"But Mac, why do I have to go?" I moan to the 6 foot tall statue in front of me.
"You know perfectly well why, lil sis." The statue replies.
"Yeah, yeah, with granny passing and Bloom going through to Primary school, and you having to look after the farm, I'm the only one who can earn the money needed to keep us going."
"Eeyup." He replies.
I look over my shoulder to the limo parked behind me.
"And by the way, why are you sending me to a performing arts high school?" I ask.
" I've heard you singing in the shower, and various other places." He says deadpan.
I shoot him a dirty look. All of a sudden, a loud cough comes from the driver of the limo.
"I guess I should get going, then." I say.
"Don't worry Jackie, it's not forever." He says kindly.
"It sure as sugar feels like It,"I say quietly.
I turn around and walk over to the limo. A single tear escapes from my eye. I hop into the limo. We drive away
I stare out the tinted window of the limo. Building pass. Grocers, Clothes shops, Wal-Mart, heck, even a cheese factory. Finally, we approach a large building, shaped somewhat like and arch. Decked out in purple stained glass, I had a feeling this was my stop. I was correct.
"This is your stop, kid." The driver says as he exits the vehicle. He grabs my bags out of the trunk of the car.
"It's fine, I can take them." I say.
" I insist." The limo driver says.
"Oh fine" I reply
As we walk into the building, I admire everything around me.
Green grass, Flowers in every colour of the rainbow, god even the name of the high school spelt out in purple LED lights. I had a feeling this was going to be very different than what I'm used too.
We enter the building, my boots clicking along the marble tiles. The limo driver directs me up to a desk.
"Can I help you?" A red haired girl in a white jacket asks.
"I think I'm a new student at this school." I say
"Name?" She asks
"Jacklynne May Apple, ma'am" I reply
"Age?"
"15"
" Reason for your scholarship?"
"Singing, I think."
"You think?"
"I wasn't the one who organised all this, but my big brother said it was for my singing."
"Very well, you will be sharing a room with Rayn Weatherly." The receptionist says and hands me a key card.
"Floor 9, the top floor." She says, pointing to the elevator. I walk over to it and press the 9 button.
After standing in the elevator for about 30 seconds, I hear a ping, and the doors slides open. When it opens fully, I am in awe at what I see. The walls have been painted in sparkly purple paint, and each door has a diamond encrusted rim.
I step out of the elevator and look at the key card. Room 243. I look down the hallway. I scan all the doors, each wrong one earning a frown. Finally, I find it, at the very end of the hallway. I slide the key card down the slot, and my name flashes onto the screen above it. I hear the door click and I take the card out. Nervously, I grip the doorknob and open the door. Inside, there are two beds, both doubles, two dressers, two desks, and a glass box, that I think is a mini recording studio. On one of the beds, lays a girl with hair that looks like a rainbow. I think she might have been listening to something, because she obviously didn't hear me come in. The limo driver sets my stuff down onto the floor, and then makes his exit. After he has left the room, I set myself down onto the spare bed.
"Hello?" I say.
No response.
"Hello?" I raise my voice.
No response.
Getting fed up, I scream "HELLO?"
She obviously heard me that time, because she nearly fell off the bed.
"Whoah, who are you?" She asks, bewildered
"Names Jackie, I'm your roommate."
"Oh cool, my name's-"
"Rayn, yeah I know."
"Yeah."
"Nice room, eh." I say.
"Yeah, I've been living here alone for the past week. Only thing stopping me from dying of boredom is the recording studio." She replies, motioning to the glass box.
Curious, I go over and have a look. When I open the soundproof door(which is kindi surprising considering it was made of glass. I was met with my childhood self's dream. Microphones, Mixmaster boards, and every backing track under the sun. I sit down at the little chair in the middle, and start surfing through all the songs on the touchpad. Carrie Underwood, P!nk,Dolly Parton. It had the lot. But then I see what I'm looking for. I tap play, and then I tap record.
I was riding shotgun
With my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
He's got a one-hand feel
On the steering wheel
The other on my heart
I see Rayn look at me smiling, and then walk over to the door and open it
Not wanting to screw it up, I keep singing
I look around, turn the radio down
He says, "Baby is something wrong?"
I say, "Nothing,
I was just thinking
How we don't have a song"
And he says...
Rayn is standing beside me by now. As the cue for the chorus comes, we smile at each other. Then finally, we hit the cue and start singing together
Our song is the slamming screen door,
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date: "Man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again
As the violin and banjo circulated around us, I turned to Rayn
"Your turn", I mouth.
She nods and then starts singing
I was walking up
The front porch steps
After everything that day
Had gone all wrong
And been trampled on
And lost and thrown away
Got to the hallway,
Well on my way
To my lovin' bed
I almost didn't notice
All the roses
And the note that said...
I nod to her again, and we smile at each other. Then we sing the rest of the song
Our song is the slamming screen door, I've heard every album, listened to the radio 'Cause our song is the slamming screen door, I was riding shotgun
Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window
When we're on the phone and you talk real slow
'cause it's late and your mama don't know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date: "Man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"
And when I got home ... 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again
Waited for something to come along
That was as good as our song...
Sneakin' out late, tapping on his window
When we're on the phone and he talks real slow
'cause it's late and his mama don't know
Our song is the way he laughs
The first date: "Man, I didn't kiss him, and I should have"
And when I got home ... 'fore I said amen
Asking God if he could play it again
Play it again
With my hair undone
In the front seat of his car
I grabbed a pen
And an old napkin
And I wrote down our song
As the background music faded, We smiled big at each other. I hit the record button again.
"You're really good!" She says.
" So are you!" I reply.
All of a sudden, large bell shrieks through the intercom.
"All students reports to the assembly hall immediately."
We look at each other, and then race out the door