>Now playing Illenium- Good Things Fall Apart (ft. Jon Bellion)<

The tension in the small room was high. Xioajun glanced back and forth at the other people in the room unsure of what to do. He looked over to find Kun grimacing as well. The two looked around the room again before Kun cleared his throat.

“Okay… so I guess this is everybody. Why don’t we start by introducing ourselves? I know we all know each other, but Xiaojun doesn't, so let’s say our name and one of our hobbies or something?”

Everyone groaned but dutifully introduced themselves for Xiaojun’s sake. Kun started despite already introducing himself to Xiaojun earlier.

“Hi, I’m Kun! I’m really passionate about music and if you didn’t already figure out, starting a band was my idea. I’m also a decent cook since my parents run a restaurant.”

Xiaojun nodded and turned to Winwin. He reintroduced himself as well and told everyone that he liked dancing and playing the piano. The boy who came in with an electric guitar and sketchbook followed. He announced that his name was Ten and he liked drawing. After Ten, the boy with longish dark hair bounced up.

“I’m Hendery!” he declared holding up a drumstick in each hand, “I don’t like frogs and I play the drums,”.

Everyone chuckled a little and Hendery sat down proudly, satisfied at the reaction he got. The tall boy who came in with Hendery went next.

“My name’s Lucas, I’m on the basketball team and I play the sax,” he listed off while showing the instrument in his hand.

When he finished, everyone in the room turned to the last person left to introduce himself. Xiaojun looked over at the boy who he had crashed into. He was wearing all black. Ripped, black skinny jeans, a black hoodie, black vans, and black hair with long bangs that half covered his eyes. 

“I’m Yangyang. I play the bass and like gaming,” he answered flatly. 

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the group. Everyone stared at their feet while waiting for someone to say something. 

“So… why don’t we begin tryouts? Does anyone want to start?” Kun finally stated.

Winwin nodded gratefully and stood up.

“I want to get this over with. Can I go?”

When no one objected, he walked over to the piano and began to play. Winwin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before placing his hands on the keyboard. Everyone watched as he began to play. The long, slender fingers danced across the keyboard while tapping out a familiar song. Xiaojun found himself mindlessly sawing along with the melody and hummed the tune in his head. It was a piano rendition of the song Let Her Go by Passenger. The song seemed too short as it ended before anyone had enough of it. 

“Wow,” Hendery breathed out.

“Amazing,” Kun agreed.

Winwin bowed shyly before returning to his seat and fiddling with a loose string on his shirt. 

“I guess I’ll go next,” Henderey offered “I wanna get this over with too.”

He picked up his drumsticks and headed over to the drum kit. After settling onto the drum throne, Hendery pulled a phone out of his pocket and began to play the song while drumming along with it. As the song progressed, Hendery seemed to lose himself to the music. He didn’t miss a single beat and played with all his heart. When he hit the last drum, Hendery looked up with a wide smile stretched across his lips. Everyone applauded at the captivating performance.

Lucas announced he was going next and began playing. At first, he was a bit shaky, but gradually gained confidence and played out louder until it seemed to come naturally. The music poured out of him. Lucas ended his upbeat performance with a smirk before sitting down again.

Yangyang presented next. He played Linkin Park’s Numb on his bass. During the song, Yangyang would occasionally nod his head and stomp his foot to accent the beats. When he did, his long bangs would fly up to his forehead before flying down to rest over his eyebrows again. Xiaojun laughed internally at the sight.

Afterward, Kun decided to go. Instead of walking over to the piano as Winwin had, Kun went towards the electric keyboard and messed with a few of its settings. With his foot on the pedal, Kun opened his mouth and began to sing. His voice was light and breathy. It reminded Xiaojun of a warm summer breeze and he smiled and swayed along as Kun belted out the lyrics. When the singing boy signaled that he had finished, he was met with a hearty round of applause.

Moments later, the clapping died down and Ten plugged in his electric guitar preparing to play his piece. It started off with a short riff before the lyrics began. Ten crooned the lyrics while deftly sliding his fingers up and down the fingerboard. His voice flowed into your ears like velvet and the instrumental accompaniment only complimented it. Ten looked around with a timid smile when he finished.

The room was filled with more claps and nods before everyone turned to Xiaojun expectantly. Xiaojun looked around confused before realizing that he was the only one yet to play. He had been so caught up in the others’ performances that he forgot why he was here in the first place. He struck a chord before clearing his throat.

She said, “Baby, I’m afraid to fall in love 

‘Cause what if it's not reciprocated?”

Xiaojun changed chords and looked up to find the stare of all the others in the room on him. 

I told her, “Don’t rush girl, don’t you rush

Guess it’s all a game of patience.” 

She said, "What if I dive deep? 

Will you come in after me? 

Would you share your flaws with me? Let me know"

I told her, "Thinking is all wrong

Love will happen when it wants

I know it hurts sometimes, but don't let it go"

'Cause I want you

I want you 

I want- I want you

'Cause I want you I want you

I want- I want you

She said, "What if I tell you all the things I've done?

Would you run away from me?"

I told her, "Baby, we all got bags full of that we don't want

But I can't unpack it for you, baby"

She said, "What if I dive deep?

Will you come in after me?

Would you share your flaws with me? Let me know"

I told her, "Thinking is all wrong

Love will happen when it wants

I know it hurts sometimes, but don't let it go"

'Cause I want you

I want you

I want- I want you

'Cause I want you

I want you

I want- I want you (yeah)

I want you

I want you

I want you, yeah

Xiaojun grinned to himself and looked around to see what everyone’s reaction was. Kun and Winwin smiled at him while clapping vigorously, and Lucas stared at him with his mouth in a small ‘o’. Hendery gave him two thumbs up while bobbing his head up and down. Ten smiled and clapped as well, but Yangyang only gave a nod of approval. With everyone’s tryout complete, Kun asked for everyone’s number so the members can keep in contact. As soon as a group chat had been established, Kun thanked everyone for coming and the students filed out of the practice room one by one until only Xiaojun and Kun were left packing up.

“Well, today was… interesting,” Xiaojun began.

“I know right? I’m starting to regret this idea. No one seems to get along,” Kun continued. 

The two chatted easily about their thoughts on the future of the band and their worries about whether everyone will be able to get along. Time flew and when Xiaojun’s phone buzzed with a message from his parents, the pair realized how late it already was.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kun cheered.

They wished each other a good day and parted ways. As Xiaojun walked home, he pondered the day’s events. Everyone knew how to play their instruments well and had their own styles, but the members didn’t seem to get along well. 'Maybe they’re just unfamiliar. Perhaps we’ll all get along after spending more time together.'   

*If you’re curious, what songs everyone played for tryouts, here are the links I used for inspiration while writing each person’s part.*

Winwin

Hendery

Lucas

Yangyang

Ten

Kun

Xiaojun    ++    ++