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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 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.24 - Show and Tell

I received another shock Wednesday morning when it was announced that Starlight Cosmetics would have a booth set up outside the cafeteria at lunch. They were looking for the girls who would join me at tomorrow's Starshine meeting. I had no idea that they were going to hold a contest at my school, and I started to worry about who they would select. I did not want any of the students who had been mean to me to make it backstage, but now there was a chance that anyone could be selected. I was not happy.

A booth had been set up at lunch, and the large crowd of teenage girls surrounding it told me that it was a good marketing opportunity for the company. But I knew I had to question who would be invited to attend. Most of the girls who were in line for their chance to sign up were the girls that were least likely to need the makeup help. Only a few of the girls I could see were the ones I would have invited myself.

I sighed, and continued into the cafeteria. I wasn't sure what I should do.

I worried throughout lunch. My friends didn't help either, because they were still mad at me. Even though they weren't yelling any more there was still too much tension in the air for my liking.

After I finished eating I decided to return to the booth. The group of girls surrounding it was still as large as it was earlier, and it still looked like most of them were cheerleaders or part of the popular crowd. I knew I wasn't going to like the result.

I walked toward the front of the booth and then around the back to where two young women in their early twenties were interviewing girls for the chance to participate in the Starshine meeting. It looked like they were in charge of selecting ten girls from the many who had applied. I stepped between them and picked up a piece of paper that had the finalists listed on it. It was as I feared - I did not like what I saw.

"Can I help you?" one of the women asked. She did not look happy about what I was doing.

"I thought the Starshine meeting was to help instruct girls and show them how to bring out their inner beauty," I said. "This is a list of girls who are well-versed in makeup techniques and who are very popular. This is not a list Sarah would approve of."

"That is none of your concern!" the woman shot back and tore the paper out of my hand. "You are not allowed back here! Please leave!"

"On the contrary," I told her, smiling. "My name is Megan Campbell. I am Sarah's personal assistant and I am in charge of all student activities associated with the concert. I may not have a say in whom you select for the Starshine meeting, but I will tell you now that Sarah will be upset with the two of you if this is the list you submit."

The woman's look changed from anger to apprehension at my words. It seemed like she was debating whether I was telling her the truth or not.

"Stay out of this, Megan!" someone screamed, and I turned to see Amber Hartfield nearby. "You've already made sure that only your friends are coming to the backstage party. The rest of us deserve a chance to meet Sarah too!"

"I'm sorry, Amber," I said calmly. "But you are wrong. My job is to make sure that Sarah gets to meet with the type of people she admires. I have met every single attendee of the previous Starshine meetings, and this list does not match the type of people who are normally invited."

I turned and handed the paper back to the woman. "Think about it," I told her.

Then I walked away.

* * *

I woke up Thursday morning more anxious than I'd ever been on a concert day before. Half of that feeling came from the knowledge that I would get to perform for the first time in two weeks. But the other half came from knowing that it would be in front of all of my classmates. Many of them had been hostile to me throughout the school year. I hadn't had any problems at school for a while now, but I knew that they might not be over. Sometimes I wondered if they even deserved a concert.

But there was no way that I was going to cancel it. I could already feel the tingle of the rush just thinking about performing. I couldn't wait until I finally got to take the stage.

Getting ready for this day was different than usual. Normally it was straight into Sarah's clothes and a wig before I left the house, but I still needed to make an appearance as Megan today, and I found myself putting on some of my regular school clothes, eating breakfast, and then meeting my friends outside for the trip to the school.

Instead of driving them myself, however, I led them over to Sarah's tour bus that was parked out front. I smiled at Eddie as I climbed onto the bus. I was carrying not only Sparkle, but my backpack as well. It was definitely a unique experience!

The trip took longer than normal, since it was harder for the bus to navigate the streets, but it wasn't long before we were pulling into one of the parking lots at the school. An area had already been cordoned off for my bus and the many other vehicles involved in putting on one of my shows. Eddie pulled the bus into a spot that was close to where I could get backstage in the auditorium easily but that was still very visible to everyone driving by the school. Immediately a crowd started to form as the students saw the bus and wanted a chance to meet Sarah.

"This is going to be a long day," I told my friends, causing them to laugh.

"Maybe," Emily replied. "But you know you love it."

