Angel of Music

12. Don't be afraid

“Where are you going?” Clarence asked, his eyes still on Juliet.

“To have some girl-time,” Ellie added, “away from you guys. If ever you need anything, we’re at our dressing room,”

Before Clarence could respond, James nodded and placed his right hand on his shoulder. He grinned at his girlfriend and said, “I’ve got this, babe. We’ll be hanging around here, see you later.” He blew a kiss at her.

Ellie blew a kiss at him in return before turning around and holding Juliet’s hand, walked to their dressing room.

“You girl,” she said to Juliet as they reached the room, “have so much explaining to do.” She opened the door and sat on the sofa, motioning for Juliet to do the same.

Juliet blushed and shyly sat on the sofa beside her. Her hands were interlocked with each other, and she looked thoughtful as she stared at them. “I am actually still surprised to hear what Clarence said earlier,” she admitted.

Ellie smiled knowingly. She remembered the time when James confessed to her and how she felt when he asked her to be his girlfriend. No girl could forget something like that for a long time.

“Well, believe it, Julie. You just got the heart of our school’s heartthrob on your hands. Imagine all the girls trying to catch his attention all this time when you did it without even knowing it!” said Ellie teasingly.

Juliet couldn’t respond back. She was too absorbed with what she was feeling. She thought she could let go of the past as easy as that, but finally realized how hard it would be. If the past seems to repeat itself, how can she move on? What would happen if she fell in love with another school heartthrob?

“Julie?” Ellie asked as she lightly placed a hand on Juliet’s shoulder. Juliet snapped out of her reverie with a jolt. She smiled at Ellie apologetically.

“Oops, sorry, Ellie. My mind started wandering again,” she said.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. I just remembered something.”

“Really. Then what is it?”

“It’s no big deal.” Juliet said as she laughed lightly. She tried to pass it off, hoping that Ellie won’t see the way her eyes glazed with worry and sadness. But Ellie is her best friend. She knew Juliet, inside and out.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, Juliet.” Ellie seriously said, her brown eyes staring right into her.

Juliet hesitated. She dearly loved Ellie and really considered her as the sister she never had. She knew without a doubt that talking to Ellie could help her. However, there was this some part inside that was afraid of rejection, that maybe Ellie would turn away if she heard too much.

Before she knew it, tears fell from her eyes. She hastily wiped them away, but stopped when Ellie hugged her tightly and unexpectedly. It really felt good and warm to be hugged when she needed comfort that no one else gave before.

“It’s fine, sweetie.” Ellie said softly. “It’s going to be alright.”

“I’m afraid,” Juliet whispered. “”I’m so scared right now.”

“Of what?” Ellie asked.

“Of falling in love again..” Juliet replied.

Ellie went silent. She instinctively knew that Juliet was hurt deeply when she loved before. She held Juliet’s hand and squeezed it lightly as she chose her words with care.

“Julie, it’s okay to be scared. Love isn’t perfect. Whether we like it or not, we get hurt. We cannot escape from the pain, because that pain is what makes us stronger. It helps us be a better person.” Ellie said as she stared at Juliet, who was silent as she absorbed her words of wisdom. “Why don’t you give Clarence a chance? Let him prove to you that he is much better from the guy who hurt you before.”

“He is so much like Joe,” Juliet admitted as she remembered her first boyfriend.

“Really?” Ellie frowned. “That’s pretty hard to believe,”

Juliet finally smiled. “Well, they are similar in some ways. Joe was the school heartthrob. He was smart, kind, and sweet... at first.” Her eyes clouded as she remembered what happened.

“What happened, then?”

Juliet shook her head. The memories were too painful for her to deal with now. Before she could say anything, the door opened and James peeked in.

“Hey girls. The last performance is going to end soon, so they want all of us on the backstage now.” James said.

“We’ll be right up. Juliet and I would just freshen up a bit,” Ellie said.

James left with a smirk as he muttered “Girls,”

Ellie turned to Juliet and frowned. “Darn, the make-up looks horrible.”

Confused, Juliet turned to the mirror and saw her face looked the same as before, though there was a thin line where her tears flowed a while ago. She smiled as Ellie reapplied her make-up.

“Thank you, Ellie.” Juliet said sincerely. It wasn’t the make-up that she was grateful for but the friendship she has with Ellie.

Ellie nodded and replied simply, “You’re welcome.”