24. Free

CHAPTER 24

 

 

 

 

Free

 

 

 

 

 

     We sat on the third row as the coliseum began to be overcrowded. I looked around, wondering if there are others that are from our school. I was half surprised when I saw Mitch sitting on the fourth row across us; of course, she’s a fan, even after what I said about Troy in the spring dance... I even doubt if she really believed me that time. She’s also with her new boyfriend, Gregory Osment. I shifted my gaze to Troy who was surprisingly looking at the backstage.

     “Looking for Taylor?” I asked as soon as it came to my mind. I didn’t even have time to stop it.

     “No,” he muttered.

     “Can I ask you something?”

     “Of course,” he looked at me.

     “Why didn’t you want to go to the concert in the first place?” I bit my lip.

     “I’m just gonna watch the game tonight,” he kept his gaze to me as if he’s telling the truth and expecting me to believe it.

     “Right,” I said incredulity filled my voice. I’m not gonna push him any harder; besides, he probably won’t tell me about it anyway... or in here that is.

     The first act, which was Boys Like Girls, was awesome. So awesome that I almost forgot to go on stage. And like what I planned, by the middle of their song, I mentioned to Troy that I’m going to buy some snacks. He first offered to buy it for me, but I said that people will crowd over him. It took only a few seconds for me to win the argument and he bought my excuse.

     I rushed to my dressing room, taking the long way through and took off my evening coat. I asked Justin to buy two tumblers of popcorn and two can of sodas. I also asked for a pack of tootsie rolls and airheads. At least my ten minutes of absence would be worth it. I wouldn’t try my ‘Stacey-plan’ just yet. I have to try each and every plan I listed.

     My first two performances went with the flow. I already wore my next two dresses; I’ll rip off the first one in the middle of my second single, ‘Remember Me’. I put my evening coat again, which made it a lot hotter. I took the food that Justin bought and went back to my seat.

     “What took you so long?” Troy asked.

     “The line was very, very, very long,” I gave him the other tumbler and can. “So, what did I miss?” I asked innocently as I looked on the stage.

     “Two songs,”

     “Oh, darn.” I tried to say it as convincingly as possible. God, I need my acting skills right now. “But I did hear the Privacy through the loud screaming on my way back.”

     “Really. I told you I should’ve bought it,” he took a handful of popcorn.

     “If you went and bough these, you probably won’t be back until now, and I would probably be starving.” I grinned.

     He looked at me for a long moment.

     “What?” I was worried that I was making stupid faces again.

     “Well, your eyes... it’s kinda... blue.”

     “What?” I said anxiously. S**t, I forgot my contacts. “It must be the light.” I giggled.

     “Yeah, that’s possible.” He said almost sarcastically.

     “Your eyes change too,” I lied. Even under the lights, I can clearly see his gorgeous sapphire eyes.

     “So, now mine’s violet or green?” he chuckled.

 

 

     By the middle of the song of Gloriana, I walked out again, saying that my brother is calling. I hope my ‘Stacey-plan’ wouldn’t go wrong. She’ll be taking my place before the chorus of my third song, and I am jittery of what can happen if my plan goes wrong. I hurried to the backstage again, waiting for my cue. I drank half of my bottled water before I went up.

     By the middle of my song ‘The Best Of You’, I had a glimpse of Stacey coming in. I can see that Troy was looking at her, and he’s... scrutinizing her. My heart thudded faster as sweat rolled slowly from my forehead. I’m already solicitous with my plan, and now I’m sweating bullets because there’s a possibility that he knows something.

     I danced on the stage and motioned my hand for the crowd to stand up. At least Troy wouldn’t notice Stacey that much if everyone’s on their feet and dancing. I flickered to Troy every twenty minutes to see where his gaze is. I was both surprised and delighted that he was actually watching me.

     I ripped my smock and clinched on the piano. “This one’s for all you guys... don’t be afraid to fall in love again, even though you’ve been heartbroken before,” I started playing the intro, and before I could sing the first line, I notice a silhouette of a small woman... or man. I looked closely and said. “Is Melina in the piano?” I looked over and under the piano but I couldn’t see her.

     The crowd cheered louder as I sat up. I looked to my side to see Melina wearing a red dragon mask. I laughed as she took it off. “Okay, so maybe you’ll like this one,” I giggled as she climbed on the piano. I started playing her no.1 hit, Waiting For You. I co-write in this song, and my favorite line is, I loved you before I met you and now I’m right here waiting, waiting for you. I started to sing it in a mellow tone; the tone of Remember Me.

