Okay. So, there's something I haven't told you. In fact, I haven't even told anyone, not even Leia, or even my parents.
I like to sing.
Stupid, I know. A know it all like me, singing? Crazy. But I actually like it. I sometimes put my brothers earbuds on and sing along to my favorite songs when nobody's home, using my hairbrush as a microphone. It's kind of embarrassing, but it also helps me sometimes. For example, if I'm frustrated about having only Leia as a kind of half friend, I sing to the mirror. If I'm really, really, happy, I sing a song that's upbeat. But, to myself, of course. Singing in front of a crowd would be my worst nightmare.
Luckily, I probably won't have to go down the performing road if I don't want to. I'll probably get accepted into Harvard or something, since I get straight A's. I won't need it really badly.
Well, enough of me talking about my future job. Besides liking to sing, I'm actually pretty good at it. When I was little, whenever I sang, my voice cracked at the high parts and the low parts, and I was always off key. Not anymore. I noticed a big difference recently between my singing a few years ago and my singing now, and it sounds great to me.
Anyway, today is picture day, and I'm terrified. I also hate pictures, if I haven't told you that yet. Crowds and pictures are my fears. So, I dress in my best clothes that wouldn't look too dressy for school, since it's just school, and I leave the house feeling great but still scared. I go to my locker, put away my stuff, and go to homeroom. We say the Pledge of allegiance, read, and then it's time to go to the library to take pictures. I groan inwardly and trudge unhappily to the library.
Once we get there, I get in the line, trying to be the last one, letting people cut in front of me. But, once I'm dead last, the teacher says that we're going in alphabetical order by last name. Ugh! Just my luck. My last name starts with E. So I'm one of the first ones.
So, I wait, dreading my moment of fate. Then, my turn comes, and I walk to a stool, where I sit and smile cheesily. I really don't want to be here, I think while my smile becomes so fake it hurts. After what feels like hours (but is probably only a minute), the lady behind the camera lets me go.
That wasn't that bad, I say to myself as I wait with the other kids that already had their pictures taken. Ok, it was pretty bad. And I'm going to feel worse when it's finally printed, and it's going to look horrible.
After about 15 minutes, everybody is finished and we go down the hall to first period. While I trudge down the hallway, I decide to make my life better by singing quietly to myself. So, I start to sing "How You Get the Girl" by Taylor Swift quietly to myself. Hopefully nobody hears me, because if they do, I will die. (Figuratively, not literally!)
As we get closer to the classroom, I start to feel I'm safe. But, suddenly, I hear a voice from behind me that says, "Hey, Claire, I didn't know you could sing!"
