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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from Istockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 2: Summer Medley

Chapter 2.14 - Wake Up! Redux

I stepped into The Treble with Music with a large smile on my face. In two weeks I would be signing CD's in this store. Dad had confirmed the details earlier this morning before he took me car shopping. But unlike what I'd be wearing then, I was dressed casually and with no glam and no wig.

"Emily!" I said excitedly when I saw her working behind the counter at the store. The place looked pretty deserted at 8:00 in the evening.

"Hi, Megan," she replied while looking up. She stopped sorting through the boxes she was looking through and devoted her attention to me as I got closer. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come and see where Sarah Carerra will be signing CD's in a couple of weeks," my sly grin brought a large smile to her face.

"Who told you that!" somebody yelled from a door behind Emily before she could respond. A moment later a man in his early 40's with a full head of hair, rugged face, and an athletic build came out. He didn't seem very happy that I already had that kind of information. I wasn't sure how to respond, since I didn't expect anyone else to be at the store, but Emily just started laughing.

Once she calmed down, she introduced us. "Megan, meet my boss, Jeffery Chambers. Jeff, this is Megan Campbell. She's how I know Sarah Carerra."

"Oh," he said, and he calmed down immediately. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Any relation to Don Campbell?"

"He's my dad," I told him. Dad had mentioned that he had been working with ‘Jeff’ to set up both the CD signing and the mini concert that I'd be performing at the small stage area nearby. He said Jeff was the store's owner, so this must have been him.

He looked at me for a moment before turning back to Emily. "We're pretty much done here, Emily. You can clock out if you want. We can finish the inventory tomorrow."

"Thanks, Jeff," Emily smiled brightly. Fun job or not, I could tell she was happy to get off for the night. I waited while she stepped into the back room and, presumably, clocked out. Then she came back out and around the counter.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she replied with a puzzled look on her face. "Do I need to call my mom and tell her not to pick me up? She should be here any minute."

"Nope," I grinned at her. "I'm your ride for the evening."

"Okay," she said. "Did you want to do some shopping first or go home?"

I could tell that she was sincere in her question, but I'd known her long enough to know that she really didn't want to wander the mall after her shift.

"We can go," I said simply. "Besides, if we leave now we can take the long way home in my new car."

"Your what?!" she screamed at me with both confusion and excitement. "When did you get a car?"

"About four hours ago," I said like it was no big deal. She hit my arm to get me to stop pretending it wasn't the coolest news she had heard all day. "Okay, okay, stop hitting me! Come on and I'll show it to you."

We hurried out to the parking lot where I had parked my new baby. Looking at her sitting there, I wasn't sure which I liked more: my car or my guitar. That was definitely a tossup; I knew I'd just have to keep both babies!

"Whoa!" Emily exclaimed when she got a look at it for the first time. "That is beautiful! I just love the color!"

"I know, right?" I replied. "They said it was a deep sea blue or something. All I know is that it was the best color on the lot, and it was the only one with this color."

"So is this your car or Sarah's?" she quietly asked a moment later.

"Both," I told her. "It's a nice car, but it isn't so flashy that people would be able to recognize it as Sarah's. That way I can drive it as Megan too."

"Ethan is going to be jealous," she said next. I laughed. Ethan was the one who often drove us around. Occasionally his mom would let him drive her car. But it didn't quite compare to this. "You are so lucky!" she continued.

"Yeah," I agreed. "But you get to benefit from it too. Come on, it's even better on the inside."

I unlocked the car and we got in. Emily smiled when I started the engine and it roared to life, but it was the shriek she gave when I accelerated onto the freeway that made the whole trip worth it.

It normally only took nine or ten minutes to get home by means of one of the boulevards, but instead I took the long way, which involved two freeways where I could really play with my new car. Traffic wasn't too bad, and even with the slightly longer distance it was only 20 minutes later that I pulled into my new parking spot inside the garage. Dad had decided that he would rather keep my car in the garage next to Mom's instead of his own to help keep it out of view of the public in case anyone did recognize it as Sarah's.

"I hate you," Emily told me while we climbed out.

"No you don't," I replied, watching a smile form on her face.

"Yeah, you’re right," she said through a short laugh. Then she came over and gave me a hug. I returned it gladly.

