Chapter 6:
Whitney and I walked back inside the Mansion where the party was still in full swing.
"Honey, where have you been?" TC asked his daughter once he caught sight of us.
"I was umm, with Chad, daddy, we went outside to get some air," she stammered.
I could tell Whitney's father was a bit suspicious of me. After all, Harmony was a small
town and I had just become a resident not too long ago. I could tell the inhabitants of this town
had known each other at least half of their lives. I was a stranger to them.
Whitney and I walked over to where the DJ was playing the music.
"Could you please play this?" Whitney asked, handing the guy her tape.
"Umm ya," the guy answered as he took the tape from her hand. "But who is it of?" he
asked, looking it over.
"It's of me," she replied simply.
He nodded, impressed. "Ok, I'll play it."
"Thanks," she responded. Taking my hand, she led me to where her parents were
sipping wine and talking with another couple.
"Mom, Dad," Whitney began once she could speak, "I have something to tell you."
"Can it wait, honey?" TC asked. "I want to dance with my wife." He led Eve to the
dance floor just as the first track on Whitney's tape began to play.
Whitney looked on, helpless as her parents sauntered away from her and on to the
dance floor.
"I SO had it!" she informed me, snapping her fingers. She was regretting the fact that
she had let them go without telling them. "I had built up the courage to tell them right then and
there. I don't know if I can go through with it now."
"But Whitney you have to." I told her. "This is what you love. You have to let
everyone know. You can't keep lying to them or to yourself about loving tennis."
She peered up at me and absorbed my words.
"You're right." she replied. "I will tell them once the dance is over."
"The DJ is playing your song," I told her, grinning.
"He is?!" she squealed happily. Taking my hand, she walked over to the dance and we
began to dance to the slow tune of her voice radiating from the stereo.
Meanwhile, just as Whitney and I were sharing a dance, TC and Eve were nearby,
talking.
"I love you honey," TC said.
"I love you, too," Eve replied smoothly. Her eyes were all over the room as she kept
an eye out Julian Crane, her ex-lover. She couldn't let him ruin this happiness she had with
TC. Even though he had tried numerously to get Eve for himself, he hadn't succeeded. And
TC never even knew. Hopefully, my husband will never know, Eve thought to herself.
"That music..." TC began as he listened to the song they were dancing to.
"What about it?" Eve asked, confused.
"There's just something about that voice that sounds familiar. Like I know the person
who is singing that song. Do you feel the same way, honey?"
It DOES sound familiar! Eve thought to herself. It sounds a lot like me back when I
used to sing at that nightclub. But I never sang that song! Who could it be?! "Umm ya," she
told her husband. "But I can't put my finger on it!"
The mood was perfect. I leaned in for another kiss. Whitney kissed me back. Theresa,
who was dancing with Ethan nearby, saw us and gave us a thumbs-up sign.
Just then the song ended and the DJ picked up the microphone. "I just want to
congratulate Whitney Russell on that hit song of hers that everyone just heard. Whitney, can
you please come up here and grab your tape?"
Whitney looked at me in alarm. Her expression had gone from happy to horrified. This
isn't the way my parents are supposed to know! she thought to herself. I'M supposed to tell
them - not some DJ. And not where everyone can hear me! Her face fell. Every pair of eyes in
the large room was on her. I gave her a gentle shove forwards. She went to get the tape from
the DJ's hand.
Her parents looked at her in puzzlement as she took the tape from the DJ.
"Way to go, Whitney!" Theresa shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. Pretty
soon, everyone began clapping.
Whitney smiled at her audience a bit uneasily.
"TC, Eve," Ivy Crane said, approaching them, "I didn't know your oldest daughter
sings." Julian Crane, her husband, stood right next to her. "I wonder why she gave up tennis,"
Ivy added, an odd smile crossing her face.
"She didn't give up tennis!" TC lashed out as the same moment that his wife said "She
doesn't SING!"
"Mom, Dad," Whitney said, coming near her parents. I followed her, just in case she
needed my support. "Can I talk to you?"
