOh, you’re taking it a little too far,” I told her, knowing I just wanted to cut a demo.
    â€œNo. If we’re going to do this, we need to step it up, for real,” Charlotte encouraged. “Create a label.”
    â€œAlright, well, I’ve got to talk to my dad, and I’ll get back to you, but I like the direction we’re going. We should come up with a name, though.”
    â€œYou’ll come up with one,” she said.
    â€œYou’re really letting me do all the creative work?”
    â€œYeah, and I’m a performer. I merely sing what I’m told and show up when I’m supposed to perform. You on the other hand are a double threat. You can sing, and you can be behind the scenes, so don’t limit yourself. Plus, I have all this Miss Teen Charlotte stuff with me, and I’m not trying to rub it in or anything …”
    â€œNo, no, no, you’re right. You do that, and I can come up with the business side of our group, and we can sing together. I love it!”
    â€œWell, at least just promise me this … no matter what happens, we’ll stay friends. I know we don’t really, really know each other,” Charlotte said. “But you have to come hang out at my house too. My folks have to get to know you.”
    We shook on it. Being with Charlotte was going to be