The cool seawater rushed up to the very tip of my toes that were partly buried in the sand. I laid down in the sand and stared at the pale blue sky.
"Not a cloud in sight!" shouted a familiar voice. I sat up and looked around; it was Meroko. Meroko had been my best friend since I had moved to California. Actually, she was my only friend. It was hard finding people that are similar to you in a big place like Cali.
"Yeah it's pretty peaceful" I responded. Meroko walked over and sat down next to me. I turned and looked at her. She was wearing her hair long pink hair in a messy bun. That was one of my favorite things about her; she had awesome colored hair.
"Did I ever mention how much I love your hair?" I asked.
She laughed, "Nah but I don't mind hearing it twice"
I shoved her playfully and my smile quickly faded. "I don't want to go through with the Chemotherapy," I said, "I'd miss my hair too much."
Meroko's expression quickly changed. She looked angry and worried and it stayed like that for a while.
"You'll look beautiful without it. Please Mitsuki, is your hair really worth dying for?"
I thought about it for a moment, "No, but what do I have to live for? Nothing, so I might as well keep my hair." I was trying to make her laugh, but I could see that it didn't work.
"Stop. You have tons to live for. You have a grandmother that loves you dearly, and what about that housekeeper of yours? Tu…Turika?"
That part made me laugh, "Her name is Tanaka, and why would she be something I would live for? She cares more about food and music than she cares about me."
Meroko didn't give up, "Well what about your grandmother? She cares about you!"
I sighed, "She doesn't act like she does. She thinks I'm a nuisance and when I die, she won't have to deal with me."
Her face was steamed red, "I didn't want to play this card but you leave me no choice, Mitsuki Koyama! What about your parents?"
I looked away from her, tears starting to roll down my face. I tried to say something to try and cover up my tears.
"If…if I die, then I can be with them finally." I whispered.
Meroko sighed and looked away from me, "They wouldn't want you to give up like this. Life is something you need to fight for, and having Cancer is just a huge roadblock that you need to work hard to overcome."
I shivered at the word "cancer". It disgusted me. I didn't want to accept the fact that I, Mitsuki Koyama, had cancer. What was Meroko talking about anyway? There's no possible way to "overcome the roadblock". Cancer is incurable. I'd be fighting for nothing, so why fight at all? It would be a waste of my time. Besides, the quicker I get off this earth, the better.
She could tell that I was on the verge of a meltdown, so she tried to cheer me up.
"Hey, there's going to be a festival tonight. All your friends are going to be there. Let's go together!"
By, "all of your friends" I knew she meant all of her friends. Meroko sometimes gets caught up in her own little world and she doesn't even realize that I have no friends except her. I knew it would be boring but it'd be more fun than sitting alone in my room.
"Ok fine, I'll go" I said, despite the fact that I hate 90% of carnival rides.
Her face started glowing, "Yay! We are gonna have so much fun! I'll come over an hour before it starts and I'll do your hair and makeup! Oooh! I can even pick out an outfit for you to wear! Maybe we'll meet some cute guys…."
I smiled and pretended to listen to Meroko's rambling, but in reality I could only think about one thing; death. With death, I had a choice. I could wait a few months and eventually die from my illness, or, I could end my life now if I wanted. Suicide is always an option.
"Mistuki...Mitsuki!"
I quickly snapped out of my daze, "What? What?"
She was glaring at me, "Were you even listening to me?"
My face flushed to a pale white. I quickly stood up and started running away from where we were sitting, "Uh, I gotta get back home before my grandmother gets too worried about me! Seeyah tonight!" I shouted, while still running.
After about 20 seconds of running, I slowed down. I turned around and I couldn't see Meroko anymore. I bent over and rested my hands on my knees. I was out of breath. I hated being sick. It limited me to so many things. I stood up and continued home.
A few minutes passed and I made it to my house. I slid the door open and looked inside the living room; it was empty. I walked into the kitchen and saw my grandmother making dinner.
"I'm home!" I announced as I walked in the kitchen and picked up an apple. I started to take a bite when it was quickly swiped out of my hand.
"Don't eat that. You'll spoil your dinner."
I rolled my eyes and sat down. I heard her let out a sigh and continue cooking.
"What's for dinner?"
No answer.
"What's for dinner?" I asked louder.
My grandmother slammed her fist on the counter, "Why does it matter? You'll eat whatever I put in front of you so just calm down and wait for it to be done!"
