Page 35 of Make The Cut

“Naoya, just give up,” Leo says, having laid down his gun, hanging by his side.

That was his first mistake. I shift to let Poppy move her arm, and she immediately lands a shot in the middle of his chest.

“It’s over,” I say, laughing as I roll over and jump to my feet, offering a hand to Poppy. “We are the undisputed laser tag champions.”

Chapter Eighteen: Naoya Sugawa

As the contestant, Kaveh Moezzi, starts singing a Ryder Black cover, I do my best not to mentally zone out.

Just because I hate the guy doesn’t mean his music isn’t… Well, it wouldn’t make plants die. They would just shrivel up a little bit.

“And when did I say, I thought you hated me,” Kaveh belts out. “And when did I ask? For your excuses, your apologies, every shred of my dignity that you tore into strips?”

Usually, I would roll my eyes at the lyrics, thinking they were melodramatic and silly since they came from a singer I detest. But when Kaveh sings it, there’s something soulful and mournful in his voice that transforms the song from a whiny breakup ballad into something more.

He has that kind of star quality that the show needs. Even if he doesn’t make it to the final round, I think he could add something toMake the Cut.

So by the time he finishes singing the last wistful word of the song, I stand up from my seat and start clapping. “Bravo!”

Kevah looks at me, blinking rapidly as he pushes his dark sunglasses from his nose to the top of his head, resting them on his head of fluffy curls that have caused more than a few Twitter users to compare him to a Labrador retriever. “Really?”

“What do you mean, really? Kaveh, that was a great performance. I loved the emotion you poured into each word, and your voice was just electrifying.” I walk across the stage and clap him on the back. The spotlight dims and the other contestants whisper backstage. Across from him, in the “audience” area—really a few rows of theatre-style recliners—sits his stylist, Acacia Edwards, who put together his outfit. “But tell Acacia to ditch the glasses. The audience wants to be able to look into your eyes when you’re singing. They want to connect with you on a more personal level.”

He nods sheepishly, fiddling with the chain around his neck. His stylist has put him in a baggy, oversized, hip-hop kind of outfit, with his pants hanging low around his waist and a flashy Rolex on his wrist, but I get the feeling the look doesn’t suit him or the type of music he wants to make.

“Got it.” Kevah nods again, beginning to resemble a bobblehead.

Rose clears her throat and starts saying something to Acacia, the fashion contestant who styled him. “I see you’re going for the rapper look, Miss Edwards.”

Acacia speaks up, standing and planting her hands on her hips. “I was just giving him what he wanted.”

Rose sighs. “Sometimes, the client doesn’t know what they want. They need you to show them their options until they see what theyneed.”

“What do you mean by that?” Acacia asks.

“Imean, even if Kaveh here requested that you dress him like he’s about to star in a Young Thug music video, you didn’t have to dress him inthat. He’s five-nine, the outfit makes him look scrawny and like a kid trying on his dad’s clothes.”

“What would you have done better?”

I clear my throat, wondering if Rose is actually mentoring her fashion contestants or just arguing with them. Because if she’s just here to lecture them or scold them, the show might not turn out the way she wants it to.

“Listen, Rose, don’t you have anything constructive to say about Acacia’s work?” Should I even bother getting involved in this? Or is it one of those things I shouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, considering I lack the fashion acumen of, well, even a peacock.

“Naoya, last time I checked, you were in charge of telling people how to sing, not how to dress.”

“Hey, I take offence to that. I also tell people how todance.” I try to lighten Rose’s heavy mood, but her scowl and dark blue eyes suggest no amount of jokes will brighten the storm cloud hanging over her.

“Yes, well, whatever you’re doing, stick to it.” Rose sniffs.

“Well, I’m interested in hearing if you can answer Naoya’s question,” Acacia shoots back. “Do you have anything constructive to say about the outfit?”

Kaveh clears his throat. “You guys, I don’t mind the outfit… I mean, yeah, I kind of asked her to style me this way…”

“Shut up,” Acacia and Rose say in unison. I’d stifle a snort if Kaveh didn’t look so discombobulated and hurt at the same time. A puppy-eyed twenty-one-year-old fresh out of an engineering degree at MIT who wants to pursue music, I’m not surprised he’s so incredibly naive about the cutthroat entertainment industry.

“You can go,” I say to Kaveh. “You’ve done great today. That was a fantastic performance.”

I hope the cameras don’t catch that. I’d never live it down if the news headlines ran with,Naoya Sugawa compliments a contestant for singing a Ryder Black song! It has nothing to do with the song. Ryder’s still a terrible singer.

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