Love Bites *DISCONTINUED*

Fourteen

I walked calmly onto the stage with my cherry red Gibson acoustic guitar slung over my shoulder, a black American Idiot pick in hand. Five people stared at me from the front row of the auditorium's red velvet seats with a table full of neatly stacked sheets of paper piled sky high from the previous auditions.

Mrs. Neul, a gray haired music director in her forties, adjusted her half moon spectacles on the bridge of her nose, staring intently at me. The school's choir director, Mr. Hart, a bald man in his thirties, stretched his flabby arms over his large head, showing how he was tired of listening to the student body audition. Two teachers I didn't recognize, one in his sixties and the other in his twenties, sat side by side, whispering intently while glancing at me periodically. Finally, in the fifth seat, sat Nick Tangorra with his classic quiffed hairstyle gelled to perfection and a gray t-shirt covering his torso. When his brown eyes made contact with mine, he smiled and gave a small wave of recognition. I nodded in his direction, signaling I acknowledged his gesture.

"Hello Rian," Mr. Hart greeted me with his signature Long Island accent that he had acquired from his previous job at a high school there.

"Hi!" I smiled enthusiastically; I had been Hart's student for over five years in the choir. I had to quit this year due to scheduling conflicts unfortunately.

"What're you going to be singing?" Nick asked, a smile tugging on his think lips.

"My own rendition of 'Stay Strong' by Artist vs Poet."

"Begin," the older teacher who reminded me of Ebenezer Scrooge directed me in his raspy old-man voice.

I took a deep breath, running the chords through my head before actually strumming the metal strings of my baby. The sound of steel crisp notes filled the otherwise silent auditorium as I played the intro.

"She sits alone in the quiet of her room

Takes a hit 'cause her father never said he loved her too

The pain escapes with every breath she blows away

Stay strong

He walks by all the picketers outside

While holding onto the love of his life as she cries

They call her a murderer, he's never felt this hurt before

Stay strong

Stay strong for us

Stay strong for us

'Cause the love we can create can overcome all of the pain

Stay strong

She does the best that she can to hide the scars

But long sleeves and make-up, it doesn't get that far

She still finds a way to hate herself every single day

Stay strong

And he lost his friend two years ago

She follows him around every place he goes

He won't shake her memory 'cause he can't bear for her to leave

Stay strong

Stay strong for us

Stay strong for us

'Cause the love we can create can overcome all of the pain

Stay strong

Stay strong for us

Stay strong for us

'Cause the love we can create can overcome all of the pain

Stay strong

They never thought they could be so close to hell

And they never thought they could learn to love themselves."

After finishing the outro, I looked into the audience to see surprise scrawled across everyone's face. Was it really that bad? My heart began to race out of sheer panic that since I was under rehearsed, it was a hot mess of a performance.

"That was incredible," The younger unknown teacher complimented me, slowly clapping his hands until the others followed suit.

I blushed. "Thanks," I replied, slowly beginning my walk off stage.

The warm air of the school hallways hit me like a freight train and I could feel my breathing shift since I found it difficult to breathe in the heat. Looking around, I could tell something was off but I just couldn't place my finger on what.

Suddenly, I felt something puncture the back of my neck in a few places and I fell forward, paralyzed. My head was turned on it's side so I could see shadows of people but no faces. I attempted to scream, to call out to anyone who could help me, but to no avail. My stomach began to churn as I was lifted off my stomach and hoisted over a shoulder. Everything went black when my head smashed against the muscular back of my kidnapper.