I sat there, frozen. This was normal for her, but today, her short temper pissed me off a little more than usual. I got up and ran to my room and slammed the door. I didn't want to deal with her right now. I jumped on my bed and hid my head under my pillow. Why did my parents have to die? Why can't they be here instead of her? She doesn't care about me at all. This house is torture. I sat up in my bed and looked around. My eyes froze on my guitar. I jumped up and sat on the floor with my guitar in my lap. I plucked a few strings, adjusted the capo, and strummed. I love guitar. I love music in general. When I close my eyes while playing guitar, I imagine I'm on stage, playing for millions of people, or sometimes I am in a small café playing calmly for a tiny crowd. It's my own little escape.
Right in the middle of my "guitar solo" my door flew open. It was my grandmother. Her eyes were filled with anger.
"What do you think you're doing?" she shouted.
I quickly put my guitar down and sat up.
"Um-nothing. I'm- I'm not doing anything." I stuttered.
She walked towards me until she was inches away from my face, "Don't lie to me. I heard music. You know how much I hate the sound of music!"
I backed up against the wall, "I'm sorry"
She laughed sarcastically, "You're not sorry! You're just sorry you got caught" She brought her hand back and smacked me hard across the face.
She smiled with satisfaction, "That will teach you to behave and do as you're told"
She left the room and I sat and cried for a while. I was startled by a knock on my door. It was the second door in my bedroom that led to the backyard.
"One- one second!" I stuttered while trying to stop crying. I quick jumped up and ran to the mirror. The left side of my face was red. I was trying to think of a way to cover it up when I heard Meroko's voice.
"Hurry up! I don't want to wait out here all night! It's chilly! Let me in so I can get you ready for the festival!"
I decided not to bother covering it up. Meroko wouldn't notice it anyway. I walked over and slid open the door.
"Well it's about time!" She said with a smile across her face. She walked right past me and headed towards my vanity mirror. I knew she wouldn't even notice.
"Ok, I brought all my makeup and anything I need to make you look good for tonight! We need to find you a guy!"
I sat down in front of the mirror
"I don't want to meet anyone tonight. I'm just going to keep you company" I complained.
She started to run a brush through my hair, "Take your makeup off so I can redo it. It's all smeared over your face anyways."
I started taking it off. She was right; it was all over. Meroko isn't one to make sense of anything suspicious she sees. She just assumes it's nothing more than it actually is and moves on with her life.
She began straightening the life out of my hair, which is something I never did. I usually just wore it natural which was curly. My hair isn't a fun color like Meroko's; it's just plain dark brown. Honestly, I'm not that special.
When Meroko was done, my hair looked like it had grown 4 inches. I hadn't noticed how long my hair actually was until then. I actually liked it.
"Your hair looks fantastic!"
For once I actually agreed with her.
"Ok, time to do your makeup!" She spun my chair around and went to town. About 5 minutes later, she was finished.
"Wow, you took a lot less time to do my makeup than I usually do." I said, shocked.
"I'm a professional" she said jokingly, "Take a look!"
I turned around and looked in the mirror. I was surprised. I looked sort of pretty in my eyes. She did a lot better job than I could ever do.
"Thanks, Meroko" I smiled at her.
"No problem! Now let's head over so we don't miss any of the excitement…or any of the cute boys!" She dashed out the door. Meroko was obsessed with boys. She's only been in one committed relationship before, with a boy named Izumi. They were in love. Not like that sappy teen fake love, but actual love. I could see it by the way they looked at each other. I wanted that, but I knew I wasn't good enough for it.
I grabbed some cash from my dresser drawer and my phone and I caught up to Meroko. I caught her right in the middle of one of her rants.
"…and the weather is just so nice out today! It's so warm! I might even get a tan before the sun goes down! Hey, it's so hot out. Why are you wearing a long-sleeved shirt?"
I pulled the sleeves down farther to my wrists.
"I'm cold" I lied.
Meroko gave me a strange look and then continued on with her rant. I didn't pay attention like usual. I stared of at the sunset while we walked to the boardwalk where the carnival was being held. When we finally got there, I started listening to her rant to see what she was talking about now.
"…and then she called me a slut and I ripped her extension out! Can you believe that?" She turned to me, expecting an answer.
"Bitches be crazy," I said.
Meroko burst out laughing. She almost started crying from laughing so hard.
I started blushing. I knew she was growing on me. I would have never said something that weird if I had never met her.
"See? This is why I love you!" She put her arm around me and we walked towards a crowd of teenagers.
