The backstage is crowded with my fellow classmates who are practicing and reviewing their notes. No one is talking to anyone, they're all engrossed in their own thing as I head to an empty chair with my notes in hand. I reviewed them one last time, trying my best to memorize every note, every beat, every pause before they start calling people up.The atmosphere in the room is heavy. Everyone either looked nervous or on the verge of a panic attack. One actually looked like he was about to pass out. At least I'm not the only one. This is an audition and we all feel sick and anxious... I can only imagine what it must feel like for those who make it to Chicago.
I don't know how long I will wait until I hear my name being called. I'm surprised that I manage to get my legs to stand up and walk out to the stage. The bright lights blind me for a moment when I walk out and I block it with my hand. Once my vision clears, I see the six teachers sitting in the front row, looking rather bored - Mr. And Mrs. Garner included. I take in a deep breath, giving myself confidence I need to walk toward the piano and show them what I got.
I sit down on the bench and place the notes in front of me. I raise my hands to the piano keys and just stop for a second. They're shaking uncontrollably. Clenching them in a tight fist, I take a deep breath and look at the judges. They're waiting, some of them are tapping their foot, the others just look like they're about to fall asleep. That’s reassuring, I think sarcastically. I look around at the empty theater and way in the far back she is. My brother, Matthew and the girls are standing behind her. But she’s right there...
She looks at me with determination and with her hands, she motions that I should breathe in, hold it and breathe out. Her lips mouth, "you got this."
"I've got this," I said to myself.
I get lost in the music. I'm back in my own world. My little world where I can be whoever I want to be. My little home and Kathy is there. The notes fly around me over and over again like rushing wind and if I open my eyes for a second, I’m sure I’ll see them. I follow the steady beats of my heart, the slow and calming breaths I take as my fingers fly across the piano keys. Beat after beat. Pause after pause. Note after note.
I'm back at the rehearsal room, it's just another day with Kathy practicing. She's sitting next to me, her head swaying with the music, eyes closed and a content smile spreads across her face. We're back in our own little world, a world I always want to share with her.
I'm back at my parents’ house that winter when I was nine. Dad and Alex are decorating the tree, Mom is sitting next to me on the piano bench. My eyes are locked at her fingers as she played the beautiful melody. Her eyes were closed and her caramel hair fell down her back, waving from one side to another as her head danced along with the melody. Her fingers flew across the piano, barely touching the keys.
The music has stopped when I come back to reality. Drops of sweat fall from my forehead down to my hands. I look over at the judges who look exactly the same as before I zoned out. Mr. Garner writes something down, then whispers something to Mrs. Garner who passed it down to the rest of the teachers who nod in agreement.
"We'll let you know once we have the final results," Mr. Garner said without looking at me.
I nod to myself and walk out. The results won't be ready until a few weeks after they reviewed all the students and decide who they pick to go to Chicago. I walk out of backstage at full speed, ignoring the people who called my name. Kathy and the others are waiting outside when I walk out of the building.
"Aidan, that was amazing," Kathy said, walking up to me.
"You think?" I asked, my voice is shaky as well as my bo- dy. I feel as if I need air and my heart continues to hammer my bones.
"I know," she said. "We were all there."
Alex says, "Bro, they have to be crazy, out of their fucking mind if they don't choose you. They'll have the results in no time and you'll be on their wish list."
Chapter Eight
Aidan
It's been three weeks since the audition and no one has heard a word from the teachers. They decline to answer any questions regarding the audition. The wait is killing me. Kathy tells me to have patience, that the results will be given soon and I try, I really do, but the suspense is killing me.
In the last three weeks I have tried everything I could in order to take my mind off the audition. I tried playing guitar, piano, spending time with my brother - which is awful -, and spending time with Kathy at Poppy's Café. Ever since we met everything that used to be just me is now us. Everything I love doing, everything that took me away from reality, I now share it with her. The thought of sharing more than that can't stop coming up in my mind while I look at her when she's looking away. That's when I can see her better.
Today Kathy had to study for a test that she has tomorrow which means she'll be spending the morning in the library. Matthew and Alex are gone for practice which left me alone in the dorm. I decided to use my free time to call my parents. I haven't talked to them in such a long time. They're probably wondering how the audition went.
"Honey, what a surprise! John, Aidan is on the phone!" Mom answered excitedly without giving me the chance to say hi. "Aidan, I heard from Alex the audition went great, have you gotten the results?"
A smile creeps on my lips when I hear the excitement coming from my mother. If there’s anyone more excited about this audition than Kathy, it’s my mother.
"Hey, Mom. Not really, I'm just waiting right now."
"Oh, honey, don't worry about it. You'll get the results in no time. Now, tell me, how are you?"
My smile grows. My mother is one of the few people I can talk to and one of the few people that understands my love for music. It’s a part of me, it’s my life. So I spent the next hour talking with my mom and dad on the phone and catching up since the last time I talked to them. They kept on asking me questions about school and how I am and it worked as a distraction. By the time I hung up the phone it was three in the afternoon. I laid in bed for a couple of minutes in silence, eyes closed, enjoying the time I have for myself. It’s rare when I get time to myself, time to sit back and relax, have a clear mind and not worry about the damn audition. I gotta admit, the silence is nice.
