Authors: Casey Elliot
Hard Hit
*****
The lights…
The sounds…
The hundreds of eyes watched as her fingers hit the keys…
Sarah Matthews took all of them in, letting it all consume her, as she played. She closed her eyes, focusing on her wish; the only thought she had in her mind as she hit every note.
“Will it reach them? Please reach them…,”
she repeated over and over in her mind. She wanted her feelings, her emotions, basically all of herself to wash over everyone who was listening to make them experience what she experiences.
Music is the window to the soul. It’s this thought that had been ingrained in her ever since she developed an interest to playing the piano, and it was still true for her even now. She was never a good conversationalist. She was always stringing her words together or else the things she wanted to say became lodged in her throat. But, whenever she played, the people understood how she felt at that particular moment, and it became a medium that she came to depend on to communicate with everyone.
That is, until last year, when the thing she loved became the very thing she hated at the same time.
As she finished the last bar of the song, raising her hand in a flourish, there was a minute of complete silence from the audience before they erupted with riotous applause. The piano competition had just become a concert to them, and she soaked it all in; a relieved smile on her face. Her eyes slid to the rows of seats in front, and her smile slowly slipped off her face as she caught sight of her parents; the both of them looking at her with worried discontent.
It was, as if, despite the loud shouts and cheers from all of the spectators, they still hadn’t thought she was good enough.
She got up from her seat, walked to the front of the stage, and took a bow before she took her exit to the right where her best friend was smiling widely. Her best friend switched her weight from one foot to the other, positively giddy about her performance.
“You were awesome, Sarah!” she said, and Sarah smiled weakly.
“Mae, you say that for every performance I do,” Sarah said, and Mae tutted at her before wrapping her arms around her best friend in a hug.
“That’s because you’re awesome in every performance. Don’t deny it, babe,” Mae replied, and Sarah hugged her back.
Both of them walked back to the dressing room, so that Sarah could change out of her formal wear. Mae sighed as Sarah unzipped her gown and started taking the pins out of her hair to pull it out of the bun.
“I wish you’d stay that way a little longer. You’re really beautiful like that,” Mae commented.
Sarah stopped pulling the pins and looked at both of their reflections in the mirror. Sarah’s brown hair was a little messy and falling apart, but her face had a touch of makeup that Mae insisted she needed on stage. Sarah admitted her best friend was right; for it made her naturally pale skin look rosy and her hazel eyes pop out. She does look very beautiful when she’s all dolled up to play.
But just like how every performance was a dream she never wanted to wake up from, she was bound to transform back to the awkward, teenage girl she really was. She’d take off her contacts and put her huge glasses over her eyes, tie her hair in that messy braid so it would stay away from her eyes, and wear jeans and large t-shirts every day.
She couldn’t understand why her best friend noticed her among the throngs of people in their campus anyway. She was a tall, statuesque blonde with sparkling blue eyes and a perfect smile that everyone gushed and gravitated toward. Mae was the kind of girl that girls like Sarah were afraid of approaching and never dared to make eye contact with.
But, one day in the music room had changed everything.
She was playing one of those songs she heard on the radio, too engrossed in the piano keys to realize someone had come in and was listening to her play.
When she opened her eyes and saw Mae standing with her mouth agape, Sarah blushed crimson, stopping mid-way into the score. Mae blinked a few times, as she came down from the illusion emitted from Sarah’s music, and she smiled widely at her.
“That was amazing!” Mae marveled, and Sarah looked away; feeling awkward as Mae walked closer and sat on the seat next to her. “Hi, I’m Mae,” she introduced; extending her hand for Sarah to shake.
Sarah stared at it uncertainly, and then back to Mae’s face a couple of times before shaking Mae’s hand hesitantly.
“Sarah,” she mumbled, and she was rewarded by another dazzling smile.
“How come I’ve never seen you around before?” Mae asked, and Sarah shrugged.
