Rivalries and Surprises
The next morning, Chloe didn’t blast the Viking horn—thankfully—but the group still woke up to the sound of her shouting.
"Up and at ‘em, warriors! We’ve got work to do!"
Jake groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Do you ever take a break?"
"Never!" Chloe declared proudly.
After breakfast (where Chloe’s dad casually told a story about his ancestors pillaging villages while eating toast), the two bands gathered in the underground music room for another round of practice.
"Alright," Chloe said, pacing like a drill sergeant.
"We’ve got two weeks, and I want us both to be perfect! Let’s run through everything again!"
The Jomies started their set, this time adding a bit more energy to their performance.
Jake’s voice was strong, Drew’s guitar playing was solid, and Henry was absolutely shredding on the bass.
By the time they finished, they were breathing heavily, but they felt good about it.
Chloe smirked.
"Not bad, but watch this."
Rock It took the stage, playing their song with even more intensity than the day before.
Chloe’s drumming was sharp, Keith’s guitar solos were incredible, and Ivy’s vocals were so strong that even Jake had to admit they had a serious chance of winning.
When they finished, the two bands stared each other down.
"This is turning into a real rivalry," Liam muttered, amused.
"And I love it," Henry added with a grin.
Before the tension could build any further, the sound of the front door opening caught their attention.
"Chloe! We’re here!" a voice called out.
Jake’s stomach dropped.
He knew that voice.
A second later, Daisy and Sadie walked in, looking as excited as ever.
Daisy, in particular, looked around the room with a big smile.
"Whoa, I always forget how cool your house is!"
Jake tried to play it cool, but Michelle nudged him knowingly.
"Alright, now that everyone’s here," Chloe said, ignoring Jake’s flustered expression, "we need to talk strategy."
Daisy raised an eyebrow.
"Strategy? What kind of competition is this?"
"Music battle," Drew answered. "Jomies versus Rock It."
Sadie’s eyes widened.
"Wait, you guys split into two bands?"
"Yeah, we figured we’d make it interesting," Keith said.
Daisy smiled.
"Well, this just got more exciting."
Chloe clapped her hands.
"Alright, enough chit-chat! We need to plan outfits, stage presence, and final song choices."
As they started discussing ideas, Jake felt someone nudge his arm.
He turned to see Daisy grinning at him.
"You’re singing, huh?" she teased.
Jake scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Cool. I can’t wait to see how you do," she said, before turning back to the conversation.
Jake felt his face heat up.
He wasn’t blushing as much as before, but he couldn’t deny that Daisy’s encouragement made him want to do even better.
As the group continued planning, Chloe suddenly stood up.
"Oh! One more thing!" she said, pulling out her phone.
"The competition isn’t just between us—other bands from different schools are joining too."
"What?" Liam blinked.
"How many bands?"
Chloe scrolled through her phone.
"About ten others. We’re up against some serious talent."
Silence filled the room before Henry grinned.
"Good. That means we get to crush them too!"
Chloe laughed. "Now that’s the spirit!"
With that, the real training began.
Two weeks to go, and the stakes were higher than ever.