Closing the door to her bedroom, Kaley picked up her guitar and let the smooth lines dissolve the day. Nothing else mattered when she had her music, it let her be who she truly was.
A musician.
She sat on the bed and strummed the strings, her fingers finding their way to the fret board and moving into position. She never really knew what she was going to play, the rhythms came from somewhere deep inside her.
A tune drifted into her head and then into the air. She imagined the song was floating in front of her eyes, there for her to see and sing.
The day started out like any other,
I was completely unaware about what was to happen,
I entered the room and looked around,
When I saw you, I felt my heart shudder.
Everyone else just melted away,
Until there was only you and me.
I could feel my heart beating in my chest,
For you were nothing like the rest.
I was too shy to move.
I’m not the kind of girl to dare.
You were too special to notice,
Too precious to even try.
Next thing I knew you were standing
Your walk so graceful and easy.
Then you were talking to me.
Before I could speak we were dancing.
Through each dip and turn,
You whispered secrets to me.
Only words we would know,
You swept me off my feet.
Her bedroom door suddenly opened as she was halfway through her song. Kaley froze, the words dying on her lips.
Her mother, Georgie, peeked in. “Dinner’s almost ready. We’re having something super special tonight.”
“Great, Mom. Thanks. I’ll be out in a minute,” Kaley replied, trying to gather up some enthusiasm. Something special in Mother Barbie’s world meant something experimental. That could mean anything from chocolate spaghetti bolognaise to fish rissoles with ketchup.
She scrambled to write down the words of her latest song into her songbook – the one she kept hidden from everyone. She had hundreds of lyrics and music in the book. Some songs were complete, others were just ideas that led somewhere for her to finish later.
Kaley made sure the songbook was hidden before she joined her parents. There would be no way anyone could find her book. It was her secret, one she would die over if someone discovered it.
Her songbook was her diary. It held all the most intimate secrets of her life. Sharing it with anyone would be like cutting open a wound and letting it bleed. She would protect it at all costs.
Dinner was predictably awkward. Georgie’s latest recipe was a meatloaf with pieces of candy mixed in. Everything tasted okay until she found the sickly sweet candy in amongst the meat.
Kaley was glad to get back to her room. Insisting she had piles of homework to deal with, she closed the door to her sanctuary and opened her first textbook.
As she did, a few pebbles knocked on her window. That could only mean one thing: Harvey wanted her attention. She opened her blinds and peered out.
Harvey’s bedroom was only a few feet from her own. They had been neighbors for as long as she could remember.
She waved as Harvey held up his notebook, a message scrawled across it in his messy handwriting. It read:
Juggling?
Kaley laughed and shook her head. There was no way they could learn to juggle in three weeks. Not well enough to win the talent contest, anyway.
Harvey frowned and quickly wrote something else, holding up the notebook again. This time there were three suggestions:
Hip hop dancing?
Rapping?
Synchronized pottery?
Kaley giggled and searched around for her notebook. She wrote quickly before holding it against the window.
Think some more.
Harvey threw up his hands like he was frustrated with the whole thing. The smile covering his face gave away his amusement.
Kaley shook her head again as she closed the blinds. There was nobody in the world like Harvey Walker and she was so glad he lived next door to her.
They had been friends forever and she wouldn’t change him for anything. Not even the thousand dollars from the talent show. He was unique and held a special place in her heart.
Forgetting about her school books, Kaley grabbed the neck of her guitar. She had a song swelling in her heart and it needed to come out.
There was nobody who inspired her as much as Harvey. There were more songs about him in her songbook than anybody else.
She started strumming as the words came to her.
Back when we were young
And our lives had only just begun
We would play all day
In a magical land far away.
As time wore on I could see
That you weren’t the boy you used to be
Suddenly thoughts of you filled my mind
And I knew you were the one I wanted to find.
We were just two kids who would run
And laugh and play and just have fun
Until the day we held the magical key
And I knew how perfect you were for me.
It was the night of the big dance
When I decided it was time to take a chance
I crossed the room and headed your way
But when I got there my words I couldn’t say.
I stared at you unable to move
My head said run but my head couldn’t choose
You just looked and smiled at me
And suddenly you were all I could see.
You took my shaking hands in yours
And led me onto the dance floor
You wrapped me in your arms tight
And told me you wanted to dance all night.
As she finished, Kaley wondered what it would be like to sing in front of other people. What would happen if she played her song in the talent show?
She closed her eyes to picture it. She would take to the stage, hundreds of eyes would turn to stare at her. Even though she would have her guitar to clutch, it wouldn’t shield her from their judgment.
She would play, she would sing, she would share her music with the world.
And they would laugh at her.
Her beautiful songs that were a part of her would be torn to shreds. They would rip them apart as if they were nothing, telling her she wasn’t good enough to be a real musician.
The thought only made her more determined to keep her secret.