“I’m just usually invisible. It’s not a big deal. I’m used to it,” Sarah replied. Mae leaned closer to Sarah, making the latter look at the former straight in her eyes.
“Well, Sarah. That is about to change,” Mae whispered.
And she was right. Sarah stopped being invisible from the moment Mae eavesdropped on her playing the piano and life had never been the same. Mae Shepherd was a cool kid hanging out with an outcast and, at first, everyone found the relationship weird, but when it became clear to them and to Sarah herself, that Mae wasn’t going anywhere, everyone accepted it.
Mae introduced Sarah to her parents and her older brother, Jake, and her family treated Sarah like an honorary daughter. Sarah sometimes wished that her family was more like the Shepherds instead. They weren’t rich, but they had a close-knit relationship and they cared about each other a lot; more than Sarah could ever say about her own parents.
Ever since she was a child, Sarah’s parents had pushed her to be the best. They wanted her to excel in academics and, in Sarah’s case, a pianist. For the Matthews, reputation was everything, and they pressured Sarah to always win at competitions. At first, Sarah didn’t mind her parents’ insistence that she win at every music competition in the district, but over time, her accolades grew and her parents demanded more from her until she grew to resent her talent. It was the Shepherds who pulled her out of her funk and gave her a new goal. It was to be successful enough to break from the chains of control that her family bound her in.
“The dream has to end sometime, Mae,” Sarah mumbled; still staring at their reflection. Mae gave her a sympathetic smile in response.
“Come on. We already know you got this in the bag. Want to go and skip out on the rest of the program and watch my brother practice?” Mae asked, causing Sarah to blush profusely.
That was another reason Sarah was thankful she had met Mae because she had a closer access to her brother.
*****
From the first time Sarah had laid eyes on Jake Shepherd, she felt a sharp tug at her heartstrings and thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He was a big guy; tall and muscular, with dirty blonde hair that was styled in a military buzz cut, making his dark blue eyes stand out. He had a habit of looking directly into the eyes of the person he speaks to; his gaze so intense that Sarah had a hard time staring back at him.
Jake Shepherd was a senior in college, and where Sarah excelled in the musical field, Jake was a star on the football field. He was a quarterback, and his parents had worked hard to earn money for his college until he was granted a football scholarship at the start of his second year.
“I thought he was back in his dorm,” Sarah said, and Mae shrugged; taking the gown Sarah had peeled off of her and placing it inside the suit bag.
“No, he had a school holiday, so he came over to help out the Coach with the new recruits. He told me he’s going to show him how it is to be a Gladiator,” Mae replied.
Sarah finished changing and followed Mae out of the dressing room. She sent a quick text to her mom, telling her where she was going, and then promptly turned off her phone. She already knew that her mother was going to insist she stick around for the results and come home with them, so she could start practicing as soon as she can, but she just can’t handle them right now. She needed to cool her head from the combined high and stress from being on stage before she went and butted heads with her parents, and watching her ultimate crush was just the way to do it.
“Hey, Bozo! Come over here and give your sister some lovin’!” Mae yelled from the side of the field, and Jake shook his head as he jogged toward her. Sarah gulped as she watched Jake’s naked chest glisten with sweat; making his perfectly sculpted body gleam from the sunlight, and she had to look away feeling her neck heating up.
Jake stopped in front of Mae and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, lifting her off her feet as he spun her around. Mae squealed hysterically before whining how sweaty he was, making her brother laugh at her.
“Get off of me. You reek!” Mae shrieked, but Jake merely tightened his hold around his sister in retaliation.
“You’re the one who asked for it, so you’re going to get it!” Jake said, hugging her for a few more seconds before setting her down and turning to Sarah to whom he smiled cheerfully.
“Hey, Pancake. Want a hug?” Jake asked, opening his arms wide in offer while Sarah shook her head, biting her lip to keep from laughing.
“No, I’m fine smelling like myself at the moment, Nugget,” Sarah replied, making Jake chuckle.
