Sing a Song

00

Rellie sat on her bed and turned the volume up on her CD player as her brother's demo played.

Her parents were arguing again, and she didn't want to hear it.

She heard a noise and turned the volume down.

The door opened to reveal her elder brother by a year. "Hey, Rell. Is everything okay?"

She sighed. "Mom and Dad are fighting about you again."

"I know. Hey, did I tell you me and the guys are playing the Orpheum?"

"What?! No! Alex, that's amazing!"

"You want to watch our dress rehearsal tomorrow?"

"Um, maybe. I was gonna meet with some friends."

"You could bring them along."

Rellie scoffed. "Hah! Bobby would flirt with them till Hell freezes over."

"That's a tall order."

"I'm sure I could arrange it somehow."

"I don't doubt it."

From downstairs, the two heard their mother yell, "It's your fault he's the way he is!" Then the door slammed.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," Rellie said.

"For what?" Alex replied. "I'm not."

"I'll admit, I don't get it and I don't understand, but no one deserves that. No matter what, you're my brother and I'll always love you."

"I'll always love you too, Rell."

"Now shoo. I wanna enjoy your demo."

Alex laughed and smiled. "The live show is gonna be so much better."

"I'm sure it will be."

"You know it."

Alex left her room, closing the door behind him.

Rellie grabbed a pen and began running it between her fingers.

Somehow, and she wasn't sure why, but she knew tragedy would strike. How, she didn't know.

But she had the feeling that it would hit, and that it would hit hard.

The demo ended and to ease her sadness and light anger, Rellie began humming one of her favorite songs; Sing by the Carpenters.

From outside her door, Alex was listening with a smile. For months, he'd been trying to get her to join the band, as she'd helped come up with the name and was an amazing singer and lyricist, but she wasn't interested.

"Tomorrow it all changes, Rell," Alex said softly. "I hope you'll be there every step of the way."