"Hey everyone! Mitsuki and I are here now! The party can begin!" she shouted. I looked down at the ground, being the shy person that I am. I knew that none of them knew who I was. I heard a bunch of people talking at once.
"Who's Mitsuki?"
"Hey Meroko!"
"This night's gonna be great!"
"Why is Meroko with her?"
My stomach started doing flips. I didn't want to be here. I decided I'd rather go drown in the ocean. I turned to head towards the beach when I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned around saw a boy standing there. His name was Eichi. We went to the same high school and I used to have the biggest crush on him.
"Where are you going?" he asked me.
I froze. I didn't know what to say.
"Uh- I was just going to go to walk on the beach, and maybe go swimming."
He looked confused, "It's too dark to go swimming; you might drown!"
I looked back down at the ground. If only he knew.
He realized he wasn't getting a response from me, "Do you remember me? We go to school together."
"Yeah I know," I said, "You're Eichi. You probably don't know who I am"
He laughed, "Of course I do! We've had a bunch of classes together since we were in elementary school! Your name is Mitsuki!"
I felt a little better that I knew at least one other person here, and they knew me back.
"Yep, that's me!" I said in a dorky way. At least it made him smile.
Suddenly, I felt someone grab my shoulders from behind me.
"Mistuki! Who are you- oh! Hi Eichi!"
"Hey Meroko" he responded. He didn't seem very interested in her.
"Anyways, Mitsuki come walk with me so we can play some games! Let's win some prizes!" she shrieked as she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the boardwalk.
"Sorry Eichi! I'll talk to you later!" I shouted as I left. As soon as we were far enough away so that he couldn't hear Meroko's extremely loud voice, she nailed me with questions.
"So give me the scoop! Are you crushing on Eichi? Are you in love with him? Are you guys gonna get married?"
I laughed with her and played along. "Oh yes, didn't you hear? He proposed just now! We are going to live in a big house with two kids and a puppy! We'll have the perfect family and live happily ever after!"
She giggled, "You're hilarious. You guys should go out!"
I looked away, "Nah, I used to like him but I'm not interested anymore"
She stopped dead in her tracks. I turned around and faced her, "What's wrong?"
"You're not interesting in Eichi? He's sooo hot! He's also one of the most popular guys in school! Why don't you like him?"
I told her a quick lie; "He's popular, so why'd he have any interest in me?"
She shook her head, "Mitsuki, I wish you could see how pretty you are"
"Meroko, I wish I could see what you see"
Our conversation about Eichi ended there. We continued walking until we came upon a big building.
"Oh look! A Haunted house!" said Meroko, excitedly.
I looked up at it, "There's no way I'm going in there!" I said.
"Why not? Are you to scared?" she teased.
The answer was yes, but I didn't want her to know that.
"No…I just didn't bring any money…"
"Well I'll pay for you!" She grabbed my hand yet again and dragged me to the entrance. She bought us both tickets and she ran inside.
"Wait, Meroko! Slow down!" I ran after her. It was too dark to see anything. I kept running into walls and tripping on things. Skeletons were popping out of nowhere and I swear someone was watching me. Right as I was about to sit down in defeat, someone ran into me and knocked me over. Assuming it was one of the people working in the haunted house, I screamed, "Don't hurt me please!" I heard some laughter. It sounded like a guy. Then I heard his voice.
"If I promise not to hurt you, do you promise to get up off the floor?"
The stranger's voice sounded so soothing. It wasn't the voice I was expecting.
"Yeah I promise," I said gently.
I saw the shadow of a hand in front of my face. I grabbed onto it and pulled myself up.
"I know you can't see me, and I can't see you, but I'd like to introduce myself. I'm-"
Just then, a man dressed in a monster costume came from around the corner and ran towards us. I screamed and ran for my life.
"Wait!" I could hear that stranger calling for me to come back, but I hate scary things! So I just kept running. I finally saw a tunnel of light and I ran through, gasping for air. I looked around and everyone was staring at me. I realized that I look like a complete idiot running out of a haunted house looking terrified. I quickly calmed down and saw Meroko walking towards me.
"Finally you're out! You took forever!" she said.
I started to get mad, "Why'd you leave me? I couldn't see anything and I was scared out of my- I mean I was worried about you!" I lied.
"Oh calm down, I'm fine. Did that guy dressed as a monster chase you? I hid from him. Sneaky, right?"
"I met someone in there," I said out loud. It was supposed to stay in my thoughts.
"You met someone?" she asked, "Who?"
