Chemistry

Chapter 30: Guardian Angel

Tiara held both pieces of her cello in her hands as she sunk in her puddle of despair. She was devastated. How in the world did this happen? And why did it have to happen on the day of her audition? The day of her birthday! It's been holding up for almost ten years. One more day couldn't hurt. Tiara wasn't sure if she should cry, or throw the remaining pieces of the instrument at the wall in front of her in a furious rage.

Her decision turned out to be neither of the choices as she felt her back flipping stomach end in a solid flop. She bent down to put the pieces back into the case. 

There were only two options: either walk out and quit, or go around the room and see who would let her borrow their cello. She felt that option number two was worth a shot before giving up. So she prepared her search by looking around the room at numbers. Her eyes scurried around looking for folders that had the numbers 73-80, any number that came after 72. Of course going for lower numbers would increase her chance in finding a working cello, but the problem was, if their performance came first, there was no way Tiara could get a hold of their instrument. She could try leaving the room again to get it, but she didn't want to risk getting caught and being disqualified. 

"Number fifty-four!" 

A girl who was in the midst of the many social circles in the room stopped talking, and looked over to where the voice had come from. "That's me!" she exclaimed raising her hand once she saw the man.

"You're up!" he announced.

"Oh my gawd," the girl squealed fanning herself. "Wish me luck!" She said to her posse before turning and walking out the door.

Tiara noticed a number 79 on one of the girls' folders. There was a chance that this girl might let her borrow her cello, right? Why wouldn't she? Tiara nervously stood up from her chair and walked towards the three girls who had been giggling. They stopped abruptly when Tiara approached them. "Hi. Um, I know you don't know me, but I was kinda wondering if you could do me a favor?"

Number 79 turned around, looking Tiara up and down with grimace; silently wondering what this girl could possibly want.

Tiara waited for a response, but soon realized that she wouldn't get one. "Okay," she softly said, trying to dismiss the girl's rude gesture. "I realized that you're number seventy-nine, and I'm number seventy-two. So I was wondering if you could let me borrow your cello-,"

"No," the girl scowled. The way she said it would have made any bystander assume that Tiara had asked the girl something foul. Like if she could watch a dolphin rape her as she sat in amiable satisfaction. 

A sudden jerk of the head and a shocked face expression was Tiara's only response. 'Well sh*t. Excuse me.'

"Why would I help you out in a competition?" Number 79 responded in a tone that said, 'Are you stupid? Shouldn't you know to never help out your competitor?" She rolled her eyes at Tiara's cluelessness as she turned back to her friends.

No matter how much it killed her, Tiara knew the girl was right. She made her way back to her seat knowing that it'd be almost impossible to get someone to offer up their cello. No one in their right mind would. Even she would think twice before making such a courteous, yet jeopardizing decision.

It was only a few seconds after Tiara had sat back down when she spotted a cello case standing up tall. It was beside a beach blonde girl sitting down in the corner opposite from the one Tiara was sitting in. And she was...reading a book? How could she be peacefully reading a book with all this competitive tension and anxiety floating around the room. She had her back against the wall with her legs crossed and outstretched in front of her. She looked like an understanding person. Maybe she could be the one to give up her cello. It was worth a shot.