"What video?"
Elijah froze, his shirt halfway over his head. Video? What video?
He didn't have to wonder long. By lunchtime, it seemed everyone in the cafeteria was watching something on their phones, glancing up at him when he passed. The feeling of being observed, of being scrutinized, sent a familiar anxiety crawling up his spine.
"Elijah!" Alicia appeared at his side, looking concerned. "Have you seen it?"
He shook his head. She pulled out her phone and showed him Emily's blog post. The video was poor quality, the audio muffled through the door, but it was unmistakably him playing one of his original compositions.
"Who—" he began, but was interrupted by Mrs. Drake's sharp voice.
"Ms. Tran, Mr. Walker. No phones during lunch period."
Mrs. Drake swooped down on them, her hand extended expectantly. Alicia reluctantly handed over her phone.
"What were you watching?" Mrs. Drake asked, glancing at the screen. Her expression hardened as she recognized Elijah in the blurry video. With a few quick taps, she deleted the file.
"Hey!" Alicia protested. "You can't just—"
"I can, and I did," Mrs. Drake replied coolly. "And I suggest you both focus on your studies rather than spreading delusions." She looked directly at Elijah as she emphasized the last word. "Do you want to be responsible for promoting false hope?"
Without waiting for a response, she moved to another table where students were also on their phones, confiscating devices and deleting files as she went.
"She can't delete it from the internet," Alicia whispered after Mrs. Drake moved away. "It's already out there."
Elijah nodded, but his appetite was gone. The thought of people watching him, judging him, brought back the memory of that long-ago talent show and the humiliation that followed.
That afternoon, Elijah arrived at the music room to find Dell in an unusually excited state.