Thumbing through the pages of her People magazine, Katie Singer sighed out of sheer boredom. She could barely make out the "Where Are They Now" article about the cast of "The Wonder Years" since the theater lights were so dim. Her buddy Tad had dragged her to watch the dress rehearsal for the play he was in. At first, Katie thought it would be fun to see her strapping male friend play dress-up, but she didn't realize how tedious it would all be. She had staked out her spot in the last row of the auditorium, thinking she could just sneak out if she wanted to. And she was getting very close to doing so. But since her friend, Sarah was in the show as well, she may as well show both of her friends some support. But seriously, if Mr. Dimitri called 'cut' one more time, Katie was going to need some support…life support.

Katie found herself slowly nodding off. This is not how she wanted to spend her Wednesday afternoon, that's for damn sure. She'd rather be at home doing nothing than at school doing nothing in a very uncomfortable chair. She shook herself out of her slumber and went back to trying to read about what a genius Winnie Cooper had turned out to be.

In the long run, she figured it was better than being at home. Even in this stupid chair. For some reason, she didn't feel quite as lonely at school as she does at home. At least there's people around. Living people who actually talk and show some sign of respect for others.

Meanwhile, Jessie Sammler waited patiently in the wings for her cue. She really wanted this rehearsal to be over and done with. Tad had been leeching onto her like white on rice and she was really too tired to try to put off his advances. Plus, her costume was really starting to bug her. Her skirt kept falling down and any time she tried to talk to Sarah about it, she'd get nothing but a lecture on how difficult it is to for a 16 year old to live with stomach ulcer and have to deal with annoying sophomores complaining about their costumes. This was definitely not what Jessie signed up for. All she wanted to do was sing. That was it. She wanted to sing. Normally, this was not something Jessie would ever do in public. She was way too shy for that. But something inside told her she should do this show. She thought maybe it would somehow change her life. Maybe she'd be less introverted and make more friends. Maybe she'd find joy in something she could participate in with other students. Maybe she'd find a love of musical theater and her life's calling. Maybe something so amazing would come of this, it would breathe a new life into her.

That wasn't exactly the case at this point. The only things she had discovered were 19 different excuses to get away from Tad and that Sarah Grasso was a real bitch. And that pretty much summed all the students at Upton Sinclair for Jessie. Granted, she didn't know everyone. And not every person she has met was horrible, but there was no one that she could communicate with on her own level. No one who could really understand her. She had come to terms with it by now. She had friends, and they were nice to be around. She just knew she'd never be able to bear her entire soul to them. But she was okay with that.

Jessie spotted Tad walking over toward her. 'Oh Lord. Here we go,' she thought.

"Hey Jessie," whispered Tad.

"Hey." Jessie replied. She didn't make eye contact. She was too busy watching everyone else scurry around her, trying to find their props or costume pieces.

"So, uh…good luck on your song."

"Oh. Thanks. You know, you already wished me good luck yesterday…and the day before."

"Oh. Right. Well, then I'll say break a leg," Tad struggled to get out a coherent sentence.

Jessie laughed to herself. She couldn't help but think Tad was just a complete moron. I mean, he was cute and nice enough, but this guy had no tact whatsoever. Still, it flattered Jessie that he showed interest in her. Her insecurities seemed to fade a tiny bit when he talked to her.

"So," Tad continued, "do you think we'll be ready by next week?"

Jessie started walking away when she realized she was up next. "Oh, I gotta go, Tad. I'm on."

Katie had much better luck reading her magazine now that she had found that flashlight keychain in her back pack.

'Ah…Fred Savage, so THAT'S where you've been hiding…' she thought.

She was engrossed in the article when something came over her. Something unexpected and almost unexplainable. At first she thought she had fallen asleep again and that this was a dream, but she was, in fact, awake. Awake and hearing a hypnotic voice singing a haunting melody.

"Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away."

Katie looked up and saw who that voice was coming out of. This girl. This tiny blonde girl she had surprisingly never seen before. Katie became enthralled, letting the music resonate in her ears. She could not take her eyes off of this girl. Her eyes started watering. Not from tears or emotion, but from the simple fact that she refused to blink. She didn't want to miss a second of this girl's performance. Katie found herself smiling for what seemed to be no apparent reason. The song just took over her, as did this girl. Who was she? All Katie knew was that she was beautiful and she wanted to hear that voice for the rest of her life. 'Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay after all,' Katie thought.

Jessie was nervous. Her stomach was churning and she wasn't sure if she could even make it through the song. She couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to have to do this in front of hundreds of people next week. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. The lights were bright, staring back at her. She was almost blinded. But she found herself able to focus. "Always choose a focal point," Mr. Dimitri would say over and over again. Jessie found herself focusing on a silhouette in the very back row of the theater. There was something calming about that shadow. Something serene. She couldn't explain it, but as soon as she focused on it, she felt relaxed. Her stomach was calm and she was able to finish her song with more confidence than she ever had before. As soon as her song was over, she heard a clapping noise coming from the audience. Jessie tried to make out who was clapping for her, but the auditorium was too dark.

Katie, still reeling from Jessie's performance, jumped up out of her chair and started clapping. After about 10 seconds, she realized she was the only one and had 5 or 6 people, including Jessie, turning to see who was making that noise. She stopped immediately and sank back into her chair.