"You're coming tomorrow morning, right?" I asked her once we had released each other.

She nodded. "I wouldn't miss it. I don't have to work until 10:30, so I have plenty of time to come with you."

I smiled. It would be nice to have her on the set of 'Wake Up!' again. It would have been even nicer to have Ethan there too, but he didn't get home until Saturday. "I'll see you in the morning then."

Emily sighed in relief. She was worried that I was going to ask her to come in, but once again I knew her too well. After a long day of work I knew that she wanted to go home, eat, and go to bed, especially if she was going to wake up early enough to accompany me to the show in the morning. I watched until she was out of sight, then I stared at my car for a few moments. Finally, I walked into my house. I too wanted to get a good night's sleep. I would need the rest because the band and I were going to spend more time working on my songs after we finished on 'Wake Up!'.

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I awoke early the next morning, showered and ate breakfast, before Stephanie and Julia arrived to get me ready for the show.

"I got you something new," Julia said while brandishing a few bags at me. I was very curious as she started pulling out the outfit she wanted me to wear. I knew that I could tell her no if she tried to get me to wear an outfit I didn't like, but she had yet to come up with one that fit that criteria.

This morning was no exception. Soon she had me in a very dark blue pair of skinny jeans and a slightly baggy yellow top that had a very intricate design on it. Last time she had dressed me, it had been in the plain clothes for the photo shoot at the airport, but today she had me back in glam. She had me put on the accessories before she pulled out the ‘heavy artillery’.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed! It was the only word that adequately described the shoes that she pulled out of a box. I had become used to wearing heels since my transformation; both Megan and Sarah were often seen wearing them. But these shoes were something else. They were made from black leather and were held on my feet by a number of straps that crossed over my foot. But it was the thin three inch heel that had me worried. While the shoes weren't screaming out for sex at all, they did have a thin stiletto that I was afraid was going to break at the smallest amount of pressure. It took me at least five minutes of walking around the house before I was confident enough that they would support my weight.

Once Julia was done with me, Stephanie worked her magic on me like she always did. We hadn't signed a contract with Starlight Cosmetics yet, but Stephanie was already getting into the spirit. By the time we were ready to head out the door, I looked fabulous once again.

Sadly, I couldn't convince Dad to let me drive to the studio. Perhaps he remained worried about me having my own car, and he didn't want me driving all the way up to Burbank, even if he was with me. Or perhaps he was just scared to ride with me while I learned to drive in heels like the ones that had been strapped onto my feet. That would certainly take an effort.

Instead I sat in the back of Dad's car with Emily, who was dressed as Chloe, and we caught up on each other's lives. It was something we hadn't had much time to do during the week because of our jobs, and I was glad that we could spend a little time together before Ethan came home. I still wasn't sure how I was going to handle that situation.

Once we arrived on set it was a flurry of activity to get ready to perform. Getting ready for a performance always took a skill that amazed me when I watched how efficient the band was at setting up their equipment and tuning it just right. By the time I was ready to walk on stage for my interview, the band had everything ready and we were able to perform a short sound check during a commercial break.

Then it was time to face the firing squad.

I loved getting up on stage and performing. I loved the rush I got, which I hadn't felt since the last time I was on the 'Wake Up!' stage. I loved my fans and the supporters that had made Sarah a star. But none of that could prepare me for my first public appearance since the press conference. I was a bundle of nerves all over again. I knew I had what it took to pull off the interview and the song, but I couldn't help but be afraid of what kinds of questions I was going to be asked. Free form discussion had not been the best experience the last time I had tried it.

I knew intellectually that Aubrey and Matt weren't going to slam me like Brady and some of the others had at the press conference, but that wasn't enough to keep me from shaking slightly as I stepped out onto the stage and waved to the crowd as I made my way over to the seating area. I gave Aubrey a short hug and shook Matt's hand once again. So far so good.

"Good morning, Sarah," Aubrey greeted me after we had each taken our respective seats. "It's nice to have you in the studio again."

"Good morning," I replied. "Thank you for having me back."

"Let's start with the obvious question first," Aubrey continued. "How are you feeling?"

"You know, I'm actually feeling really good," I told her with a smile before looking around at the audience. I was happy to see that they were smiling back. I was half afraid they wouldn't want to see me after the events of the last couple of weeks. "It's been an exhausting week, but I'm getting back into the flow of things. I don't have the energy I did before the surgery, but it's coming back slowly."

