I looked at the clock and was relieved the school day was almost over. It had been even worse than I imagined it would. All of the girls thought I was pretty and the boys couldn't stop flirting with me! I hated it. They were singling me out because I was too ethereal and too rich. As I walked into music class, I cursed my snowy, porcelain skin and big eyes, blue as the Caribbean sea. Sometimes I feel like I've been cursed.
As I walked into music class, "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne began playing. Auditions were today! I had totally forgotten! Not that it mattered anyways. I was terrible at singing. I could sing when I was alone or in the shower, but when I got up on stage I just fell apart. I was too clumsy, I just know I would mess up. The first person to audition, a pretty blonde girl named Shirley, got up there and nailed it. Then the teacher read the second name... "CHANTHALIA WORTHINGTON-SMYTHE"!
Oh no. All of the other kids looked expectantly at me. I pulled out one of my tessen and hid behind it. I could not do this, not in a million years. I looked over the top of my fan and saw Xander sitting at the back of the classroom, smiling. That made things even worse! "Chanthalia?" the teacher called again. I got up and sat behind the piano. At least if I played along, no one could tell how much I was blushing.
I remembered what Shari and Bleu always told me: the music is inside my heart. And then I knew what I had to sing.
Sick and tired of hearing
All these people talk about
What's the deal with this pop life
And when is it gonna fade out
The thing you got to realize
What we doing is not a trend
We got the gift of melody
We gonna bring it till the end
(lyrics copyright Dregthedarkangel 2012)
I ducked down as I sang, trying to hid my face behind the piano. At the end of my song, the room was completely silent. I hid my face in my fans and felt like crying. Xander stood up and started clapping, and soon the whole room was standing, clapping and cheering. What were they doing? Didn't I sound terrible?
Ms. Lillimaya walked over to me with huge smile on her young, alabaster face. She picked a bud from the roses in her hair and handed it to me.
"Chanthalia, I have never seen such an inspired performance," she said, brushing tears from her eyes. "You are the new, official, Queen of the Qorus!"
Suddenly, the girl who went before me, Tiffany, ran towards us. "WHAT! SHE CAN'T BE QUEEN! SHE'S JUST A PALE, BLUE EYED FREAK!"
I think I heard Ms. Lillimaya chastise Amber as I ran from the room, hoping that Xander wouldn't see me cry behind my tessen.
I sat on the front step of the school and cried. This was awful. I would have to go back to being home-schooled after this. Mom and Dad would be so disappointed. My sister would be too, except. . . .
"Hey Chance!" Xander came up to me and I hid again. This was too embarrassing. "You dropped your flower!"
"Thanks," I mumbled, taking the small bud.
"Don't mind Courtney," he said, sitting beside me. "She's always mean to the pretty girls."
What did he mean by that?
Instead of asking, I just gave a little laugh. It was better to laugh then to speak when you're a girl, Shari always told me. She was usually right about these sort of things, so I decided to heed her advice.
"I've never met anyone like you," said Xander. I giggled again, and began fanning myself with my fan, which I had with me. He leaned in close to me...
"And how was your first day of school?" It was Shari, parked right behind me in her Escalade. I retrieved my fans from my purse reflexively and began fanning myself with them. "Well, don't just stand there! Tell me about it?"
"Umm... bye Xander..." I said, moving in a few fluid motions into Shari's Escalade.
Shari gave Xander a hungry look before speeding us back home.
