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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 3.35 - Celebrations

School on Wednesday felt like torture. After two days in the recording studio, the last thing I wanted to do was to return to class. Even worse, all of the Chorus members kept talking about their experiences throughout the day, making my attendance that much harder on me emotionally.

The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that the Grammy nominations were going to be announced tonight. To date I had been nominated for nine awards in my short career, and I had managed to win five. I was cautiously optimistic that my name would be called again tonight. Though I had heard of artists being left out of the awards for one reason or another, I felt it unlikely that would happen to me. At least I hoped it wouldn't happen to me.

After dinner I made my way into Sarah's room where I planned to watch the Grammy nominations. There was some kind of small nominations concert on this evening, and I intended to watch all of it.

When the doorbell rang the first time I thought nothing of it and wasn't surprised to see Emily and Ethan come into the room to join me. When it rang the second time I was more curious. The entire band, Sophie, and Holly came into the room a short while later. I was very surprised to see them, but I was happy that they were there. They were such an integral part to my music that I wished they too would be nominated for an award.

The doorbell continued to ring in the minutes up to the start of the show. Scott, Stephanie and Julie joined us. But the last time the doorbell rang was the time that I smiled the widest. Mom had gone to answer the door, but when she brought the visitor back to the room I screamed in excitement.

"Jane!" I exclaimed while jumping off the couch and hugging her tightly. "Does this mean ‘yes’?"

"Yes!" she nearly shouted back in excitement! She was smiling from ear to ear when I released her, and then my band was there to congratulate her and welcome her as one of their own. Having Jane agree to be my third backup singer was awesome! I couldn't imagine anyone else that would fit in so well with the amazing people who were already on stage with me.

It took us a while, but we eventually settled down to watch the nominations show. I almost couldn't care less if I was nominated anymore. Having so many wonderful people there with me was nearly enough.

I watched, mesmerized, as the show intermingled performances with the nominations. Each time my name was called I grew more and more proud of the people around me. Best New Artist was the first nomination I received, and was somewhat expected by everyone in the room. Then, 'You Can't Hurt Me' stole the show, earning three nominations: Best Female Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year!

I was stunned speechless! Not only had a song that I had written at one of the lowest points of my life been nominated for a Grammy, it had been nominated in three of the most highly contested and sought after categories!

I was so happy, in fact, that it took me a few minutes to realize that my dad and Scott were upset over the nominations.

"How could it not have been nominated?!" I eventually heard Scott saying. "The album is one of the best-selling albums of the year!"

"I don't know!" Dad replied, frustration evident in his voice and on his face. "It just isn't right!"

I was stunned again, but this time it was in confusion. I hadn't thought about the fact that 'Intuition' hadn't been nominated for Album of the Year or Pop Vocal Album. But even so, I had been nominated for four Grammy awards, and that was no small feat in itself. I couldn't believe that they weren't more excited about that.

"It's okay," I told the two of them. "We'll get it next time."

Scott and my dad looked over at me, and the expressions they were giving me read more like "you just don't understand" instead of the "I agree with you" I expected from them. Dad opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted before he could.

"No!" I ordered! "Celebrate what we DID get! I am!"

Dad closed his mouth and looked at me for a moment before he nodded in agreement.

I turned back to the many wonderful people in the room and followed my own orders: I celebrated.

* * *

School on Thursday was even more difficult than it had been the day before. I did not want to be there. I kept catching myself writing lyrics instead of taking notes in class.

I couldn't help it. Ever since I had awakened that morning I'd had a song running around in my head - a song that had to come out. I did what I could during school hours. I did a very good job of hiding it from everyone else, but Emily caught me humming to myself while we were getting ready for P.E. I eventually had to tell her about the song stuck in my head. For the rest of the day she walked around with a sly smile, knowing something and proud that she couldn't tell another soul.

