Star by Eliza Witte - HTML preview

23

This was the point when Annie got hysterical, ‘NO, I DON’T HAVE BREAKFAST!’

‘Nonsense. You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday at lunch.’

‘I DIDN’T FIND IT!’

‘Find it?’

‘YE-E-E-E-S!’ Now crying was something new and Annie packed up all the emotions she had just to make herself cry again.

‘I thought so,’ replied Jessie and started to fumble in her sack. ‘Here, I took it from the canteen for you,’ and she handed Annie a sandwich. Annie continued to sniff, ‘What does everyone want from me?’

‘Do you mean Mr. Mnatsakan? Oh, you know him.’

‘No-o-o-o, I don’t know him. I don’t know anyone, anything.’

‘Annie, Annie! At least make sure you don’t miss his classes.’

‘Ye-e-es… It’s the third time this week already. The-e-ey’ll kick me o-o-o-out.’ Annie cried like a little kid but then unexpectedly she hushed up just in the middle of a sob. She got something on her mind that made her repeat the same thing all over again but in a different tone – ‘Third time this week’? ‘They’ll kick me out’? We have a program here!

We have a schedule, Jessie, don’t we? Like at home!’

Jessie looked worried, ‘Annie, are you OK?’

‘Yes, I am ok now. I’m sorry but it feels just like nobody wants me here, like I’m bothering everyone.’

‘I think you are tired.’

Tired? This was another new experience. Annie tried to realize the feel of it in the context of what Jessie’d just told her and she tried to invest it with a meaning but her mind and body were overloaded, ‘Yeah, I guess so – I guess, I’m… tired.’ She repeated as if not to ever forget this state. Jessie just gave her a big hug, ‘Oh, come on!’ she said and tried to calm her down. She told her she’d feel much better after she finished her sandwich and that they’d definitely have to go and get some coffee somewhere. At this moment from somewhere far, far away, as if from the other part of the building, Annie heard piano music. She lent her ear to it immediately.

‘All the King’s Men’ she whispered. Jessie didn’t let on she knew what Annie was talking about. So Annie had to clarify, ‘The band, Jessie! Oh, never mind! Please wait for me downstairs. I’m coming right away.’ And Annie rushed down the corridor. The music guided her as it was now louder and clearer and at last she found the door it was coming from. She hesitated to enter, however. She listened for awhile at the other side of the door and became really upset for the music wasn’t flowing smoothly. It stopped, it started, then it stopped again but when it went obviously wrong, Annie just couldn’t take it any more. She knew this song only too well to tolerate such a performance. She fixed her 24

clothes and entered quietly. At first she saw nothing as the room was pretty dark and small – like any other little rehearsal room. Then as her eyes were getting used to it, she saw Stu ‘torturing’ the piano. He played something, then took a break to put it down on a piece of paper, and played it again. Annie didn’t dare to breathe. On the next try when Stu started to play the whole composition from the beginning, and it really turned out to be very beautiful. Annie ‘melted’ with pleasure. Then Stu took another break.

‘This was very beautiful,’ the sentence slipped from Annie’s tongue faster then she intended it to. Stuart reacted more to what she said rather than to her presence, ‘I hate it.

I’ve been trying to write it for weeks.’

‘Well, then you can try one more time too.’

Only now that Stu noticed that someone was in the room did he turn his head, ‘But…

Who are you?’

‘Please, do it again!’

Stu obediently started very well but after the beginning, he simply flipped into another melody. Annie interrupted him immediately, ‘Don’t mix up the albums.’

‘I beg you pardon?’ Stu was astounded.

‘Eh… Eh… I…,’ Annie tried to evade the topic again, approaching slowly the piano, ‘I only thought that … they were two different songs.’ She looked at Stu’s notes. ‘Up to here this it is one melody, and from here on - another one,’ she pointed out on the notation.

‘Huh?’

‘Yeah! This is called Loving You and this…,’ she caught herself on time, ‘and this is called something else.’ But it was so hard to resist. ‘Alright, alright – this is called Don’t Ask Me Now.’ In the end she gave in. Stu seemed stunned. He just gazed at the paper for awhile and then he said, ‘You are right! Yes, you are! This is music line number one.

And this is something else – line two. You are absolutely right – two different songs! Are you from the music class? I haven’t seen you there.’

‘No, I study design but I’m a fan… of this kind of music.’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Annie.’

‘Hi, I’m Stu!’

Annie bit her tongue not to scream in exaltation, ‘Yes, I know. This is the best moment in all my life!’ but she melted again anyway when Stu offered his hand and she touched him for the very first time. She knew now neither what to say, nor what to do so she just murmured, ‘Well, I have to go!’ However, Stu surprised her with the next thing he said.