Heart & Soul

Chapter 3 - Erika (Week 2)

Well, that was almost four months ago. Now, with butterflies in my stomach, and two suitcases full of clothes and things to remind me of home, I am about to board the plane that's going to take me cross country — Connecticut to California. Apparently, there's another girl on this flight who's a part of the show, but I didn't care enough to ask who it was. Turning on one of my songs, I listen to it, trying to find any flaw in it that I don't like. Unlike my family, I am not a nerd or geek or genius. I love making music. And I'd like to think I'm good at it. I'm one of the few people that actually likes listening to themselves because it makes me a better singer. The bass needs to be more prominent here and the drums toned down, ew. My melody really needs to change. I'll work on that when we get to Cali.

"Hi. I'm Lylah Schroeder. You must be Erika Taylor." A girl sits next to me on the plane and I just have a feeling she knows my name because she's on the show too. Putting my headphones back on, I try to tune her out, but it's a long flight with a layover. I have only been on a plane once, but I've heard layovers suck.

"What are you listening to?" She asks and I give up.

"Do you want to listen to it?" I ask, and she lights up. Lylah seems like a sweet girl who just wants to make a friend.

"Sure. Who is it by?" She asks, and hand her my headphones so she can listen, choosing not to answer her question. Watching her reaction, I make a note of what she likes and dislikes. "That was really good. Who sang that?"

"That was me." Her mouth gapes open and I nod, confirming what she just heard.

"You sang that?" She asks, and I take back my phone.

"Wrote, sang, produced. The whole thing," I watch her reaction fade from shocked to amazed.

"You are amazing! Do you have any other songs?" I nod, pulling up the three albums worth of music I've made. This has been five years in the making, so it makes sense that I have so many songs. While she listens to all thirty seven songs, I start writing lyrics for another song I've been trying to write, finally finding the right words. I finish off the song and start going through the rewrite process, which usually takes me a couple weeks and then find the melody, make the music, and put it on my phone.

"Those are amazing. Like professional grade. Are these on YouTube or anything?" Lylah asks two hours later, and I shake my head.

"No way. You're the first person to ever hear those songs besides myself."

"Girl, you need to post those online. Seriously, you would get a fanbase so quickly." I shrug, and the rest of the flight we talk about different bands that are amazing - which doesn't include Heart & Soul.

"Gray Matter has some really good songs. Look them up sometime," I say, just as the plane lands and there are claps and cheers, which in my opinion don't make sense, but whatever. To each his own. While the plane taxis, I grab my backpack from under the seat in front of me and my bag from the overhead compartment, following Lylah to the next flight, which is in an hour and a half.

Passing the time quickly, Lylah and I head onto the plane and realize we aren't sitting with each other this time. To be honest, I'm both happy and sad this is the case. I prefer my quiet time but she is so sweet you don't want to hurt her feelings. The next four hours pass by in a breeze, and with only mild turbulence, we land in warm and sunny California. Honestly, I hope I get deleted off the show quickly. Not only because I hate the show and the band, but because I just want to get on with my life. Not put it on hold for eight months.

"Come on, let's go find our ride. I'm so excited!" Lylah squeals and we head to baggage claim to pick up our bags and see that there's a couple other girls already with the driver who is holding a sign saying "Choosing Right Contestants".