The crowd was wild. They were cheering and yelling for more from the band. Lights of a variety of colors shined on the band. Jake was there on stage for the competition and he had a huge smile on his face. He was so happy that he could finally pursue his passion to sing and that the crowd loved the performance. The limit for the competition was 2 songs per group.Jake looked over at the crowd. There,he saw her.
Daisy was standing in the crowd with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
Jake always said he was going to ask her out at the right moment. He knew exactly what to do.
"Thank you! Thank you everyone! Now, I want to dedicate this song to someone very special to me. Her name is Daisy" Jake yelled out with the biggest smile on his face. A small blush crept across his face. The crowd cheered. Daisy smiled and a small blush of appreciation grew on her face. She was happy that she was someone special to Jake as she considered Jake a good friend to her. Luke started playing on his drums and the band soon followed. Jake cleared his throat and started singing. The crowd went insane the moment Jake started singing again. More vibrant lights shined on stage. Bright green,electric blue,yellow,and even a sparkling purple. The song may have only been 3 minutes but it felt like an eternity to Jake. An eternity because he was actually confessing to Daisy. He was going to ask her out after the song finished. His heart was racing throughout the entire thing.
When Jake finished singing,the crowd broke into an applause so loud that the entire band flinched a bit. Daisy was also cheering and clapping her hands. She loved the song and she loved Jake's voice. Jake turned around and made gestures to the rest of the band.
"Go ahead" mouthed Hailey as she pointed to the crowd. Jake smiled and nodded. He faced the crowd again and tapped the mic. A high pitched screech was made from the mic that got everyone's attention.
"Everyone,please settle down. I have something very important to say. As you know,I dedicated the last song to my friend Daisy. Daisy,I want you to know that I've liked you for a while now and I have something on my mind. Will you be my girlfriend?" Jake asked as a huge,pink blush emerged on his face. Some people in the crowd gasped,others said Awww. Some were even cheering out Daisy's name.
Daisy,on the other hand was extremely shocked. Her eyes were wide open and she started shaking a bit. This was bad,really bad. She didn't like Jake in that way and she wasn't sure how to tell him. She knew for sure that she couldn't say it now,not in front of the entire crowd. That would for sure embarrass Jake and she didn't want that. Luckily,the band was called to leave the stage so that the judges would have time to make the results. Daisy decided to go back stage and tell Jake as soon as possible. She excused her way through the large crowd and she even saw Lia give her a dirty look. She sighed and eventually made her way back stage.
"The Music Club from Washington High" was what the door Daisy stood in front of said. She was taking deep breaths to calm down. People were walking in and out back stage,members from different bands,stage managers,lighting people,you name it. At least it wasn't as loud as the crowd was. The bright lights back stage helped put Daisy in a more positive mood. She was going to break the news to Jake as gently as possible.
The door creaked opened and Daisy peeked her head in.
"Can I come in?" she asked with a gentle tone of voice. Jake immediately turned his head around. The other members of the music club smirked,well except Hailey. Hailey couldn't bring herself to smirk as she had feelings for Jake. Instead,all she did was give a small smile. She hoped things would work out for Jake as she wanted him to be happy.
"D-Daisy! Of course you can come in" Jake happily said as he walked closer to the door. Daisy gave a tiny,shy smile as she walked into the room. She looked all around. The room was quite small but everyone in the band was able to fit.Luke's drums were able to fit into the left corner,Zander's piano on the right. The room was painted a pure white as to give the feeling that there was more light. The floor was firm and wooden. Daisy always enjoyed observing the places she went but now wasn't the time for that. She looked at the rest of the group.
"Can I talk to Jake in private please? It'll just be for a moment" Daisy said as she looked at the rest of the band. Hailey gave the same, small smile and nodded. She was the first one out the door and she left without a word.
"Of course you can! We're gonna get sodas anyways!" Milly yelled out in excitement. She ran over to Jake,gave him a playful punch,and a sly smirk. Jake blushed as he knew what she was teasing him about.
"See ya guys" Milly said as she ran out the room.
Sean was also pretty quiet. He had a crush on Daisy but he didn't bring himself to confess since Jake liked her longer. He didn't want to betray him by confessing his feelings to Daisy. All he did was say "Sure thing" and left the room. That left Zander and Luke. Luke smiled.
"Well Zander and I will be leaving now. Come on Zander,there's something I want to show you!" Luke said as he grabbed Zander's hand and lead him out the room. Zander blushed by the contact and smiled. Luke made sure to close the door so no one could hear the conversation Jake and Daisy were about to have. Daisy looked over at Jake with a worried expression.Her eyes didn't sparkle in excitement,she wasn't smiling,she wasn't blushing. Jake had a strong feeling in his gut telling him that things wouldn't go well. However,being the person he was,he decided to push it aside and ignore it.
"What's wrong Daisy? You look pretty worried" Jake said,returning that worried expression to Daisy.
Daisy made eye contact with Jake. "Um well I really appreciate the song you dedicated to me. I loved it and your voice was so beautiful!" Daisy started with a smile. Jake blushed.
"T-thanks Daisy....but that doesn't explain why you look so worried" Jake said with a confused expression. As much as he loved Daisy's compliments,that didn't explain why she looked so worried.
Daisy cleared her throat.
"Well you see,about your confession and asking me out. Um I'm really sorry to say this but I don't feel the same way" Daisy said as she scanned Jake's face to see what his reaction would be. She deeply hoped she wouldn't make him too upset.