I paused for a moment, "A guy"
A smile spread across her face, "A guy? You met a guy? This is great! I told you that you'd meet someone! What's his name?"
"Um…I didn't catch his name," I said shyly.
I looked around as if I was looking for a familiar face, although I didn't know what he looked like.
"Hmm…then maybe it's not meant to be" Meroko said as she started to walk away.
"Come on! Let's go get some ice cream!" she shouted. When she turned around, I secretly started walking home. I had enough for one night. After about 5 minutes, my phone started vibrating. It was Meroko calling.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Where the hell did you go?"
"I decided to walk home. I'm tired."
"Ugh fine you party pooper! I'll talk to you later"
"Have fun tonight" I hung up and put my phone away. I walked up to the water and stood there. The water rushed up to my toes and flowed back to the ocean. I stood there, breathing in the smell of salt water. I liked it.
"It's a little dark to be swimming," said a voice. I assumed it was Eichi but when I turned, it was a face that I didn't recognize.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The stranger laughed. I froze for a second. I knew that laugh…it was the one from inside the haunted house!
I jumped backwards, "It's you!" I shouted, "You're the guy from-"
"From the haunted house? And you're the girl from-"
"Form the haunted house!" I yelped. I didn't know why I was so excited to finally meet this person.
"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away"
The stranger laughed, "I'm Takuto"
I smiled at him, "My names Mitsuki"
He gave me one of those cute half-smiles that guys do, "That's a really cute name"
I giggled at that, which isn't something I normally do.
"How old are you?" he asked me.
"I'm 15 and a sophomore in high school. How about yourself?"
"Same here!' he said, "I go to school at Shingami High School"
"I've never heard of that place," I said stupidly, "I go to Mangetsu High School"
"Oh I know where that is!"
I felt so stupid for not even knowing where his school is. I really need to get out more often.
Takuto looked up at the sky, "Hey look, it's a full moon"
I looked up too, "Wow; so beautiful"
He turned and looked straight at me, "Yeah, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen"
I looked away to cover up the fact that I was smiling.
"Mitsuki, can I see you again sometime?"
My face flushed red. My heart started beating faster and I got nervous.
"Um, I- I gotta go! Bye Takuto! It was nice meeting you!" I sprinted towards my house.
"Mitsuki, come back!" I could hear him shout.
After running for a few minutes, I had to slow down because I had trouble breathing. Stupid cancer. I slowly walked the rest of the way home and opened my bedroom door. I didn't even bother putting on pajamas; I just crawled into bed. My eyes weren't closed for long before my door was slid open fast.
"Mitsuki!" It was Tanaka; "Your mother is worried sick about you!" she was talking very loud.
"Tanaka! Take out your headphones!" I whispered.
"What? I can't hear you. Hold on, let me take out my headphones!"
I slapped my hand on my forehead. This family is a mess.
"Anyways, you never told her you were leaving! So she was concerned. A girl with cancer shouldn't just be running around everywhere!"
"The doctors told us that it's a very small tumor," I argued.
"But they still said it could be very deadly" her voice got serious.
I avoided the subject.
"Well where is she?" I asked.
"Where do you think?" She pointed at the clock. It read 12AM.
"Oh, she's asleep."
Tanaka shook her head, and put her earphones back in.
"You better be prepared for an earful from her tomorrow" she said, "Goodnight, Mitsuki"
She closed the door quietly.
I crawled under my covers and closed my eyes. All I could think about was Takuto. He seemed so unrealistic, but I knew he wasn't a figment of my imagination. I went to sleep thinking about him. His tall, muscular body was planted into my mind. His straight black hair tied back into a very small ponytail. He was by far the cutest thing I had ever seen.
The next morning, I was awakened by footsteps; it was my grandmother. My eyes were slowly opening to the sound of her loud footsteps in my room. When I got a clear view of what she was doing, I could see that she was picking up my guitar. She started walking back out of my room.
"Wait…" I said, still waking up, "What are you doing?"
She didn't answer and continued to walk into another room. I jumped up and ran after her.
"Hey! Where are you going with my guitar? Be careful with it!" I was trying to grab it from her hands. She pushed me down without even taking one look at me. I fell hard on the wood floor.
"Stop!" I screamed. She walked into her room and locked my guitar in there.
"Please don't do that! I love my guitar! I need music!" I was desperate for it back.
"I hate music. It's horrible. Besides, you never asked for permission to leave last night and you arrived home very late" She turned away from me and opened the front door, "I'm going for a walk" she said as she left. I could tell she was still angry. As soon as the door closed behind her, I jumped up and dashed to her bedroom door. I shook it as hard as my little arms could shake, but I couldn't get it open.
