LEMON HEAD (English version) #Wattys2016

6.TURN UP THE MUSIC

After they had told me all their stories I could see that they haven't really wonderful lifes as it seemed. I thought that ten it was my turn, that I would had to tell them my life and I get nervous. But fortunately they may thought they didn't know me since too long and they didn't want to put me under pressure because, althought they looked at me waiting for me to say something, they didn't ask anything to me and I felt so thankful for that.

Then, Charlie sat down behind the drums, Stella got the guitar and Mariah got the bass. Robert got a microphone, he connected it and gave it to me:

-Can you sing? -it sounded like a order instead of a question.

-Bu... but. I don't know... -I tried to cop-out, feeling so nervous.

-Bah, you'll do it well -that was Robert's answer.

They started to play a melody that sounded so familiar to me. Obviouslly, it was a song of Lemonade Mouth, "Turn Up The Music". I started to sing after the instrumental introduction:

Na na na na naaa... Naaaa naa...

Take a look around

Who would have thought we'd all be here?

So let's mess around

'Cause the future is unclear...

At the beggining I started to sing really low, almost inaudible. But as the song was going ahead, I felt more confident and I enjoyed it more. It was the first (and I hoped it wouldn't be the last) song wich I played with those guys and it was an ideal one because it was exactley about that, about that sometimes you have to let the music take you to paradise so everyone can hear you. I forgot for some minutes about how "nobody" I felt and I really enjoyed being there, with those people, in that moment. I felt proud of being myself for first time since long ago.

Once we had finished, the guys applauded. Robert congratulated me and the others showed amazed faces because my performing. Throught it all, I wasn't totally sure that I did it so good. I felt happy but disconcerted for having so many people (that was already too much people to me) around me, talking to me and saying something about my "fantastic voice". All those praises harassed me so I suddenly left from there. Everybody looked at me suprised, without understanding what had happened to me.

I ran and ran two blocks away from the house, feeling nervous and tired. I started to walk slower untill I could think straight. Now I felt ashamed and I regretted what had happened. Why had I ran away that way? The same as when Mariah and Charlie talked to me for first time and I did the same as then, I ran away. It really made me mad, so mad! But I was so shy and I got stressed so easily and sometimes I had those sudden impulses that made me do silly things before I could think if I should do it or not, and I always ended up regreting it.

I was thinking about all those things when suddenly I heard a voice shouting my name. It was Charlie going towards me.

-Leila, wait! -I prentended I didn't hear him but then I thought that it would be also stupid becuase he was getting nearer and it was impossible that I couldn't hear it. He got closer panting and once he was in front of me he continued to say: -Are you okay?

-Yeah -I answered, so low and looking the floor.

-You suddenly ran away and... I don't know. Have we done something annoying to you?

-No way.

-So...?

-Sorry, it's my blame. I get stressed with so many people.

-Yes, I understand. It happened to me too. You know what?, at the beggining when I changed of school and before Mariah "saved me" I was also so alone and it was awkward to me the first times I met with her and, later, with the other guys. I guess that it happens the same to you and that you feel awkward when someone congratulates you and says that you do something well because you find hard to believe that somebody likes you, right?

While he was talking my eyes were getting flooded of tears. Yeah, it was exactley that. My life was like this and that was how I felt in that moment. But I don't know if it was because my pride or my shame to confess that my life was as "pathetic" as Charlie had described, I said to Charlie that it wasn't like that, that he didn't know anything about my life and I asked him to let me alone.

And I went crying to home without looking to that boy again.