Watching Little George squirm with resistance, Meemaw Connie shook her head in disappointment before jumping right in with the rest of the crowd to heckle him.
Yep, Damian was facing some serious blowback for his self-indulgent little stunt.
It all started with that bold kid throwing a shoe. The rest of the audience, whose ears had been suffering just as much, immediately seized the moment and started protesting Damian's singing.
With the boos getting louder and louder, there was no way Damian could keep the show going.
He put down the mic, grabbed the shoe off the stage, and chucked it right back at the guy. Only then did he pick the mic back up and announce the next act with a bit of an attitude: "Next up, give it up for the 'Cool Guys' crew, bringing you a rap performance..."
Watching Damian retreat to the backstage in defeat, the audience let out a massive cheer, having won the "war."
Looking at it that way, even though Damian's impromptu number was a flop, it accidentally worked wonders as a warm-up act.
---
At the backstage entrance, Janice—decked out in her punk style—saw her best friend getting booed off. She walked up to him, concerned. "You're the announcer, why did you have to be so extra? You know you're gonna be the laughingstock of the school for this..."
Her words were harsh, but her concern was written all over her face.
"Bullshit. I sang beautifully; they just don't have any taste," Damian huffed indignantly. He didn't seem to care much about being a laughingstock.
Besides, could anything be worse than the nicknames people already called him?
Seeing that her friend wasn't crushed by the failed performance, Janice relaxed.
Then, noticing a faint shoe print on his face, she stifled a laugh and teased, "You know, your argument would be a lot more convincing if you wiped that shoe print off your face."
Damian let out an annoyed huff at her teasing, pulled a small mirror out of his pocket, and started wiping off the smudge.
Truth is, Damian was actually pretty bummed that his carefully planned impromptu solo didn't land with the crowd. But he kept that frustration hidden just to save face.
---
On the other side of the entrance, the "Cool Guys" group waited for the heckling to die down before heading on stage.
Damian had warmed up the crowd, alright—he'd practically set them on fire. Trying to perform while everyone was riled up would've been suicide. Waiting for the room to cool off was a smart play.
"Yo, bro, you're blocking our path," Kevin said to Janice. He was decked out in full hip-hop gear.
"Are you blind?" Janice, who had just been joking with her friend, whipped around with a dark look, glaring at Kevin for the slip-up. She deliberately puffed out her chest, trying to emphasize her silhouette to look more feminine.
Even though Janice usually dressed androgynously, deep down, she still had a bit of a princess complex. Being mistaken for a dude for no reason seriously pissed her off. Especially since it was Christmas—she'd even taken out her dreads and put on her nicest outfit.
All signs pointed to the fact that she actually wanted to be treated like a lady.
Kevin looked her up and down a few times, then said in all seriousness, "My bad. Sorry, lady-who-looks-like-a-dude, can you move now?"
Seeing Janice about to go nuclear, Kevin didn't dare push his luck. He grabbed his two Mathlete teammates and squeezed past her.
"I better not see you around school!" Janice shouted, angrily shaking her fist at their backs as they headed for the stage.
Beside her, Damian—who had been feeling gloomy—couldn't hold back anymore. He burst out laughing. "Lady-who-looks-like-a-dude..."
He mimicked Kevin, looking Janice up and down while trying not to crack up.
It just goes to show: smiles don't disappear; they just transfer from one person's face to another.
---
On stage, Kevin—one hand pointing to the sky in a "cool" pose—started his rap.
But as the captain of the Mathletes, flow wasn't exactly his strong suit. His lyrics didn't rhyme, and the content was basically just "I'm cool" and "I've got infinite charm"—pure narcissism.
"Enough, Kevin. That's enough..." the guy who threw the shoe earlier yelled out during a pause in the beat.
Clearly, he knew Kevin. Otherwise, with a rap that sounded like absolute garbage, he definitely would have thrown another shoe.
Kevin realized the audience wasn't exactly vibing with his masterpiece. So, he quit while he was ahead, gave a "cool" wave to the crowd, and led his team off stage.
---
"Next up, please welcome 'The Bombshells' and Mike, performing a Christmas special..."
Damian returned to the stage to continue emceeing. "By the way, it's worth mentioning that this track is an original by Mike. It's actually hitting the market as we speak..."
Without his earlier antics, Damian was actually a pretty solid announcer. In just a few simple words, he managed to hype everyone up.
Mike and the girls in "The Bombshells" were already the most popular kids in school; adding a "new single release" to the mix guaranteed they'd be the highlight of the night.
"Good luck, Katie!" Damian crossed paths with them backstage after his announcement.
Even though Katie had successfully infiltrated the "Bombshells," she was still tight with her original friends, Damian and Janice.
"I will!" Katie smiled and nodded, acknowledging her first real friends at the school.
"Alright, time to go." Beside her, Regina—the "Queen Bee"—couldn't wait to start. She'd been prepping for this forever, all to steal the show right now.
"Let's roll," Mike signaled the group.
Seeing how confident Mike and Regina looked, the other three girls in the group suddenly felt a surge of energy, too.
Everything was ready.
Amidst the cheers, several figures holding instruments stepped into the spotlight.
Squinting against the lights, Mike spotted the Cooper family in the front row, waving their arms enthusiastically. In the aisle, Ashley was holding up a camcorder.
And, of course, there was Katie's mom in the middle of the audience, looking like she was about to cry tears of joy seeing her daughter on stage, while Katie's dad comforted her.
Seeing Mike and The Bombshells take the stage, a bunch of Medford High students stood up, screaming their support. It was obvious—this group of pretty people was insanely popular.
As the music started, the room hushed.
Then, accompanied by an electronic keyboard, the girls began to sing.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas.
On such a special day, the girls' beautiful voices and the festive song quickly captivated the audience. Compared to the previous acts—which felt more like sketch comedy—Regina and the crew's performance was definitely more what the crowd was looking for.
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