Living for the Music

Every few feet, someone interrupted our progress – to talk to Aaron, of course. All the time on the beach had given him a good tan, making it evident he had been someplace tropical. Girls were cooing over him – more than normal, I mean – and the guys all wanted to be seen with him. Aaron was lapping it all up. I got the feeling he had been a little attention deprived in Florida.

I let myself fade into the background. I was good at that – years of practice made perfect. We finally reached my locker and I broke away from the crowd. Aaron sent me an apologetic smile from the middle of it all as his crowd of admirers pushed him down the hallway. I spun my dial, hoping I remembered my combination. It took me a few times, but it finally popped open. I grabbed my books, shoving them in my bag before heading to math.

I walked out of the class with a smile on my face – a smile that reappeared when I saw Seth in music comp. “Hey Soph,” he muttered, frowning down at the sheet of paper in front of him.

I threw my arms around him. He stared at me for a second. “Umm…”

“I get it!” I cried. “Thank you so much!”

His face relaxed. “Oh. That. You’re welcome.”

I sat down quickly, pulling out my silver notebook. “What are you working on?” Seth asked.

“Same piece still,” I muttered. I didn’t need to elaborate. He got it, glancing away quickly. “What about you?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing really. Just kinda writing random stuff. Some of it makes sense-”

“And most of it doesn’t,” I finished.

He laughed. “Exactly. I-”

The bell rang, cutting him off. “Good morning, everybody,” Ms. Dunford called. “Everyone have a good break?”

A small hubbub erupted, people talking a moaning at the same time. “Very good,” she interrupted. “Now, I have big news.”

Everyone quieted down, watching her expectantly. “Now, all of you know – or you should, at least – that some kids entered the music contest before break.”

My head jerked up and I started paying attention. “With the way the timeline worked, we ended up having six kids enter. Natalie Telantus, in one of my other classes, won an honorable mention.”

There was a smattering of applause and I found myself gripping Seth’s hand. He squeezed mine back, a comforting feeling. I took a deep breath, focusing on Ms. Dunford. Time seemed to slow as she seemed to talk slower… and slower…

“And in our own class, Sophia Mueller entered.”

Heads turned my way before flipping back to Ms. Dunford. “And I’m pleased to announce that out of over a thousand entries, she was one of three winners.

It took a minute for the words to sink in. I felt my mouth open and close a few times. I gripped the table with my free hand, feeling a little dizzy. “You’re kidding,” I said weakly.

“Nope,” Ms. Dunford grinned. “I’m totally serious. Congratulations, Sophia.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. I slowly became aware of the atmosphere in the room. Everyone was cheering – for me. It was the first time I could remember being recognized for anything other than being Aaron’s girlfriend.

Seth used our connected hands to pull me in for a hug. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you so much,” I whispered, blinking quickly.

“It was all you, Soph. All you.”

I pulled back slowly, but kept my death grip on his hand. “Yes, yes. Good work, Sophia. Well done. Now, if you could come up here, I have something for you. Everyone else… well, you all should have something to do.”

I pried my fingers away from Seth’s and forced my legs to work. Nothing seemed real – there was a kind of shimmer in the air, giving everything a dream-like quality. I collapsed in the chair at the front of the room and watched Ms. Dunford.

“Here.” She handed me a small packet of papers.

“What is this?” I managed.

“All the information you need. Look through it. Make sure it works.”

I took the packet and stared at the top sheet.

Dear Sophia,
Congratulations! Our esteemed panel of judges have spent the last three weeks listening to songs written and performed by kids all around the country and they think yours is one of the best. Therefore, we would like to offer you a chance to record a professional demo of your song, Piece of Me. We are inviting the three winners to come to our studio over Martin Luther King weekend, January 17 – January 19, 2009. We will have a select few of our best technicians there to help you. We realize that this may be a long drive for some of you, but we ask that you do not bring more than one person with you. Our studio is fairly small and becomes cramped very quickly.
Once again, we offer our congratulations and we look forward to seeing you in a few weeks.

I let the letter fall, revealing a pamphlet advertising the recording studio. “Wow,” I whispered. “They really want me.”

“Yes,” Ms. Dunford laughed. “They’ll have a piano there, so if that’s all you want, you’re set. They also said they could pull in various musicians to possibly add some strings or drums or something.”

“What about guitar?” I asked quickly. “Could they do that?”

Ms. Dunford paused for a moment. “I would assume so,” she finally agreed. “But you know, if you wanted to be sure you could invite Seth to come with you.”

I stopped. I hadn’t even thought of that. I had just assumed I’d be going by myself. “I could,” I repeated slowly.

“I’m not trying to push you,” Ms. Dunford hastened to assure me. “It’s just something to think about.”

I nodded, clutching the pamphlet close to me. “You should have all the information in there. Let me know if you have any questions.”

I nodded again, still in a semi-daze. I stood up and moved back to my seat. “Oh, and Sophia?” I paused. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,’ I replied, collapsing next to Seth.

“You okay?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” I replied dazedly. “Why?”

“I just thought you’d be more… excited, I guess.”

“I don’t think it’s quite set in yet,” I admitted, staring blankly at my paper.

He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and nodded. He began to scribble something or other, and I just sat there staring.

You did it!

I knew you could.

For once, even my thoughts were in agreement. But I didn’t even notice. I was barely there.