I promptly laughed as I nodded vigorously. Then we grabbed our book bags and headed for the front of the bus. The tension between my friends and me had abated somewhat. I knew they were still unhappy about my quitting Chorus, but at least they were laughing with me.

"Don't let anyone on," I told Eddie, and he nodded back before opening the door. A cheer erupted, but it died down quickly when my friends and I emerged instead of Sarah. I was happy to find Mason and Cole waiting for us outside.

"Hi guys," I told them, as they smiled in response. They were already playing the part of the silent bodyguards, and the smile was their only concession to that facade.

"We'll watch the bus until you return," Mason whispered to me. "It seems weird to let you wander around alone."

I laughed but smiled back at him. Cole and Mason had been the best security guards I could ask for, and I could see that they had extra men on duty today. Apparently they were worried about the trouble that a group of high school students could cause.

I turned toward the large group of students and teachers who were hoping for the chance to meet Sarah. I was going to disappoint them.

"Sarah's not on the bus!" I yelled loudly so they could hear me. "She won't be here for another hour or two, so you can all go to class!"

There was a large groan from the crowd, but when the door to the bus closed behind me most of the students turned and headed toward the school. Some of them looked like they were going to linger around for her, but the teachers who had been among the crowd made sure they were herded toward their classes.

I bid goodbye to Austin and my friends and then turned toward the door to the auditorium. Principal Hall had given me permission to come and go from my classes as I pleased. His only request was that I tried to learn something today. The pass allowed me to show that Megan was still at the school, and it gave me the ability to do what I needed to do to prepare throughout the day. I hoped that it would help to keep my secret intact throughout the day. Never had I been as vulnerable as I would be today. If I could get through this concert without anyone finding out what my real relation to Sarah was, then I could get through anything.

Stepping into the auditorium was a surreal experience. I had been in this room many times over the years I'd been attending the school. But it had never been decorated for one of my concerts. It was almost unrecognizable. The huge screen that was always behind me on stage had already been set up and the crews were working to finish the rest of the preparations. My band was also setting up their instruments for our sound check, and I walked over to them.

"Hi, Megan," Jason greeted me as I approached.

"Hi, guys," I replied and watched them continue for a moment. "Are the girls here yet?"

"No," Stacy replied. "But they'll be here shortly."

"Okay," I replied, wishing there was something I could do to help. I knew that I should go to class, but I didn't want to leave the preparations. "I guess I'll see you guys later then. I better go to class."

Jason burst into laughter for a moment, which got everyone else chuckling at his reaction.

"You're going to classes today?" he asked, not believing what I had said.

"Unfortunately," I replied with a frown that only made him laugh again. "Both my dad and my principal want me to try to learn something today. I'd much rather be here though."

"Well, we'll be waiting for your return," Stacy said with a smile while he continued to move his drums into the proper positions. Enjoy your classes."

"Yeah, right," I replied with another chuckle. But I managed to pull myself away from them and head toward class.

* * *

A loud alarm caused my second period teacher to stop mid-lecture. He glared at me as I scrambled for my bag to silence the racket coming from my phone. As I silenced it, I noticed that it was already 9:30, and I only had 15 minutes until the sound check, and I still needed to run back to the bus to change.

"Sorry!" I offered while shoving the phone back into my bag along with my books before standing up.

"And where do you think you are going, Ms. Campbell?" he asked.

"Sound check!" I shot back and ran out the door.

* * *

I collapsed on the bed in my bus an hour later. The sound check had gone well and normally I would have been getting ready to go to P.E., but there was no way I was going to go work out before I took the stage this afternoon. I would expend ten times as much energy during the concert anyway. Instead, I now had a nice, private, study hall in my home on wheels. It would give me enough time to relax before I'd have to deal with all the girls at the Starshine meeting, which was being held over lunch.

Unfortunately, as I glanced out the window, I noticed that there was a group of students gathering outside the bus. I recognized some of them as freshmen, but I didn't know them personally. They took a seat on the other side of the temporary fence that had been erected between the bus and them, but they left me feeling uneasy.

I felt a bit guilty as I watched TV while all of my friends were inside the school in class. But I also reveled in the power Sarah gave me. I knew that I had already banked enough money that I could live comfortably for years without working. I knew that I could drop out of school if I wanted to. But that just didn't feel like the right answer to me, and there was no way my parents would agree to it. Besides, I wanted the education. I wanted the chance to learn, even if I hated doing it sometimes. I still wanted to go to college, even though the opportunity seemed harder and harder to imagine with the demands that Sarah put on my life.