I fell to my knees, "This isn't fair. I get pushed around and get my things taken away. Why does everyone pick on the girl with cancer?"
Yeah, it was a stupid question. Not everyone picked on me; I was exaggerating. It just seemed like the whole world was against me.
I thought about it for a second. Maybe it wasn't too bad. I still had my voice and my grandmother couldn't take that away from me.
I stood up and decided to go for a walk. I grabbed my shoulder bag and put on a sweatshirt. I headed out for the boardwalk; I needed to find something to eat. I knew that we wouldn't have any microwavable things in my home, considering my grandmother loves to cook. As I was walking there, I checked my bag to make sure I had money, but when I checked, I found that I was broke.
"Shit!" I said to myself. I decided that I'd go to the boardwalk anyway because I needed something to do. I wasn't a fan of it, but I didn't want to be there when my grandmother came home. So what if she gets pissed because I left again without asking? Not my problem.
I thought to myself for a minute. I've changed lately. I'm not so much the sweet little girl that had no cares at all anymore. I had become depressed and it changed me. For better or worse? I wasn't sure yet.
I finally reached the line of stores and rides and games. I walked along until I found the ice cream stand. I walked up to it, but my arms on the counter and my head in my hands. I could smell all the ice cream that they were making. I grabbed my stomach as it growled at me.
"I don't have any money…" I whispered as if I was talking to my stomach.
"What was that miss? Said the voice of the cashier behind the stand.
"Oh- nothing. I just said that I don't have any money"
He looked at me for a minute, puzzled and then continued helping the customers.
"Mitsuki!" I heard a familiar voice shout out.
I turned around and saw Meroko walking towards me. How does she always find me?
I acted as if I was happy to see her, "Oh hi Meroko. What are you doing here?"
She started playing with her long pink hair, "Shopping of course! What about you?"
I didn't answer. What was I doing here? I know she meant the boardwalk, but what was I doing on earth? I still had no reason to live.
"Getting some dinner," I responded.
She took a look behind me, "Ice cream for dinner?"
I turned around and realized where I was standing. I turned back to her, "Um, well I don't have any money anyways so…"
"Aw Mitsuki, you should never come to the boardwalk without any cash!" she said as she shoved me jokingly.
"Yeah I forgot"
She looked at me blankly, "So what ever happened to that kid that you met in the Haunted house?"
Wow. That was a random thing to bring up, but I had to admit, the thought of Takuto excited me.
"I saw him after…when I was on my way home"
Meroko got all excited, "You two were alone together? Tell me what happened! Did you get his number?"
"Of cour-" I stopped. How stupid of me! I didn't get his phone number. That would have helped a lot.
Meroko's expression changed, "Don't tell me you forgot to get it!" She yelled.
"Well…" I started, "I sorta ran away before he could give me it"
She started laughing hysterically. You ran away? What, was there like a fire or something?" She laughed even more at her own joke.
I was utterly embarrassed, "No…it was- it was just late and I had to get home" I lied. I had told her a lot of lies lately, but at least she believed them.
Meroko thought for a minute, "We need to find this kid, what did he look like?"
I described him to her.
"Wow he sounds yummy!"
I laughed at that. Yummy? I would have said something like handsome or cute, not yummy.
"I'll go look for him!" Meroko said as she started backing away, "Catch you later, Mitsuki!"
Within a few seconds of running around looking for him, she had gotten distracted by a cute top and she disappeared into the store.
"Thanks for the help, Meroko" I said sarcastically under my breath.
I was walking along the boardwalk when I heard a guitar being played. I started swaying along to the beat of the music. I loved hearing people play on the street; they were always so good.
I looked up to see where the talented guitar playing was coming from.
My heart stopped. Black hair tied back into a ponytail…it was him!
"Takuto!" I shouted without thinking. He shot his head up and I spun around, hiding my face. I waited a few seconds and then turned around, shyly. He was looking straight at me. I quickly turned around again and slapped my hand to my forehead. Why am I being so stupid? I've never acted this way around a guy before. I must be crazy.
That was the moment that I first heard Takuto sing. His voice was even more soothing than before, if that was even possible. I couldn't help but smile the entire time. As the song progressed, I slowly turned around more and more until I was facing him. Throughout the song he would look over at me, which made me feel sort of…special. When the song ended, the crowd that had formed around him clapped and cheered. He thanked them and then put his guitar down which indicated that it was time for a break. The people left and he looked over at me. I wasn't sure what to do so I awkwardly waved at him, which made him laugh. He patted the open spot next to the bench he was sitting on and I sat down next to him.