     Melina stepped down the piano and gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. She sank down the stage as I looked at the crowd in front of me. “Okay,” I said not tending to be seductive. “This is it,” I played the intro of ‘Remember Me’ again.

 

 

     By my last performance, Troy wasn’t looking to Stacey that much, though not to me as well. At least I can breathe in relief through my performance.

     “Goodnight San Francisco!” I said and went to the backstage. I slouched onto my seat in my dressing room as I drank my bottle of water. I sighed in relief again to know that I just pass this night. I changed to my silver metallic top and black high waist skirt as Stacey entered my dressing room, almost sweating.

     “That’s it. I’ll never help you with Troy again,” she muttered sinking herself on the couch.

     “Why?” I asked looking on the mirror to check if everything’s in place; especially my contacts.

     “His chilling glare creeps me. It’s hard to imitate you, you know... especially your voice. I just nodded and said, ‘yeah, it’s awesome,’... I’m as nervous as you are,”

     “You already imitated my voice before...”

     “Well, missy, if you had forgotten in your tour in Japan, all of us tried to imitate your voice, and I practiced the line ‘can I have a drink?’ and when I imitated your voice before, I have no idea how many percent I sounded like you,”

     “Well, you’ve been a great impersonator,” I said and took my bag and went back to Troy who was leaning on the wall. I wonder what Stacey said before she left him.

     “Hey,” I smiled slyly.

     “Are you alright?” he asked not hiding the alarm in his voice.

     “Um, yeah...”

     “Do you want to go home?”

     “No. Why’d you say that?” I wonder what Stacey looks like with Troy a while ago.

     “Well, you haven’t said a word during the concert, and you’d been keeping a huge distance between us...”

     “Right,” and that’s not what I notice from the stage. “Well, the tootsie rolls kinda... gave me nausea, but I’m fine now...” Stacey ate the tootsie rolls, right? “So, where are we heading to?”

     “I didn’t make any plans...”

     “But you’re still the one who’s gonna choose,” I insisted as we went back to his car.

     “Maybe we should buy you a pair of contacts first,” he opened the car door for me.

     “Do I really look that bad?” my lips curved.

     “No, you’re still... pretty,” he said going in the car.

     “Thanks. I think I don’t need a pair of new contacts. My old one is probably somewhere in my room. Unless I look totally disgusting, though you can say it straight to my face. I won’t be offended, I promise.” I pressed my lips together and looked at him as he started the car and drove fast as usual, but not the same as the one that scared me to death.

     “No, not at all,” he grinned.

     “Very sarcastic,” I giggled. “You do know that I’m a dork, right?”

     “You don’t seem to be, but if you prefer it that way,” he chuckled.

     “So the glasses just fit me,”

     “Not really,” he said stopping his car. Okay, I know that I’d been trying to make a fool out of myself for the pass few minutes, but I’m pretty sure he hadn’t drove for at least five minutes.

     “Is it fine to you if we don’t eat in a restaurant? I just want to try something,” he smirked.

     “It would be better,” I grinned.

     He got off the car and opened the door again for me. “Ready for a food trip?”

     “Of course,” I haven’t had one since last summer. “What are we going to eat again?”

     He ignored my question and started to walk; and I followed. He slowed down for a second until we’re walking abreast down the street. There are not much people in this place, which is pretty relaxing. The best part was we’re on the boardwalk along the seaside and there are a lot of lights that look like fireflies.

     “They are fireflies...” Troy whispered to my ear with a low chuckle.

     “How did you...” I just let my voice trail off.

     “What do you want to eat?”

     “Whatever you’ll be having,” I smiled. “I haven’t tried eating here yet,” and that’s the truth. Even in Chicago; okay, I tried eating some street foods in Chicago once or twice, a year before I was discovered.

     “Right,” he turned to the vendor. “Two beef shawarma, two BBQ, and two slices of pizzeria... oh, and two cans of coke,”

     It took a few minutes before the vendor handed him two plastic bags. He led me to the bench and gave me the other plastic bag as we sat down.

     “But you are familiar with these, right?”

     “Um, seen it from my brother, I think. Once, or twice,” that’s somehow true. I saw Jeff once eating a shawarma, though I don’t know where he bought it. I just know that it’s eaten with taboon bread or something like that, tabouli, fattoush, tomato and cucumber... well, that’s what Jeff said when I asked him about it.

