Music Made Her Leave (Completed)

3. Altering Epiphany

By thirteen Aileen had played in four recitals, two galas, and fifteen competitions. I could never make it to her performances because her dad always took her out of state. At least not until my parents left her dad, Eric, in charge of me so they could celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. That was the first competition I was able to attend and also the one that changed my life for good.

♬

Eric was backstage with Aileen and her accompanist. I sat in the middle of the red chairs so that I would have a perfect view of Aileen when she got on stage. In the car, she had her headphones plugged in, listening to the song that she was going to play today and mimicked playing the violin. As soon as we arrived, her dad whisked her away to the door that led to the dressing rooms and left me to find my own seat.

My leg bounced up and down in my seat, waiting in excitement for Aileen's turn to perform. She told me that she was number thirteen so I patiently listened to number twelve get through his song. The music hall was packed with many young violinists. I was only half paying attention so the sound of scattered applause turned my attention back to the stage. I saw the blonde boy walk off of the stage and my heart began to race. Aileen was up. After a few seconds, a brunette wearing a light blue dress stepped on stage. Once she was in the middle of the stage, my heart stopped when I realized how different Aileen looked with her hair curled, face covered slightly with makeup. Then my gaze fell to exam the blue dress was a little too low on her neckline. My eyes snapped up to her face as my cheeks turned pink.

Aileen didn't look like a little girl anymore. The way that she walked on stage and held her violin made her look mature and nothing like the best friend that I had known my whole life. She was beautiful in a way I had never thought her to be. It's not like I hadn't looked at other girls that way (I was a thirteen-year-old boy, of course, I had), it's just that I had never looked at Aileen like that. The way her skin glowed under the bright lights made the rest of the auditorium fade away.

Her accompanist took his seat at the organ that was to the left of her instead of the piano on the right.  Her eyes fluttered closed as soon as Clint played the first note. When she began to play I felt my stomach twist painfully. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. Her small violin filled the room with melancholy sound that set a weight in my heart. I couldn't explain why her song made me feel the way it did but it was the kind of feeling that I wanted to live in forever, despite how gloomy it was. I could hear people whispering and it made me want to get up and scold them. There was no way anyone should talk in the middle of performance like the one Aileen was giving. Then I realized that they were commenting on how amazing she was and I had to agree with them.

"How can such a young girl play with such emotion?" one of the voices asked.

"She must know true loneliness in order to play like that," another one answered.

A pang of guilt hit me. The beauty of music wasn't coming from her practice. It was coming from whatever she was feeling inside. The thought made everything about the song so much more painfully. This song was about Maggie.

She held out the last note in a crescendo that shook the room. I sat back in my seat, breathing heavily as Aileen stood in front of a roaring crowd. It was obvious who the winner was. Aileen told a story in her song that no one else could even match. The way she took command of the stage and guided the audience in a twisting tale made my head spin. After her, there was a short intermission so once she walked off stage I jumped out of my seat and ran to the door that I knew she would walk out of.

She stepped out one of the side doors and I saw her scanning the audience for me. I made my way to her, not even caring that I was pushing people out of the way. When I reached her, I realized that my hands were trembling. I pulled her into a tight hug to hide the uneasiness I was feeling.

"You did amazing," I whispered into her brown hair. I was finally taller than her so I had to bend down slightly to reach her ear.

She laughed, making my heart stop for a different reason. "Thank you."

What is wrong with me? I thought, surprised by my own reaction to her. I pulled away and was hit once again by how different she looked.

This was my Aileen...yet somehow she wasn't. Whatever was going on in her head was no longer something that she shared with me. It was now something that was put into her bow came out of the strings.

♬

I felt overwhelmed by so many nameless emotions that the rest of the competition was a blur. The only thing I remember after the hug was how excited Aileen was to win first place. She hugged her dad and even her accompanist once she read her name at the top of the score sheet. I stood in the back of the crowd, watching people congratulate her, feeling out of place. This wasn't my world, it was hers. I was an intruder who had no experience with music and that made me bitter. Feeling so out of place in this world left me inferior to all the people surrounding Aileen

Not only that, but I was suddenly aware of how the other guys around us would smile and offer congratulating hugs to her. A wave of anger would crash into my spine, making it rigid every time one of them approached her. Aileen would smile easily and laugh as some one said something. It was a feeling that carried its way out of competition and into our normal lives. After the competition I noticed how much more attentive I was to Aileen's presence. Being around her just made me feel happy. The few times she did go out with another guy, the same crushing feeling yanked at my lungs and made me feel sick.

Her song opened a door stuffed full of feelings in my heart that I didn't know was there; right behind them was a room full of jealousy.

♫

This one was my favorite scene to write. Up top is the song that I envisioned Aileen playing instead of a picture. I'm not quite sure how many chapters are left but I'd say a good three-ish...

5-25-16 (Edited 1-3-17)