A faint knock on the door takes me out of my comfort zone. I sit up on the bed and just stare at the door. Kathy and the girls usually just walk in because the door is never locked and even when it is, Alex and Matthew have keys. An envelope slides under the door frame and the person who knocked is gone. I drag myself out of bed and take the envelope.
Aidan Tate Callahan
I tore the envelope open and scanned the paper. The title on the paper read The Annual Orchestra Foundation. Holy shit, it’s here… it’s actually fucking here... Before I start reading, I sit on my bed, taking a deep breath and try not to get excited. There could be anything printed on this paper.
Dear Aidan Callahan,
We're proud to inform you that you've been chosen for the Orchestra Annual Foundation performance on May 30th, 2018 at Chicago's United Center. Please, show this paper to your orchestra teacher, Mr. Garner.
Congratulations, Mr. Callahan. We'll see you soon.
Before I have time to process what I just read, I run out of the dorm trying to put on my shoes and jacket, almost tripping over the shoelaces a couple of times. The elevator takes forever, so I opt to take the stairs. I ignore my car and run as fast as I can to the library. People look at me like I just ran over a child when I make a very noisy entrance in the library.
"Kathy!" I called out.
"Sh!" The lady behind the register hissed without taking her eyes off her book and points to the literature section of the library. I take that as a direction of where she is.
I fast-walked through the lobby, owning some glances from other students who are trying to study or reading a book. I walk down two long halls of books looking for her until I find her sitting on the ground, back against a shelf with a pile of books around her. Her hair is pulled and held in a messy bun, she's wearing sweats
and an old white T-shirt. She is deeply engrossed in her book that doesn’t realize I’m here...
"Kathy."
Her head snaps in my direction. She quickly jumps to her feet, removing the books from her lap and approaches me with a concerned look on her face. I probably look like I've run a mile or something. I look down at myself. I have Alex's sweater on - that's way too big for me - a pair of sweats and my old sneakers. My hair is probably a mess and I just noticed I still have my glasses on and they're crooked. I take my glasses off and hide them in my pocket. Kathy is still confused by my presence. I take out the now wrinkled paper from my pocket.
"I made it," I breathe, slightly waving the paper in my hands. "I made it."
"What?" She takes the paper from my hand. She scans through the paper quicker than I did and after she's done, she throws herself at me. "Oh, my God! Aidan, this is amazing!" She squeals. "I'm so proud of you! I knew it! I knew it!"
I wrap my arms around her, sweeping her off her feet and spin her around in the air. We earn a few people shushing us, but we ignore them. Kathy has a tight hold around my neck, her nose touching the backside of my neck. Her hair and skin smell amazing, like vanilla. I hide my face in her hair, smelling her aroma and close my eyes with satisfaction.
Kathy is the one who pushes me away enough for my arms to remain around her. Her eyes glow with happiness and that sweet smile is right where it should be.
"We have to celebrate," she says with excitement. "Dinner for me. I'll call the others."
"Oh, no," I said, shaking my head. She already has financial problems. "I pay. You call the others."
"No," she insisted, almost stomping her foot on the ground. She's so adorable when she pouts, her lips are just so pink.
"This is not under discussion," I tell her. "Come on, get your stuff. I'll call the guys, you call the girls."
Alex and Matthew are up for dinner the second I mention it. I don't tell them what we’re celebrating yet because I want to keep it between me and Kathy for a little longer. Kathy walks out of the library carrying five giant books and her phone between her shoulder and ear. I jog to her and help her out because she looks like she’s having trouble carrying the books.
"Thank you," she mouths, going back to the phone. I place the books under my right arm and head toward the dorms. Kathy starts saying, "Yeah, tonight. I'm going to the dorm right now to get changed and he is too." She looks at me with funny expressions and laughs. "Just don't take too long, okay?" She heard the answer. "Alright, better get started. Yeah, love you, too." She hangs up.
"Jessie?" I ask, changing the books to my left arm.
"Yeah. Here, give me some." She takes two books from me, supporting them with her hip. We walked down the campus to her building. Her dorm is just on the third floor, five doors down the hall. I've never actually seen it. Before I had no reason to be at this part of campus. I'm surprised by the amount of pink I'm bombarded with when she opens the door to her dorm.
"Well... this is very pink," I said looking around.
The room is covered with pages from magazines, posters and paintings of Paris and London. The beds are pink, the curtains are pink, the refrigerator is pink.
"How the hell did they manage that?" I asked looking horrified at the amount of pink there is.
Kathy laughs. "Tell me about it."
We walk to her side of the room that's surrounded by books. Books, books, and books. She drops the books we brought on the smaller pile of books.
"I was going to buy a bookshelf, but it wouldn't be allowed in the room unless it was pink. I wouldn't do that to my books."
"Jessie's rule?" I ask, setting the books down.
Kathy sits on her bed and shakes her head. "Leila's. I'm surprised they haven't been kicked out for painting the walls."