"What's this about singing Whitney?" TC asked her, grabbing her hand and pushing
her to a corner of the room where they could talk privately.
But that wasn't going to stop Ivy and Julian from hearing their conversation. After all,
they were Cranes and Cranes knew everything (or would know everything) that took place in
Harmony.
Whitney drew out a breath before she began speaking. "I was going to tell you, in
private. But since you know part of the truth, I might as well tell you the rest. I'm planning on
giving up tennis to pursue singing."
TC looked at his oldest daughter in horror. How could she give up tennis? She had
been playing it for so long! Besides it was his dream... for her.
At the same time, Eve's reaction was similar to her husband's, but for another reason.
Personally, she didn't care if Whitney wanted to play tennis or not, but she just COULDN'T
want to become a singer! Memories of Eve when she was younger and was singing at the
nightclub in Boston replayed in her mind. She thought about the drugs, the sex and the booze.
Whitney can't make that same mistake, she told herself. She just can't. I won't let her.
"NO, Whitney!" Eve cried out, surprising her husband and daughter. "You can't sing. I
won't allow it!"
Whitney was baffled. She knew that her mother had once sang and that it hadn't
worked out successfully for her, but why was she so against it if Whitney sang?
"Why, mom?" Whitney couldn't help ask.
"Honey," Eve said, grabbing her daughter's hand, "don't do this, please. I made a lot
of mistakes when I pursued singing and I don't want the same to happen to you."
TC, Whitney and I stared at Mrs. Russell in puzzlement. Personally, I didn't know
anything about the lady, so that's why I was confused. But looking at Whitney's and TC's
expressions gave me the impression that they were just as bewildered as I was.
Ivy and Julian Crane had their ears open to the conversation taking place between
Whitney and her parents. They were each listening intently.
"What kind of mistakes, mom?" Whitney asked curiously. As she thought about it, she
realized that she didn't know much about the life her mother had gone through when she was
her age.
"Honey, what's this all about?" TC asked in relation to Whitney's question.
Eve didn't say anything for a few minutes. She was looking at the floor. It seemed as if
the memories of the mistakes she had made were travelling through the depths of her mind.
She finally looked up and her gaze fell on none other than Julian Crane. Her ex-lover.
The biggest mistake of her life. The mistake she didn't want Whitney to make as well - with
anyone.
"It's just... a lot of people influence you when you're a singer," Eve finally managed to
say. "And it's not always positively." Once again she looked back at Julian, whose face had
turned to stone at her words.
TC noticed how pale his wife's face had become at the mention of 'her mistakes.' He
also noticed how she kept staring at Julian Crane. Her facial expressions showcased the
emotions of regret and guilt. He always knew that his wife had had a past, but then again so
had he. And they had never discussed it between themselves. They had promised to forget the
past and focus on the future. And that's what they had done. But the past always has a sneaky
way of coming back to haunt you and it seemed to have done so that night at the Crane
Mansion.
TC was no fool. He could see the tension between his wife and Julian. So could Ivy. Ivy
knew of the past Eve and Julian once shared and was delighted to see it being set to explode
in front of her very eyes.
"You!" TC yelled, narrowing his eyes at Julian. "Are you the person who influenced
my wife negatively as she so subtlely just said?!"
He shoved Julian against a wall, getting set to punch his daylights out.
Whitney and I looked at each other in horror. We had to calm her father down before
he hurt Julian.
"TC!" Eve cried out. "Don't, TC, please, it was all in the past."
"What was?" he asked his wife, letting go of Julian.
"My relationship with Julian," Eve answered in a small, barely audible voice. She had
kept this secret for twenty some years. But now if had finally been exposed. She knew that,
even now, they would have the same amount of damaging repercussions as when it first took
place two decades ago.
Whitney stared at her mom in astonishment as did TC. Julian looked like he was
praying for his health as TC was sure to pound him. And Ivy? She leaned back against the
wall, sipping more of her champagne and looking very amused.
