Accompanied by light and beautiful music, three girls, dressed freshly and beautifully like older sisters from next door, appeared on the stage.
They had shed their youthful awkwardness from their school days, and their singing and demeanor had greatly improved.
Or rather, they had become more professional.
After one love song, The Plastics sang two more new songs from their album.
Then, for their fourth song choice, The Plastics chose to perform their Christmas single released during their school days—"We Wish You A Merry Christmas."
At the same time, before the performance, the girls looked at Mike sitting in the audience and enthusiastically invited him to perform on stage with them.
All the students at Medford High knew that The Plastics had been very close to Mike last year. Moreover, the single released by The Plastics last Christmas was written and composed by Mike.
Therefore, the students, who loved a good show, were also happy to see the strong collaboration performance between Mike and The Plastics.
It's just that Mike was completely bewildered at this moment; he hadn't received any prior notice that the three girls of The Plastics would appear at the celebration.
Watching the cheers from the surrounding audience and the eager expressions of the three girls on stage, Mike quietly apologized to Mia beside him before getting up and walking onto the stage.
"What are you doing?" Mike whispered, taking advantage of a break in the music.
"Surprise—! How's this surprise? Karen and I specially prepared it for you…" Regina's eyes held a hint of slyness.
The Plastics' new album was still hot, and to achieve higher sales, they should have been promoting their new album with performances in major cities across the country during this time.
Their appearance here now was clearly to surprise Mike.
It's just that this kind of surprise was more of a shock than a delight for Mike at the moment.
Before the two on stage could exchange more words, the prelude to the Christmas song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" had already begun.
This song, released by the three girls of The Plastics last Christmas, sold quite well locally in Texas, and it had been almost a year since its release date.
So, for many students and audience members below, this song was not unfamiliar.
Therefore, this warm Christmas song ultimately became a mass sing-along.
And with the end of this song, The Plastics' performance for today also concluded entirely.
The three girls who had finished their performance did not go backstage but followed Mike to sit in the audience.
The stage was left for various clubs and classes to take turns performing their pre-prepared programs.
During the transition time between each program, the temporary host, Tim, would also take the opportunity to play some number games and riddle games with the audience below, stirring up their enthusiasm.
Judging by the continuous cheers from the venue, the school's celebration event was very successful this time.
"How did you end up here?" In the audience, Mike, surrounded by the three girls, asked the question in his heart.
"Of course, we're here to promote our new album. We'll be touring various small towns in Texas for the next week," Regina explained with a smile, though her smile carried a hint of triumph.
Actually, according to the promotion schedule, Miracle Company initially considered having The Plastics prioritize promotions in more economically developed big cities.
That would make it easier to increase new album sales.
However, the three girls had been keeping an eye on Mike's movements and knew that he had won the Summer League championship and that the school was preparing to hold a celebration.
Regina then, along with the other two girls, applied to the company for this return-to-campus trip.
The company, considering the emotions of the three girls and understanding Mike's current situation in Texas as the hottest superstar in Texas—
Considering that the three girls' "roots" were in Texas, if handled properly, they could leverage Mike's fame to open up the Texas market this time.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Miracle Company ultimately agreed to the three girls' application.
On another note, three months of debut had made the three girls of The Plastics feel as if a lifetime had passed. Seeing Mike at this moment, they had many happy and unhappy things to confide in him.
For example, the hardships they endured during training at the company, or interesting anecdotes during the promotion of their new album, etc.
And Mia, who was squeezed to the side and couldn't get a word in, also knew some gossip about The Plastics and Mike.
Looking at the three girls, whose beauty was no less than her own, chattering and intimately surrounding her "boyfriend" at this moment, it was impossible not to feel jealous.
However, Mia quickly thought of an even more serious problem: although she and Mike were already intimately close, neither of them seemed to have confessed their feelings yet.
This meant that, in terms of social relations, they were not strictly speaking boyfriend and girlfriend.
This realization made the girl's mood inexplicably heavy.
Turning her head, she saw Mike happily chatting and laughing with the three beautiful girls, and at this moment, Mia broke down.
Without saying goodbye to anyone, she quietly got up and walked out of the sports field. Her forlorn back formed a stark contrast with the lively celebration behind her.
"Sorry, I'll be gone for a bit…" Mike keenly noticed the girl's departure, so after greeting Regina and the other two, he chased after her.
Regina, who watched Mike chase after her from behind, her eyes flickered, and then she found Lina sitting next to Paige and asked, "Is that girl Mike's new girlfriend?"
"Yes," Lina did not hide anything, and instead spoke well of Mia: "Mia is a very good girl…"
It could be said that all four girls present, including Lina, knew each other, and they also had a clear understanding of Mike's philandering nature.
Before, the four of them could coexist peacefully, so adding another sister now seemed like no big deal.
"Interesting, let's go meet Mike's new girlfriend…" The strong-willed Regina called her two companions beside her, and then also walked out towards the sports field.
Although she hadn't thought of having Mike all to herself, his act of abandoning her to chase after his new girlfriend clearly made Regina, the "Queen Bee," a bit indignant.
"Aren't you going to go and see?" Paige, who had closely watched a good show from the side, asked Lina beside her with a smile.
Paige, who hadn't grown up yet, was more like an outsider. And with her high intelligence and emotional quotient, she was actually quite willing to see Mike suffer a bit emotionally, so he could change his philandering ways.
At this moment, the young girl had a smiling expression, only missing a handful of melon seeds.
"I won't go add to the chaos. I hope Mike can handle the relationship between Mia and Regina and the other two," Lina replied, neither competing nor snatching.
Her gentle nature made her heartbreakingly sensible.
On the other side, Mike, who had chased to the outer perimeter of the sports field, called out to Mia here.
"Why did you chase me out? Aren't you going to chat with your three sweethearts?" The broken Mia was a bit hysterical: "Oh, I forgot, I'm not anyone to you, I have no right to meddle in your affairs…"
Which girl, at the age of romantic fantasy, doesn't want to have a perfect relationship?
However, Mia now realized that she had been a bit presumptuous before; she hadn't truly understood Mike. To her, his image was more like a shining "star."
The girl was more like someone who had found salvation in the dark night and then chased after the star.
"So you're Mike's new girlfriend? You don't look like much, do you?" Before Mike could speak to comfort the girl, Regina, with her two little sisters, caught up from behind.
Seeing Mia acting childish, Regina naturally didn't indulge her.
"And what right do you have to talk about me?" Mia, who had a bold and forthright side to her personality, certainly didn't lack courage.
At this moment, she seemed intent on bringing things out into the open to clarify them.
This was the rhythm of a love triangle!
Mike and the three girls of The Plastics, standing by the sports field, were now all well-known figures, and their every move would inevitably attract more attention.
For example, many of the audience members at the celebration were watching the "good show" by the sports field.
It was unclear if it was just a feeling, but Mike always felt that there were a lot of reporters at the celebration today.
Yes, there were many cultural workers with photographic equipment and press passes in the audience.
"Everything can be discussed, how about we find a place to sit down and talk slowly?" Considering that arguing in public would not look good, Mike gestured to a temporary small "tent" not far away to the four girls in front of him.
That tent should have been a changing room for a performance group's program earlier, and it was empty now.