The song that was rattling around in my brain already had a title, even though I was still working on the lyrics. 'Remembered' was a ‘thank you’ song. It was a thank you to everyone who had helped me reach this point in my life. It was a thank you to the band for helping me to become the musician I was. It was a thank you to Stephanie and Julia for all the help they'd given me in establishing and maintaining Sarah's image. It was a thank you to Scott for recognizing my talent and giving me the opportunity to record the demo that lead to my recording contract. It was a thank you to Emily and Ethan for standing by me all these years and for being the best friends I could ever ask for. It was a thank you to my family for all that they had gone through with all of the changes I went through to become Megan, let alone anything else I had put them through in my life.

But most importantly, it was a thank you to myself. A thank you for finding the light within me that drove me forward and helped me to become the strong, confident young woman that I was proud to see in the mirror every morning.

I knew, without a doubt, that I couldn't let anyone else hear this song before it was finished. Not even Emily. I was going to have to find a way to write each of the different instruments into the song and then find someone to play them with me when I performed this song for everyone in my life. I wanted them to see just how thankful I really was.

I was struck with an idea while walking toward Study Hall at the end of the day when I saw Felix, the guitarist for Lazy Acres, heading toward the Chorus room. I had to stop him. Lazy Acres had been providing live music for the Chorus all year, and I had spent enough time with them before leaving Chorus, and when Sarah came to practice, that I was confident in their abilities.

"Felix!" I called out, trying to get his attention. He turned to look at me, and then stopped as I quickly made my way toward him.

"Yes?" he asked. It was obvious that he was confused about why I had stopped him. We didn't know each other very well, and I was no longer a member of Chorus.

"Sarah Carerra wanted to know if you and the rest of Lazy Acres would be willing to help her write a song," I blurted out before my nerves could overcome my desire to get their help.

Felix opened his mouth to say something, but when no words came out I knew I had stunned him the same way I had been stunned the night before. This was no small request, and he knew it.

"Are you serious?" he finally managed to ask. "With us?"

"Yes," I replied. "She was very impressed with you guys. And she needs somebody she can trust to help write a song she doesn't want her band to hear yet. Are you in?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed immediately, but then he started to really consider what I was saying. "No," he continued a moment later. "I mean, I don't know. I'm going to have to ask the other guys, and we are trying to get signed so I'll have to ask our manager. It could be complicated."

"Okay," I said, slightly disappointed.

Felix noticed my downcast tone, and his eyes widened immediately.

"It's not a ‘no’," he said immediately. "In fact, please take this as a ‘yes’. I'm going to make sure we get to work with her. I just have to get everyone else to agree."

"Okay," I said again, but this time my tone was more positive.

"When did she want to work on the song?" he asked.

"Oh," he caught me off-guard. I hadn't thought that far ahead. "It would have to be after the Christmas concert," I rattled off immediately as available dates started bouncing around inside my head. "So, like three weeks from now? Will that work?"

"Probably," he said. "Let me talk to the other guys and I'll get back to you, okay?"

"Okay," I said a third time, but relief echoed from this one.

Felix turned to continue toward Chorus, and I smiled as I made my way toward Study Hall.

* * *

The rest of the week seemed to fly by. I spent nearly every moment of free time I had on Thursday and Friday working on the song. I wanted this one to be special. I wanted this one to be perfect. Everyone deserved that much from me.

On Saturday I spent the morning talking to Mary about how excited I was about the song. I talked about how important it was for me to thank them. Even Mary was part of the crowd I wanted to include, and I let her know that. She wouldn't get to hear the song before it was released, but she too was looking forward to it.

Preparations for Austin's 15th birthday party were already underway when I arrived home. I had to weave around a box truck that was parked in our driveway in order to get my car into the garage. A few people were unloading the truck and carrying its contents around to the backyard.

Dad had agreed to throw a big party for Austin this year, and had even talked one of his clients into performing at it. Street Confederacy wasn't the most popular band out there, but Austin and his friends liked them enough to be excited at having them perform at the party. I had also offered to perform for him, but he didn't want his sister performing at his birthday party, no matter how popular I was.

