Insomnia; it has consumed Jamie these past few weeks. Tossing and turning, she struggles to go back to the happy hour and a half she once had of sleep the night before. Sighing, she gives up and looks out the window. It's late, almost noon. Moaning, Jamie rolls out of bed and gets ready for the day.
"You cheated!" Jamie's little brother, Jake, yells at his slightly older brother, Bram.
"No I didn't! You're making it up!" As usual, they fought over the board game, causing the entire house to shake.
Pulling on her purple halter top, Jamie walks past them, not saying a word, but only slapping each of them as she goes.
"Hey! Mom, Jamie hit me!" The two boys run to complain, but Jamie is already grabbing her purse and heading out the door, making her way towards Kirsten's house.
Once walking along the narrow sidewalk, Jamie closes her eyes in happiness. Finally, peace. As long as she isn't in her house, she be her perky, emotional self.
As she enters the Sherwood's home, like she usually does, she hears Kirsten on the phone, "Uh huh, yes sir."
Jamie comes into the kitchen and sits at the counter, waiting patiently as Kirsten stands with the telephone by the refrigerator.
"Two and a half weeks? That's good to hear. I'll bring along my friend; she and Matthew were always really close, he always said he had two little sisters…"
Suddenly, Jamie's heart goes sore. Matthew, Kirsten's sick brother in the hospital. Ever since he left for the hospital, she became even more angry life. Why did the best people have to be ill? Why did there have to be so much pain for good people?
"Thank you so much Doctor. Okay, bye bye." Kirsten silently hangs up the phone, and they leave the house for her car, not saying a word.
Driving along, Jamie finally speaks up, "Hey, I think I found you a date for that Midsummer Dance or whatever in the next two weeks. You know Graham Biggs don't you?"
"I'm not going to the dance with him, Jamie. He's very perverted; I don't even think he's a Christian."
Very much annoyed, Jamie blurts out, "What is it with you and your stupid beliefs? It's not like there is a god anyways?"
Very suddenly, Kirsten brings her car to a screeching halt. Instantly, Jamie knows she had said too much.
Quietly and scarily, Kirsten looks her in the eye, "Now Jamie, I have been your friends for years, stood by your side through thick and thin. And not once did I ever criticize you or your beliefs, or lack thereof. So, I ask you; don't ever ever say anything of that sort to me again. Now, when we get to Sally's, you're going to be caring and nonjudgmental to her. Do I make myself clear?"
"I'm sorry." Is all Jamie can say.
"That's okay. Let's see if she's feeling better today." Normally, Kirsten puts her car back in drive and they head over to see their misguided friend.
Putting down her pen, Kylar grins as she gazes upon her beautiful poetry. She loves to write; though it may be depressing poetry, it is good. Just at that moment, a thought pops into her head. This would make a great song.
"Hmm," Kylar picks her pen back up and writes some more as she sits in the town square on a park bench that sunny day.
"Umm, excuse me." A quiet yet sweet voice says to Kylar. She looks up to see the short blonde girl from the Dead Poet's Society.
"Oh, hi uh," Kylar thinks a moment for the girl's name, and glances at the girl's saxophone case to see it read Tacey.
"Tacey." She tries to smile; smiling just isn't her thing.
"Hi Kylar. Uh, I saw you from Haven Hideaway and I was wondering if I could join you."
"Oh," Kylar tries to hide her shock; before this moment, no one had ever asked to join her. Acceptingly, she nods her head, "Sure."
Tacey sits down on the bench in her white t-shirt and khaki shorts; while Kylar wares her black hat, black button down shirt, and black capris.
Curiously, Tacey looks over at Kylar's journal, which she's still writing in.
"Oh, you write songs?" She asks boldly.
"Well, not really songs. Just notes on a piece of paper that form a melody for words. Sometimes, there are no words. So, I guess you could say it's a song. Haha…" Kylar trails off embarrassed.
But unexpectedly, Tacey asks her, "Can I play it?"
"Play my song? On your sax?"
"Not just any sax! Christine!"
"You named your saxophone Christine?"
"Of course!"
"Okay…why Christine?"
"Well, it's after Christine from the musical, The Phantom of the Opera. Her voice was a beautiful melody, a wonderful harmonious instrument. Just like my sax, if I play it right."
"Wow. You wanna know something? That's probably the only musical I listen to! Well, it's the only cd I own!"
The two look at each other for a moment, thinking about how nice it is to be sitting with the other. And, how odd; they both come from completely different worlds, and now are sitting on the bench together having a civilized conversation.
Without a word, Kylar holds up her journal and lets Tacey adjust her saxophone. After a few moments, she takes a giant breath and blows. Christine squeaks awkwardly, and Tacey puts the sax down frustrated.
"Oh, it's no use! I just can't play knowing people are listening to me!"
"Umm, I'm the only one here."
"No! It doesn't matter if it's a billion or one; it's still hard! No matter what I do, I just can't make a beautiful melody! I wonder why I was put on this earth in the first place; it seems I can never do anything right! Hec, I can't even talk to boys, even if one is interested in me!"
Kylar thinks about Tacey's little speech kindly, but then perks up when she hears, "A guy?"
"Yeah, you know that knew boy in town? His name's Amergin, and no matter what I do, I always manage to say the wrong thing around him!"
"Oh," Kylar grins sneakily, and then looks back at Tacey, "You know what? I can't help you with your 'stage-fright' problem; but boys, oh man, do I know how to make them swoon!"
"Swoon? I thought it was the guys that swoon the girls?" Tacey wonders.
Kylar stands up, closing her journal and begins to walk away, "Oh yes you can! Tacey my good friend; I can teach you how to make a guy go weak at the knees just by speaking but a few words to him! This Amergin, he'll be begging you to speak in a matter of weeks-no, days!"
Hurriedly, Tacey packs up her saxophone and runs after Kylar, "Hold on! I don't even know if I like the guy yet!"
"Hmm…" A few blocks away from the square, Adrienne sits on her bed rewinding her video tape she filmed during the talent show a couple of weeks ago.
"Oh, I can't watch that!" she blurts aloud as she watches Tacey throw up in reverse. She begins to watch the rewinding tape again after Tacey is off the stage, but then, she suddenly gasps and presses the stop button.
Adrienne presses play and watches Amergin Gadsby performs his monologue in Shakespeare's sonnet, Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?
"Oh my gosh!" she declares in excitement and awe as Amergin hands Tacey the yellow rose at the end of his monologue.
Suddenly, she rewinds the whole scene and watches it again, and again. By the last time she finishes it, she realizes that Amergin hadn't taken his eyes off of Tacey the entire scene!
"This is interesting," Adrienne thinks to herself aloud, "Very interesting."
She pauses the movie at the part where Amergin hands Tacey the rose, and says, "I think I've found my movie plot, and it's under my favorite genre, romance!"