Once the last bell rang Alex ran out of class as fast as she could. She quickly packed her bag up and went out to the bike racks where her blue bike was stashed. She climbed on without even bothering to turn on her usual music.
Alex normally loved her bike rides to and from school. She just loved being out in nature, and most of the small town she had moved to was surrounded by trees and wildlife. Alex would put one earbud in and listen to whatever she was feeling like, that usually being some musical, but she always left the other out so she could hear the sounds around her. She would listen to the wind rustling through the trees, the birds calling to one another, and the squirrels scurrying around. She would look up sometimes and see the birds flying. She would want to become one with them. However, what she liked most of all was when she could hear water flowing. She didn't know why but she had always had a thing for water. She loved the sea and rushing rivers. She loved how powerful water was, it could come in big waves, but it could also be gentle and flowing in little trickles. She loved the sound of streams, waterfalls, and rain, and how it could somehow calm her. Because of this, Alex took a detour when riding to and from school where she could ride by a small stream that cut through a neighborhood.
Today, however, Alex just wanted to get home. She found herself wishing she had let her mom take her to school as she had on the first day so she could share the news of the school production and start thinking of ideas for monologues and songs right away.
She pumped her legs as fast as she could and was out of breath by the time she returned home. "Ugh, I'm gonna be so sore tomorrow," Alex mumbled.
Alex ran up the stairs to her apartment and slammed the front door behind her once she got inside. "Mamá!" she yelled, hanging her backpack on a hook by the front door.
"¡En mi cuarto!" Ms. Cairney yelled back.
Alex ran to where her mom's voice had come from, almost bursting from the excitement that she had held in all day.
***
"¡Esto es muy emocionante! I'm going to help you choose your song, and your monologue- oh and your clothes! You're going to go full-on V. Hudge!" Alex grimaced at her mom's squealing. She loved that her mom wanted to help and that she got excited over things like this because Alex knew a lot of parents out there would let their children figure this out on their own, but sometimes her mom could get a little too excited.
"Ok so, Mamá, first off, never call Vanessa Hudgens 'V. Hudge' again. Ever. That's just weird." Ms. Cairney rolled her eyes. "Secondly, my clothes really don't matter. I'm just going to wear what I always wear."
"No no! You have to wear something that stands out for your audition!" Ms. Cairney said, striking a dramatic and very unflattering pose. It was times like these that Alex wasn't sure whether to be grateful to have a mom who was into theatre or be annoyed by it, just like she wasn't sure whether to laugh or shield her eyes from the scene before her. She chose the former on both accounts seeing as she was still in a good mood.
"Uh-huh okay, we'll see about that." Ms. Cairney opened her mouth to object, but Alex cut her off before she could do so. "Thirdly, remember I get a say in all this, you can't just do it for me. It's my audition." Alex scolded.
"Sí, sí." her mom replied, rolling her eyes for the second time. "Well how about this?" she said. "You look online and see if you can find some monologues or songs you would be interested in performing and then when I'm finished with this," she gestured to the computer she had sitting on the small desk, "I'll see what you've come up with. And remember the monologue should be from a play!" she yelled after Alex who was dashing out the door to her room.
Alex shut the door to her room immediately pulling up her music to scroll through all her musicals as she plopped on the twin bed. She spent about ten minutes before stopping on a song that caught her eye. "Breathe," she whispered to herself. Her thumb hovered over the song for a few moments before playing the song from In the Heights. Alex closed her eyes as she listened.
"This is my street
I smile at the faces...
I had so much to hide!
Hey guys, it's me!
The biggest disappointment you know
This kid couldn't hack it
She's back and she's walking real slow...
So what do I say to these
Faces that I used to know?
Straighten the spine
Smile for the neighbors
Everything's fine
Everything's cool
The standard reply...
Just breathe..."
Alex found herself singing along softly. Every word she sang felt like another pit opening in her stomach. She felt herself fighting the urge to cry. "Breathe," she told herself, "deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth." She knew if she sang this song, it wouldn't be acting. Every word that left her lips would be true because it's what she said to herself every day.
***
A/N: Anyone else a huge fan of In the Heights, Hamilton, and 21 Chump Street??
Thank you so much for reading this chapter I really hope you enjoyed it!! I always love hearing from people on this site. It's such a wonderful community and I get so excited when I can interact with people whether if it's in the comments section of a book or through messaging.
If you enjoyed this chapter please consider leaving a comment or a vote! Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter!!!
-Sunny <3 <3 <3
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Dear Ocean Sky
General Fiction[first draft - this story will be edited later on] "I just worry about people. Especially my friends." "Friends?" Alex looked over at Kata with kindness in her eyes. "Of course."...
