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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 3.28 - Entanglements

I was in the cafeteria on Friday when I had the first inkling that something wasn’t quite right. I had that crazy feeling that somebody was watching me, but I couldn't see anyone when I looked around. The feeling followed me for the rest of the day, and when I opened my locker to get my books for Study Hall I was surprised to find a number of rose petals and a folded up note inside.

A smile spread across my face at the same time that I looked around, but I didn't see anyone watching me. I didn't know what to expect while I unfolded the note; I definitely didn’t expect to find a poem written to me.

'Roses are red, violets are blue,
I want to go to the Autumn Ball with you'

The poem was signed with a signature that I could not decipher. I had no idea who had slipped the poem into my locker, but I was floating on air as I walked toward the classroom. I still didn't feel like getting involved with someone right now, but knowing that somebody wanted to ask me to the dance had elated me in a way that I didn't know it could.

Josh had been the only person in my life whom I had truly gotten close to, and he had ripped out my heart. I still hadn't fully recovered from that, and I wasn't sure that I could agree to go to a dance with someone. I had already promised Emily that I would go with her because she didn't think anyone was going to ask her. I had my doubts about that; she was one of the prettiest girls in our class after all. I didn't want to leave her by herself, yet I couldn't deny the excitement I felt that someone had asked me to the dance. I only wished I knew whose signature was on the paper.

I was staring at the paper again in Study Hall when a shadow fell over the table I was sitting at. I looked up to find one of the freshmen in the class standing there. He looked very nervous. The feeling that I was being watched had been very strong since I'd entered the room, and I wondered if he had been the one watching me all day.

"Hi," he said, and for a moment I thought he was going to turn and run away. Had he slipped the poem into my locker?

"Hi," I replied, hoping that it hadn't been him. He was nice and all, but he was the same age as Austin!

"I, um," he stammered, trying to find his words. I waited patiently. "Are you going to the Autumn Ball?"

"Yes," I replied. His face fell, and I regretted my response almost immediately.

"Oh," he said in a downcast tone. "I guess Austin asked you already then?"

I couldn't help it, but I started laughing. I knew that Austin had been playing our relationship up among the freshmen, but I hadn’t realized that it had gone that far.

"No," I finally replied once my laughter had died down. "I'm definitely not going with Austin."

The poor kid now looked confused. He was staring at me like he couldn't figure out why I wouldn't go with Austin.

"Austin is my brother," I told him, and the shock that registered on his face was instant and extreme. Then he started smiling again.

"So you don't have a date to the dance yet?" he asked excitedly.

"Not officially," I replied, discreetly hiding the poem that had been slipped into my locker in my hand. I now knew it wasn't this boy who had left it for me.

"Will you go with me?" he asked hopefully.

I held back the sigh that wanted to escape my lips. He was a nice boy, and he would probably make a good date for somebody. But that somebody would not be me.

"I'm sorry..." I wracked my brain to remember his name, "Steven. But I'm expecting someone else to ask me."

"Oh," he said again and his face fell once more. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," I told him. "You are really nice and under other circumstances I might have been able to say yes."

"It's okay," he said and turned to leave. I could tell that I had just dashed his dreams, and that didn't make me happy.

"How about I save you a dance?" I called back to him. He stopped immediately and turned around.

"You mean it?" he asked, the excitement back in his voice.

"I mean it," I confirmed.

"Yes!" he screamed while turning and running back to the table he had been sitting at with some other freshmen boys.

I smiled and unfolded the poem once more.

* * *

At our appointment on Saturday morning, I spent a lot of time talking to Mary about the note and the prospect of someone being interested in me. She cautioned me about secret admirers, but her smile revealed that she was happy about this turn of events.

Then I spent most of the weekend trying to write some new songs. Not only did I have to come up with two songs for the Christmas Concert and start all the other preparations for the concert, I also had a meeting with a director on Monday who wanted me to write a song for his movie. Then on Wednesday I was supposed to record a collaboration with Sam's Town, a fairly popular band that had a few #1 hits. I liked their music so I was eager to work with them.

The countdown on Sunday had a mix of good and bad in it. After 16 weeks in the Top 10 'You Can't Hurt Me' dropped to #12. I was amazed that it had spent so much time on top of the charts, and I couldn't believe that people liked the song that had been born of misery and pain. The song meant so much more now than it had after I wrote it, and I knew that it would always be one of my greatest hits.

'Ever After' had managed to climb back to the #2 spot after falling last week, but it was my first single that couldn't seem to make the jump to the top of the list.

I sighed while I turned off the radio. For Emily’s sake I had hoped that 'Ever After' would climb to the top. She had been instrumental in the creation of the song and she deserved to have a song on top of the charts. I still hoped and prayed that it would make it there, but I no longer was sure that it would.

I walked out of Sarah's room and headed toward the kitchen, where my mom was preparing dinner. Before I got there, however, the doorbell rang and I changed course to answer the door.

What I found on the other side of the door was perplexing, and I didn't know what to make of it. There was a trail of rose petals leading down the porch and out of sight.

"What..." I found myself asking.

"Who is it?" my mom asked from behind me, coming to investigate. She too looked taken aback by the rose petals, but she was the one who noticed the envelope taped to the front door with 'Megan' written across the front. Removing it from the door she handed it to me.

I quickly opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. As I unfolded it I felt myself take a deep breath. Signed by the same person that had left the note in my locker I found another poem:

'Roses are red, violets are blue,
Do not think, just follow the clue'

I smiled immediately, and before I knew what I was doing I had taken a step forward. Mom was right behind me, and I couldn't blame her. I was very curious to know who my secret admirer was, and she seemed to be interested also.

