Snow Angels and Honky Tonk Angels- The Westwood School Sequel

Winter's Night

Magnolia:

Huh.

I glanced back and forth between them for a split second, and then shrugged the thought off. That's an issue for another day.

"Why don't you sing for us?" Rowen said softly, looking into my eyes. I couldn't help but have my heart skip a beat and feel a flush appearing on my cheeks.

Dumbstruck, I just nodded without thinking or leaving my eyes from his.

"Great!" Caspian said excitedly, snapping me out of my trance.

"But Nola always sings," David wined before my mom shushed him.

I signed and acquiesced, moving to go stand by the fire, Ruby right behind me. We locked eyes and I mumbled, "One, two three,"

"Go to sleep you little baby," I started singing that song that is deeply ingrained into my mind and that we would always sing together, almost absentmindedly.

"Go to sleep you little baby," She echoed, slightly softer than me.

I tapped my hand on my leg as we repeated those same lines, before harmonizing together, "Your mama's gonna away and your daddy's gonna stay, don't leave nobody but the baby."

The song was slow and almost eerie, but it reminded me of songs my grandparents would sing to me when I was little, and it was such a folk song. It just felt... familiar.

We kept singing like that, I sang first, Ruby repeated me and then we harmonized together with the verse-type sections. I think the song was about a man and his baby after the mother left, but honestly, who knows.

It didn't take long for us to go through the song, it was rather short and not particularly difficult. But I was nervous to sing something so utterly different than what my friends had heard me sing before. Normally I would sing old rock songs, but here I was, singing bluegrass.

When we finished singing there was the applause which made me blush and feel embarrassed. I didn't mind being cheered on by fans but having my family and friends applaud me was awkward. I think it's because I love my family, but growing up they sort of acted like I just didn't sing. No one addressed it, ever. No compliments or anything.

"Another one!" Matteo shouted, and India who was dressed beautifully in a designer sweater nudged him as if to tell him not to shout.

"Sing a song that's good for winter or Christmas, get us in the mood," My sister Annie said with a teasing wink. I rolled my eyes, annoyed.

"Song for a winter's night, Sarah McLauchlan style," I muttered to Ruby, who smiled her silly smile and ran a hand through her slightly curly blonde hair. The scar from when she was a baby on her forehead stood out in the firelight.

"Yes ma'am," She said in one of her silly accents. Before I could tease her back, she began to hum softly and sweetly, mimicking the opening sounds on the recording.

I like the original Gordon Lightfoot better, but this was good for a duet between us.

"The lamp is burning low upon my tabletop," I sang letting my voice become almost husky, pushing the vibrations so I didn't sound so clear. I have never had formal vocal training, so honestly, I have no clue what I was doing. It just felt right.

Ruby was one second behind me in the sound, making it feel hazy and ethereal.

"Snow-" She sang somehow a second before me.

"The snow is softly falling," I returned.

"The air-"

"The air is still in the silence of my room, I hear your voice softly calling," I sang the verse, waiting for the beauty of the chorus.

"If I could only have you near, to breathe a sigh or two," I glanced at Rowen, not being able to control my movement. It was seemingly rather hard to prevent myself from looking at him whenever a song mentioned love.

Well, I did love him.

"I would be happy just to hold the hands I love- on this winter's night with you," We sang, and I still didn't tear my eyes away from Rowens.

His soft, sea-green eyes watched me with such a feeling. I don't know how to describe it, but it's that feeling you get in your chest, it feels as if it's pulling you toward the other person, and it has so many emotions around it, it almost makes you cry.

"Do do do dah do," Ruby and I whispered.

I almost felt tears coming to my eyes, and couldn't help but glance towards the ceiling as I looked towards the heavens to thank God for the perfection in front of me.

I don"t know if I'd go as far as to say my parents accepted Rowen into their arms, or that they approved of my new profession, but they hadn't said anything yet.

I hoped Rowen's family liked me.

"I read again, between the lines upon each page, the words of love you sent me," I sang softly, feeling almost overwhelmed with this pull within my chest.

"If I could know within my heart, that you were lonely too, I would be happy just to hold the hands I love, on this winter's night with you," Ruby and I sang together, and I felt her voice lifting up, almost competing for dominance beautifully when we sang those lines.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye, her face was full of emotion. I knew damn well she was going through something, but I wanted to know what. She didn't exactly... have as many emotions as me, who had the emotional control of a 3-year-old.

So we continued to sing the song that was almost poetry with how beautiful it was. It felt like winter to me. I also enjoyed feeling a slight bit of heartbreak in the winter, but maybe not go as far as to romanticize seasonal depression.

"The fire is dying, my lamp is growing dim. The shades of night are lifting, the morning light steals across my windowpane, where webs of snow are drifting. If I could only have you near, to breathe a sigh or two, I would be happy just to hold the hands I love, on this winter's night with you."

And with the end of the song, I caught Rowen's eye and didn't break it, not even as Ruby hugged me happily and applause filled the room. 

Hiiii sorry school is kicking my ass, but here y'all go! pleaseeeeeeeee just tell me your thoughts on the book, what you like and don't like, or just things about yourself. I just wanna be frieeeendssss 

Love y'all!! Comment! Vote! Thank you!

BTW- the first song is from the movie O brother where art thou and its called Didn't leave nobody but the Baby, I normally don't attach songs because I don't think Nola or anyone in the book would play or sing it like the original recording EXCEPT for these two songs, so both songs sound like how I imagine Ruby and Magnolia singing.