A Light In The Darkness [Completed]

I Wish You Would

It didn't take long for Trey's record deal to become the talk of the school. Overnight he became the most popular kid in school. As she listened to yet another group of kids retelling the story, Solveigh sighed. Looking back, she realized that she had hardly ever heard Trey sing. She knew he could because he she had bullied him into letting her hear. As for the songs he wrote, he'd always said he wanted them to be perfect before he showed her.

Sol hadn't pushed him, certain she would get to hear them eventually. Although, she wouldn't have minded hearing them even if they weren't perfect. But Trey had never been confident; he had always been convinced that everything he wrote was terrible. Obviously it wasn't, though, because he was getting signed for a record deal.

Sol was so proud of him. She only wished she could share the joy with him, instead of being forced to watch, so to speak, from the sidelines. She'd always imagined being the first one to hear a finished track; now she would have to wait like everyone else. Like she was a stranger. How had her whole life fallen apart in the course of a month?

So the weeks dragged by and life went on. That was the worst thing about life; it just kept rolling on, even when you didn't want it to. Sol wished she could go back and take back the words she said. But, more than that, she wished she could back and say the words she didn't say.

That she still loved him, even though he drove her crazy sometimes. That she would willingly give them another chance. That she missed him too much to be mad anymore. That she would run to him if he said there was the slightest chance he wanted her to. That she wished, with all of her heart, that he would come back to her.

It was funny how you never realized how much you needed someone until they were gone. It was just so easy to take things for granted... to think you didn't have to work to keep what you had. Love by itself, Solveigh was learning, wasn't enough. You had to work to make it work. But the realization had come too late; she had missed her chance.

It was one Friday, about a month after the big reveal, and Sol was sitting on the curb, waiting for her parents to pick her up for the weekend. She had one earbud in, but she wasn't really paying attention to the music. A voice calling her name pulled her out of her daydream.

"Over here, Lloyd," she called. "On the curb."

A moment later Lloyd's stick bumped into her back. "Sorry," he said, sitting down beside her with a thump. "Why are sitting out here in the cold?"

"I'm waiting for my mom," Sol replied.

"You can do that just as well inside," Lloyd said.

"Maybe I like the fresh air," Sol said with a shrug. "What did you want?"

"Well... uh..." Lloyd hesitated.

Sol sighed. "I'm not going to shatter into a million little pieces of you being Trey up."

"Um... okay." Lloyd cleared his throat. "Did you hear that Trey's going to be at The Regal Saturday?"

Sol felt her brows rise. "The club? No, I hadn't." The Regal was a nightclub downtown, but it was also a popular spot for local acts, like amateur musicians and comedians, to set up. "Is he going to be performing there?"

"Yeah," Lloyd answered. "I was... wondering if you were interested in going. I was curious and Tia wanted to go and... Well, she said I should ask you just in case, but if it's awkward-."

"No...," Sol interrupted him quietly. "I want to go. You said Saturday?"

"Yeah. At six."

Sol was quiet for a minute. This could be her opportunity to satisfy the curiosity that had been eating at her for weeks. Maybe... maybe if she saw Trey happy... moving on... then she could start to move on too. Besides, she wanted to hear him. Sol knew it would hurt, but she couldn't help herself. She had to go.

"Do you need a ride?" she finally asked.

"Nah," Lloyd replied. "My mom said she'd drive us."

"Then I guess I'll hitch a ride with you, if she doesn't mind," Sol said.

"She won't mind," Lloyd said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. About five?"

"Sounds good."

Once the sound of his footsteps faded away, Sol slipped her earbud back in. She was about to take the first step in the rest of her life, or she was going to pull herself right back to the beginning, but at least she would be moving. She had spent so long just stagnating, and she was getting tired of it. It was long past time to do something about that.