     I watched him take a bite, realizing that we never did this before when I was Taylor; even in the island.

     “Is there something wrong with my face?” he laughed.

     I shook my head and took a bite. This is actually... great.

     “How can you make eating shawarma seductive even when wearing glasses?”

     “I’m not seducing you,” I licked the sauce on my lower lip.

     “Sure you’re not...” he laughed again.

     “So, how’d you discover this place? I mean, it’s not like someone like you can go in places without being followed,”

     “Of course I can. Just because my life has been a little upgraded doesn’t mean I can’t have fun. Like now, I don’t need bodyguards to come with me,”

     “How can you do it?” I asked, not as Lauren but as Taylor.

     “I don’t care about the paparazzi. I lived my life normal before, and I’ll live it normal until now.” He smirked. “I only have one bodyguard, which is Dave, but other than him, I don’t need tons of them.

     “Right,” I can do it too. But I just can’t go out by myself; but I can do it without bodyguards... sometimes. The only time I was alone all by myself was when I waited for him to pick me up after he had a date with “Lauren”. But there’s really no people around and thankfully no paparazzi that time.

     But he’s freer than me. I can’t even go out with anyone without a single photographer at least on the other side of the street. But to him... I can’t even see a single one around, even on our past hangouts. He doesn’t even use shades. The only time I saw him use it was in Hawaii and in the island; under the sun.

 

 

     I haven’t realized that I haven’t taken my coat off. But I guess that won’t be necessary. The wind kept blowing my wig, which is half refreshing, and half scary. I want to close my eyes and feel the gentle breeze caressing my face and moving to my neck, but I don’t want to miss a single second now that I only have four weeks left in this city.

     “What will you do if I fall?” I smirked to him and looked on the steep pathway I’m stepping on. It seems like blocks glued together that are almost waist high.

     “I don’t know, follow you?” he chuckled.

     “Really,” I looked to him, moving my whole body and my back on the sea. “Ready for a swim?”

     “You’re insane right now, are you,” he laughed taking my hands.

     “That’s probably because you made me bloated,” I grinned and took my hands and started to walk again.

     “Troy? What do you hate in a person?” I said changing the topic.

     “Liars, fakers, I guess... I hate it when people pretend to be someone they’re not. Especially if they do it just to get what they want,” he said as if spitting the words out.

     “Oh,” I swallowed hard. “What if the person just pretends to be somebody else because he’s afraid that the other person wouldn’t like him. Or, what if that’s the only way he could spend time with him?” I said almost saying my own situation.

     “I think the other person would rather know him for who he is, and probably would accept him for who he really is. He doesn’t need to pretend to be accepted.”

     I sighed. If he finds out the truth, will he ever listen to what he just said?

     “Are you watching too much drama?” he chuckled.

     “Yeah,” I smiled.

     “You know, it’s hard to talk to someone who is more than double your height,”

     “That’s fine... at least you can try looking up, even for once,”

     “Well, I’m looking way up right now,”

     “You’re just an inch taller than me...” I giggled.

     “I’m a six footer,” he laughed.

     “Fine,” I said jumping. “There, happy?”

     “Sure,” he smiled for a second then turned into a more serious look. “So, did your dad listen to you already?” he asked as we continued to walk.

     “Listen to what?” I buried my hands in my pocket. “About the island thing? No, he didn’t allow me,”

     “Not that, but since you reminded me, that’s too bad,” he sighed. “You did say that he’s planning to go back to Canada, right?”

     “He... he still haven’t given me any word about it,” I breathed. “Let’s not talk about it, shall we?”

     “I’m not gonna tell you to stay, because your dad probably knows it’s what’s best for you,”

     “I know,” I closed my eyes. And I know that you won’t gonna tell me to stay if you found out who I really am.

     The rest of our walk was in deep tranquillity. We spoke lesser, until we didn’t speak anymore, but it was the best walk I ever had. He drove me back to Stacey’s house by pass midnight. I didn’t want to go home yet, and I’m fortunate enough that Stacey agreed for me to stay overnight.

     When I was about to sleep, my phone rang and it’s Troy again. “Hey, goodnight.”

     “Goodnight,” I said closing my eyes.

     “I just want your voice to be the last voice I hear before I go to sleep. I love you,”

     “Love you too,” I said ending the call. I love you... only if you knew.