Aubrey and Matt returned my smile. I had deliberately opened the door for them to ask about the surgery, and I knew they would take the opportunity. But that's what I needed them to do. The only way that I could get through this would be to give my fans what they wanted. They wanted to know that I was okay and that I wasn't going to keel over on stage again. Aubrey and Matt needed the opportunity to talk about what had happened, and I had to give it to them.

"Can you tell us more about what happened?" Matt spoke up. I nodded with another grin that I hoped didn't look as scared as I felt to dive into this topic.

"Yes," I said. I cringed at having to talk about this in front of my dad and all of the other males watching the show, but I pressed on. "The Friday before my first concert, I was told that I had a...a blockage that was going to prevent me from having my period correctly. I'm a late bloomer, and my doctor was worried that it would cause some problems if we didn't get it taken care of. I was supposed to have that procedure the day after I was last here. But we all know that didn't work out. Fortunately, the doctors were able to get everything worked out while I was in the hospital, but they couldn't do anything about the embarrassment it caused. I feel really bad that I couldn't finish my performance last week."

"That's okay, Sarah," Matt said. "You'll get your chance to finish it today." I gave another smile at his words.

"So you're all better now - no more medical issues?" Aubrey asked.

I nodded. "My doctors have given me a clean bill of health. I was actually in the studio recording two new songs on Monday, I worked with the band to get another song ready for recording on Tuesday, and we shot the cover of the album on Wednesday. Like I said, I'm not quite at 100% yet, but I am working again."

"That's good to hear," Matt said and a small roar of approval worked its way around the studio audience. I smiled at their gratitude. It was exactly what I needed to help calm the nerves that I was still feeling. Then I realized something more important: I couldn't wait to get behind my microphone again!

"Is the album still scheduled to come out on July 8?" Aubrey asked me.

I nodded my head again. "Yes. We knew that I was going to be having surgery. We had that planned into the schedule. The album will still be coming out on time."

"Do you have any fun events planned around the release? Appearances, CD signings, that sort of thing?" Matt asked.

"Yes," I replied again. "I'm going to be performing a short concert and then signing CD's afterward. I'm not sure if everything has been worked out yet, so details are still forthcoming. I believe that my agent said the information would be posted on my website?" I looked over at where my dad was sitting in the audience. He was nodding his head. "Yes, the details will be posted on the website soon if anyone is interested in coming."

I was willing to tell them exactly where I would be on the 8th, but Dad had told me to give the answer I had given if the question was asked. While the CD signing had been completely set up, Dad was still working with the mall to set up the performance.

"I understand you'll also be performing a concert tour at the end of the summer, correct?" Aubrey asked me next.

"I am," I replied with another smile. I couldn't wait to see more of the country on the tour. My family had never done much traveling while I was growing up, and I hoped this would be a good chance to see some of the places I had always wanted to go. "I know we'll be having a show here in Los Angeles and one in New York, but I think they are still working on the other places in the tour. Once again I'm sure the full schedule will be posted at sarahcarerra.com soon."

"It sounds like you're really getting a lot of attention in a short amount of time," Matt said with a laugh.

"Yeah," I replied, laughing along with him. "Trying to set up all of these schedules and get everything else done like the album has definitely been a unique experience. But I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Sadly, we don't have much time with you this morning," Aubrey said in a downcast tone. "But you did agree to sing a song for us, correct?"

"Yes," I smiled back at her. I'd been waiting for this performance all week. "Instead of singing 'Intuition' for you guys today, I thought that I'd take the chance to premiere a new song for you."

"Oh!" Aubrey and Matt both said in excitement. They were good actors, because they already knew I was playing a new song today.

"Why the change?" Matt asked a moment later.

"Last week after the press conference, I felt horrible. It was one of the worst days of my entire life," I told them. "I spent most of the day in my room at home. I wasn't even sure that I could get back out and sing again."

"What happened to change your mind?" Aubrey asked. I heard the concern in her voice. She might have known that I wasn't going to sing 'Intuition', but she hadn't heard any of this information before.

