Chapter 1
I stop singing and turn around - he is there, smirking broadly, leaning against the wall in his usual beanie, checked shirt and hoodie. He approaches me smugly, still grinning like an idiot, as if he has something to use against me now.
"So, you can sing, huh?"
I have to keep calm no matter what type of tricks he tries to pull on me. I can't though; I can't even get the words out of my mouth to begin with.
"Shocked I bet," he continues slyly, "but don't worry. This can be our little secret, but, you know, I never would have thought that you of all people would be so hypocritical."
He's crossed the line. Hypocritical? Me?
"H-how am I hypocritical?" I stutter, words coming out of my mouth at last.
He can obviously tell that I'm scared of what's going to happen. I'm always scared when I'm with him, and there's no reason that I shouldn't be. He's a perverted being from outer-space, is why.
"Well, for a start, you DO actually care what others think of you, even though you said you didn't in your magazine article. Speaking of which, you also lied to everyone and said you couldn't sing when we both know you can sing like an angel,” he winks at me when he says that. “In addition to ALL of this, you're a hypocrite because you're telling others to do whatever they want and not care about people's views about them yet you're doing exactly that."
There's no pause when he finishes, I know exactly what to say, building up a well-developed answer in my head as he speaks.
"I'm not that good, and besides, don't think that you have the upper hand with this, alright? Also, I do not care what others think of me. Why would you think that?" I'm not scared anymore, my fear has turned into anger and I'm fuming.
"Well," again, there's no pause, "you care what people would think about you. Isn't it obvious why?"
This time there's a pause.
"You idiot," he laughs jubilantly. "You care because if you didn't you would be singing at your concerts, singing your songs and ours, making covers and showing the world your beautiful voice! But, because you're too scared, you don't. Get it?"
He's treating me like an idiot, as if I know nothing and he's the supreme ruler of know-it-alls. I do know. Of course I do. But... He's right... I have an inferiority complex, I know I do. I just don't want other girls ending up like me, afraid of the world's views, thinking that everyone looks down on them...
"Inferiority complex, I know." he says. "I know you just want to protect other girls. It's alright, I understand."
Whoa... Wait a minute... How...?
on earth did you just do that?! Did you read my mind again?! What is up with that alien power?"
He's laughing, just plain old laughing-so-hard-I-can't-breathe. There's no meaning behind it, like his laugh always has and it's cute.
I
end up smiling and feeling stupid because of it. I can't explain why, but I'm happy.
"Why are you smiling?" he asks, smiling himself.
How do I answer...?
"Because you were laughing, stupid!" No, you're the one who's stupid for saying that. Why did I say that? He'll make fun of me now, won't he?
"Well, as much as I'd love to stand here smiling, we have some work to do."
Oh... I guess he WON'T make fun of me...
"WE? What are WE doing exactly?"
"We are going to work on your voice, and therefore your inferiority complex," he tells me.
"
The first time I met Josh was in high school. No one knew that I could sing that well, or sing at all for that matter. I wanted to keep it a secret because I was afraid of people judging me. I didn’t have that many friends to begin with in high school – I was considered ‘weird’. I had the odd Chemistry or Maths partner which I asked about homework and classwork, but that was it and I failed most of my subjects even though my high school was private.
The day I met Josh was in the music rooms. I was alone, it was after school and I was singing one of my songs. I was always too afraid to even sing facing the door so my back was turned away, if not I surely would have noticed him walk in on me. When he saw me singing I think my heart stopped for a second, I mean I literally felt like I was about to die, ya know? I was just thinking my secret is out; my life is over, what will people say? Will they ask me to sing in front of them? Tease me about it? I was just so nervous, but ya know, Josh helped me through it.”
“I see,” the interviewer said, nodding her head slightly. “So the reason you and Josh are together is because..?”
"Wh…? What? When did we jump to that!? I thought we were just talking about how Josh and I met,” I laugh nervously. I want to avoid that subject as much as possible. Talking about it in public will just make me feel more embarrassed.
“Well, ya see,” Josh says while he leans forward slightly to the interviewer, as though he is about to say something extremely important and confidential, “Hayley used to call me a perverted alien, so I guess you could say we met on Mars; a giant floating chocolate bar in space. We simply ate the planet from different ends until we kissed in the middle and simply fell in love that way and decided to be together.”
And of course, Josh swoops in and saves me. He’s been doing that ever since we met and I can’t thank him enough for it. For now I’ll just laugh at his immaturity and his cute smile.