{a/n: i hope ur liking this. i sure am. please leave me reviews.}
Whitney and I walked back inside the Mansion where the party was still in full swing.
"Honey, where have you been?" TC asked his daughter once he caught sight of us.
"I was umm, with Chad, daddy, we went outside to get some air," she stammered.
I could tell Whitney's father was a bit suspicious of me. After all, Harmony was a small
town and I had just become a resident not too long ago. I could tell the inhabitants of this town
had known each other at least half of their lives. I was a stranger to them.
Whitney and I walked over to where the DJ was playing the music.
"Could you please play this?" Whitney asked, handing the guy her tape.
"Umm ya," the guy answered as he took the tape from her hand. "But who is it of?" he
asked, looking it over.
"It's of me," she replied simply.
He nodded, impressed. "Ok, I'll play it."
"Thanks," she responded. Taking my hand, she led me to where her parents were
sipping wine and talking with another couple.
"Mom, Dad," Whitney began once she could speak, "I have something to tell you."
"Can it wait, honey?" TC asked. "I want to dance with my wife." He led Eve to the
dance floor just as the first track on Whitney's tape began to play.
Whitney looked on, helpless as her parents sauntered away from her and on to the
dance floor.
"I SO had it!" she informed me, snapping her fingers. She was regretting the fact that
she had let them go without telling them. "I had built up the courage to tell them right then and
there. I don't know if I can go through with it now."
"But Whitney you have to." I told her. "This is what you love. You have to let
everyone know. You can't keep lying to them or to yourself about loving tennis."
She peered up at me and absorbed my words.
"You're right." she replied. "I will tell them once the dance is over."
"The DJ is playing your song," I told her, grinning.
"He is?!" she squealed happily. Taking my hand, she walked over to the dance and we
began to dance to the slow tune of her voice radiating from the stereo.
Meanwhile, just as Whitney and I were sharing a dance, TC and Eve were nearby,
talking.
"I love you honey," TC said.
"I love you, too," Eve replied smoothly. Her eyes were all over the room as she kept
an eye out Julian Crane, her ex-lover. She couldn't let him ruin this happiness she had with
TC. Even though he had tried numerously to get Eve for himself, he hadn't succeeded. And
TC never even knew. Hopefully, my husband will never know, Eve thought to herself.
"That music..." TC began as he listened to the song they were dancing to.
"What about it?" Eve asked, confused.
"There's just something about that voice that sounds familiar. Like I know the person
who is singing that song. Do you feel the same way, honey?"
It DOES sound familiar! Eve thought to herself. It sounds a lot like me back when I
used to sing at that nightclub. But I never sang that song! Who could it be?! "Umm ya," she
told her husband. "But I can't put my finger on it!"
The mood was perfect. I leaned in for another kiss. Whitney kissed me back. Theresa,
who was dancing with Ethan nearby, saw us and gave us a thumbs-up sign.
Just then the song ended and the DJ picked up the microphone. "I just want to
congratulate Whitney Russell on that hit song of hers that everyone just heard. Whitney, can
you please come up here and grab your tape?"
Whitney looked at me in alarm. Her expression had gone from happy to horrified. This
isn't the way my parents are supposed to know! she thought to herself. I'M supposed to tell
them - not some DJ. And not where everyone can hear me! Her face fell. Every pair of eyes in
the large room was on her. I gave her a gentle shove forwards. She went to get the tape from
the DJ's hand.
Her parents looked at her in puzzlement as she took the tape from the DJ.
"Way to go, Whitney!" Theresa shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. Pretty
soon, everyone began clapping.
Whitney smiled at her audience a bit uneasily.
"TC, Eve," Ivy Crane said, approaching them, "I didn't know your oldest daughter
sings." Julian Crane, her husband, stood right next to her. "I wonder why she gave up tennis,"
Ivy added, an odd smile crossing her face.
"She didn't give up tennis!" TC lashed out as the same moment that his wife said "She
doesn't SING!"
"Mom, Dad," Whitney said, coming near her parents. I followed her, just in case she
needed my support. "Can I talk to you?"
