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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 2.29 - A Friend in Need

The next morning I resolved that I wasn't going to let Josh hurt me anymore. He had toyed with my heart on more than one occasion, and I wasn't going to stand for it any longer. I didn't need that kind of thing in my life. I had enough going on as it was.

I knew that I couldn't dump Josh out of my life. Dad had told me that I was obligated to record 'I Need You' with him now, and that Josh had already agreed to join me on stage in Salt Lake City. But that didn't mean that I had to let my feelings for him control me. It would be strictly business both on stage and when we recorded the song.

I did not need him. I'd held that thought as I fell asleep the night before, and I knew it was true. I would find someone who would give me the love I deserved. It just wouldn't be Josh.

I pushed him out of my thoughts and went to get ready for the day. Mom had let me sleep in and miss church after the long night before, but I still wanted to listen to the countdown. It would be the first time that 'You Can't Hurt Me' would have a chance to make the list. I was hoping it debuted high, but I knew it was unlikely since the song had only been released as a single three days earlier.

When I walked out of the bathroom after taking my shower, I was intercepted by my mom before I could make it to my room. She smiled at me kindly before speaking.

"How are you doing?" she asked me.

I sighed. I never wanted to experience what had occurred last night, but once again I was glad that I had suffered through it. I needed to feel that heartache and pain if I was going to get over Josh. Now that I was certain there wouldn't be anything between us, I could focus on moving past those feelings and learning how to consider him a friend. I had vowed last night that I didn't need him in my life anymore. With a calmer head this morning, I knew that we could still be friends. I just didn't want to see him until it was absolutely necessary.

"I'm doing okay," I finally replied. "I mean, we talked about this on Friday. I should have been prepared for what happened last night."

"Oh, Honey," Mom replied while wrapping her arms around me and softly stroking the back of my head. "You can never prepare yourself for what happened last night. I'm sure this won't be the last time that a guy hurts you like that. It's part of growing up. I am proud of how you are handling it. I'm still getting to know you as my little girl, and you are already becoming a young woman."

I smiled while returning Mom's hug. We stood there holding each other for a few moments before she stepped back and looked at me. I couldn't help but feel the love and support that she was showering upon me, and I loved her all the more for what she meant to me. I was so glad to have her!

"Your dad and I are going over to one of his client's houses for the afternoon," she changed the subject. "Will you be okay here?" I nodded. "Make sure Austin stays out of trouble. He has some friends over. Don't let them get too rambunctious."

"Okay," I replied. I could use some time alone anyway.

After she turned to leave with Dad, who was waiting at the end of the hall, I returned to my room to finish getting ready. Then I stopped by to check on Austin and his friends. They were in the front room playing video games, and I knew that would keep them entertained for a while. Leaving them to their fun, I headed for Sarah’s room.

I had no idea where 'You Can't Hurt Me' was going to debut. I felt confident that it would make the countdown after the number of albums that were sold, but it had one huge disadvantage going against it. 'Intuition' had debuted at #8 after a full week on the radio. 'You Can't Hurt Me' had only been on the radio since Thursday.

While sitting on the couch listening to the countdown, I noticed my guitar, which reminded me of the song I had written about being scared and overcoming it. Dad had given me the tickets I requested for Paul and his family, and I still needed to take them over to him. I was still amazed that he had come to the CD signing! I vowed to visit him this afternoon. I knew him well enough to know that he probably hadn't had anyone other than his mom to talk to about what he had done, and I wanted to be there to help, if I could.

Surprisingly, 'You Can't Hurt Me' hadn't been played by the time they got to the Top 10. That meant that I likely had a second Top 10 debut song! I sat there, mesmerized while listening for where it would end up. Finally, the announcer introduced it.

"For the second time this summer, Sarah Carerra has debuted a song on the countdown within the Top 10," he said. "Her new song looks like it is excellently poised to take over the top spot and hold on for a number of weeks. But that won't happen today. Debuting at #2, here is 'You Can't Hurt Me'."

While I was surprised that it had managed to claim the second spot on the countdown on the first week, I was also disappointed to realize that it hadn't clinched the top spot. As I sat and listened to it, I realized that if it had come out only one day earlier, there was a strong chance it would have been on top. I knew most albums came out on Tuesdays, and I wondered if that would have made a difference.

Either way, I knew that it would be on top next week, and I hoped it stayed there for a long time.

With a contented sigh I stood up. It had been a while since I had checked on Austin and his friends, and I felt that I had better make sure they hadn't gotten into any trouble. I knew it was unlikely. He was a teenage boy, but he was a good kid.

They weren't in the front room anymore. They weren't raiding the kitchen either. It was a noise from down the hall that alerted me to their whereabouts. I walked down the hall until I could hear them talking excitedly in his room. Peering in the door, I found them huddled around Austin's computer.

"Dude!" one of them shouted. "Isn't that the girl from the Nike commercial?"

