Chapter 5:
About half an hour later, I parked my Toyota near the Crane Estate. Even though I
could have walked over to the Mansion, I decided to ride just in case (hopefully) Whitney
wanted a ride back home or wanted to go out for a drive.
I walked over to where Whitney had told me to meet her - by the garden.
I saw her sitting on the bench with what seemed to be her family around her.
"Good evening," I said kindly to the man that looked like Whitney's father.
"Good evening," he answered, shaking my hand.
"Hi, Whitney," I said, going by her. I kissed her hand. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she replied, blushing. "You look great, too."
"Daddy, Mom, this is Chad," Whitney said, turning to her parents. She introduced us
formally.
"Hello Chad," Whitney's mom, Eve, said.
"How do you know Whitney, Chad?" TC asked me.
"Oh we met at the Book Cafe," I began. "And I found out that she si -"
I paused because Whitney was shooting me looks like 'don't say that!' She could tell I
was going to say that she sings for me. She probably hadn't told her parents about it yet and
didn't want them to find out through someone other than her.
"She what?" TC asked, wanting me to continue with what I was saying.
"I found out that she plays tennis pretty well," I finished. Whitney had a very relieved
look on her face. It seemed like she didn't want to tell her parents her love of singing just yet.
"Oh yes," TC answered, getting excited at the mention of tennis. "My daughter is a
champion tennis player. There's nothing she excels at more!"
Besides singing, I thought to myself dejectedly. I looked at Whitney's expression and I
could tell that she had been thinking the same thing.
"Why don't we go inside?" Eve asked all of us.
I took Whitney's hand and we walked in ahead of her parents.
"Thanks for the save," she whispered to me.
"Sure," I replied. "But when are you going to tell them about the singing?"
"Tonight," she said. I looked into her eyes and I could tell she was serious. Whitney
Russell had a plan. Tonight she would expose her desire to sing. But what would be the
consequences?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Once we all got inside the Mansion, where the party was in full swing, I asked Whitney
if she wanted to dance. She agreed. Taking her hand, we walked to the dance floor where
Theresa already was - dancing with a tall twenty something year old guy.
"Hi!" Theresa said once she spotted us. "I'm so glad you guys came!"
Whitney smiled back. She hadn't been here in a long time. Her parents had this thing
with not coming to this house for some reason. But since nearly everyone in this town hated
the Cranes for one reason or another, she figured it was the same with her parents. But she
was very curious to know WHY her parents hated this family so much.
"Let me introduce you," Theresa told me. She took the hand of the guy that was
dancing with her. "Ethan, this is Whitney's friend, Chad Harris." She turned to look at me.
"And Chad this is my boyfriend Ethan Crane."
"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking hands with him.
"Nice to meet you, too," he replied. "I hear my Aunt Sheridan is letting you use our
recording studio."
"Yeah," I replied. "I can't thank her enough for it."
Ethan nodded and we continued to talk for a few more minutes while Theresa and
Whitney went to the bathroom.
Whitney and I went back to dancing a few minutes later.
"I brought the tape," I told her.
"What tape?" she asked curiously.
"The tape of you singing. I was too anxious to hear it all, so I created it already. It's
complete."
"Do you have it with you?" she asked enthusiastically.
"It's in my car," I told her.
"Can we go listen to it?" I could tell she really wanted to.
"Sure," I said. "We'll come back here later."
We walked outside to my car.
We sat there for a good hour just listening to her voice as it played on my car stereo.
She sang like a bird, beautiful and sweet. Most of the songs were ballads but a few were
upbeat pop hits. Personally, I loved the ballads more. I had worked harder on the lyrics for
those songs and I loved the way she sang them. It was like she had opened her soul for those
tunes.
"These are great!" Whitney exclaimed after we finished listening to the ten songs.
"I thought you'd say that," I answered, smiling.
"You did a nice job with your choice of the background music," she told me.
"Thanks," I answered. "But this was mostly YOU'RE doing."
She didn't say anything as she gazed deep into my eyes. We shared a wonderful love
here. A love of music. It had brought us close as friends. But friendship was the last thing on
our minds that night in the car.
I don't know how it happened but at that moment, Whitney leaned over to my seat and
her mouth found mine. We began to kiss. It was such a beautiful kiss. I had never shared a
liplock that amazing with anyone before. After we parted, as I looked into her eyes, a thought
flashed through my head. I instantly knew that I loved her.
She smiled back at me, blushing a little bit. "That was nice," she said shyly.
"Yes, it was," I answered, really meaning it. "Do you want to go back inside now?" I
asked. I figured it was time to go back to the party since her family might be looking for her.
"Yes," she replied. She grabbed the tape as we headed back.
"Why did you get the tape?" I asked her, oddly.
"Because it's time my parents knew," she replied. "I'm going to play this tape and see
their reaction. I love music too much to not pursue it."
"Good for you, Whit," I answered, giving her a hug.
She hugged me back. "Let's just hope things go smoothly," she said.
"They will," I answered. "And pretty soon, you'll have an album out and the two of us
will be a famous pair!"
She laughed at that. I so wished that would come true and I could tell that she felt the
same way.