"What's this about singing Whitney?" TC asked her, grabbing her hand and pushing
her to a corner of the room where they could talk privately.
But that wasn't going to stop Ivy and Julian from hearing their conversation. After all,
they were Cranes and Cranes knew everything (or would know everything) that took place in
Harmony.
Whitney drew out a breath before she began speaking. "I was going to tell you, in
private. But since you know part of the truth, I might as well tell you the rest. I'm planning on
giving up tennis to pursue singing."
TC looked at his oldest daughter in horror. How could she give up tennis? She had
been playing it for so long! Besides it was his dream... for her.
At the same time, Eve's reaction was similar to her husband's, but for another reason.
Personally, she didn't care if Whitney wanted to play tennis or not, but she just COULDN'T
want to become a singer! Memories of Eve when she was younger and was singing at the
nightclub in Boston replayed in her mind. She thought about the drugs, the sex and the booze.
Whitney can't make that same mistake, she told herself. She just can't. I won't let her.
"NO, Whitney!" Eve cried out, surprising her husband and daughter. "You can't sing. I
won't allow it!"
Whitney was baffled. She knew that her mother had once sang and that it hadn't
worked out successfully for her, but why was she so against it if Whitney sang?
"Why, mom?" Whitney couldn't help ask.
"Honey," Eve said, grabbing her daughter's hand, "don't do this, please. I made a lot
of mistakes when I pursued singing and I don't want the same to happen to you."
TC, Whitney and I stared at Mrs. Russell in puzzlement. Personally, I didn't know
anything about the lady, so that's why I was confused. But looking at Whitney's and TC's
expressions gave me the impression that they were just as bewildered as I was.
Ivy and Julian Crane had their ears open to the conversation taking place between
Whitney and her parents. They were each listening intently.
"What kind of mistakes, mom?" Whitney asked curiously. As she thought about it, she
realized that she didn't know much about the life her mother had gone through when she was
her age.
"Honey, what's this all about?" TC asked in relation to Whitney's question.
Eve didn't say anything for a few minutes. She was looking at the floor. It seemed as if
the memories of the mistakes she had made were travelling through the depths of her mind.
She finally looked up and her gaze fell on none other than Julian Crane. Her ex-lover.
The biggest mistake of her life. The mistake she didn't want Whitney to make as well - with
anyone.
"It's just... a lot of people influence you when you're a singer," Eve finally managed to
say. "And it's not always positively." Once again she looked back at Julian, whose face had
turned to stone at her words.
TC noticed how pale his wife's face had become at the mention of 'her mistakes.' He
also noticed how she kept staring at Julian Crane. Her facial expressions showcased the
emotions of regret and guilt. He always knew that his wife had had a past, but then again so
had he. And they had never discussed it between themselves. They had promised to forget the
past and focus on the future. And that's what they had done. But the past always has a sneaky
way of coming back to haunt you and it seemed to have done so that night at the Crane
Mansion.
TC was no fool. He could see the tension between his wife and Julian. So could Ivy. Ivy
knew of the past Eve and Julian once shared and was delighted to see it being set to explode
in front of her very eyes.
"You!" TC yelled, narrowing his eyes at Julian. "Are you the person who influenced
my wife negatively as she so subtlely just said?!"
He shoved Julian against a wall, getting set to punch his daylights out.
Whitney and I looked at each other in horror. We had to calm her father down before
he hurt Julian.
"TC!" Eve cried out. "Don't, TC, please, it was all in the past."
"What was?" he asked his wife, letting go of Julian.
"My relationship with Julian," Eve answered in a small, barely audible voice. She had
kept this secret for twenty some years. But now if had finally been exposed. She knew that,
even now, they would have the same amount of damaging repercussions as when it first took
place two decades ago.
Whitney stared at her mom in astonishment as did TC. Julian looked like he was
praying for his health as TC was sure to pound him. And Ivy? She leaned back against the
wall, sipping more of her champagne and looking very amused.
{a/n: i hope ur liking this. i sure am. please leave me reviews.}