Star Gazing

Part eleven.

I was nervous. I did not want to go to the Hanson's house. Zac would make me sing to the piano, everyone would hear me. No, I did NOT want to go to that house.

But I was making my way there. Not on my account, but on Mira's. She was going there, I was following. I always followed her, remember?

I didn't have anything to worry about. Zac couldn't MAKE me sing in front of them. No way. Nobody could MAKE me sing, I was in control. Right?

I'd never remembered being this fidgetty before. I took in a deep breath and wondered why I was so nervous, anyway! I didn't need to impress anybody but I felt I had to.

The bus trip took much less time than usual. Or so it seemed that way.

I followed Mira up their driveway, taking the smallest steps possible - not to mention I was dragging my feet terribly.

Zac answered the door and smiled a sickly sweet smile at me. "So glad you could make it Carrie!" Mira looked at me highbrown then winked at Zac and walked past him, to find where Taylor was hiding. She was definately getting the wrong idea!

I attempted to also, walk straight past Zac, following in my sister's footsteps - but it was not to be so. He stuck his arm in the way of me and said annoyingly, "Uh uh uh!"

I narrowed my eyes at him and he continued talking, "Don't you remember our little deal? The piano is that-a way." He pointed to his left, Mira had walked to his right.

I shot back, "There's no deal! Anyway, I can't leave Mira there, alone with Taylor!"

"Carrie. Taylor's not going to bite."

Giving Zac a look I stated, "I have to stay with Mira."

"Wheeling the piano out there is going to be a little difficult, but if you insist - I don't mind teaching you to sing in front of our sibs."

Zac had trapped me. Why did he have to be such a smartarse? It was, quite frankly, annoying.

"Look Zac. This is just something I have to do. Be close to Mira."

"Don't be ridiculous! You're going to be in the same house as her! What can possibly go wrong?!"

I tried looking over Zac to see if she where she was, and if she was okay. I don't know, but when Zac said, 'what can possibly go wrong,' I became worried. Maybe he just jinxed her!

"Anything and everything could go wrong," I snapped at him.

"But what could you do about it anyway?"

Zac and his way with words.

"At least I'd be there!"

"Carrie. Okay listen. This has gotten way out of hand. You are going to be in the same house as her! This house is practically like your house anyway. You're here all the time. But that's not the point. At your house, you don't go in the shower with her do you?"

I scrunched my nose up and nodded sarcastically.

He continued, "So, just pretend that she's in the shower, and this is your house. Easy."

Zac should be a con man for a living.

He still kept talking. "Besides, you guys have been here long enough to know that nobody's in danger here. What, only if you count Mackie slashing you to bits with his glow in the dark, plastic sword."

I sighed.

"Where's the piano?" I inquired, boredly.

He led me and we reached a pretty room with lots of decorations hanging on the walls. I guessed it was a room to please the guests.

There it was, the piano. Right, smack bam, in the middle of the room.

"I can leave the door open if you want so you'd be able to hear Mira if she screams a blood curdling scream! But then again, she's be able to hear you when you sing your blood curdling song!"

I found myself trapped again. I stomped past Zac and shut the door.

He smiled that sickly sweet smile at me and said, "I thought so."

When Zac made his way to the piano, I began to wonder why I was here in the first place. I didn't even want his dumb singing lessons! But I guessed it was too late 'cause Zac was already holding down and key.

"Sing," he stated.

I groaned inwardly when I thought about how bad I would sound. Anyhow, I opened my mouth and let out a "Ahhhh."

The look on Zac's face told me that I was off key. I couldn't tell these type of things.

"Carrie, you're flat."

I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "I never realized."

Zac looked at me disgustedly.

He's interperated it the wrong way! Ew, gross - he was sick... to think that I could be that sick!

Nevertheless Zac kept talking, "Try it again."

"Ahhhh."

"Today's going to be a long day...."

I saw this as a way out of singing. "You don't have to teach me, you know!"

"Just sing," he grumbled.

****

It was about one week since the first time Zac had heard me sing.

I'd be going to the piano room every day since. I was actually kind of enjoying the lessons. It was better than being left out of the conversation with Mira and Tay. Here, I actually was paid attention.

I hadn't really made any substantial improvement in my singing. I still couldn't sing to the piano.

I walked into their piano room to find Zac sitting there waiting for me. I could hear Taylor and Mira's voices cut off as I shut the door. "Let's get started," I said.

Instead of hearing a key on the piano, I heard Zac's voice. "You like jellybeans?"