Daisy's words pierced Jake's heart. They kept ringing in his ears like church bells would do at a Sunday mass. He felt himself slowly sinking,almost as if he were sinking to the bottom of the ocean. He shook his head to try to get out of his trance.
"W-what?" was all that he could manage to say. His voice was shaky and he started to grow paler. Daisy looked down at the floor.
"I-I'm sorry Jake. I like someone else" she said as she stared at the floor. There was a pause of silence. A silence so uncomfortable that Jake desperately wanted it to stop. Forget hearing a pin drop,this silence made you feel like you were the only living person on Earth. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Daisy embrace him in a hug.
"We'll still be good friends Jake. Please don't be too down about it but I know you'll find someone else. You'll find a beautiful,talented girl that will love you in return. I'm just not that girl but keep searching and I know you'll find her soon. Who knows? Maybe you already found her" Daisy said with a small smile. Jake was frozen from the shock he was still processing. He felt like crying until there was no tears left but he couldn't bring himself to cry in front of Daisy. He didn't want to make her feel bad.
"T-thanks Daisy and it's okay. I....I understand. We'll still be friends" Jake replied with that same,shaky voice that made Daisy feel bad. She tightened her grip on Jake for a moment to comfort him. "Thank you for being understanding Jake. Just please don't be sad because of me. I'll always be your friend no matter what" Daisy said as she let go of Jake. Jake simply nodded and forced a smile onto his face. In reality,he wanted to leave. He wanted to run,scream,cry,and go somewhere quiet and alone.
"Well I'll see you tomorrow Jake" Daisy said as she gave him a warm smile. She walked out the room,leaving Jake to be alone.
Jake then took that as his opportunity to break down. The room suddenly didn't seem so bright anymore. He sat down and buried his head into his knees. He started to wonder what he did wrong. What could he have done to make Daisy like him? Where could he have put more effort? Did he try hard enough? Would he really ever find someone that truly loves him? These thoughts raced in Jake's mind and they were driving him insane. Daisy said they could still be good friends but that was the problem. He didn't want to be good friends,he wanted to be more than that. He's liked her for so long that this rejection made his heart shatter. He never really considered anyone else but her.
That's when someone walked in the room. Jake didn't bother to look up.
"Jake? Are you okay?" Hailey asked as she walked closer to Jake. All Jake did was give a thumbs up but he didn't bother to speak.The next thing he knew,Hailey was sitting right beside him.
"Things went wrong with Daisy didn't they?" Hailey asked with a gentle tone. Jake looked up and he nodded. Her eyes widen when she saw Jake's expression.
His eyes,once always filled with confidence and happiness,now seemed blank and watery. His skin was pale and he had a huge frown on his face. She understood that Jake was trying his best to hold back his emotions. She reached over and gently placed her hand on top of Jake's.
"Jake,you don't need to hide your emotions. I know this rejection is hard for you and it's okay to cry. It's okay to be vulnerable in front of us,in front of me.I'm always here for you" Hailey said as she kept her gaze on Jake.
Jake stared at Hailey for a moment. Then,out of a sudden,he threw his arms around her and hugged her. Hailey was so shocked that she froze for a moment. Jake started to cry. His crying wasn't loud like most people,instead it was soft and quiet. Hailey hugged Jake back and started rubbing his back to try to comfort him more.
"It's hurts so much" Jake said in between cries as he tightened his grip on Hailey. Hailey kept rubbing his back.
"I know,I know but I'm here for you. I won't ever leave your side and I know you'll find someone else. I'll help you find that someone else" Hailey whispered in his ear. If someone walked into the room,they would describe it as a weird sight. Two teenagers sitting in a corner of a practice room,one crying and the other comforting the crying one. To Hailey,she saw it as a heartbroken,talented singer was letting his emotions out to his friend and she was comforting him because she knew how it felt.
Yes,Hailey knew how a heart break felt. She felt it when she realized that she had a crush on Jake but Jake liked Daisy. It stung her heart every time she heard Jake talk about Daisy or blush around Daisy. She knew Jake would never consider her as a potential love interest but that wouldn't change the fact that she loved him. She wanted to help Jake through his heart break because she couldn't handle seeing him in so much pain.
"Hailey,thank you for being here with me,comforting me. I....I never thought I would get rejected. I wasn't prepared for this" Jake said quietly. He and Hailey still were hugging each other and it seemed like they had no intentions of letting go soon.
"Anything for a friend like you Jake. It's okay to let your feelings out. After all,you weren't prepared so you just need time to sort your feelings out" Hailey replied with a voice that soothed Jake a bit.
Jake was starting to feel better with Hailey by his side. His heart still burned and felt like it was in pieces after Daisy's rejection but he knew he would slowly get over her. Slowly,so it would still hurt even after a couple of weeks. At least Daisy let him down in a nice,gentle way. Jake tightened his grip on Hailey and let the waterworks fall out. Hailey didn't care that Jake's tears were falling on her dress,she just kept comforting him and saying soothing words. Their knees were starting to hurt from being pressed against the wooden floor for so long but they didn't care. They both experienced a pain much deeper than wood. Wood gives many pains,a lot experience splinters.
They had splinters for sure.Splinters in their hearts from their heart breaks. Hailey still thought Jake would never think of her as more than a friend and that made the splinters bury more into her heart. Jake recently got them from Daisy's rejection. He wasn't sure how long they would be there.
"I care about you,I'm here" Hailey said to clear the silence. Jake smiled a bit from Hailey's comforting words but he still had that sinking feeling inside him.
So this is what it feels like when they don't feel the same.....