I didn't like where my thoughts took me. Horny teenage boys huddled around a computer monitor talking about girls didn't leave many options about what they were doing. I thought I knew Austin better.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked loudly to get their attention. Most of them looked. Some of them were looking at me in a way I did not enjoy. Then they all returned their heads to the monitor.

"Megan!" Austin yelled. Oddly enough, it wasn't the yell of someone who had just been caught red-handed. Instead, he seemed excited. "Come see this! It's amazing!"

Curiosity took over at that point. My initial thoughts had to be wrong if he wanted me to see what they were looking at. Stepping over to his desk, I found them looking at a video where some girl was running across the roof of a building...

"Whoa!" escaped my mouth as she leaped across a huge gap between two buildings. I didn't think it was possible for a human being to do something like that!

I sat there mesmerized as my eyes were glued to the monitor just like the boys. That girl was amazing! She continued to do superhuman things that no one should be able to do until she left us all breathless by dropping straight down from the top of a building!

I thought she was going to break her legs or something, but instead she did some weird flip thing and landed perfectly with nothing but a huge smile on her face. That's when I saw it. She had the fire in her eyes.

I thought it was scary enough getting up on stage and singing to feel that rush. I couldn't even comprehend doing something like what that girl did to get the same feeling.

"They call her Catwalk," Austin said while starting the video again. I laughed. Her name should be 'Insane'.

"I'm going over to a friend’s house," I told him, pulling my eyes away from Wonder Woman. "Are you going to be okay here alone?"

"You're leaving me alone?" he asked, shocked. Mom didn't like leaving him alone for some reason.

"You're a big boy - you can handle it," I replied. His friends started chuckling, which caused him to flush red with embarrassment.

I left them like that and stopped in my room to grab Paul's tickets and my purse before walking out to my car.

Paul's house wasn't too far away, and it wasn't long before I pulled into his driveway. I hadn't been over to his house since we finished our Biology class, and I wasn't sure what his parents would think about me now.

With a great amount of trepidation, I got out of my car and headed for the front door. Ringing the doorbell was almost enough to make me want to head back home. I hadn't had to face anyone who knew me as my old self in over a month and a half.

After a short wait the door opened, and I found myself looking up into the surprised eyes of Paul's mother. It was obvious that very few girls my age came knocking on their door after seeing that look!

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson," I said cheerily. "Is Paul home?"

I thought she was going to have a heart attack for a moment because of the surprise that crossed her face. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Yes, yes, come in!" she said excitedly. Too excitedly. It was obvious that she didn't recognize me, and she was too happy to finally have a girl calling on her son. She stepped back to let me in, and I tentatively took a step into the house. There was no backing out now.

"What's your name?" Paul's mom asked me a moment later while directing me into their sitting room. I obediently followed and took a seat on their couch while she sat across from me. I had hoped that I would be able to talk to Paul, but it looked like his mom wanted to get to know me first.

"Megan," I replied. Her eyes shot up in shock again. Obviously, Paul had told her about me.

"But you look so different..." she voiced. I knew that was the case, but I also knew I looked similar enough that she should have recognized me. I could see her looking at me again, searching for the similar features between me and my old self. I'd been over to their house enough times that she knew me pretty well.

"Mom, who was at the door?" came a voice from near the stairs. A moment later Paul walked into their sitting room.

"Hi, Paul," I said with a small wave.

"Megan!" he nearly shrieked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

I smiled back at his reaction. I thought we had overcome this awkwardness on yearbook day, but apparently I was wrong. He looked scared out of his mind to have me in his house!

"I wanted to see how you were doing," I replied. "Plus, I have a present for you."

I dug into my purse to find the tickets to the concert that Dad had given me. Once I pulled them out, I held them out for him. "Sarah wanted you to have these," I said.

I didn't think it was possible, but his eyes widened even more. It took him a moment, but he finally stepped closer and took the tickets from me. Then he stared at them in awe for a moment. I knew he was happy, though.

"Sarah who?" his mom asked. That was the first inkling that I received that she was unaware of where her son had gone on Thursday evening. I looked up at Paul for a moment, and he was subtly shaking his head. He didn't want her to know.

"Sarah Carerra," I said, despite his wishes. I knew that she wouldn't be opposed to having him out of the house more often, especially if it was in a public setting like the mall. He was just afraid of what she would think.

"The singer?" Paul's mom asked incredulously. "You know Sarah Carerra?"

"Yes," I replied. "I've known her my whole life. My dad is also her agent, so we see each other quite a bit. Those tickets are for the OC Fair on August 5th. I won't be there that night, but the tickets are next to my family."

Paul's mom reached out her hand, and Paul handed her the tickets. "Why would Sarah want Paul to have tickets?" she asked.

I looked at Paul. It wasn't my place to tell his mother where he had been. I saw him struggle for a moment before he sighed and turned toward her.

