An Enchanted Night

8*The Howl

Taylor turns away from the Moon to face the purple sedan as it squeals to a stop. The passenger door opens and Abigail's bright red curls demand attention. As she leans over the center console to hold the door open, Abigail grins and whisper-shouts, "You're so going to love it!" Taylor eagerly nods her head before ducking into the car. She's buckling her seatbelt as the car begins moving and Abigail immediately starts talking a mile a minute about how excited she is for tonight.

"So, in art history today," Abigail begins, cackling at her own thoughts, "Selena told me she was going to sing tonight."

"Why is that funny?" Taylor laughs as she responds, pulling her gaze from the sleeping houses they're passing.

"Have you ever heard her sing," Abigail asks and continues when Taylor shakes her head no, "She's terrible! Can't hold a note at all, like me. And you don't see me going up there. Imagine, me, up there, singing. Like a cat stuck in a tree, screeching for help."

Taylor is horrified, "Well you should tell her not to, so she doesn't embarrass herself!"

"We did! She sang the chorus of 'All of Me' loud enough for the entire class to hear! When she finished, we tried to tell her as nicely as possible and she just laughed and said she knows she can't sing but she wants to do it anyway, to get a nice laugh out of the crowd. You know her, class clown," Abigail chuckles. "Says she's going to be super dramatic about the whole thing. Preform as crazily as possible."

Taylor, feeling out of breath just from listening to Abigail, takes a moment to breathe before she responds, "Wow, I wish I had her confidence. To know you sing terribly and to use it to get a laugh."

The car jostles them around as they cross the train tracks, the woods and the Moon dominating their views. "Well you're an excellent singer so nobody will be laughing at you tonight. You are still planning on singing, right?" Abigail questions as she glances at Taylor.

"Yeah, I guess," Taylor replies nervously, glancing back.

"For sure you should!" Abigail shouts as she leans forward in excitement, grabbing the steering wheel for support. "You're so good."

Abigail is referring to the day she came over unannounced and overheard Taylor singing. Taylor's parents had let Abigail in, without warning her first, and Abigail was treated to a show Taylor wasn't even aware she was putting on. She'd never sung in front of anybody. Didn't have the confidence to. But Abigail had heard her and was sold. Taylor 'just had to' perform tonight.

"I'm just nervous, being new and all. I don't want to give people a reason to laugh at me," Taylor shrugs and looks outside. "I'm not like Selena," she quickly adds, and the two girls share a laugh.

Suddenly, a motorcycle flies by the car, testing the limits of the one-lane road as it slides into the shoulder next to them. Taylor can't tell who's driving it, but the young man releases a loud howl as he drives by, catching her eye and then turning his head up to the full Moon. Taylor is wide-eyed as she shifts in her seat to observe the driver as he speeds down the road in front of them.

"Jeez, you'd think that after what happened he wouldn't drive like that," Abigail gapes as she stares at the motorcycle drive into the night, too.

"Who is he?" Taylor asks wide-eyed.

"I don't remember his name, he was a grade above me when it happened," Abigail absentmindedly responds. "I'm surprised he's even coming tonight. Must've taken a lot of convincing."

"When what happened? Taylor questions.

"Poor thing, he was driving his sister on that motorcycle a year ago when they got hit by a drunk driver," Abigail whispers, slowing shaking her head. "I wonder if he's really going to sing without her."

The two stare ahead at the road, the motorcycleno longer in sight, the mood instantly dampened. For the first time tonight,Taylor thinks she's not the only one less than enthusiastically attending.