Masked SheWolf (MSW book 1)

Chapter 13 - Michael

JUNE 2022 UPDATE: Go read "Lucy", a spinoff of the Masked SheWolf trilogy, now updating on Wattpad, and its "Behind the Scenes" companion book that includes character profiles and a complete recap of the trilogy, as told by the characters in interview format.

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Music has been a part of my life for years. From a very young age, I could play the piano just as well as I could sing. But my passion for music didn't develop until I was fourteen. Since then, music has become the same thing as breathing for me.

What happened was that I watched a live performance at a local café of an amateur musician playing one of my favorite piano pieces on the acoustic guitar. I don't remember his name, but I do remember him saying that he had been teaching himself to play for over a year, and that that was his first performance in front of a crowd. When he played the first note, I was hypnotized.

His fingers moved effortlessly over the strings. From the moment he started playing, he was perfect. His performance was immensely flawed, obviously, but his talent and love for music radiated off him in waves and had the entire crowd, including and especially me, mesmerized. My heart was soaring and my eyes were wide as they followed every gesture of his fingers in complete rapture. His movements were hesitant and somewhat nervous, but they flowed over the strings like velvet rope.

I watched him like a star-struck fan girl. He made me fall in love for the first and only time in my life. I was in love with him, with his music, with his instrument, with his talented fingers, with everything about him and his performance. I couldn't even clap when he was done because I was still soaring with wonder, and I didn't realize he had stopped until he was taking a bow and going offstage.

I lift my pen and bring the tip of it up to my mouth, biting on it as I re-read what I've written under the question "Explain in one page why you chose your major."

All application forms I might send ask the same question in one way or another, and I will write the same answer for all of them. I've been locked in my room since morning filling out application forms, because I don't want my family to catch me, and I've just finished the last one.

I've decided long ago not to tempt fate and will only apply for a couple of universities; NEC and Berklee. Secretly, I'm hoping for Berklee, but I would be lucky to go to either one. They're not far from each other and they're both about three hours away from home. The closeness is basically my strongest argument against my parents. I just hope that when the day comes and I tell them, they'll have an open mind, and possibly even an acceptance letter in their hands to sway them.

When Danny calls me down for lunch, I hastily put everything in two envelopes, one for each college, and tuck them under my bed. I'm going to have to find an excuse to get out of the house later so I can go to the post office and mail them. I can't take the risk of putting them in our mailbox, or else my parents might find out, and it's not the time for that yet.

When Danny mentions SMP's bonfire camp, my excuse practically makes itself up. Two hours later, my applications have been sent, and I've got a new olive-colored tent and matching sleeping bag tucked under my arm as I walk home. Then, we meet up and leave together.

The campsite is big but cozy, and it's filled with families from SMP. When I find the Creeds, I walk over to Sadie and her father building their tents first. They're both concentrating very hard on their task, but they communicate with an ease that I envy a little bit.

Her little brother Zack looks like he might have tried to help, but all he's doing now is wave the sticks around with his mother like they're swords. The two of them are laughing away. I can hear Zack's childish giggle from all the way at the edge of the clearing. Zoey is sitting beside them on a folded chair, watching them wordlessly without her cell phone in hand. There's a nervous energy about her stance, but I can swear I see a smile fighting to break free across her face.