Chapter 1:
Twenty year old Chad Harris put the last backpack in his car. He was skipping
town. He could not stay in his hometown of Castleton anymore. The place held too
many painful memories. His parents had died in a terrible car accident a month ago.
The harsh reality of the car crash was still very fresh in his mind. Since he was old
enough to take care of himself and since he didn't have any relatives in Castleton, he
decided to leave and go somewhere else. He chose a nearby town called Harmony. He
was intrigued by its name. That's what he hoped to reach by leaving town and starting
anew - harmony. Once Chad got there, he realized that he needed a job badly. So
he headed around town looking for one. He wanted something he could enjoy. After a
while, he noticed a place called "The Book Cafe". He went inside to talk to the
manager, who was named Beth Wallace. He spoke to her and half an hour later, he had
a job. He was going to be one of the waiters here in the Book Cafe. Chad told her that
he was into music and wondered if he could brighten up the mood of the cafe with some
lively music. She told him that was a great idea. A few weeks later, as he was working,
he noticed two girls come in. They looked just about his age, if not a few years
younger. One of them had long dark brown hair and fair skin, the other one was black
and she had curly medium length hair. He couldnt get his eyes off of the curly haired
girl. She was so beautiful. She had velvety soft skin with the prettiest green eyes. She
looked fit as if she played a sport. He knew instantly that he wanted to talk to her.
Chad went over to where they were sitting.
"Hello," he said cheerfully. "What can I get you two lovely ladies?"
"I'd like a cappuccino," the dark brown haired girl spoke up. She turned to her
friend. "What about you, Whitney?"
So that's her name, Chad thought to himself. Whitney. She was more beautiful
close up.
"I'd like the same," she told him.
"OK," he answered smiling at the two of them, "I'll be right back."
They nodded. The dark brown haired girl turned to her best friend.
"Wow, who's he?" Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald asked Whitney Russell. "He's
kinda cute don'tcha think?"
Whitney shrugged but couldn't help looking his way once again.
Theresa noticed this. She winked at Whitney.
"Go talk to him," she encouraged her.
"I can't," Whitney answered. "I'm not like you Ther. I can't just go up to a guy
and talk to him. Especially if I don't know him at all."
"How do you expect to know something about him if you don't talk to him?"
Theresa asked.
She had a good point. But still. Whitney Russell was usually not a shy person.
But when it came to guys, it was a whole other story.
Just then, Chad returned to where the girls were sitting.
"Here's your drinks," he told them, putting their coffees on the table.
"Thanks," Theresa replied. She tried to make conversation with the waiter.
"You're not from around here are you?" she asked him. Harmony was a small
town where everyone knew everybody.
"No," he answered as the bad memories of the past crept up to haunt him, "I'm
from Castleton. My name is Chad by the way."
He pushed those bad memories aside. He had to be strong. He had to start
over. He would not let the past influence his present.
"I'm Theresa," she told him, shaking his hand. "And this is Whitney."
Whitney gave him a small smile but said nothing.
"It's nice to meet the two of you," he said.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Theresa responded.
They turned to look at Whitney, who once again, was silent.
She sure is shy and quiet, Chad thought to himself.
"Chad," Beth Wallace called, "I need you to handle the music in five minutes
ok?"
He nodded.
Beth's words got Whitney's attention. This Chad guy is into music? she thought
to herself.
"You're a music fan?" Whitney asked him, speaking up for the first time.
"Definitely!" Chad said. "I love all kinds. I like producing mostly. Back home I
used to do that, produce music for local singers. But since I moved here I haven't
found anyone who can sing well."
"Really?" Theresa asked. "You know, Whitney is a great singer."
Whitney was just about to tell Chad herself that she loved to sing, but Theresa
beat her to it.
"Are you serious?" Chad asked, overjoyed. "That's great. Would you like to
come by and sing for me one day?"
Whitney shrugged, unsure if she wanted to do this. After all, she had just met
this guy fifteen minutes ago and all she knew about his was his name. "Where?" she
asked him. "Do you have your own studio?"
"No," Chad replied. "But Beth's friend Sheridan Crane does. And she told me
that I can use it anytime I want. What do you say?"
Now he was excited. Nothing made him happier than producing music for great
singers. He knew that he was sort of pushing his luck, heck he had just met Whitney
less than half an hour ago and he was already asking her to sing for him, but he wasn't
going to let this opportunity pass him by, especially since the potential singer was so
beautiful.
"Umm, sure I guess so," Whitney answered. "I'll come by once and then we'll
see how it goes from there."
"Great," Chad replied.
"When can I come?" Whitney asked him.
"My shift ends in an hour," Chad replied. "Can you meet me up at the Crane
Studios?" he asked.
"Ya that's fine," Whitney said, looking at her watch, "but you need to tell me
where it's located."
They laughed. "I can show you, Whit," Theresa interrupted.
Whitney nodded to her best friend.
"We better be going," Theresa said.
After paying for their drinks, they got up to leave.
"I'll see you later," Whitney told me.
I nodded casually but inside I was thrilled. It made me happy and gave me
something to look forward to. That was definitely something I had been lacking this
past month.
