The Past Returned

Chapter Five

We walked into the classroom, & there were about 15 chairs in a circle. I was glad to see there wouldn't be many people in the class. That would mean less of an embarrassment for me. We chose chairs next to each other, & sat down. In just a couple of minutes, the classroom was filled. I knew this would be a 'get to know you' lesson today. I always hated those things. I'm always too shy to say much. So, this should be fun. I looked over at Ryan. He looked a little nervous. I wasn't sure why, but I wouldn't be asking him. No matter how much I really wanted to. He looked at me, & saw that I was looking at him. He smiled, so I smiled back. He always caught me looking at him. That must mean I look at him a lot. A couple more minutes passed by, & the teacher walked in.

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Reese, & I will be your writing teacher this year. You will each need to focus on the type of writing you will be doing: Lyrics, books, news stories, et cetera. I am here to help all of you on whatever course you are on. For some of you, this will be easy. For others, good luck. Today we will be getting to know each other a little. First, I want all of you to stand up & say your names & where you were born. That should be easy enough." she said, ending her speech.

She pointed at the girl to the left of me, & said to go clockwise around the circle. That meant I would be last. Great. Everybody stood up, & said their names & the states where they were born. There were names like Jessica & Britney, or Greg & Sam. It was almost my turn, & Ryan stood up.

"I'm Ryan, & I was born here in New York." he said.

New York? He told me he was from Maryland. Maybe Maryland is just where he came from before he moved here. I wonder what made him want to move from a big, busy city, to a calm place with beaches. I really didn't want to stand up at all. My face went red, & I stood up.

"I'm Abby, & I was born in Colorado." I said, embarrassed. I sat down fast, wanting the attention to fade away from me.

"I'm so glad to learn all of your names. Hopefully I'll remember them when I see them on TV or on the covers of books some day. Unless you choose some silly nickname to go by." she laughed. "Next, I want you to stand up, & say why you were inspired to start down whatever path you are on." she finished.

I knew my answer as soon as she mentioned it. I was really waiting to hear what Ryan's answer would be. My answer would probably be lame compared to his. I tried not to listen to everybody else's answers, so I wouldn't change my own answer to make mine sound the same. Finally, Ryan's turn came up, & he stood up.

"I was inspired to start singing when I was only 4. My mother sang all the time to my family. She had the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. The rest of my brothers & sisters grew up to be models, & business owners. I decided I wanted to be different than them, & make my mother proud that I was following after the dream she once had." he said, with a proud look on his face.

He sat down then, as everybody was clapping for him. He really did have one of the most inspiring stories. I hated having to tell my story after his. Mine would probably sound very dull compared to his. Oh well. So, I finally stood up.

"Music, to me, is a way to let our emotions out, or to let others know how we feel. If we don't know the right thing to say, we can always just write down our feelings, & make a song out of it. I've always been a shy person, so being able to have a way to say how I really feel, really helps me. Music is also an escape from the real world. It can make us feel better about certain situations, or even help us through hard times. I want to be able to help people through their hard times. That's why I chose to follow the path of being a professional singer." I finally finished, with a blush.

I sat down, & looked down until everybody stopped clapping for me. I didn't want everybody to see how red my face was. At least I had gotten my feelings out.