I'm alive with a not-so-good chapter! :/ Review for me people, please? And anonymous reviewers, please prevent the laziness. I want to talk to you. :)

Disclaimer: Do not own La Corda. Ow-Kay.

14 years old

Kahoko was staring at the sunny-side up egg and fried bacons at her breakfast plate. Since she sat down there, the red-haired started zoning out to this afternoon's events. It's not like she volunteered for this. In fact, she never knew that she would be chosen to perform at this prestigious event. If not for her kind heart, she would've ripped Tsukimori Len into shreds.

She glared at the helpless food, visualizing her best friend's face. That neatly combed azure locks; his pale skin, the golden eyes, and the intimidating glare that always change into a lopsided grin every time they see each other. After spending her life growing alongside with her friends, specifically him, she saw how he changed to that cute young boy to a handsome adolescent. Kahoko could only roll her eyes when she hears her classmates' gossip about him, but she couldn't deny that frantically beating heart in her chest everytime he hears his name.

If it weren't for his pouting lips and puppy eyes, she wouldn't have accepted the offer, the red-haired violinist preferred to play for fun, not dedicate everything to it. There's still a lot in the world other than music, and she knew that music was just one way to express your deeply buried emotions.

She wanted to smack his head, or pull his hair. Maybe stain his bed with some red paint, or hide his violin, which would be very childish. He never kept his violin out of his sight. Kahoko sighed for a millionth time this morning. Irritated, Nami slammed her perfectly manicured hands at the dining table. That caught the attention of the other girls present.

"Kaho-chan. Please stop sighing because it's getting in my nerves." Nami rubbed her forehead, as if trying to remove something there. She scoffed, and closed her eyes. Kahoko turned beet red.

"G-Gomen Nami-chan." Kahoko apologized, lifting her fork to poke the crispy bacon. She took a bite so her stomach would have something to digest.

"Why do you keep on doing that? The sighing, I mean. You've been sighing again and again and that's distracting." Nami pointed her polished finger in Kahoko's face. The violinist gulped. In their circle of friends, Nami was best in manipulating them and giving a long sermon about ethics and the like. So much for loving literature.

"E-Eto. I am n-nervous?" The statement came out as a question. Kahoko was realy unsure if she should be nervous about the upcoming event. She's prepared, they've practiced, they've been doing their best, but there's still dpoubt in Kahoko's mind. 'What if's' continued to flow in her mind. She winced at every thing she could imagine.

"Okay." Nami walked towards Kahoko's direction. When she reached her, the brunette placed her hands in her shoulders and held it with a firm grip. Kahoko backed a little from the closeness. Nami's stare was a bit intimidating.

"Kahoko?" Nami started. Kahoko nodded.

"Believe in yourself. You've played this a million times. You've been practicing non-stop. You're giving everything for this. If you let the fear overcome the positive things, you'd fail. Think of happy things, and focus. Got it? Focus." Nami said, her voice serious.

Kahoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't say no to Nami. The brunette has seen a lot of happening before because of her adventurous attitude and open personality. She could be a little irritating at times, but she's definitely a good friends. Kahoko couldn't think of something that would object Nami's explanation.

"You can do it, K-Kaho-chan." Shouko gave a soft smile to her. The cerulean-haired clarinet player really knew what to say so you could feel better. Kahoko returned her smile.

"Arigatou." Her vision turned foggy due to the tears that threatened to be shed. Her friends were really thoughtful and caring. After being attached to the hip for their whole life, they've come out with a family. A family of friends who would always be there for you until the end.

---

"So, what color? Peach or yellow?" Mio pulled out some cocktail dresses from the rack. They're at the dress shop, doing some late shopping for Kahoko's outfit. Since they didn't say anything about the outfit at the invitation card, the girls decided that Kahoko should settle at a dress. A hint of playfulness, but at the same time, the aura of formality. She wouldn't look out of place.

"Got dibs on the peach one." Nami commented before turning her attention to the dresses again.

"How about these?" Nao took a very lacey, and very revealing red dress. It's see-through, and fitted. The others suddenly burst into laughter when Nao tried to act like a model and walk down the aisle with the dress over her.

"You should buy that Nao-chan. We'll see if you'd attract some guy out there." Mio winked at her.

"Whatever." Nao just shrugged.

Kahoko was just watching them picking things. Every now and then, he's hear some complaints. Too revealing. Wrong color. Too small. Something that doesn't really look like a dress. Kahoko was embarrassed with what they're doing, so she kept her distance. Shouko came along with her, but the younger one went somewhere else. Now, the red head was all alone.