{A/N: Hahaha, Whitney WISHES things will go smoothly.... but they won't. Two
secrets are exposed in the Russell Family and they might just break them apart. Plus, conflict
arises between Whitney and Chad. Keep reading!}
About half an hour later, I parked my Toyota near the Crane Estate. Even though I
could have walked over to the Mansion, I decided to ride just in case (hopefully) Whitney
wanted a ride back home or wanted to go out for a drive.
I walked over to where Whitney had told me to meet her - by the garden.
I saw her sitting on the bench with what seemed to be her family around her.
"Good evening," I said kindly to the man that looked like Whitney's father.
"Good evening," he answered, shaking my hand.
"Hi, Whitney," I said, going by her. I kissed her hand. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she replied, blushing. "You look great, too."
"Daddy, Mom, this is Chad," Whitney said, turning to her parents. She introduced us
formally.
"Hello Chad," Whitney's mom, Eve, said.
"How do you know Whitney, Chad?" TC asked me.
"Oh we met at the Book Cafe," I began. "And I found out that she si -"
I paused because Whitney was shooting me looks like 'don't say that!' She could tell I
was going to say that she sings for me. She probably hadn't told her parents about it yet and
didn't want them to find out through someone other than her.
"She what?" TC asked, wanting me to continue with what I was saying.
"I found out that she plays tennis pretty well," I finished. Whitney had a very relieved
look on her face. It seemed like she didn't want to tell her parents her love of singing just yet.
"Oh yes," TC answered, getting excited at the mention of tennis. "My daughter is a
champion tennis player. There's nothing she excels at more!"
Besides singing, I thought to myself dejectedly. I looked at Whitney's expression and I
could tell that she had been thinking the same thing.
"Why don't we go inside?" Eve asked all of us.
I took Whitney's hand and we walked in ahead of her parents.
"Thanks for the save," she whispered to me.
"Sure," I replied. "But when are you going to tell them about the singing?"
"Tonight," she said. I looked into her eyes and I could tell she was serious. Whitney
Russell had a plan. Tonight she would expose her desire to sing. But what would be the
consequences?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Once we all got inside the Mansion, where the party was in full swing, I asked Whitney
if she wanted to dance. She agreed. Taking her hand, we walked to the dance floor where
Theresa already was - dancing with a tall twenty something year old guy.
"Hi!" Theresa said once she spotted us. "I'm so glad you guys came!"
Whitney smiled back. She hadn't been here in a long time. Her parents had this thing
with not coming to this house for some reason. But since nearly everyone in this town hated
the Cranes for one reason or another, she figured it was the same with her parents. But she
was very curious to know WHY her parents hated this family so much.
"Let me introduce you," Theresa told me. She took the hand of the guy that was
dancing with her. "Ethan, this is Whitney's friend, Chad Harris." She turned to look at me.
"And Chad this is my boyfriend Ethan Crane."
"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking hands with him.
"Nice to meet you, too," he replied. "I hear my Aunt Sheridan is letting you use our
recording studio."
"Yeah," I replied. "I can't thank her enough for it."
Ethan nodded and we continued to talk for a few more minutes while Theresa and
Whitney went to the bathroom.
Whitney and I went back to dancing a few minutes later.
"I brought the tape," I told her.
"What tape?" she asked curiously.
"The tape of you singing. I was too anxious to hear it all, so I created it already. It's
complete."
"Do you have it with you?" she asked enthusiastically.
"It's in my car," I told her.
"Can we go listen to it?" I could tell she really wanted to.
"Sure," I said. "We'll come back here later."
We walked outside to my car.
We sat there for a good hour just listening to her voice as it played on my car stereo.
She sang like a bird, beautiful and sweet. Most of the songs were ballads but a few were
upbeat pop hits. Personally, I loved the ballads more. I had worked harder on the lyrics for
those songs and I loved the way she sang them. It was like she had opened her soul for those
tunes.
"These are great!" Whitney exclaimed after we finished listening to the ten songs.
"I thought you'd say that," I answered, smiling.
"You did a nice job with your choice of the background music," she told me.
"Thanks," I answered. "But this was mostly YOU'RE doing."
She didn't say anything as she gazed deep into my eyes. We shared a wonderful love
here. A love of music. It had brought us close as friends. But friendship was the last thing on
our minds that night in the car.
I don't know how it happened but at that moment, Whitney leaned over to my seat and
her mouth found mine. We began to kiss. It was such a beautiful kiss. I had never shared a
liplock that amazing with anyone before. After we parted, as I looked into her eyes, a thought
flashed through my head. I instantly knew that I loved her.
She smiled back at me, blushing a little bit. "That was nice," she said shyly.
"Yes, it was," I answered, really meaning it. "Do you want to go back inside now?" I
asked. I figured it was time to go back to the party since her family might be looking for her.
"Yes," she replied. She grabbed the tape as we headed back.
"Why did you get the tape?" I asked her, oddly.
"Because it's time my parents knew," she replied. "I'm going to play this tape and see
their reaction. I love music too much to not pursue it."
"Good for you, Whit," I answered, giving her a hug.
She hugged me back. "Let's just hope things go smoothly," she said.
"They will," I answered. "And pretty soon, you'll have an album out and the two of us
will be a famous pair!"
She laughed at that. I so wished that would come true and I could tell that she felt the
same way.
{A/N: Hahaha, Whitney WISHES things will go smoothly.... but they won't. Two
secrets are exposed in the Russell Family and they might just break them apart. Plus, conflict
arises between Whitney and Chad. Keep reading!}