Twenty year old Chad Harris put the last backpack in his car. He was skipping
town. He could not stay in his hometown of Castleton anymore. The place held too
many painful memories. His parents had died in a terrible car accident a month ago.
The harsh reality of the car crash was still very fresh in his mind. Since he was old
enough to take care of himself and since he didn't have any relatives in Castleton, he
decided to leave and go somewhere else. He chose a nearby town called Harmony. He
was intrigued by its name. That's what he hoped to reach by leaving town and starting
anew - harmony. Once Chad got there, he realized that he needed a job badly. So
he headed around town looking for one. He wanted something he could enjoy. After a
while, he noticed a place called "The Book Cafe". He went inside to talk to the
manager, who was named Beth Wallace. He spoke to her and half an hour later, he had
a job. He was going to be one of the waiters here in the Book Cafe. Chad told her that
he was into music and wondered if he could brighten up the mood of the cafe with some
lively music. She told him that was a great idea. A few weeks later, as he was working,
he noticed two girls come in. They looked just about his age, if not a few years
younger. One of them had long dark brown hair and fair skin, the other one was black
and she had curly medium length hair. He couldnt get his eyes off of the curly haired
girl. She was so beautiful. She had velvety soft skin with the prettiest green eyes. She
looked fit as if she played a sport. He knew instantly that he wanted to talk to her.
Chad went over to where they were sitting.
"Hello," he said cheerfully. "What can I get you two lovely ladies?"
"I'd like a cappuccino," the dark brown haired girl spoke up. She turned to her
friend. "What about you, Whitney?"
So that's her name, Chad thought to himself. Whitney. She was more beautiful
close up.
"I'd like the same," she told him.
"OK," he answered smiling at the two of them, "I'll be right back."
They nodded. The dark brown haired girl turned to her best friend.
"Wow, who's he?" Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald asked Whitney Russell. "He's
kinda cute don'tcha think?"
Whitney shrugged but couldn't help looking his way once again.
Theresa noticed this. She winked at Whitney.
"Go talk to him," she encouraged her.
"I can't," Whitney answered. "I'm not like you Ther. I can't just go up to a guy
and talk to him. Especially if I don't know him at all."
"How do you expect to know something about him if you don't talk to him?"
Theresa asked.
She had a good point. But still. Whitney Russell was usually not a shy person.
But when it came to guys, it was a whole other story.
Just then, Chad returned to where the girls were sitting.
"Here's your drinks," he told them, putting their coffees on the table.
"Thanks," Theresa replied. She tried to make conversation with the waiter.
"You're not from around here are you?" she asked him. Harmony was a small
town where everyone knew everybody.
"No," he answered as the bad memories of the past crept up to haunt him, "I'm
from Castleton. My name is Chad by the way."
He pushed those bad memories aside. He had to be strong. He had to start
over. He would not let the past influence his present.
"I'm Theresa," she told him, shaking his hand. "And this is Whitney."
Whitney gave him a small smile but said nothing.
"It's nice to meet the two of you," he said.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Theresa responded.
They turned to look at Whitney, who once again, was silent.
She sure is shy and quiet, Chad thought to himself.
"Chad," Beth Wallace called, "I need you to handle the music in five minutes
ok?"
He nodded.
Beth's words got Whitney's attention. This Chad guy is into music? she thought
to herself.
"You're a music fan?" Whitney asked him, speaking up for the first time.
"Definitely!" Chad said. "I love all kinds. I like producing mostly. Back home I
used to do that, produce music for local singers. But since I moved here I haven't
found anyone who can sing well."
"Really?" Theresa asked. "You know, Whitney is a great singer."
Whitney was just about to tell Chad herself that she loved to sing, but Theresa
beat her to it.
"Are you serious?" Chad asked, overjoyed. "That's great. Would you like to
come by and sing for me one day?"
Whitney shrugged, unsure if she wanted to do this. After all, she had just met
this guy fifteen minutes ago and all she knew about his was his name. "Where?" she
asked him. "Do you have your own studio?"
"No," Chad replied. "But Beth's friend Sheridan Crane does. And she told me
that I can use it anytime I want. What do you say?"
Now he was excited. Nothing made him happier than producing music for great
singers. He knew that he was sort of pushing his luck, heck he had just met Whitney
less than half an hour ago and he was already asking her to sing for him, but he wasn't
going to let this opportunity pass him by, especially since the potential singer was so
beautiful.
"Umm, sure I guess so," Whitney answered. "I'll come by once and then we'll
see how it goes from there."
"Great," Chad replied.
"When can I come?" Whitney asked him.
"My shift ends in an hour," Chad replied. "Can you meet me up at the Crane
Studios?" he asked.
"Ya that's fine," Whitney said, looking at her watch, "but you need to tell me
where it's located."
They laughed. "I can show you, Whit," Theresa interrupted.
Whitney nodded to her best friend.
"We better be going," Theresa said.
After paying for their drinks, they got up to leave.
"I'll see you later," Whitney told me.
I nodded casually but inside I was thrilled. It made me happy and gave me
something to look forward to. That was definitely something I had been lacking this
past month.