They're Playing Our Song

Real Life Sucks

"That boy is going to be an excellent pianist one day," Celie commented from behind the piano, where she was talking to some of the kids from the percussion section, shaking her head. "His teacher should have him play Rachmaninov."

"I'll go after him," Leo volunteered, nudging his head toward the door. "But Daisy..."

"I'll talk to her," Nora gave him a reassuring smile, squeezing his arm before she walked across the room, ushering the kids away from the door. Jon, one of the cello players and Daisy's closest friend, stood by the door, concern etched on his face.

"She's not opening the door."

"Let me try?" Nora asked him gently, waiting for him to move aside before she took his place by the door. She knocked gently. "Daisy? It's Nora. Can we talk?"

"FINE," Daisy huffed like it was the hardest thing she was ever going to do, but let Nora slip through the opening anyway. Jon was still hanging by the door when Nora turned around and gave him a stern look.

"No listening," she warned the kid before she closed the door behind her. She found Daisy sitting on the floor, her clarinet in her hands and her shoulders slumped. Nora sat across her, her butt hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"I guess this is the time we're supposed to talk?" Daisy asked sharply, and Nora shrugged.

"Not if you don't want to."

"Ben kissed me," Daisy mumbled. Nora opened her mouth to ask something, but Daisy cut her off. "I told him that I was bi, and that I liked him, and he kissed me."

"That's nice. Being bi, and being kissed," Nora attempted a smile to get Daisy to smile along, but she was pointedly ignored.

"But Ben is leaving. For Boston. Mimi is going to London, Clark to Australia, Raymond to Italy and Rose to Germany."

Ah. Daisy had just named four kids that had opted not to get financial support for New York. Their parents were extremely supportive and monetarily had zero problems sending their kids off to other countries to play their instruments. Some kids had that privilege, and as unfair as it was, it was only reality.

"And Ben...he's going to go and have an amazing life in amazing America," Daisy continued.

"I wouldn't call it amazing, per se..."

"He's going to be there, being an amazing pianist and I...I'll be stuck here and grow up to be someone who used to play clarinet. I'll go to stupid college and get a sad job. I hate real life."

Daisy glared at her own instrument, but still continued to hold it carefully in her hands. Nora knew the feeling. She understood loving something so much that it hurt when it tried to wriggle away from you. Her heart tugged in her chest for Daisy, because she was just a kid, and she was at that age where the world was pulling you and your friends in different directions.

Daisy was the same age Nora was when she bombed that performance in Malacañang, Nora realized. And she remembered being that age, feeling like the world was always going to collapse over her head. Come to think of it, it almost did.

But she got through it, and she was more than sure that Daisy could do it too.

The sixteen year old in front of her sniffled and wiped her nose on her arm before Nora could hand her a tissue. The twenty nine year old tried her hardest not to cringe.

"Hey," Nora said gently. "Real life sucks."

Daisy looked up and glared at Nora like that was the absolute worst thing she could possibly say.