Fame's Revenge

Chapter 3: Then

The clacking of heels was all it took for Shay to know she needed to hide. Liz froze, fork halfway to her mouth. Their eyes met. Liz shook her head, knowing there wasn't anything they could do to escape the head cheerleader. Shay sighed, resigning herself. It wasn't her fault they loved her and hated Liz. She never knew what to do when they came around.

"Oh, hey there, Shay," Becca said. She pulled the sunglasses perched on her head off and pointed them at Shay. "Practice is at four today if you want to sit in."

Shay shook her head. "I got plans today."

Becca raised an eyebrow. "What could be more important than cheer practice? You're not too far off from making the squad, you know. You'd have to try out, of course, but you're pretty much promised a spot on the team."

Shay shook her head. "I got plans with Liz."

Becca heaved a sigh and crossed her arms. "Honestly, Shay. I don't understand why you keep carrying all this baggage around. It's not good for you. She's only dragging you down. She's not ever going to be anything besides a loser. But you have potential!"

"Oh, I know I have potential," Shay said, lifting another bite to her mouth but pausing on the way. "I have potential to miss practice." She shoved the food into her mouth and chewed. She could almost feel Becca seething.

"Seriously, Shay. You're popular, and you could be way more popular. You could be someone people look up to, a role model. Why are you choosing that thing over us?"

Liz sat her fork down and Shay knew she had to do something quick. "That 'thing' is Liz." She turned to Becca. "I don't want to be a role model. That's too much pressure. But if you want to be one, then walk away." She turned back to her food, though she was no longer hungry. After she heard a grunt and angry, annoyed footsteps leaving them, she sighed and slumped forward onto her elbows. "I'm sorry about her."

Liz shrugged. "It's okay. You should know by now that I don't let petty people get to me like that. They don't matter in the end."

Shay frowned. "But you're so much better than her. Besides, it eventually gets to everyone."

Liz shook her head. "Thanks," she said with a smile. "Want to come over after school?"

"Of course."

---

Shay stared at her phone as she walked with Liz. She was caught between a smile and frown. It was yet another guy she knew wouldn't work out in the end, but, just like every other time, she wasn't sure she could give him up. He was the fifth one since the start of senior year that she'd tried to get to date her. So far, she hadn't had any success and it was beginning to feel like she wouldn't. It was beginning to feel like she was in her own (failed) romance novel.

"You good?" Liz asked, glancing at Shay's phone.

"Yeah. Just don't think Shane's gonna work out either." She turned the screen off and shoved the phone in her pocket.

Liz shook her head. "He hasn't made any moves?"

"Nope."

They walked in silence for a couple of moments before Liz spoke again. "You ever think about how weird it is we call it 'make a move'? It kinda sounds like wrestling."

Shay snorted, trying to not bust out laughing. Sometimes her best friend was ridiculous. But she wouldn't have her any other way. Her crazy made the day just a little better. It also gave her some stuff she could use later to get a laugh from someone else. "Girl, you're crazy." She shook her head as Liz giggled at her own words. "Wait. What do you even know about wrestling? I thought you hated it."

"I do, but I know some about it." She shrugged. "I have a lot of random knowledge about stuff." They walked on in silence for a couple of minutes.

Something Shay always liked was that they didn't always need words. Silence didn't always need to be filled. Shay was free to type away on her phone, doing what she knew amounted to her chasing the wind. She sighed as she sent her next text. After a couple of steps she all but forgot that Liz was even there. All she knew was that she was talking with Harry. Harry, who was driving her up the wall.

Mind elsewhere, Shay instinctively followed Liz into her small house and to her bedroom. Shay only looked up from her phone and took in where she was when she walked into the tiny room that could barely house Liz's bed and dresser and a desk. Nestled into the corner was a white guitar. Shay settled on the office chair and propped her feet up on the desk. She sat her phone face-down on the desk and waited.

-

It didn't matter that Liz has played for Shay before - she was always nervous to play for everyone. She took a deep breath as she reached for her most prized possession. The guitar was a gift to her, a gift she couldn't imagine ever being without.

She picked it up, very careful to not bump anything, and carried it over to her bed. She didn't really have to since she was just playing it this morning, but she checked to make sure it was in tune before taking one last deep breath.

The moment Liz played the first chord she could feel herself relax. This was the only time she didn't feel like someone in the background of someone else's story. She was a main character, the one everyone rooted for as she clawed her way from the edge of oblivion. Maybe she was a little crazy for feeling this way about music and an instrument, something that couldn't even feel and wasn't aware of anything, something inanimate, but for as long as was playing she didn't care in the least. Later, after the music stopped, she would feel silly, even a little embarrassed, but right now the music was all that mattered.

Liz let herself get completely lost in the stories she was telling, but this time, she let her voice help out. For the first time in front of someone, she sang. She knew she was hitting the right notes, but she was uncertain if she had a good singing voice. So she decided to take the risk and sing today.

She could never be sure of how long she'd been playing, judging the passage of time only by how her fingertips hurt, or how her fingers began cramping or by the tiredness of her forearm.  Today, she stopped when she could feel her voice begin to grow hoarse.

While her eyes had been open a lot of the time, she could only see her music. Now that the music had ended, she truly saw Shay. The girl was watching her with awe clearly etched on her face. "Liz," she breathed, seemingly at a loss for words.

Shay blushed profusely and ducked her head, staring at the guitar still on her lap, in her hands. "Was it awful? I know I can't sing-"

"That was incredible!" Shay gushed. "You are so talented! Are you kidding? You have one of the best voices I've heard!"

Liz blushed heavily and ducked her head. "Thanks, Shay." She smiled to herself and bit her lip, trying to run back through what she just sang to make sure she was hitting the right notes. "I'm not incredible, but thanks." She glanced up at her friend, but quickly ducked her head again.

"You are," Shay said matter-of-factly. "Get used to being called incredible."

Liz shook her head. "Thanks for the confidence in me, but I'm not all that great. I messed up a few times and missed some notes."

"I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me just now," Shay said. "It all sounded so good that, even if I had noticed, I wouldn't have cared. You sounded like the radio."

Liz giggled. Praise like this from her best friend meant a lot, but no matter what, she couldn't see herself the same way. She had a lot of doubts and insecurities about playing in front of other people, and a lot of those were related to not wanting to mess up in front of someone. Playing on the radio sounded terrifying. Playing in front of anyone besides her parents and Shay was scary.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don't think I could do that," Liz said with a shrug.

Shay raised an eyebrow and gave her a grin that told Liz her mind was working hard on something and she needed to be wary. "Famous last words."