Sarah blushed, as she remembered how they started calling each other those pet names. The three of them went to eat at a McDonald’s, and since Jake had a bottomless pit for a stomach, he’d go and steal his sister’s food, which was a really big deal for Mae. He’d then sit and pout at her, staring at her food until Sarah gave in to his cute face and ordered chicken nuggets, his usual order, and asked if he wanted to share. His eyes lit up like Christmas, and Sarah blushed when he took her hand with both of his.
“You are a lifesaver, Sarah. Just for that, I’ll buy you another order of pancakes because you seem to like them so much,” Jake said.
“What about me?” Mae asked, and Jake glared at her.
“Satan doesn’t get shit because she’s incapable of sharing,” Jake answered, and the siblings proceeded to bicker in front of Sarah.
Sarah didn’t care one bit about their squabble because the only thought running through her head was how Jake remembered her order. Surely remembering someone’s order counted for something, right?
And so their tradition started, and Sarah couldn’t recall which one had the idea or which one of them thought of it first, but they started calling each other by their favorite order and it stuck. Sarah held on to this moment like a lifeline because this was what set her apart from other girls. She was friendlier, closer to him, and she was comforted by that thought.
But sometimes, that thought was immediately followed by another thought. That to be so close to him that way, she was venturing toward more of an unattainable, sisterly affection from him rather than the romantic one she desperately craved.
Jake talked to them for a bit before he went back to the team and joined the huddle. Mae then pushed Sarah to the bleachers and they sat down and watched Jake do his thing. Sarah wasn’t much of a fan of football, but she had been present for every game because of Mae who was cheer captain in their school. Over time, she learned how the game went, but if she had to admit it, she was only watching right now because it made her feel closer to Jake.
Jake had graduated from high school by the time Sarah entered it, and had only met him the week after she met Mae when the latter invited her for a sleepover.
The two girls were up all night watching chick flicks and fell asleep well into the early hours of the morning. Sarah had slept so well that she had forgotten she wasn’t in her own home, and when she entered the bathroom and sat down on the toilet to pee, she was too groggy to realize that there was a six-foot tall and muscular man putting on a towel while he was in the shower.
Jake’s eyes widened, as he watched this complete stranger do her business in their toilet. He remained quiet for a few moments; waiting for her to notice that he was inside of the bathroom, but when it became clear she wasn’t about to open her eyes, he placed his fist in front of his mouth and coughed pointedly.
Sarah’s eyes opened slowly; her eyes focusing on Jake little by little. She blinked a couple of times before she finally realized she wasn’t alone.
“Hi,” Jake said simply.
Sarah blinked and before Jake knew it, she had pulled her pants back up, flushed, and ran the hell out of the bathroom. He stared after her for a few moments before breaking out into loud guffaws; the sound embarrassing Sarah further.
When everyone had come down from breakfast all showered and covered up, Sarah had apologized profusely to Jake, and he took it all with ease.
“You’re a funny girl, Sarah. I like that,” he said, smiling at her. Sarah had blushed at his compliment and couldn’t say anything in response, but it was around that moment when she had started to fall for him.
“Will Jake be staying awhile?” Sarah asked, snapping out of her reverie. Mae’s face turned ghastly at this question.
“No. He says his
precious girlfriend
wants him back soon, and he can’t say no to her,” Mae grumbled, and Sarah’s heart sank.
That was another reason why Sarah merely admired Jake from afar. He has a girlfriend of four years to whom he was absolutely faithful to, and whom Mae absolutely loathes. Mae told her that their parents weren’t particularly thrilled about Jake’s girlfriend either, and they have yet to see her in person. Mae had met her before though, during one of her visits to her brother’s campus, and when Sarah asked her how she was, Mae only replied with one word: awful.
“That’s too bad,” Sarah offered sympathetically.
Whether Sarah meant what she said for Mae, for herself, or both, she was not about to elaborate.