A Single Moment

My Personal Paradise

School goes by smoothly. Classes are as boring as ever. People hate me and other people like me. All in all a normal day. I walk outside to see Jeth sitting on the hood of his truck just waiting for me as usual. I slowly saunter up to him with a sly smile slowly creeping across my face. Once I reach the truck I ask Jeth what he is doing on my truck.

"Your truck?" he says with a curious smile slowly creeping across his face.

"Yes my truck."

"Well then if its yours I better get off." He says while slowly sliding himself off the hood. "Is this better." He asks no longer on the truck but still standing away from me.

"Nope" I say popping the P.

He takes a few steps toward me till he is right in front of me. "How bout now?" He breaths

"Not quite." I answer in a whisper.

He then wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck "how bout now" he sighs into the crook of my neck.

"Yes" I can barely utter the word but he soon silences my mouth by kissing me. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him back with just as much vigor if not more. He begins to move his arms so that he can pick me up...

"Hey! You!" We break apart and look at the person who the voice is coming from "Yes you two sex crazed monkeys get a room!" the student finishes yelling at us and continues to walk to her car grumbling under her breath. Jeth and I laugh at her and separate and climb into Jeth's truck.

"What's her problem?" I ask once were in the privacy of the truck.

"Eh, she's prolly just jealous cause she's not the one kissing the school track star." He says with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh really well, the school track star is luck I give him the time of day. Being that I am the one who has already been offered a job performing on Broadway. I shouldn't even associate with you sporty people it makes me look not as dedicated." I shoot back at him.

"Touché" he says trying to copy a French accent but totally failing at it making me giggle. I lean over and give him a quick kiss before I look at the clock.

"Crap!" I scream when I see the time. "Jeth I'm gonna be late."

"Okay" he starts the truck and gets out of the parking lot.

We drive along him just watching the road and me staring out the window in silence. No conversation is needed, for just us being together is conversation enough.

"We're here." he breaks the silence. I look and see we are at the theatre, my second home.

I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and hop out of the truck. "I'll give you a call to let you know if I need a ride." I holler at him as I shut the door and run towards the theatre. He drives off once I'm inside and I let out my breath. I feel safe here. Not alone. I'm surrounded by people who like the same things that I do. They act they sing and they have the most wonderful time doing it. The director, Miss Delilah, is like a second mother to me. She always has a moment to talk to you when you need it. She always makes sure she has the time to work one on one with her students, and she is the sweetest lady that ever walked the earth. It also helps that she can make phenomenal cookies.

I walk in through the second set of doors and breath in the familiar smell of paint, wood, carpet, and just a hint of mold. All together they make the sweetest scent that ever crossed ones nose. Its the scent of the stage. The scent of dreams. The scent of what has yet to be discovered.

To me this is more like home than my actual house is.

I walk down the wide hallway to the practice room. I crack the door and hear the flowing music pouring out of the piano. I see small delicate hands gliding over the keys making the music flow. I walk onto the room completely and close the door quietly behind me. I lean against the back wall and close my eyes. My mind wanders with the music. A light flowing melody plays. A deer running across the meadow. A bird in flight. A butterfly floating on a breeze. Slowly my mouth begins to form the words with the song. Inaudible at first my mouth just moves knowing what to say but not yet picking out the melody. Slowly I wander forward toward the piano, my mind finding the melody and beginning to sing it. My voice grows as I near the piano. Once there I sing with my voice growing and fading as needed. My voice now floating and twisting into the pianos chords creating the sounds of heaven angels. The piano fades out but I still continue on. The words pouring out of my mouth. The notes joining them just before they are released into the air. The last note escapes my lips in a whisper. Hanging in the air the music slowly dies. I open my eyes and spin around as I hear the applause behind me.

