ASSIGNED

Chapter 21

FEATURED: Asha's audition song
('The Call' by Regina Spektor)

༻✧༺

Wednesday had come and gone, and I had handed in the modern history assignment without a word to Bailey. She had asked me in class if I had given it in, and I nodded my reply. I couldn't bring myself to speak to her, especially since she didn't seem to think she had done anything wrong. For months she had lead me on, only to let me down. Twice.

I sat in front of the piano in our guest room, running my hands over the dusty keys. I hadn't played this piano since we had moved here, only using the school pianos to practice for my audition. My heartbreak had inspired me to compose a new song, and I traced the keys with my fingers trying to find the perfect melody.

My mind kept wandering back to Bailey and all the lies she fed me. 'You can trust me' or 'you'll be safe with me'. Lies. All lies. So that's what I called my new song. Lies.

I spent the rest of the night composing it, staying up until the early hours of the morning until I could play every key without faltering, and hit every note with precision. I poured my heart and soul into that song, and the words cut through me like a knife.

Soon it was mid August, and I was sitting nervously in the music room waiting to begin my audition. It had been weeks since Bailey and I had spoken, but when I caught glimpses of her she looked...sad.

"Asha Lawrence, you're up," my teacher called, and I nervously stood up and walked into the room. I walked over to the piano and leant my sheet music against the piano gently.

"What song will you be performing for us today?" she asked.

"I'll be covering 'The Call' by Regina Spektor," I told her, sitting down at the piano chair.

Her silence indicated that she was ready for me to start, so I placed my fingers gently on the keys, took a deep breath, and began.

'It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word'

'And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry
I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye'

'Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before
All you can do is try to know who your friends are
As you head off to the war'

'Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye'

'You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye'

'Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget'

'Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
'Til they're before your eyes
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye'

'You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye'

I exhaled deeply and gently brought my fingers off the keys. I slowly turned around to see my teachers reaction and was startled when I saw a tear roll down slowly her cheek.

"That was....beautiful," she whispered, wiping her tears away. I stood silently, not knowing whether to thank her for the compliment or apologise for making her cry.

"There's no way you're not performing at the Charity Event and our recital..." she told me, and I thanked her graciously.

"I'd love to, it would be a huge honour!" I told her.

"Your performance was perfect and your delivery was excellent. You project your voice incredibly and it's soft and sweet, yet strong and unwavering. Never in my twenty three years of teaching have I heard a voice like yours," she gushed, and I smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks.

"Wow, thank you so much!" I said.

"Off you go, send the next person in please. I need to fix my makeup," she said, and I thanked her again before walking out of the room.

"So....how did your audition go?" Casey nudged me in the side as we sat down for lunch.

"It went okay," I lied.

"You're lying Asha, I can see it in your eyes," Heidi said, and I couldn't help but break out in a huge smile.

"I got a place for the charity event and the recital!" I exclaimed, and they all cheered and congratulated me loudly.

"Woah, woah, why all the excitement?" Dylan said as he walked over, placing a kiss on Amanda's cheek.

"Asha is going to perform for the Larchdale event and the school recital!" Amanda told him.

"Woah, Ash, that's sick! Congrats!" he said, flashing me a toothy grin.

"Thanks Dyl," I smiled.

"Anyway, what did you come over for?" Amanda asked him.

"I actually came to talk to you Ash, if that's cool?" he said awkwardly, and I nodded.

Dylan pulled me aside and glanced nervously over my shoulder before whispering.

"What the fuck is going on between you and Bailey?"

My heart dropped.

"Nothing? Why?" I asked.

"She's been in a right mood since your party and I know you two hooked up. It's obvious so don't deny it," he said. I stayed silent, not bothering to argue with him.

"And I mentioned your name the other day and she stormed off mid conversation," he explained. I shrugged.

"I don't know what to tell you, Dylan. We've kissed twice and both times she's walked out, then tells me later that it was a drunken mistake. I have no idea what's going on so if you want to know you should really ask her," I said.

"Do you like her?" he asked me, and I was taken aback by how abrupt his question is.

"If you'd asked me that a month ago I would've said yes, now...I'm not so sure," I lied to him, and I walked back over to the girls and sat down. I wasn't sure why I had lied to him, but part of me was hoping that he told Bailey what I had said. Maybe if she thought I didn't like her anymore then she would realise she had feelings for me? Who am I kidding though, that's never going to happen.

"He wanted to ask me why Bailey's been in a shit mood," I told the girls before they could ask.

"I've noticed her mood too, she's been jogging past my house every day and she hasn't been doing that since her parents got divorced. I always know she's in a shit mood when she goes jogging...and she's been jogging every day since your party," Mollie told me, and all the girls went silent.

"You don't think this is information you could've passed on earlier?" Casey asked incredulously, her mouth hanging open.

"It didn't really make sense until just now...sorry!" Mollie defended herself, holding her hands up to surrender.

"She's probably pissed off about something else, I doubt it's because of me," I told them, but they all disagreed.

"Not once in my sixteen years of knowing her has she ever kissed the same person twice, except for her ex girlfriend. But she was a fucking bitch..." Mollie piped up again.

Everything Mollie told me made sense, but I knew it was too good to be true. Why on earth would Bailey be in a bad mood because of me? I hadn't done anything wrong! Had I?