The rose petals led down the walkway, across our driveway, and around the corner of our house. As I turned the corner I came face to face with the author of the notes, and I was slightly disappointed. I didn't know who I was expecting, but I didn’t expect him.

"Hi, Paul," I greeted my friend. He was dressed in a black tux with a dozen red roses in his hands.

"Hi, Megan," he replied with a huge smile. "Will you go to Autumn Ball with me?"

Immediately I thought of a number of reasons why going to the dance with Paul was a bad idea. The most notable was the fact that I knew I didn't feel the same way about him as he felt about me. But I knew that Paul had never asked a girl to a dance before. I couldn't tell him ‘no’. I couldn't crush the confident and outgoing person that he had grown into over the last few months. I was afraid that if I said no he would retreat back into himself and never come out.

"Yes," I replied while nodding. "I will go to the Autumn Ball with you."

"Yes!" he screamed and punched the air. I instantly second-guessed my decision. I knew that Paul wanted more from me than I was willing to give to him, and I was afraid of what his reaction truly meant. He was still in love with me.

* * *

I found another note in my locker on Monday morning. I thought that saying yes to Paul would have stopped them, but when I opened it I found another poem from him:

'Roses are red, violets are blue,
Thank you, thank you, thank you.'

While Paul's poetry skills needed a lot of work, his sheer determination and exuberance had me smiling as I slipped the note into my bag and headed for class.

There seemed to be an air of excitement in the school. It was different than what I had felt the week of my concert. This was a different anticipation. With the dance occurring on Friday the tension between the students seemed to be gathering. Adding sexual chemistry to the mix made school an interesting experience. And a dance always brought out everyone's true feelings as each person clamored to find someone to attend with.

It was nice not to worry about the dance anymore, and instead I was focusing on what I'd need to do to prepare. I had already called Julia and she made sure that Avalon was already working on a dress for me, and Stephanie was ready to make me look glamorous for the evening. It was nice to have a support staff that could help me prepare for a dance like this. I knew that most girls my age didn't have a cadre of people ready to make them look their best, and I was grateful that I could afford them.

At lunch Emily happily reported that she had been asked by Ronan, a cute guy who had been following her around for a while. I knew that there was no way she would end up at the dance without a date, so I was happy that Paul had asked me. I still worried that Paul was expecting more from the relationship than I was willing to give him, which was pretty much nothing, but he hadn't said or done anything yet.

My biggest worry, now, was that Ethan was going to end up at the dance alone, or that he might not even attend. That in itself seemed like it would be a tragedy. I couldn't imagine not having Ethan there, but I knew that he hadn't been dating anyone and he hadn’t even had his eye on anyone.

Toward the end of the day I stopped by my locker once more to get some books for Study Hall and I was surprised to find Ethan there waiting for me.

"Hi, Ethan," I greeted him with a smile while I opened my locker. "I thought you would be heading to Chorus."

"I am," he replied. "But I was hoping to talk to you first."

"Okay," I said. "Is it about Sarah?"

He looked at me quizzically, which left me confused. I figured that he was going to tell me about Chorus, but his reaction told me I was wrong.

"No," he told me. "I...It's..." he stammered. I'd never seen Ethan so nervous before. "I was wondering, since Emily has a date now, if you still wanted to go to the dance, you know, just the two of us."

I opened my mouth, but found myself lost for words. I thought Ethan knew that Paul had asked me. I didn't realize that Ethan had just planned on coming with Emily and me. I didn't know that he was counting on the two of us to accompany him, and now we had left him hanging.

"I'm sorry, Ethan," I said, and watched him deflate. "I thought you knew. Paul asked me to go with him, and he looked so excited I couldn't say no."

"Oh," he said, and took a step back. "I...I didn't know."

He looked pained, and started walking away.

"I'm sorry!" I called after him. He shrugged, but didn't look back. I couldn't figure out why he was so upset. Yes, Emily and I had left him without someone to go with, but he was a good looking guy. I was sure he could ask a number of different girls and get a ‘yes’ from them.

I was distracted all through Study Hall, and when Ethan showed up at my car after school he barely made eye contact with me. He hardly said a word to me on the way home and for the next couple of days. I was really worried about him, and I didn't know what to do.

Finally, on Wednesday, Jane told me that Ethan had asked her to the dance, and I hoped that would bring him out of his funk. He smiled at me after school, which made me happy, but I knew he still felt betrayed. I never would have said yes to Paul's invitation if I knew that it would strain our friendship this much.

* * *

"Maybe he wanted to go with you," Emily said while we were trying on the dresses that Avalon Sirocco had made for us Thursday afternoon.

"I guess," I replied. "But he's been moping since the summer. He needs to find a girlfriend."

I saw Emily roll her eyes as I turned to my reflection. The red dress fit me perfectly, just like everything Avalon designed for me. It was nice having connections. I knew that a lot of my classmates were clamoring to get dresses from her, and I was very happy that Avalon’s business had picked up. But none of my classmates were going to be able to have a one-of-a-kind dress from her for the dance like I would.

"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that you are a superstar?" Emily said laughing. "Nobody else could have gotten me a dress like this."

I laughed along with her and gazed at the dark green number that offset her eyes so well. She looked spectacular, even without the flawless makeup Stephanie would give us for the dance tomorrow.

"I am too," I replied, and turned back to my own reflection. Sarah always looked amazing, but it was nice to see me, Megan, shine for once.

* * *

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