A knock on the open door to my bedroom pulled my attention away from the show I had been watching. I found Amy there smiling at me.

"Ditching classes, huh?" she teased.

"Just P.E.," I replied. "I figured I would get enough of a workout this afternoon."

She chuckled, but nodded her head. "The Starshine meeting should be starting in about 10 minutes," she told me. "I just wanted to let you know so you could get ready."

"Thank you," I said. She nodded once more and then headed back toward the front of the bus. I turned off the TV and climbed off the bed, looking into the mirror on the back of the bathroom door to make sure the wig was still straight. Stephanie had applied my makeup before the sound check, and it still looked like it was in good condition.

I sighed while looking out the window. The small group of students was still there, but it had grown since the lunch break had started. There was quite a crowd eating lunch out there now, hoping for a glimpse of Sarah, not knowing that she walked around their school every day without anyone ever noticing.

I picked up Sparkle's case and made my way toward the front of the bus. I found Amy sitting on the couch waiting for me.

"Ready to go?" she asked. I nodded, and she took Sparkle from me so that it wouldn't be damaged in the rush of bodies that always occurred when I entered the Observatory. Then we stepped off the bus.

A roar went up among the crowd of my schoolmates. They were cheering and many of them were running toward the fence to get closer to me. I waved back, and then I followed Cole and Mason as they led me in the opposite direction. Turning a corner I found the outdoor tent we used to hold The Observatory set up on a patch of grass near the school. There were many security people wandering around, more than I had ever seen Cole and Mason bring in. But when I saw all the students wandering around I started to understand why. We didn't have a "real" backstage area here, and they were keeping the students away from where they shouldn't be. The temporary fence that had been set up extended all of the way to the entrance of the tent, but it didn't surround it.

I continued to wave at the students and teachers, but I kept walking as I was led over to the entrance. I was thankful to finally step inside, where I was rushed by the girls who had been invited to the party. I was mildly surprised, but pleased, to see that the group of girls was not the same group who had been on the list I'd seen yesterday. Instead the fans who were awaiting me were very similar to the girls I had hoped would be on the list. There were a couple of cheerleaders, but the rest of them looked like they could use a little help with their makeup. Stephanie would be able to work wonders with them. But best of all, Amber was not among them.

I made sure that each of the ten girls received a hug before we started. I recognized many of them but I didn't know any of them personally. Even the two cheerleaders appeared to be on the freshman squad, which meant they weren't the ones who had been mean to me.

"Hi everyone!" I greeted them once the excitement started to die down. "I'm Sarah, and I'm glad that you could all join me today. We don't have a lot of time before lunch is over, but we have food for everyone." I looked over at the small buffet that the catering company had left. There was a very enticing aroma in the air that was reminding me that I was hungry.

Then I turned my attention back to the girls. "Stephanie and I," I said while gesturing to my makeup artist, "will be coming around to spend some time with each of you. Stephanie will show you how to use some of the wonderful products that Starshine makes, and I look forward to getting to know each of you. Is that okay?" There was enthusiastic agreement at my words. "Alright then, get some food and we'll get started."

I wished I could join the girls at the food table, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat and spend quality time with them at the same time. Instead I knew that I'd get to eat once they went back to class. It was a small price to pay to see the smiles and excitement that they showered upon me over the remainder of the lunch period. The addition of food and the shortened time schedule to fit it into the lunch period made the meeting a bit more difficult. We didn't have time to compose a song together like I usually did with those attending the Starshine meeting, but I made sure that we still took a picture and we did have a lot of fun together.

When the bell rang indicating the end of lunch there was a groan from all of the girls, but they started to pack up all of the loot they had received from the makeup company, and they prepared to return to their classes. I was sad to see them go, but I made sure to hug each girl again as each one exited the tent. Every single one of the girls who had been invited had turned out to be an amazing young woman. I would call any of them a friend under other circumstances. It was going to be hard to walk down the halls as Megan and pretend I had never met them.

But those thoughts were quickly replaced when the last girl left the tent and Amy, Stephanie, and I all turned our attention to the remaining food.

There was still going to be a lot of excitement before the school day was over, but for now I was content to eat some lunch with my friends.

* * *

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