"Later that evening my dad came in to cheer me up," I replied. "He received a letter from the editor of the Hollywood Herald apologizing for what had happened. It also mentioned that the reporter had been fired. I began to feel better after reading the letter and hearing the obvious concern from the editor. I spent the rest of the night writing a song about how I felt, and about how I was going to overcome what had happened. The song I'm going to sing for you today is called 'You Can't Hurt Me'."

"There you have it, America," Matt told the camera. "Sarah Carerra premiering her new song 'You Can't Hurt Me' right here on 'Wake Up!'."

I stood up as the cheering started and stepped over to where the band was waiting for me. I smiled to each of them before taking my place behind my microphone. I took a deep breath. The last time I was here I had collapsed on stage. That wasn't likely to happen today, but that knowledge didn't make me feel any less nervous. This was my first time on stage in two weeks. It was the first time since I'd collapsed. And it was the first time since the press conference.

Thankfully, there wasn't any other place I would rather be! I felt the rush start as I stood there waiting for the song to begin. I had missed this. I had missed being up on stage and singing for a crowd. It was time to show them that I still had what it took to be a great performer. I was nervous, but I knew that I could channel my nervousness into a great performance!

I looked at Jason. He was waiting for me; I grinned and nodded that I was ready. Immediately he started to play, and I jumped right in and vocalized a tune in harmony with his own. Once I had finished the first part and paused to take a breath, Stacy kicked in with the drums, crashing the cymbals as we started and playing a soft roll as we continued through the second part of the opening melody.

As I prepared to sing words for the first time in the song, every instrument built up to a small crescendo before quieting down into a nice beat as I began the first verse. The pain and the anger that I put into the words weren't forced by any means. It still stung to think about what had happened a week earlier, and it was easy to transfer that into the song. The band helped to set the mood by playing their parts with an edge to them. Half way through the first verse we added another beat, increasing the anger for a few measures before we lightened the tone, giving it an almost hopeful sound.

The whole time I sang about how upset I was with how people thought they could treat me differently just because I was in the public spotlight. I sang about how hurtful they could be and how much it affected me. I sang about how angry I was that they thought they had the right to put me down for the public's entertainment.

Then a few beats of Stacy's drums led us into a faster-paced, more forceful chorus that talked about how I wasn't going to take it. It was MY life, and I was going to live it by my own rules. I wasn't going to take the abuse that they would try to dish out at me. They weren't going to be able to change me into a person that I didn't want to be. And finally, just as the song said, I wasn't going to let them hurt me.

We immediately dropped back into the softer second verse. This time, it wasn't quite as angry and intense as it had been before. I talked about the disappointment I felt at myself for listening to the media and how I had reacted to them. I spoke about how I had let my guard down and then my realization that they couldn't control me. They couldn't tell me what to do.

The second verse was much shorter than the first, and it wasn't long before we ramped back up into the chorus. The second time through I put as much conviction into my words as I could. Now that the audience knew what I had discovered about myself, the words took on a whole new meaning as I not only told anyone who listened that they couldn't hurt me, but that I couldn't hurt myself either.

As we finished the second verse, we didn't immediately stop the more frenetic pace, instead basking in the feeling that it invoked. Sophie and Holly lit up the stage through this piece as they vocalized the melody that I had started the song with while I intermittently reminded the crowd that "You can't hurt me."

Then we fell back to the softer tune as I repeated the realization that I'd had in myself - the realization that gave the powerful voice leading into the chorus. But this time, instead of the frenetic chorus starting up, I sang the end of the chorus at a much softer pace and tone. When we came to the end of the chorus, I launched into the "You can't hurt me," while the band stopped playing completely. Once I had finished the lyrics, and without missing a beat, the band kicked it up a notch and we sang through part of the chorus again at the frenetic pace. This time as the chorus ended we kept the tone and pace at high energy as Sophie and Holly launched back into the vocal tune again as I continued to tell the crowd, "You can't hurt me."

We kept that up for a few seconds as we approached the end of the song, and while the band played the last of their notes, I started my own words. The last "You can't hurt me," ending after the music had finished.

The crowd started screaming again and the rush washed over me just like it always did at the end of a song. But most importantly, I had done it! I had returned to the stage and showed the world that I could overcome what had happened to me! I could continue to perform at my highest ability even in the face of adversity. And I would not let them try to change me or get to me in any way.

They couldn't hurt me.

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