There stands my Troop. My other family. They are beaming with pride and love. My Troop. Here we all have nick names that are given to us because of something that we are either good at or because we show a certain characteristic that just get a name dubbed upon us. Though the nicknames that we are given here are only allowed to be used here. They never leave this building, and we only use them among each other. Jamie (George, because he hates his name and wanted a more manly one, also he and Kelly's are twins, and they just both happen to have red hair), Tabitha (Tabs, because she is great with making cloths and always keeps tabs on everyone and everything), Tyler (Tinker, because he can never leave anything alone and always has to tinker with it till he gets it just right), Jeremy (Snap-On, because he is great with tools of all kinds), Kelly (Fred, because she is the manliest person here, even more so than the guys, she is strong, independent, and can hold her own against anyone, but never question her sexuality she is straight and does not like being inferred to as anything but, her and Jamie are twins who both happen to have red hair), Katelyn (Skit, because she can pull a story out of her head and act it out just on a whim), Isaac (Fidget, because he can't stop moving, he never stands still), Samuel (Scrounge, because he can find anything no matter how bazaar or weird it may be he can always dig it up), Brianna (Ruby, because she blushes so bad it turns her bright ruby red, just her nickname makes her blush), Riley (Gears, the girl with all the technical know how, she fixes cars for fun and she is the main life behind our sets), Paul (Pac-Man, he is great at putting things together, but he also eats nonstop just like that old Pac-Man game), Rachel (Kit, because she has a wide range of abilities to help anybody or fix anything, she's the handy tool kit you keep in your garage for fixing everything), Haley (Firework, she is the lighting genius, but she also has endless energy just like a firework), and Jack (Romeo, he is a singer and can make any girl swoon with just a few words and a couple of notes).

They all look at me and I brace for impact. Fred (Kelly) looks at me and says "Angel's here! We can begin!" My nick name here is Angel they claim its because my voice sounds like an angels. Then they all run and and envelop me in a suffocating hug. Soon we can't stand up and we all fall over in a pile of giggling teenagers.

Two loud claps sound from behind the piano and we all immediately de-pile, and stand up. Miss Delilah stands behind the piano with a smile on her face. "We do need to get stuff done you know, this isn't just play time." The Troop looks at each other and we giggle again. "Now stop that and get to work." We just giggle harder. Her voice becomes stern and she points to the stage "Now shoo! We all have work to do no matter what you all think there is stuff to be done. Now GET!" The Troop trips over each other as we all move as a crowd to get onto the stage and get ready. Snap-On (Judas), Gears (Riley), Pac-Man (Paul), and Kit (Rachel) all head backstage to work on sets, and painting. Tinker (Tyler), and Firework (Haley) head up to the sound booth to do their work. They record, set lights, work sound, and help record all the performances that we put on here. Tabs (Tabitha) and Scrounge (Samuel) heads to the costume room to continue work on making and getting together costumes and props. Kit will soon follow Tabs and help them. Kit does double duty in backstage work and on costumes because she is uncannily talented in both. George (Jamie), Skit (Katelyn), Fidget (Isaac), Ruby (Brianna), and Fred (Kelly) all head off to a large side room to go over parts and lines. Romeo (Jack) and I head to a small side room in the auditorium to warm up our voices and to go over our parts. We will soon join George, Skit, Fidget, Ruby, and Fred in the larger practice room once we are done with our vocals. Romeo and I are the singers, the main ones anyway, all the other actors in the group can sing but Romeo and I are the ones acknowledged for our voices. Miss Delilah follows the two of us to the smaller practice room to help with our vocals. Miss Delilah helps out and keeps track of everyone here. The Troop calls her Mother, she loves that name because she has not yet been married or had kids of her own, so to her we are the kids that she hasn't had but always wanted.

Romeo and I start off easy and together, just going up and down doing scales, in unison. After just a few of those he and I split up. Him taking the lower end and me playing up in the clouds with my high notes. We continue to do warm ups for about 10 minutes before we actually get to singing any music. We sing a duet. Our voices join and weave together to make an intricate tapestry of music, voice, and soul. We both put our all into each piece that we sing. Making each word that is sang heavy with a piece of our souls. We continue to twine our voices together for the next hour before Miss Delilah tells us its time to join back up with the others.

Romeo and I leave the room with smiles on our faces. We leave the practice room. The magic of the music that we just created still ringing in our ears and floating in our souls.