Winged? [Complete]

Eleven

Today was great with the girls and I. Stress free, shopping, laughs, it was just calm. But now, 6:30 in the evening, my chest's tightened and the realization that tomorrow, Saturday, is performance day. Tomorrow could decide if I kick start my desired career. Since we'd left the mall, I've been frantically texting Chris, telling him of how anxious I am, hoping he'd magically calm me down. But how would he?

Taylor's asleep in the front as we pull up to my house. I grab my bags and bid Mimi my ado as she pulls off. Jacob was standing at the door; I texted him that I forgot my key. I stepped past him, dropping my bags and collapsing on the steps.

"Shopped hard?" He asked, locking the door.

I exhaled, taking my hair out of the ponytail it was in. "Yea. No such thing as light shopping with them."

He smirked, "Well, I'm gonna be down here if you need me, okay?"

I nodded as he walked over to the living room, flipping through the stations. He passed over the news channel, pausing for a second. Citizens hype over posts on your favorite Kelly Partley's upcoming open mic tomorrow at a local college, it announced. By now, I'm used to hearing my name from anyone even if I didn't know them. But it also didn't help the case of the anxiety that gripped my heart, which had died for a moment.

I grabbed my bags, agitated with the ramblings about me, and went up stairs. Just as I was to push my door open, I heard someone singing from the other side and strumming my guitar. It was the song Jake and I were working on. I nudged the door open as quietly as I could, setting my bags down. As I went closer to the balcony, I began to recognize that voice. It belonged to Chris.

I nudged the balcony door open, unnoticed by him. His voice worked well against the melody and it was an oddly fond sound to hear. I was leaning against the door a little too comfortably, causing it to creek. He looked back at me as if he'd known I was there the whole time. "Kelly."

"Chris," I said, moving from the door, "How'd you get in?"

"Your brother's a really trusting guy." He said with a smile, "If it makes you feel better, I didn't raid your panty drawer." I grinned, chuckling and sitting next to him, "You write music?"

I nodded, picking up the sheet music, "I'm supposed to be singing this tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Where?" He set the guitar on its stand, turning to face me.

"An open mic at my friend's school." I sighed, looking over the lyrics, "I thought I told you this already."

He looked at me oddly before having the sudden realization of what our texts were actually about. "That's why I came here!" I mouthed a 'wow' with my mouth. "Well, let's see what you sound like."

I nodded, passing him the sheet music. He handed it back, saying he has a pretty good memory of what the instrumentals are. He began to play as I cleared my throat and sang a few lines of the verse. I sa.g shakily through them because I felt I still had an audience. "The heartbreak and loneliness is keeping me apart of ever breaking free from the chains of my heart".

"Okay," he interrupted, "Kelly?" I looked at him sheepishly, "You sound horrible."

My chest panged with pain. "Ouch."

He chuckled, "No, your singing is brilliant but you're too nervous," he said.

"Well, I know but I can't do much about it." I said, resting on my hand.

"Yes, Kelly, you can. I know you can." He moved my arm and moved my head to face him. "You are currently singing from here." He tapped on my forehead, "Don't sing with your mind." I exhaled, shifting uncomfortably, "What were you thinking about when you wrote these lyrics?"

I looked down at my hands, "Well, everything. This song is a mixture of a bunch of songs I wrote. Ones about hatred, escape, self doubt even. But also about overcoming all of that."

"Exactly." He said. "The same way you can script a victory is the same way you can execute it. Don't think about the crowd, Kelly, think about you. Sing with your heart, never with your head."

I nodded, exhaling and telling him to run it again. I sang through the verse once more but this time I wasn't shaky and I made it to the chorus. I hadn't looked at Chris next to me but I hadn't held my head down either. "I'll spread my wings, and fly away to a new start. An angel held captive, by the chains of my own heart."

The second verse played through; the more I sang, the more relaxed I felt. And the more I began to mentally break down. The second verse had to have been the one that broke me the most. "I'm ready for change if it gets me out of this hell." And I was ready. What broke me was that I had been in this cycle, this hide away from the world. And I wanted out.

The chorus came around again but this time, Chris harmonized with me. It made me smile as I sang through the song. Knowing that I didn't have to be entirely by myself anymore was a great feeling. Miona and Taylor, they're always there but the most they can do is sweeten the truth, hide it, or not even mention it. Jacob is my shoulder to cry on. But Chris, he throws it in my face and forces me to deal with it and in the strangest way, that's what I wanted. He helps me through it, no matter how harsh.

As the chorus rang around for a final time, I hadn't realized I'd been smiling the whole time until I felt my cheeks hurting. Chris took my hand after his final strum. I turned to look at him, still smiling. He ran his thumb over my cheek and I felt an odd moisture, the moisture of a tear. I had cried and I didn't even noticed.

"Kelly." He said my name the same way he does whenever he says it. I waited for him to finish his statement but he hadn't. In that moment, of all choices, he pulled my face to his and he kissed me. His soft lips embraced my own, his hand still holding my chin. His other hand pushed back my hair as we broke to breathe. His gray eyes peered into mine with a comforting smile following.

I let my eyes fall down again. "Chris?" I began, "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "I know we've only known each other for a little but you seem so into it. Why?"

When I looked to find his eyes, they were downcast. "Because." He shifted, turning to sit next to me, "You remind me of a little boy I once knew."

"Care to explain?" I asked, trying to get him to look at me.

He exhaled before speaking. "When he was maybe thirteen, his family began to fall apart. The arguments between his parents and older sibling were a little heavy. His sister that he relied on consulting with turned him away. Not to mention he was the bully's first choice at school. So he went into exiling himself from everyone. The thought of talking to anyone was frightening for him."

"Who was he?"

His eyes finally met mine without me having to search. "His name was Christopher Cambridge."

It was almost as if my heart literally melted or broke for him. All I could do was hug him, wrap my arm around his shoulder and hold him. I hadn't a verbal response to give. "Could you come and play at the open mic with me tomorrow?"

He looked at me and grinned, rubbing my shoulder, "Sure thing, Kelly."

I smiled, leaning against him and humming to myself. By far, there's no other person that I can level with than Chris. I thought he'd just have high hopes, or a cliché story, maybe even a gold digger if I'm lucky. But he was serious. He wants what I want: someone to level with. And we may have found what we're looking for.