I walked into the house and peered out the sliding doors that led to the backyard. A small stage was being assembled and other preparations were evident. Even though it was the beginning of December the weather was excellent and it would be a nice day for a party.

I spent most of the day in Sarah's room working on 'Remembered' some more. Austin was out with friends, Dad was supervising the party preparations, and Mom was out with Aunt Judy, though she would be back for the party.

By the time Austin's friends started to show up for the party late in the afternoon I had pretty much finished the song, and it just needed to be polished.

I barely got anything more than a 'Happy Birthday' in to Austin when he got home before he was in the backyard with his friends. The band wasn't scheduled to play for another hour and a half, but the boys and girls, many of which I recognized from school, were still wandering around excited.

I stepped out of the house with Mom, intent on eating some of the food that the caterer had brought. I didn't make it three steps before I had a small following of Austin's male friends around me. I chuckled to myself, and heard my mom do the same, but I continued to load my plate. When the two of us had found an empty table to sit down at, I only had enough time to return the sly smile Mom was giving me before the entire table had been filled with young freshmen boys eating their own food. I wasn't stupid. I knew they just wanted to hang out with me. I wasn't exactly happy about the prospect of spending the entire party being fawned over by Austin's friends, but it wouldn't be the first time it had happened.

"Hi, Megan," one of them said. I didn't know who he or any of the others were, but they seemed friendly enough.

"Hi," I said and took another bite of my food. I glanced around and saw that some of the freshmen girls who had been invited were staring at my table enviously. Some of them looked unhappy with me, but they knew Mom and I had sat down at an empty table. I definitely hadn't invited the boys to sit with me.

Eventually, the boys started to filter away from the table as Austin organized a few games that they wanted to be a part of. But Mom and I weren't alone for long before we were invaded by some of the girls who weren't participating in the games. I then spent the remainder of the time before the concert embroiled in the trivial things that freshman girls talked about all the time. They seemed to be happy to have someone older to talk to, and even my mom participated like she was their age.

Naturally, between the constant chatter about boys, I found myself answering questions about Sarah. All of them were eager for any information I could provide, and I was happy to do so.

But in the end I was happy when the band started to perform. I hadn't really planned on spending all afternoon hanging out at the party, but there wasn't anywhere else I would rather be.

* * *

Later that night, after all of the party guests had left and the band was gone, I finally managed to give Austin his present.

"Happy Birthday, Austin," I told him and handed him the slightly unwieldy package.

He gratefully took the present from me and looked at it quizzically for a moment before he started ripping off the paper. He was holding the present upside down when he finished unwrapping, but it was plain to see that he wasn't enthusiastic about what was obviously the back of a picture frame.

But when he turned the picture frame around to see what was inside, he gasped. Then he ran his hand over the glass, smudging it in the process but smiling widely.

"Is this for real?" he asked. I nodded, smiling.

Inside the picture frame were two neatly displayed pieces of paper covered in lyrics and notes. Occasionally there was a word crossed out and replaced, or notes that were scribbled out and rewritten. But even Austin knew the importance of these papers.

These were the sheets of paper I had used to write 'Your Time Will Come'. Covered in notes and scribbles, the song that Austin had inspired had come to life on these two pieces of paper.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed and wrapped his arms around me. I knew that he liked the gift, and would cherish it, but when he let me go I could see the slight disappointment in his eyes. He had been hoping for something else.

"Plus I got you those," I said casually and pointed to a few other packages that were on the floor nearby. His excitement rose immediately and he handed Mom the frame before ripping into the packages with a fervor I hadn't seen in him in a while.

Then he started to scream in excitement as he saw the new video game system and games that he had been hoping for all day. Mom and Dad weren't going to buy it for him, they had told me, but that was what a multi-platinum award-winning sister was for!

"Thank you!" he screamed again while hugging me once more. This time he squeezed me much tighter than he had before.

I squeezed him back. He was worth much more than what I had spent on him.

* * *

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