The Soundtrack To My Semester

Zachary

I had been searching the crowd backwards and forwards for her. Suddenly I had to see her at this second. I knew she was probably backstage getting ready, but I’d keep looking until the curtain came up.

I was just about to give up when I heard her voice.

“Can we do this later? I really have to do something right now.”

It was her, I was sure of it. The same attitude I remember. Not that it’s even been that long… I guess when you live with someone, every second apart feels like forever.

I parted my way through a crowd and finally found her. Holy… she was even more beautiful than my mind gives her credit for. I still hated all that makeup though. I found the person she was directing her attitude to and my heart sank just a bit. Who else would I expect? Nate is everywhere, joined at her hip.

Roo tugged at my arm. He wasn’t very strong, I shook him off. “We shouldn’t eavesdrop.” He tried again. Again I just shook him off. I don’t think I could have moved if I wanted to.

I tried to listen over Roo’s incessant voice in my ear.

A couple hurtful words and a slap later, I was grinning ear to ear. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I suddenly had drive, and when she turned towards me (shocked to see me there) all I could do was smirk. Before I knew it, she had pushed passed us and a blonde stood in her place.

Instantly I was knocked out of my daze.

"Janice." She looked smug. I knew that look. It usually meant she was about to carry out a well thought plan. Except "well thought" for Janice usually meant no thought at all.. not even a little. That' why people around her always get hurt. She has no consideration for anyone but herself.

"What are you doing here?" She barely gave me time to ask. It was like she knew what I was going to say.

"I'm here to see the show." Her evil grin widened. "Actually I might go backstage and congratulate the performers."

That's when it hit me... like a freight train.

"Leave Regina alone." My face hardened.

She gasped fakely. "What? Regina is performing? I had no idea." With that she started to turn off.

"She's not like you." I spat at her back. "She's strong. Your words won't hurt her."

Janice paused as if thinking something over and then kept walking.

As she walked away , the lights started dimming. Great, it was starting. My mind was conflicted. Follow Janice? Sit down and watch Rey? Be there for her by protecting her? Or be there for her by supporting her? Who says she'll even take my protection anyway? I was biting my lip off. I musti've looked insane, swaying back and forth in the isle.

You know what? I don't care if she doesn't want my protection. She's getting it anyway.

Now that my mind was made up, I marched to the backstage door. It was probably way more dramatic in my mind than it actually was but no one was watching me anyway.

It was dark as I approached the black door and as I reached for the doorknob the linebacker for the Jets blocked my way. Well he might as well be a football player. this guy was huge.

"I have to get past." I tried to sound tough and manly but who was I kidding? Next to this guy I might as well be a balley dancer.

"Sorry," his voice was low and almost dark. "No one in, unless your in the show."

My mouth dropped. "But you just let a girl in who isn't in the show five seconds ago. Blonde hair, this high." I guessed Janice's height and held my hand that high. Well okay, I didn't guess, I knew.

"Yeah, Mrs _____." Wow, he wouldn't talk anymore. Janice had her grip on him, it was useless.

"She's playing you-" Before I could finish, someone burst through the door so hard it almost knocked football man over, and that's saying something.

It was -_____. Was I glad to see him. Just as I was about to ask him to get me backstage he cut me off.

"Dude!" He motioned to the champagne in ice he had on a tray in his hands. "Guess what!"

He looked as if he might explode, I had to ask.. "What?"

"Ryan Reynolds is here." Regina's uncle is here? The uncle she vents about non-stop? The one that wants to force her into the life he chose for her? Everything else in my head froze when I heard her name be announced. The show had started already?

My mind felt like it was working in slow motion but if must have been the opposite because the announcer as still announcing by the time this idea popped into my head.

"Let me take it to him." His face fell.

"But I was really excited.." I cut him off. I didn't have the time.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." I pleaded with my eyes.

"Fine." He pouted as he handed the tray over. "But get me an autograph at least."

I didn't answer, I just grabbed the tray and started for the balcony. That's where a celebrity would sit I believe. The man on stage was still talking about Rey and who her uncle is and how he's here. She's probably so pissed right now that her uncle is once again tainting her life. This on top of whatever Janice did to her, I didn't want to think about it.

She was just walking on stage when I got to the balcony.There were guards outside one of them, obviously that was the one I was looking for.

"My name is Regina." I heard her voice and my heart dropped. I didn't think I could miss someone this much. "I wrote this song for.." She paused. She was so nervous. "Well, I wrote it."

I dragged myself out of my frozen state when the music started. The guards saw the champagne and didn't even ask questions as I flew passed. I was standing behind him now but I could see Regina on stage.

“She’s great isn’t she?” I was startled by his voice. It was familiar, yet foreign. I imagine this was how talking to tall movie stars felt.

“Yeah.” I dragged our awkwardly as I sad myself down in a chair two seats over from him. “She’s your niece, right?” He beamed with pride. I could tell even in the dim lights. I pushed further, “Is she going professional?”

He never took his eyes off the stage but I could tell he was actually contemplating his answer. “She should.” He finally came up with.

“Does she want to?” He looked at me now. A deep stare that overflowed with the question: Who do you think you are? But the expression changed and I knew he’d talk.

“She doesn’t know what she wants. When I was her age I wanted to be an accountant. Went to school for it and everything. If I would have listened to the people around me, however, I’d be much better off than I am now.” The last part of that trailed off. Like he was talking to himself other than me.

“I dunno. I’ve always believed in following your own path. You have to wonder… sure she’ll be better off. But will she be happy?”

“She can learn to be happy.” He answered curtly.

“Did you?” No answer. He had turned back to the stage. I couldn’t tell if what I had said sank in or not but I figured I did as much as I could. I got up to leave when he raised his hand towards me, still looking at the stage with undivided attention.

“Thanks for the champagne, kid.” Between his fingers was a 100 dollar bill. I turned around and walked away, leaving it in his hand.

As I started back down to my seat, I let myself listen to the lyrics of Rey’s song. My heart dropped. I had a lot more work to do. I had to get backstage.