Chapter 185:

Cody nodded calmly. "I could tell," he remarked. "You were sweating bullets." Elyse looked up at him, subconsciously touching her back and feeling the sweat there. "I was too nervous to even notice," she admitted awkwardly.

Cody gazed at her violin. "Ever practiced so hard your strings snapped?"

Elyse shook her head. "No, never."

"You need to push yourself to that extent," Cody advised, his eyes seeming to see more than her face. "It's the only way to shake off the nerves and master your craft on stage."

After a moment of silence, he continued, "You've got talent, but you're not putting in enough practice. You're not as polished as Vicky." Elyse took a moment to process his critique and advice.

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Tucker," she said, a surge of hope washing over her. She'd been feeling down, thinking she'd never gain his approval. Now, she felt she had a chance. Hesitantly, she asked softly, "Mr. Tucker, could I have your number? In case I have any music questions?"

Cody readily exchanged numbers with her. With his guidance, Elyse felt a renewed sense of determination. Seeing her newfound confidence, he waved her off. "Head home. Don't linger here alone."

As soon as she heard his comments, Elyse hurried out of the garden. She skipped back to the practice room, where other orchestra members surrounded her, offering comfort and support.

Blushing under their attention, she said, "I won't give up. I'll win next time."

Rebekah interjected, her tone dripping with disdain. "Next time? I doubt you can beat Vicky next time. Compared to Vicky, you're nothing. Don't get your hopes up. You'll stay at the bottom next year, too."

Someone moved to defend Elyse, but she stopped them, not wanting others involved. Meeting Rebekah's gaze directly, she retorted, "I may be at the bottom, but what about you? If I recall correctly, you didn't even make it to the second round. You're not even as good as me. What gives you the right to criticize?"

Rebekah sneered. "Maybe I'm not as good as you, but you're just going to keep getting beaten by Vicky."

Someone in the crowd finally spoke up. "We all know you've been sucking up to Vicky lately. I saw you following her around the other day, buying snacks for her like her personal servant. Why are you so obsessed with Vicky? Are you her lapdog now?"

Elyse's laughter exposed Rebekah, catching her off guard. Rebekah paled, her arrogance vanishing. Glaring at Elyse, she spat, "What are you so proud of? I may not be as good as you, but I'm not as humiliating, either."

"What's humiliating about me? I may not be as good as Vicky, but that just means I have room to improve. No one's laughing at me. Only you think I should be ashamed. Talk about narrow-minded," Elyse shot back.

Rebekah started to retort, but stopped short as Freddy entered the room. Their eyes met, and Rebekah blushed, unable to hold his gaze.

Ignoring Rebekah, Freddy walked straight to Elyse. "You're back. Come with me. I need to talk to you."

Confused, Elyse followed Freddy out of the practice room, leaving Rebekah seething. In the corridor, she found Darren. "What did you want to tell me?" he asked.

"Cody turned down Vicky as his apprentice. She was in tears," Darren blurted out.

Surprised, Elyse asked, "But didn't you say Cody came here to take on a student? That whoever became concertmaster would be his apprentice, right?"

Darren nodded. "Yeah, that's what we all thought. Even my uncle was sure of it. He tried to pull some strings so I'd get the chance. But Cody told us the other day he didn't necessarily have to choose the best performer."

Elyse paused, realization dawning. "Then who does he want as his apprentice?"

… (noveldrama) …