"Funny how we keep seeing each other" he said in between sips from his water bottle.
"Your voice is amazing," I told him, not even listening to what he had said to me.
He laughed, "Well thanks! I've been singing since I was just a toddler"
"Me too!" I said without thinking.
"Wait…you're a singer too?" He suddenly became very interested in me.
"No…forget I said anything"
He smiled, "Oh no, there's no way I'm going to forget that. Let me hear you sing!"
"Why? I'm no good" I sighed.
He shrugged, "Doesn't matter. If you enjoy singing, then sing! Don't listen to what other people think"
I smiled at him. Everything about him so far seemed so perfect.
"Here, name a song and I'll play it. I know lots of them. You can sing along if you feel like it"
I had to think for a second. What if I named a song that he didn't like? He probably doesn't like the music that I like.
"You probably don't know this…but can you play Breathe by Anna Nalick?" I hoped he knew it. That was my favorite song to sing.
He smiled "Yep! I know that song by heart"
I was shocked, yet happy. He started playing and I got up the courage to sing for him.
But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
and breathe, just breathe
woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.
When I finished singing the song, he looked at me in what looked like amazement. Was I really that bad?
"Your-your voice" he stuttered.
I hid my head in my hands, "I know. I'm sorry. I'm a horrible singer and my voice is-"
"Shh stop" he said, "Your voice is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard"
I kept my head in my hands. I didn't want him to see the huge smile on my face; he would think I was a dork. I knew I was a dork, but I didn't need him to know that.
I felt his hands on mine, as he pulled them away from my face.
"Please don't cover up your pretty face"
I was literally frozen. Why was he lying to me? I knew he was too good to be true. He's definitely a compulsive liar.
He stared into my eyes, "You don't believe me…do you?"
He was reading me like a freaking book. Was I that obvious?
"Well…I don't think I'm ugly" I lied.
"Good. You shouldn't because you aren't"
I got so nervous, my face was red and I was shaking. I thought of getting up and running home, but part of me wanted to stay. Actually, all of me wanted to stay, right there with him. I never wanted to leave.
He saw that I wasn't going to respond to that, so he changed the subject.
"Hey, I have a good idea! Why don't I play songs that you know and you can sing for all these people?"
I looked at him with fear, "I-I would never be able to-to do that" I was so nervous I could barely talk right.
"I'm sure you could! Just give it a try, please? For me?"
He played the guilt card, and I fell for it.
"Fine," I agreed, "But just one song, then I should go home. It's getting late"
He smiled in satisfaction, "So what song should I play?"
I thought for a second, but to my surprise, this time I didn't care if he liked my song choice or not. I was starting to feel more comfortable with him.
"How about The Only Exception by Paramore?"
Without even speaking, he adjusted his capo and started playing. I started singing and people started forming. They took videos and pictures and I was terrified. I still kept calm. After I was done, a roar of applause came from the crowd.
"She's amazing! The guitar was so beautiful, too!"
"Is she a professional singer?"
"I hope she gets discovered, she's so good!"
I was stunned that all the comments were positive. Was this all just some crazy dream? Just then, a woman with medium length brown hair dressed in fancy clothes pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She walked right up to me.
"Hi there, my name is Masami Oshige," she handed me a business card, "I am a manager for new musicians" her voice was so cute and petite. She seemed so nice.
"I wanted to inform you that Seed Records is holding auditions tomorrow morning from 8am to 12pm for female singers who are 16 and older. We'd be delighted if you came to the tryouts!"
"But I'm not-"
"Don't say you're not a good singer, because you are!" She smiled.
I was actually going to say that I'm not 16.
"Please consider it! Here's the application form" she handed it to me and then waved goodbye.
I turned to Takuto, "Did that just happen or am I dreaming?"
He chucked, "Yeah that actually happened" he didn't seem as excited as me. I wondered why.
"Should I go for it?" I asked, assuming he would say yes.
He pondered it for a few seconds, "Nah" he responded.
I looked at the ground, "It's because I'm a bad singer, isn't it?"
He put his arm around me and laughed, "No not at all silly! You could easily pass the auditions. It's just that I don't want you to get caught up in all the fame and forget all the little people, like me," he said with a smile.
"I wouldn't forget you, Takuto"
He looked at me with suspicion, "Promise?"
He held out his pinky.