'Real smooth, Singer. That's just great,' she thought.

"Jessie, that was amazing. Simply amazing. Thank you," Mr. Dimitri told her as soon as Katie's clapping had stopped. Jessie nodded in thanks and walked off the stage. She didn't take compliments very well.

"Okay. Can everyone come out on stage, please?" yelled Mr. Dimitri. As everyone made their way to the stage, he continued talking. "So tomorrow's rehearsal is going to be held in the gym. I know it's a rather odd place, but they're painting the set tomorrow and it's going to take all day to dry. And since we really don't want to get paint on these costumes, the gym will have to suffice as our stage. Any questions? Too bad. I'm tired and I want to go home. Good night, all."

As everyone started heading back stage to change, Katie grabbed her stuff and headed down towards the stage. She had one mission: find out who that girl was. She scanned the area for her, but had no luck locating her.

"Hey Katie," Tad came running up to her. "What did you think?"

Katie smiled and shrugged. "You sucked. Hard. I mean, you were awful. But you look so good in those tights, I'm willing to forgive you for making me sit through that."

Tad playfully pushed Katie. "Well, I'll be sure to dedicate every performance to you, then."

Katie pushed him back. "Please, don't do me any favors." She continued looking around.

"Are you looking for Sarah? She went to go change."

"Huh? Oh, no. I was….well, Tad, I was looking for your talent, since you obviously don't have it on you."

"Ouch, that was harsh even for you," exclaimed Sarah as she came up to them. "Hey."

Katie acknowledged her with a little head nod. "Hey." She continued looking around and found her heart skipping a beat as soon as she spotted the blonde. "Hey, Tad, isn't that the girl that just sang?"

'There you go, Singer. Just keep it casual. Be cool. My God, is it hot in here?' Katie's mind was racing.

"Oh, yeah. Let me introduce you. Hey Jessie! Come over here a minute," yelled Tad.

Jessie looked over and saw Tad. 'Great. Just what I need. I just want to get out of here.' She waved and was going to walk away until she saw the girl Tad was standing with. She had no idea why, but curiosity got the best of her, so she went over to them.

"Hey Tad. Oh, hey Sarah."

Sarah didn't bother to respond.

"Jessie, this is Katie," said Tad.

"Hey!" Exclaimed Katie, a little too enthusiastically.

"Oh, hi," replied Jessie, who was smiling.

Katie found herself captivated by Jessie. Just hearing those two words she had spoken: "Oh, hi." It proved that she was real. Jessie was real and not some figment of her imagination. Jessie. Now that is one beautiful name. Katie finally realized it had been about a minute since anyone had spoken. Jessie couldn't help but notice how wide Katie's smile was. She was almost magnetic, a force that no one could control.

"Oh, uh. You were so great. I mean, that song was just…I can't even describe it. It was incredible. It brought out pretty much every emotion I have inside of me. And that's hard to do…." Katie realized she may have gone too far with her compliment. "I'm so sorry. I don't even know why I just said that. I mean, I barely know you. It's just…I think I was born without that part of my brain. You know, the part that's supposed to tell you when to shut up."

Jessie laughed. "That's okay. Really. I appreciate it. I'm glad you liked it."

"Oh, yeah, I loved it. I mean, the second you were done, I started clapping and…."

"That was you?" asked Jessie.

Katie realized what she had just said. "What? No."

"You just said you clapped."

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about. What kind of idiot would give a standing ovation at a dress rehearsal? " Katie looked around as if she was confused. It only took a moment for Jessie to realize Katie was being facetious. By this point, Katie was turning red, but at least she was able to make a joke of it. Jessie couldn't stop herself from smiling at Katie's embarrassment.

"Wait. Were you sitting in the back," asked Jessie.

By this point, Sarah was growing impatient. "Come on, Katie. Let's go."

"Huh?" Katie turned to Sarah. "Oh. Um, okay."

Jessie was visibly disappointed. For once, she was enjoying a conversation with someone in this school and leave it to Sarah to screw it up. Within 5 minutes, Jessie had become awestruck by Katie. 'Who is this boisterous girl? I have to know her. I don't know why, but I have to.' Jessie just continued staring at Katie, refusing to pull her eyes away. She couldn't. There was something about those eyes that brought a certain veracity to Jessie. And then she realized, it MUST HAVE been Katie sitting in the back. She had gotten this same feeling while she was singing. This sense of calmness that had washed over her, like somehow she knew everything would be okay if she just kept focusing on this one thing.

"So Jessie, do you need a ride?" asked Tad.

Jessie finally pulled her focus from Katie and looked at Tad. "No. Grace will take me home, but thanks."

Sarah grabbed Katie by the arm and began pulling her. "Okay, well, see you guys tomorrow."

Katie winced from the pain in her arm. "Ow. God, you don't have to pull that hard."

"Katie, are you coming to rehearsal tomorrow," asked Tad. "If you get bored, you can take a nap on the bleachers."

Katie didn't look at Tad, she didn't look at Sarah. She looked at Jessie, who was looking right back at her.

Without taking her eyes off Jessie, she smiled and responded. "Yeah. I'll definitely be there."

To Be Continued...