Forever & Always?

Chapter Two

      The rest of the day lingered on, each class discussing the exact same thing. It was now sixth hour. I took choir along with my good friend Shelby, the quiet girl in my first hour, Abby, Cam, Daniel, and my other friend Alex. I did not understand why Abby was participating in choir. She never spoke let alone sang. Cam was in it for the easy good grade, which did not surprise me. Most guys were, including Alex. I never understood why people went to a place to learn and grow and simply worked to pass, not achieve. I was a nice singer with a calm voice. Singing was a nice way of stress relief for me. We all had our own escapes I suppose.

"Hey, guys. My names Mrs. Sterling. This is choir, obviously. If you did not know that, then hopefully you know where the door is." Multiple chuckles flowed through the room, including my own. Her amusement was refreshing.

"Some of you may know me, but most of you do not. The reason I only teach 12th grade choir is because this year is actually pretty hardcore, if that is the appropriate use of the word. That being said, if you came here just for the A, you probably won't get it. We will be doing advanced dances as well as stunts. Permission slips will be sent home in a couple weeks. We will be doing some A Capella pieces along with multiple parts and small groups. Now, I know none of you came here just for the A, so you will all be put in a small group at one point. You're welcome." She smiled with a kidding, mocking grin. I smiled at her attitude, appreciating it.

"You. What's your name?" She asked, looking directly into my eyes with a face that seemed intrigued by my blank stare and hazel eyes. I pointed to myself and raised my eyebrows surprisingly.

"Me?" I asked to avoid assuming she was speaking to me and feeling like an idiot.

"No, the guy behind you," she smiled. I turned around, realizing I was sitting in the last row. My attempt to avoid idiocy had failed miserably. My cheeks grew hotter as the eyes of every student turned to me.

"Marie," I responded, the redness of my cheeks beginning to settle to a warm pink.

"Can you sing?"

"I'm not Cam, I didn't join this as a blow off class." I made no eye contact with Cam, but the rest of the room managed to.

"Then come up here and prove it." She was standing on a miniature stage. There was a microphone next to her and she was giving me a genuine smile. I was not similar to Cam for many reasons. For one, he had a way of talking to any and everybody comfortably. I had a tendency to come off as cold or simply uninterested. Cam had this strange enviable ability to make every situation lighter and less tense. I had the habit of staying still, embracing every awkward particle in the air and somehow releasing it as an even worse vibe. Cam was overly confident, allowing himself to laugh off any mistake he made. I had the confidence of bird; I would sing my songs loudly on an unfamiliar fence but only until I heard the slightest interruption. I would then fly away. I could not manage to muster up enough self-confidence to complete such a task. 

"Hah, that's amusing." I sarcastically laughed and looked around the room. She gave me a blank stare.

"Oh, you were serious." My smile immediately faded. The silence screamed in my ears, causing chills to rush down my arms. I stood up and reluctantly walked on stage.

"What song?" I asked, my shoulders slumped and attitude fearful.

"What songs do you like?"

"A lot of songs," I responded monotone.

"Then sing one of those many things." I lowered my head, walking to the mic.  I grabbed it from the stand and looked out at the bored classroom. My nerves kept the back of my neck warm as I sang through the insecurity of not being accepted by my teacher and pupils. I finished strong and calmly walked off stage. The class was applauding me and giving me high-fives as I passed, my confidence beginning to rise high. I always envied Cam for his abilities.

      Mrs. Sterling slowly walked back on stage.

"Class." She stopped. I froze. "Oh God," I thought.

"That's what choir is about!" She yelled. Everyone clapped. I smiled, relaxing.