"I went to her CD signing at the mall on Thursday," he told her. His mom's eyebrows shot up again. "I guess I've met her before, even though I didn't remember her. But apparently we met at Megan's house once."

I nodded confirmation when she looked over at me. "She knows how shy he is," I elaborated. "She was really impressed to see him there. She said that he even helped inspire a song, one about overcoming your fears."

Paul's eyebrows shot up this time, and his jaw dropped open. Maybe I shouldn't have told him that, but he was a big part of the song I had written, and he deserved to know what that meant. His mom also looked shocked again, and it looked like she wouldn't be able to handle much more.

"Well," she said while standing up. "I'll let the two of you talk. I need to get started on dinner."

She started to walk out of the room when Paul turned back to me. "Come on, Megan. Come up to my room."

Paul's mom stopped walking for a moment before she turned back to us. "Just..." she started, but she looked like she was nervous now. "Just leave the door open, okay?"

I blushed immediately when I realized what she was implying. Paul turned beet red. Paul was a nice guy, but I didn't plan to get involved with him like that. I didn't plan to get involved with ANY guy for a while after what had happened last night. We were just friends.

We quickly made our way up the stairs and down the hall to his room. I thought I had been uncomfortable back in the front room, but it was nothing like how I felt when I stepped into his room.

I didn't know if Sarah was Paul's first crush or not, but it was immediately clear why he had come to the CD signing on Thursday. It looked like every one of my posters was hanging somewhere in his room! The CD I had signed was in a frame mounted to a wall too. There was quite a bit more memorabilia around the room that had my face on it. I didn't even know some of that stuff existed!

Paul had overcome his fears because he was in love with me. Just like Ethan had been. Just like my cousin James had been. But I couldn't tell Paul the truth. Not now. He needed that fantasy to help him get over his fears. If Sarah could pull him out of his shell, I wasn't going to ruin that by telling him the truth.

"Uh," he said when he saw my reaction. "I'm sorry. I kind of have a crush on her."

I gave him a friendly smile. "It's okay, Paul," I said. "That's normal. I'm just happy someone was able to get you out of your shell."

He sighed and flopped down on his bed. I took a seat on his desk chair near the door. "I'm not sure why, but she makes me want to meet people and have friends. She makes me want to have a life."

I smiled. That was the best thing I could have heard!

"I'm glad to hear that," I told him. "You're too kind and smart to be hiding from everybody. You have a lot to offer the world."

He smiled back at me while sitting up. "It's not just her, you know."

I wasn't sure what he meant by that. "What?" I asked for clarification.

"It's not just her," he repeated. "It's you too."

Now I was really confused! "What do you mean?"

"Megan," he said and then looked me in the eye. "You became a whole new person at the end of the school year. That takes guts! But if you can do what you did, then I can learn to get over my fears."

I wasn't sure what to say. That seemed so mature of him! It definitely wasn't something that I expected him to say to me.

I smiled warmly at him. "Well, I'm glad that you are trying."

"I'm still scared, Megan," he told me sincerely. I nodded my understanding. "I mean, even talking to you is scary." I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand. "Look, I know you said you haven't changed, but you have. I see that even more now than I did at the end of school. You are truly a girl. I'm still mostly the same person who is scared of girls. I was scared to death to meet Sarah the other day. Then she freaked me out when she recognized me. I froze after that and I didn't even get to talk to her."

I chuckled at the memory of what my reaction had caused him to do. "I think your visit was one of the highlights of her night," I told him truthfully. "It's people like you who keep her going."

His smile widened, but I knew he didn’t believe me. Of course, he thought he was still a no-name fan to her. He had no idea that she was one of his best friends.

"Did she really write a song about me?" he asked.

"Yeah!" I replied happily. "She played it for me, and I think it was really good. The song is about overcoming your fears. She said that the fear she had to get up on stage the first time, and seeing you overcome your fears to come to the signing on Thursday, helped shape the song. She doesn't mention you specifically, but she wanted me to make sure you knew that the song was also about you."

He nodded, wide-eyed, and then flopped down on his bed again. I think he was still in shock.

"Want to play some video games?" I offered. Even though I was never any good, we'd often play them for a while after getting our biology assignments done. It wasn't what I preferred to do, but it was something he needed.

"Yeah," he said and got up to turn on his TV.

We spent most of the afternoon playing video games together until I had to head home for dinner. I knew that the best thing I could do for him would be to spend time with him. If he could overcome his fears with me, then hopefully he could transfer that courage into talking to and interacting with other girls. If nothing else, he could use the time with a friend. I knew that my busy schedule wouldn't give us much time together, but whatever little I could spare would help. He was a good guy.

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Special Thanks
I have to give a special thanks to Connie Alexander for letting me finally return the favor of honoring her wonderful story within my own during this chapter. If you haven't read it yet, check out Catwalk Confidence now.