Tenney

Feeling the Heat

Frozen at the edge of the stage, Tenney stares at the stars inlaid on her guitar frets, wishing she were home, until she hears Mom’s voice in her head telling her to be herself. She announces, “Sorry, folks, technical problems,” draws a few laughs, and retunes her sharp A string. She drags a chair from the corner of the stage to the microphone and sits down cross-legged.

This time everything steadies. Tenney restarts the song and settles into the lyrics about growing steady as a tree, vowing to be nobody but herself. Locking eyes with Mom, she finishes feeling like she’s hearing her own song, and the crowd rises in a standing ovation. Her family, Jaya, and Aubrey swarm her with hugs, gushing over her performance, and Mason raves about the changes she made to the second verse. Tenney wishes she hadn’t fumbled the opening, but Mom reminds her it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

Eager to find Portia, Tenney spots her talking with a cherry-red-haired singer, but Holliday’s mother intercepts her, gushing over Tenney’s talent while Holliday trails behind, grimacing like she just swallowed a lemon. Mrs. Hayes reveals Holliday has dreamed of being a country star since she was seven but hated her lessons and is tone deaf. Mortified, Holliday stares at the ground, so Tenney tells Mrs. Hayes that Holliday is doing a wonderful job planning the Jamboree. Excusing herself, Tenney finds Zane chatting with her parents; he praises her song and asks to meet with her family later to discuss it.

That evening, Mason drives Jaya and Aubrey home while Tenney and her parents meet Zane at a diner. Zane asks what happened at the start of her performance, and she admits she got nervous and stopped feeling like herself. Watching her with soft, droopy, bloodhound eyes, he explains the fastest way to fail is to stop being authentic, since an audience can always smell a fake, then asks what she loves about performing. She replies that it lets her express her feelings and connect with people.

Finally, Zane calls her a talented songwriter with a fantastic voice and stage presence, but adds that her age explains the jitters, and since he needed to see her own the stage the whole time, he isn’t ready to sign her. Tenney’s “Oh” comes out trembling, and the table falls silent.

Mom’s eyes blaze as she scolds him for not sparing Tenney’s feelings at the Bluebird. Mystified, Zane asks if Tenney wants a music career, and when she says yes, he explains that Ellie wanted him to listen to Tenney and give an honest opinion. That opinion is that she has real potential to be a professional musician but isn’t there yet. Tenney thanks him, and he winks at her with one of his bloodhound eyes before they part.

The drive home passes in miserable silence, broken only by Tenney’s parents’ attempts to cheer her up, including Dad musing that a record contract probably isn’t something Mockingbird would even consider for someone her age. Back home, Mason’s excitement fades to pity once he reads Mom’s face, and Tenney heads upstairs to hug Waylon in the dark. Mom asks in the hallway if she’s okay, and Tenney admits she feels like she failed. Mom reminds her how brave she was to sit alone on that stage and promises she can always keep playing music, but Tenney’s heart aches too much to imagine ever wanting to play again.