I nodded my head; "Promise" and I locked my pinky with his.
I knew I could never break that pinky promise.
"So that's it I guess," he said as he looked back at me, "Your officially famous"
I laughed and gently punched him, "Oh shut up, I haven't even auditioned yet"
In the middle of our laughter, I stopped abruptly.
"Dammit!" I shouted.
"Wait, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.
I looked over at him with sadness, "I'm not 16. I'm only 14 and I don't even think I look like a 14 year old, let alone a 16 year old! There's no way this could work, even if I did lie about my birthday" I hid my head in my hands again.
He moved them out of the way, "Hey, what did I say about covering that beautiful face?"
I smiled, but he could tell I was still upset.
He thought for a minute, "How about this; we'll buy you a wig and get you new clothes. We'll make you look like you're 16! Then they will have to let you in.," he suggested.
I had to admit it was a good idea.
"But what about the parent or guardian signature?" I pointed to the form.
"Your parents wouldn't let you do it?"
I sighed, "My parents…my parents aren't alive anymore" I said softly. I looked over at him and he was looking at the ground.
"I'm sorry Mitsuki," he said.
I smiled, "It's ok Takuto. I hardly remember them anyways"
"So who do you live with?"
I scowled just thinking of the answer, "I live with my grandmother, but she hates music and she's too overprotective. There's no way in hell she would sign this"
I thought of another way around this, but the only thing I could think of was for me to forge it, but I'm not even sure what her signature looks like!
"You don't have anyone else you could have sign it?" he asked.
I pondered for a few seconds and then it hit me.
"Tanaka!" I shouted.
Takuto laughed, "Who's Tanaka?"
"My maid! Well, my grandmother's maid" I corrected myself.
"Well what about her?"
"I could easily trick her into signing it for me! I'll say that she's my guardian"
I felt evil for coming up with plans to go behind my grandmother's back, but it would be worth it if I passed the audition.
I looked at my phone, "Crap! It's almost 11! My grandmother wouldn't even want me out past 9!"
I jumped up out of my seat, "I'm sorry Takuto, but I really have to go!"
"Well hold on a second there, shorty," he said, "Can I at least get your number this time?"
I giggled, "Sure!" We exchanged numbers and I ran off towards my house.
I knew Meroko would be happy that I finally got his number.
It took me a little longer than usual but I finally got home. I went through the back door to my room so I hopefully wouldn't be seen.
I entered my dark room and tried to walk to my bed, but I was stepping on things and making lots of noise. Just then, my light flicked on. It was my grandmother.
I stood completely still, as if that would make me invisible.
She just stood there, staring at me. It seemed like she was standing there for hours until she finally spoke, "I am very disappointed in you, Mitsuki Koyama"
I stood there, looking puzzled, "What did I do?" I asked.
She left and shut the door behind her.
I walked over and plopped onto my bed. Was she really that mad at me? I know girls who have slept around with guys and snuck out to crazy parties behind their parents back. Yet, all I do is go to get some food and come home a little late and I'm a "disappointment" to my grandmother. She just doesn't get it. She's trapped in her own little world where everyone is perfect except me.
I pulled my phone out of my bag and texted Takuto.
I just really wanted to thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun. You made me realize that I should do what I love, and that thing is sing (: Anyways, meet me at that bench we were at tomorrow so we can go to shopping. Get there around 10. That should give us enough time before the auditions. Goodnight Takuto!
I hit send and went to sleep, thinking about everything that happened today. I was so nervous and excited for tomorrow.
The next day, I woke up to the smell of eggs and toast. I got up and looked in the mirror; I was still in my clothes from yesterday. I went into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I looked over at my grandmother. She wouldn't take her eyes off of what she was doing, so she probably wanted nothing to do with me. I yawned, feeling well rested when I looked over at the clock.
"11:00?" I shouted, "Crap! I'm gonna be late!" I jumped up and ran into my room. I quickly got changed and ran out the door. I ran to the boardwalk and over to the bench. I saw Takuto waiting there.
When I ran up to him I was out of breath.
"Hey Mitsu-woah there, are you ok? You look like you are gonna pass out" he caught me as I started to fall over.
"Mitsuki! You didn't have to run that fast! I would have waited for you" he tried explaining.
I caught some of my breath, "No…It's just…I have…" I was breathing pretty heavily.
"You have what? Not a lot of time?" he laughed, "I know, but we can still make it"
I knew that he'd eventually find out I had cancer, but now was not the time.