What?! Um... this was unusual.

"Uhhh, would you believe me if I said no? Anyway, what type of question is that?"

I saw Zac produce a big bowl of jellybeans from behind the piano. He seemed to ignore what I said. "You sing off-key, I get a jellybean. You sing on key, you get one," Zac comprimised.

I laughed at how silly that was. Trust Zac to think up something like that!

Nonetheless, we began practising. Zac played a note on the piano and I exercised my vocal chords.

After Zac had eaten about ten lollies, compared to me - none, I smirked at the bowl of jellybeans, "Looks like you'll be putting on some weight."

"Eh?! I'm a musician, not a model."

"Ever tried out for the opera?"

"Not funny," he stated.

I smiled and he cracked his imaginary whip and demanded me to, "Sing!"

****

I only saw a glimpse of yellow before I felt a little 'plonk' on my forehead.

Due to natural reflexes, I rubbed my head and said, "Ouch."

Zac sniggered and said. "You can have it, I'm getting sick of jellybeans anyway!"

I looked at the half empty bowl of lollies and exclaimed sarcastically, "Oh, you're pitying me now?"

"You'd better eat it before I change my mind."

I don't know what came over me but at that moment, I felt like being cheeky.

I popped the lolly in my mouth then took it out again and walked up to Zac.

I shoved my hand with the soggy jellybean, into the bowl and mixed it around a bit. Then I showed Zac my pearly whites.

Zac was shocked for a couple of seconds then he tensed up and said, "Ewww!"

After about one minute of saying, 'gross, sick, disgusting, yuck' blah blah, Zac sighed and relaxed.

Then he laughed, "They were all Taylor's anyway!"

****

The phone rang and I smiled as I went to answer it. Ever since I started talking again, I felt the childish love of answering the phone. Is it just a phase everyone goes through?

"Hello?"

"Hi Carrie, is Mira there?"

"Yeah, oh um actually, no. She's in the loo."

"Oh."

There was a silence. Did I make him feel uncomfortable 'cause I said she was in the loo? Hmm... if Mira told that to Zac, he'd probably say, 'Wow, the house must stink.'

I had to cover the silence so I said, "Ah yeah. I can get her to call you back, if you want."

"Nah don't worry. But tell her that Mackie's got the chicken pox so if she hasn't had them, she'd better not come over. That goes for you too."

I racked my brain to remember if she'd had them or not. Yep. She's had them before.

I answered, "It's okay. Mira's already had them, we'll be over soon."

"Okay cool, seeya."

"Bye."

With that, we hung up. Taylor had been nicer to me once I'd stopped watching them talk in the lounge.

Mira walked out into the room I was in. "Who was on the phone?"

"Taylor."

There was a silence.

Mira asked highbrow. "Well... what did he want?"

"He said that Mac has the chicken pox so if you haven't had them, then you shouldn't go over there."

"Okay, well bye then," she said, sneaking out the door.

I ran and caught up with me. "Wait for me why don't you."

"Carrie, you can't come."

I looked at her puzzled.

"You haven't had the chicken pox, remember?"

I let out a hardly audible, "Oh."

"Bye!" She called out then she ran in the direction of the bus stop.

I walked back into the house when she was completely out of sight. It then just occured to me that Mira had left. Mira and I were apart!

Not in the same house. Not within a close distance of each other.

My heart started pumping fast. What, this! Huh?

I tried to calm myself down. It was no big deal, I kept repeating in my head. I'd been apart from her before. At Taylor's house. I was never even with her!

Nothing was going to happen to Mira. After all, she was going to the Hanson's and that place was safe. They wouldn't let anything happen to her!

But what about on the way there! The bus! While she was walking from to the bus stop!

I started coughing, hard. Relax Carrie. Breathe in.

I thought positively.

I was going to stop following Mira eventually. I just needed a bit of time. Well, I laughed sickly, a bit of time had now passed.

I needed to deal with it. I couldn't continue following her forever. Besides I had been building up to the occasion by being in separate rooms as her - at the Hanson's and here.

It was the beginning of a new Carrie. First I started talking, now I stopped following Mira. The next thing I know, I'll be wishing upon stars. But that, that is something I'll never do. I know that for sure...?

But how can I know anything for sure? At the beginning of this year, I thought I'd be the same Carrie as I was the last year. I didn't think my life would change so much!

When I used to hear people claim how surprizing life was, I always smirked. My life used to be terribly predictable.

Now, everything's changed!


Part twelve...

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