Made to Shine

Made to Shine Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next week seemed to fly by. On Monday it seemed like the whole school was talking about how Ben was going out with Emily. That she was a charity case by one of the coolest jocks at school. Ben was not affected by the gossip. He chose to ignore it and would find time to steal away with Emily. Whether they were in the theater or at the bakery, they spent every second together getting to know each other. Ben did not bring up her singing, and she was grateful.

The days flew into each other, and before they knew it, it was already Friday. Emily was sitting in the theater waiting for Ben to arrive for lunch. With a song running through her head. She had not had a song in her heart since Sunday, when Ben caught her singing. So, she was relieved to finally feel a song stirring deep inside her. She wouldn't dare sing it out loud in case Ben came in. Even though he had not come out and asked her to sing, she could tell that he wanted her to.

"So many souls have tested Him throughout the course of time. 

So many still reach out to Him with broken hearts and minds. 

And every one of them will say, 

Without exception that they find... 

Jesus never fails...

Jesus never fails. Jesus never fails. 

You might as well get thee behind me, Satan 

You cannot prevail, because Jesus never fails."

All of a sudden the back door flew open and Ben came running down the aisle to her. "You are not going to believe this!" He was waving a red flyer around excitedly. He flopped down in the theater seat next to her and leaned over and gave her a kiss that was fueled by not only seeing Emily, but also by the excitement of the paper he held in his hand. When he pulled away from her, he was holding the paper, "Look, the Taylor High School Performing Arts Department is presenting the School Talent Show. You have three weeks to prepare a song, and you are a shoe in to win!"

Emily looked horrified! "No! I can't!" Emily said shaking her head. "I won't!" How could he do this? He had promised not to bring up her singing. She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them lowering her head and retreating into a ball.

"Em," Ben said, very soft, very patient. "Em, hon," he said stroking her back with one hand and lifting her head with the other. "You have a God given talent, a gift. I will help you overcome your fears and you could win!" He kissed her gently on the cheek. "I have faith in you. I know you can do this. I would not have you do this if I did not think you would be great!"

Emily just looked at him. He had never lied to her. And deep down, she knew she had a good voice. But, could she really stand on a stage in front of people? What about her stage fright? How could she do this? How could he ask her to do this? "How? How can I overcome my greatest fear? I have tried to live my life in the shadows and now you are wanting me to stand in the spotlight. I can't imagine how I can do this." She was looking directly at Ben, but he could see the fear in her eyes.

"The prize is $1,000. You could put it up for college or the bakery or whatever you need or want." He said as he took her hand. "I just want you to try. We can start small."

"I will try for you. What is your idea? How can I do this?" Emily said and her hands started shaking with nerves. Ben took both her hands in his hand.

"Starting small. Just sit here, close your eyes and sing to me. No one else will know. I will even close my eyes if you want me to." Emily nodded. Ben leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. Emily started singing and her voice was very soft and weak.