I waited a few minutes and finally caught all of my breath, "Ok, I'm better now. Let's go get those clothes!"
"Don't forget about the wig!" we both laughed. This was going to be difficult; getting everything with only 45 minutes left.
We scrambled around in every store and we finally found some older-looking clothes and high-heeled shoes to make me taller. Oh, and we found a wig too! We had everything we needed for the audition.
"Wait! Shoot!" I shouted.
"What? What happened?"
I slapped my hand to my forehead, "I forgot to get Tanaka to sign the form!"
He rolled his eyes, "Shorty, that's not that big of a deal! I'll forge it for you"
He grabbed the form from me.
"What's Tanaka's last name?"
"Yone" I told him.
He quick signed the paper and I looked at it. It looked professional! I was stunned.
"Thanks!" I said, "Now let me go get changed real quick"
I took all of the items we bought and ran into the nearest restroom. I came out looking at least 2 years older than I did before, which was perfect.
"Mitsuki, is that you?" asked Takuto, "I almost didn't recognize you!"
I smiled and spun around in the light pink long sleeve dress I was wearing.
"Do I look ok?" I asked.
"You look beautiful as always," said Takuto with a smile.
That was all I needed to make it through my audition; knowing that he thought I always looked beautiful, but I'm sure his opinion would change if he saw me when I wake up in the morning.
I walked into the building and handed my registration form to the woman sitting behind the desk. I looked over at the clock; it was 11:56. I had made it just in time.
"Ok you're the last one. Go ahead back, they are ready for you" said the woman.
I nodded my head and headed back to the room behind her. When I opened the door, I was greeted by three judges; two men and one woman.
"Hello, you are entry number 21, correct?"
I looked down at the pin I was given, "Yes, mam"
I looked over at the small stage in front of them. There were instruments there.
One of the judges spoke, "Would you like to use an instrument? We allow the singers to play one along with the song they are going to sing if that's what they prefer"
I thought about it for a second. The song I was going to sing was the first one that I sung with Takuto. It had meaning to me for some reason. I knew the chords on guitar by heart.
"I'll use the acoustic guitar," I said as I walked over to it. I picked it up and put the strap on. It felt good having a guitar around me again. It had been too long since I last played mine, no thanks to my grandmother.
"What song will you be singing for us today?" asked the other man.
"It's called Breathe by Anna Nalick" I responded.
The man shook his head and waited for me to start. I adjusted the capo and began playing. I began to sing and right away, I felt happier. Singing with my guitar always made me feel completely free and happy. I wish I could always feel like this.
I finished my song and looked up at them. Their jaws were wide open.
I put the guitar down and took the mike off the stand, "Um, I'm finished my audition now"
They jumped up and started whispering to each other and I stood there, nervous. I didn't know what they were whispering about. Could they tell I was fake? Or maybe I was just really bad.
Finally, the woman stood up.
"Congratulations, number 21. You've won!"
"I did what!"
I dropped the microphone and there was a loud ear-piercing noise. I covered my ears and picked up the microphone quickly.
"I'm so sorry about that. It was an accident" I apologized.
The woman looked embarrassed for me, "Uh…it's fine! But you need to listen to these instructions. Your manager will be Ms. Oshige, you need to be at the recording studio….."
I dazed off again. I couldn't believe I won! My head was spinning. So many things were going through my head. I couldn't have pulled this off without Takuto. I can't forget to thank him. I won't ever forget him, even if I become famous. I promised I wouldn't.
"…do you have any medical conditions we should be concerned about?" she asked me.
"Um…" I wasn't sure what to say, I didn't even think I'd make it this far, "No, I don't"
"Hmm…it says on here that you're 18, right? So you don't need a parent or guardian to travel around with you. Is that ok?"
That worked out perfectly. I wouldn't need to bring my grandmother. I could just "runaway" from home.
"Are you sure you are ready to take this career on?" asked the woman.
I didn't need to even think twice to answer that question, "Oh yes! I'm quite sure!" I hugged the woman tightly, "Thank you so much!"
She laughed, "You deserve it! You are very talented"
I pulled away and gave her a huge smile. She told me to call Ms. Oshige when I got home to make plans with the recording company. I was so excited; I couldn't wait to go tell Takuto!
I ran outside and saw Takuto standing towards the sea. I ran up from behind him and hugged him as tight as I could.
"I did it! I won! I couldn't have done it without you!" I shouted.
He didn't answer. I let go of him, "Takuto?"
I waited for an answer.
"Why didn't you tell me you had cancer?"