I sat next to her. "This is ridiculous," I said, looking around at the Barbie girl style room. "I feel sorry for you."
Kathy smacks my shoulder playfully. "Talking about unpleasant dorms, yours is no paradise. When was the last time you guys actually dusted that place?"
"Come on, those dust bunnies don't mess with the integrity of my character,” I joke. “This however… being here is making me question my masculinity.”
Kathy laughs, again. "Oh, God, how horrible would that be." She shoves me away from her and says, “then you better get going before the girls get here and start braiding your hair.”
"True." The last thing I want is for them to find me here alone with Kathy and start making the wrong assumptions.
“Alrighty then." She stands up. "I'm going to take a quick shower, you go and change those clothes. You look like a good looking homeless person."
"Thanks for the good looking part," I said watching her disappear toward the bathroom.
"No problem." She shuts the door behind her and opens it again. "Lock the door on your way out, please." Then she shuts it right back.
I chuckle to myself, walking out the door and make sure it's locked before I leave.
By the time I'm done getting ready, the guys have already left to pick up the girls. Kathy messages me saying she was ready too, so I start heading her way. She’s standing outside her building when I get there. Tonight she let her hair down in waves over her shoulders and chest. She’s wearing black leggings with a cheery red shirt that goes below her hips and a pair of black boots. She’s beautiful, as always.
"Not bad," I said when she got in the car.
"Not bad yourself." She smiles. Once she has her seatbelt on I pull off the road. "Where are we going?" She asked, taking my phone and plugging it to the radio.
"Alex suggested this Chinese restaurant that opened like a month ago." I shrug my shoulders. "They say it's good."
"It better be, I'm starving," she said, scrolling down my music library. "Let's see, do you have more Rolling Stones?"
"Only two," I said, turning when the light turns green.
"Yes. You're the best!" She cheers right as Laugh, I Nearly Died starts. "How do you know this song?" She asked.
"My mom used to play it a lot when I was a kid," I answer.
"I got it off a book," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She leaves my phone on her lap and leans back on her seat, humming with the song as it begins to pick up pace. She taps her hands on her lap to the beat of the music.
"What book?" I asked.
"The Edge Of Never," she answered. "It's a good book, you should read it."
"Only if you let me borrow it," I reply. I've never finished a book in my life, I guess I can give it a try.
I see her glare at me from the corner of my eye. "If I do, you better give it back without a scratch or I'll personally murder you."
I laugh. "Well, look who's gone all aggressive."
“Oh, like you wouldn’t murder me if I scratched your guitar,” she throws back at me.
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly murder you. I like you way too much,” I admit, nonchalant. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to strangle you.”
Dinner is just like any other time. Lots of food, drinks, talking, laughing, jokes and dirty jokes, courtesy of Alex. Of course, I would never directly admit to my brother that I sometimes have fun with him because he will take it the literal way and force me to go out with him way more often. I think the best part of it all is Kathy’s reactions, the way her face turns into a deep shade of red and the more someone would point it out, the redder it would get. Sometimes she would laugh so hard, she had to lay her head on my shoulder while trying to control her breathing.
Before we left, Alex called up for a round of shots after I revealed that I was chosen to go to Chicago. I almost went deaf with how loud Jessie screamed. We all stood up with our shots high up in the air. I’ve never been much of a drinker, I knew better after witnessing several of my brother’s near-death hangovers. But today was a special
"To our success!" Alex cheered.
"To our success!" We all cheered back and downed our shots. This shit tastes terrible.
After dinner, Matt came up with the idea of walking around town. The streets are practically deserted this time at night and it was the perfect opportunity for sightseeing. We all walked up and down the streets of Seattle, bumping into each other and laughing until our cheeks hurt. Then we had loads of fun with a shopping cart we found near a park. The girls took turns as we pushed them around the park. For a moment, I thought maybe someone would call the police because of how noisy we being. We were in a quiet neighborhood, but it never happened. I guess everyone knew we were all just a bunch of teenagers celebrating for the hell of it and we were. It was the most fun I had in a long time.
After we left the park, we took a long drive back to the dorms. I couldn't believe how loud my brother, Matthew and the girls were being from their car. They had their windows down and the music at full volume, they sang and cheered all the way back. Kathy and I had our windows down as we drove through the freeway. Her hair flew all over the place, but it didn't seem to bother her. She looked happy and that simple fact made me happy.
Chapter Nine
Aidan
It's been three months and the performance is just around the corner. It’s been the longest three fucking months of my life. The end of school is hovering over us and everyone has been caught up with school. Alex and Matthew are always held up with football practice and school all day, every day. The girls were in their classes, studying and doing projects. Kathy spent her days locked up in that library, studying everything she could, finishing projects, trying to keep up with her classes. Me, well, it was my classes, rehearsal and more rehearsal. We barely have time to see each other.
We no longer sit in the rehearsal room or spend time with each other as we used to which makes whatever moment we get together that more special. Moments like hanging out in my dorm, with her lying on the end of my bed with a book in her hand and me on the other end playing guitar. Moments like those are not often, we're both caught up studying and preparing for the final exams that are coming up.
Same Old Song Page 6
