HAZEL FINE SINGS ALONG (WATTYS 2022 Winner!)

Chapter 13: The Green Room

Hazel walked onto the stage with her guitar, planted her feet firmly and avoided the heated stare Martin was giving her from the judge's platform.

The audience hushed, the lights turned low, while Hazel stood in the glow of the floodlights. She was wearing a simple red dress that she'd borrowed from Zoey, which matched well with her cowboy boots even if it wasn't her signature color. She could use all the power she could steal.

Hazel strummed the opening chords and a few of the other contestants clapped in appreciation. Benji nodded encouragingly from the front row. Behind him was a sea of faces from that week at the auditions. Sarah Baines, nervous and twitchy. Cole and his mother looking confident. Bella frowning, but maybe that was just the light. Only Nick was missing, but he was often busy backstage during the performances, making sure all the musical cues were set.

Hazel started to sing, and she knew immediately that it was going to be a good night. Her voice had the right throaty tone to it, and she turned the song into an anthem and a love song all rolled into one. When she got to the part about leaving the Christmas lights up until January, green and red lights flashed behind her in the shape of a forest of trees and she could see the colors wend their way through the audiences faces.

She sang the next verse with confidence, getting lost in the song. When she came to the spoken verse part of the song, she let her guitar swing loose and addressed the audience, asking them to stand. They did and took up her clap, singing along when she resumed the chorus like it was her concert, and they were her fans.

When she was finished, they burst into applause. They'd loved it. Keshawn walked onto the stage, bowing to her, and Hazel laughed freely for the first time in days.

"Fantastic, Hazel," Keshawn said. "Fantastic. What say you, Georgia?"

Georgia blew Hazel a kiss from the judge's stand. She was doing her best to hide the hangover she must've been nursing, but Hazel could tell that she had a raging headache from the way she moved tenderly around her seat. "That was brilliant, Hazel darlin'. Taylor would be proud. In fact, I'm going to send her your clip. Wouldn't be surprised if you heard from her."

Hazel's heart swelled. "Thank you, Georgia."

"Martin?"

Hazel turned to him nervously. He held his hands out to her and then gathered them together like he was praying. Probably for her to sleep with him, but in that moment she didn't care. She'd done it. She'd done her best. It was out of her hands now.

"What can I say, Hazel Fine?" Martin said. "That was your best performance yet, and one of the best performances of the competition."

"Thank you so much." Martin sounded genuine, but Hazel knew better than to count on that. It didn't matter now. He'd said what he said and that's all she could on for now.

Hazel tripped off the stage with her heart full.

"You were amazing, Hazel!" Zoey said in the wings. She looked drawn in the blue lights, and terrified. "Tay Tay will die when she hears that."

"You'll be great, Zoey. Don't worry."

"Zoey Johnson! Come to the stage, please."

Zoey gave one last terrified look to Hazel, then disappeared through the curtain to a wellspring of applause. Zoey was popular in the competition, nice to everyone, and in a class of her own as the only female country singer left.

Hazel stood in the wings, watching Zoey as she made her way to the microphone. She looked adorable in a rhinestone encrusted red number that was a tribute to Dolly. The dress, Hazel approved of. The song choice, not so much. Hazel had tried to talk Zoey out of attempting the Dolly Parton version of "I Will Always Love You." It was a big song, even the way Dolly did it, and Zoey's voice, while sweet and pure, wasn't up to the task.