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Authors: Melanie Marks
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it was over everyone stood, applauding. Hordes of people, cool people from school, came up to me, gushing about my song. Telling me how beautiful it was. How romantic it was. How it made them cry. And then, Trent was there, beside me. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “Us playing your song.”
“No, I don’t mind.” I hugged him, because that’s what I do when I’m excited. I hug. But once I had him in my arms, I woke to reality. I was hugging Trent Ryan.
“It was beautiful,” I told him, quickly pulling away.
“Well, it would have been better with you up there on stage,” Trent said. “You should have been the one singing it.”
“No way!” I protested. “You were awesome! Amazing!” I had to fight the urge to hug him again. But as it was, we were still standing really close from the hug I’d just given him, and although there were still gobs of admirers surrounding us, for a moment, it was as though we were alone. Just the two of us. Trent and me.
Magic.
“Well,” Trent cleared his throat, taking a step back, “I better get busy.”
I sat for a while with Brooke and her friends, eating up their compliments and everyone else’s. It was incredibly thrilling, though everyone was confused and thought The Road Home was a love song, about the death of a boyfriend, not my brother. But, hey, that was okay. It was great to have fans—and confused fans were better than no fans.
So, I was having a terrific time. But, all I really wanted to do was rush home and bake Trent cookies. A giant locker’s worth.
* * * * *
Once everyone had gone home, I helped clean up. Then Trent sat with his guitar, and strummed my song. “Sing it,” he said. “Up here, on stage.”
I shook my head, feeling shy. But then without even realizing I was going to, I got up there and started singing anyway. I wanted to. Needed to. Hearing the music made me want to sing, and it was fun to grab the mike and belt it loud and strong, and move to the music up on stage.
I glanced over at Trent and he was smiling as though he was really pleased. He seemed to be having as much fun as me, so I went on singing and dancing to the dim, empty room, having the time of my life.
“You should do that for a real audience,” Trent said on the way home.
“Oh. I couldn’t,” I told him, and then laughed. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m shy.”
He grinned. “I hadn’t noticed.”
I besieged him with questions about my song. How did he know the words? How did his band learn the song so fast?
Trent surprised me by pulling off to the side of the road. It made me grip the door handle with alarm. What was he doing ?
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, sensing my panic. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.” He was silent a moment, then went on, choosing his words with care. “Your song, it’s sort of like you explain the unexplainable. At least it had always been unexplainable to me. Only now, I don’t know. Your song, it touched me. It’s comforting.”
I sat back in my seat, unable to speak for fear of crying. His words touched me . They were the sweetest, kindest words I had ever heard in my entire life. And the most amazing part was—they’d come from Trent Ryan.
When I didn’t say anything, Trent went on. “I couldn’t get your song out of my head. And when I played it for the guys, they got into it. We played it, like, all day every day for the past week.”
Hearing that filled me with excitement. Baggage was the coolest band around. And they liked my song! And to have heard it played by them, and better yet, sung by Trent, this was like, the best night of my life!
chapter 13
Sunday I had car trouble and got to church late. But, hey, I got there, a
“No, I don’t mind.” I hugged him, because that’s what I do when I’m excited. I hug. But once I had him in my arms, I woke to reality. I was hugging Trent Ryan.
“It was beautiful,” I told him, quickly pulling away.
“Well, it would have been better with you up there on stage,” Trent said. “You should have been the one singing it.”
“No way!” I protested. “You were awesome! Amazing!” I had to fight the urge to hug him again. But as it was, we were still standing really close from the hug I’d just given him, and although there were still gobs of admirers surrounding us, for a moment, it was as though we were alone. Just the two of us. Trent and me.
Magic.
“Well,” Trent cleared his throat, taking a step back, “I better get busy.”
I sat for a while with Brooke and her friends, eating up their compliments and everyone else’s. It was incredibly thrilling, though everyone was confused and thought The Road Home was a love song, about the death of a boyfriend, not my brother. But, hey, that was okay. It was great to have fans—and confused fans were better than no fans.
So, I was having a terrific time. But, all I really wanted to do was rush home and bake Trent cookies. A giant locker’s worth.
* * * * *
Once everyone had gone home, I helped clean up. Then Trent sat with his guitar, and strummed my song. “Sing it,” he said. “Up here, on stage.”
I shook my head, feeling shy. But then without even realizing I was going to, I got up there and started singing anyway. I wanted to. Needed to. Hearing the music made me want to sing, and it was fun to grab the mike and belt it loud and strong, and move to the music up on stage.
I glanced over at Trent and he was smiling as though he was really pleased. He seemed to be having as much fun as me, so I went on singing and dancing to the dim, empty room, having the time of my life.
“You should do that for a real audience,” Trent said on the way home.
“Oh. I couldn’t,” I told him, and then laughed. “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m shy.”
He grinned. “I hadn’t noticed.”
I besieged him with questions about my song. How did he know the words? How did his band learn the song so fast?
Trent surprised me by pulling off to the side of the road. It made me grip the door handle with alarm. What was he doing ?
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, sensing my panic. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.” He was silent a moment, then went on, choosing his words with care. “Your song, it’s sort of like you explain the unexplainable. At least it had always been unexplainable to me. Only now, I don’t know. Your song, it touched me. It’s comforting.”
I sat back in my seat, unable to speak for fear of crying. His words touched me . They were the sweetest, kindest words I had ever heard in my entire life. And the most amazing part was—they’d come from Trent Ryan.
When I didn’t say anything, Trent went on. “I couldn’t get your song out of my head. And when I played it for the guys, they got into it. We played it, like, all day every day for the past week.”
Hearing that filled me with excitement. Baggage was the coolest band around. And they liked my song! And to have heard it played by them, and better yet, sung by Trent, this was like, the best night of my life!
chapter 13
Sunday I had car trouble and got to church late. But, hey, I got there, a
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