She didn't take interest on dresses. She wouldn't go near those frilly clothes except for special occasions. Thanks to a certain blue-haired boy, her attention was diverted from the girly stuff to something much more meaningful. Music. Kahoko's heart swelled with pride as she thought over the memoried she's made with the boy.

With determination, she skimmed the rack of dresses, thinking about its purpose. Kahoko tried to judge the things without rude commentary. I need this. I need this. She chanted in her head. Actually, if you looked at the dresses in a different perspective, they wouldn't be so bad after all. For minutes, she searched, until one caught her interest.

The dress was plain white one. Like others have said, simplicity's beauty, and this wasn't an exception. Her face broke into a full grin. She took it from the rack and made her way to Nami and the others. She'd s be glad about this.

"Nami-chan." She sang, twirling in front of them. The sad girl looked at her quizzically.

"Kaho-chan, are you alright?" Nami placed her hand in Kahoko's forehead. She wasn't hot.

"Hai. Look at this." Kahoko presented to her friends what she's seen. The eyes of the others widened.

"Oh my gosh! This is perfect!" Nami gushed while pushing Kahoko to the dressing rooms. Mio, Nao, and even Shouko squealed in delight. Len wouldn't know what will come to him.

The girls continued their journey to the mall. The good night sleep helped, so everyone was full of energy. They went to other clothes' shop, then the music store, where they looked for new materials. At lunch, they stopped over a fast food chain. Kahoko excused herself from them, and went to a store that attracted her.

Notes For Teens

The store was well lit. The items were stocked neatly. Nami will love this. Kahoko thought, touching the cover of a leather-bound notebook. The brunette loves writing, and the place was full of assorted writing materials. She looked at the pricetag. I can give her this.

"A good choice for a good friend."A young man's voice interrupted her daydreaming. She turned around and faced a guy. He's older, by the looks. His hair was a shade darker than Kahoko's, his brown eyes were doe, and thee's a cute smile in his face. Kahoko blinked. His smile was really welcoming.

"Hai." She agreed with him.

"I'm Ousaki Shinobi. And you?" He flashed his hand. They were a bit long, like Len's. She touched it, and felt the texture. It's a bit rough.

"I'm Hino Kahoko. Nice to meet you, Ousaki-kun." She smiled at him.

The two were engaged in a conversation while they picked things. She learned that he lived in the same neighborhood as theirs, just houses from Nami's. He was animated, carefree, and good to talk with. It's easy to just tell him what she wanted to say. Not to mention he looked good. Really good,

"Oh." I picked a plain black notebook. At first, it looked.. Weird. She's not fond of black. But when I opened it, my mind changed.

Love is the best thing you'd need, best thing you'd want, and best thing you'd have.

Len's image flashed in my mind. She blushed furiously. It's not like she love Tsukimori Len. That'd be awkward. They've known each other's real self, each other mistakes, their craziness, and their most embarrassing moments. There's no way she'd feel something deep for him. Something unexplainable..

There were things that happened to them that were unexplainable. When they touched each other, she noticed him flinching, but they just ignored it. There's some kind of spark between them.

"So, what do you think?" Shinobi asked her. She was silent for a while, then her expression lit up.

"I'm getting it."

Finally, after a morning run at the mall, they were home. The others have met Shinobi. Everyone admitted that he's a funny guy, except for Nami. She's speechless and off to Lalala Land.

The ride to the venue was fast. There's no traffic, and the driver's skillful. One minutes, Kahoko was staring at the window, and the next, she's there. It was annoying. She didn't want to be there early.

Kahoko was staring at herself in front of the mirror. She's now ready, to perform. She practiced a few times at the dressing room, and she noticed her playing improved. The knock on the door startled her. She opened the door and it revealed Ryoutaro.

"Ryou-kun?" She was surprised. She would be performing in a few, and Ryoutaro's in here? He should be staying at the audience.

"Ryou-kun? What are you doing here?" She waved her hand in front of her face. Ryou did't budge. His face was murderous. Kahoko was getting scared every minute. The speaker suddenly called Kahoko.

"Kahoko.. Don't." Ryoutaro tried to push her.

"What don't? Please let me go there now." She pouted. Ryoutaro wasn't having that.

"You don't know what may happen." He warned. Kahoko looked at him, confused.

"Just let me. Please?" She pushed his hand and dragged him outside. What she saw made her heart rip. Air left her lungs.

A blue haired boy was pining a black haired girl. They're so close. And they're kissing.


That's it. =]] I'm expecting the readers, old or new, to drop by. :) Ciao!