Page 4 of Mason
As the final chord echoed hauntingly through the auditorium, a few tears spilled from my eyes, and that ache in my chest returned tenfold.I missed my mom so much.Not seeing her sitting where she should have been caused grief to flood in, just as intense and raw as the day I’d lost her, crushing my heart all over again.
There was a brief moment of complete silence, as if not a single person dared to breathe, the weight of their stares holding me in place, my fingers clutching my cello and bow.Then the beautiful woman jumped to her feet, already clapping, the brightest smile on her lovely face.As if awoken from a spell, everyone else in the audience rushed to join in, clapping so loudly that my eardrums rang from the volume.
Everything else from there was a blur.Claudia Kelly, the woman acting as the host of the talent competition, swept onto the stage, murmuring something about my unexpected but incredible performance.She was some minor celebrity who worked events like this for the school for free as long as she could use the footage for her social media.Apparently she was an alumnus from a decade before.
All the other participants were brought out to stand with me as someone passed the hostess an envelope.Everyone lined up in order of their performance, which put Maya right beside me at the opposite end of the stage from Claudia.My sister gave me a sneer and then turned to the crowd, beaming as we were all introduced individually one last time before the winners were announced.
Fear and excitement choked me, my fingers so slick with sweat I could barely hold on to my cello, let alone care that Maya was trying to antagonize me.My heart was racing so fast I couldn’t hear over the rush of blood in my ears.Someone bumped my shoulder roughly to my right, nearly knocking my cello out of my hand.
Maya gave me a withering glare when I looked at her.She didn’t apologize for bumping me, which had been more of a shoulder check.Instead of speaking to her, I cocked a brow and took two steps back from her.That made her smirk, triumph glittering in her eyes.
“And the winners are…” I turned my attention back to Claudia as she lifted the results from the envelope.Her glossy dark-blond hair and makeup were overdramatic, making her appear more like a contestant for Miss America than the host of a talent show at a private high school in Santa Monica.Members of the film club were moving around from every angle of the stage, capturing everyone’s reactions and broadcasting them live on the school’s private social channels.“In third place, we have Maya Myers with her beautiful ballet performance!”
A sound of choked disbelief came from my sister.I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing out loud.That would be petty and mean, which was Maya’s MO, not mine.Her mouth dropped open, eyes bulging out of her head like a cartoon character.All too quickly, she switched the angry shock to a forced smile that definitely didn’t reach her eyes.
Stepping forward to applause, she took the trophy and the bouquet of flowers from the judges who had joined us onstage.Once she did the air kisses with each judge who gushed and fawned over her, she stepped back, her eyes on fire with fury.
“Second place goes to Tyler Jarrel for his rendition of ‘Dancing Through Life’ that was absolutely brilliant!”
Tyler stepped forward, already shaking everyone’s hands before getting his trophy and flowers.He was a nice guy, part of the drama club, and one of my few classmates who didn’t treat me like I was diseased simply because I was a scholarship student.I clapped along with the rest of the crowd, happy for him.
Internally, I was freaking out.If I lost, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.Somehow, someway, I’d figure out a way to keep my apartment.That was what I kept reassuring myself of.Seeing Maya’s face when she got third place was a reward all on its own.Whoever did win would truly deserve it.
“And our first-place winner…” Claudia paused for dramatic effect, and all I wanted to do was cry.Nerves fluttered in my stomach, tossing and turning until I felt like I might puke in front of everyone.“Sutton Russell!”
Relief made me so dizzy, it took a few moments before I could move.All the clapping snapped me out of my daze, and I found myself looking straight at the beautiful woman in the front row, somehow needing her to confirm that I wasn’t dreaming.She grinned, giving me a thumbs-up and mouthed, “Congrats!”
Blinking back the sudden tears flooding my eyes, I stepped forward…
And stumbled over Maya’s foot.Heels weren’t something I wore regularly.I wasn’t exactly graceful in them to begin with.My left ankle twisted when I overcorrected, my hold on my cello slipping, and it made an overly loud bang as it landed on the floor.I was more focused on it than myself, which meant I followed it down, desperately trying to protect my precious instrument.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I hit my knees before landing on top of my beautiful cello hard enough it knocked the oxygen from my lungs, something sharp stabbing into my lower abdomen like a knife.
But I still heard it, that awfulsnap.
“No, no, no,” I whispered frantically, a plea, a prayer as I pushed up on my hands and then sat back on my knees that were stinging.There wasn’t time to feel humiliated or the rage that was sure to follow.I didn’t see the flashing lights of cameras or the film club getting their close-ups of my tumble.All I felt was panic and gut-wrenching sorrow.“Please, no.”
But there was no use in begging.It was broken.My mother’s cello, the only piece I still had of her that I could hold on to, was cracked, the neck completely severed from the base.
Winning that money would save me from being homeless, but it came at a steep price that left me gutted.
“Clumsy bitch,” Maya muttered just loud enough for me to hear.A few of the other contestants, our fellow seniors, laughed.“You should really watch where you’re walking.”
Several people stepped forward, hands outstretched, ready to assist me up.I shied away from them all, curling in on myself as I held the broken neck of the cello in one hand.
“Oh goodness, are you okay?”someone asked, grasping my elbow.One of the judges, I guessed.
“Here.Let’s get you up,” Claudia urged, hesitantly putting a hand on my shoulder.
I flinched, shrugging off the touch, shifting my body away from the unknown people as they attempted to get me to stand.Tears spilled down my face faster, the strings of the cello the only thing connecting the neck to the body.
“She’s bleeding!”a voice I didn’t recognize exclaimed, and then I heard more running feet that sounded like thunder on the stage floor.
Through the veil of tears, I looked up at the beautiful blonde from the crowd, the woman who had eased my nervousness and given me an all-too-brief moment of solace during my performance.Crouching down in front of me, she touched her hand to my side, and I couldn’t hold back the whimper as pain shot through me.
“Someone call an ambulance,” she commanded, the authority in her voice causing Claudia and the other woman beside me to jump into action.“Sutton, hi.My name is Harper.Sweetheart, you seem to be in shock.You have a large piece of wood sticking out of your right side.It looks like part of the cello broke off and…”
“It’s ruined,” I whispered, holding the neck of the cello to my chest.“It was all I had left of her.”
