Going After The Wrong Guy

Chapter 24: Piano Night Part 2

Jen took a peek out the door to see myriads of people crowding the place. Familiar faces sat near the front. Kris Chen, her best friend, whom she hasn't seen since two days before Thanksgiving break. Kevin Ramos was here, sitting next to Kris. And then there was Ana, who was sitting in the second row.

Jen assumed the crowd would cool down by the time it was her turn to perform, but it seemed like it had doubled instead. She felt like she couldn't do this.

She kept the dressing room door cracked as she watched James hop onto the stage and adjust the microphone to his mouth. 'And for our last performance of the evening, we have Genesis Munroe,' James introduced her, followed by light clapping from the crowd.

"Genesis joined the music team this year. And on the first day of her auditions, she captivated me. Every single note on Moonlight Sonata was played perfectly," he said and paused. He turned his face, so their eyes met. Jen's heart skipped.

"You know, we weren't the best of friends at first." Hints of laughter traversed through the crowd.

"But, after we put our differences aside, I realized just how brilliant she is. She is a genius pianist, and that's why I saved her performance for a nice finish of the evening," he said.

Jen smiled through his little speech.

"Genesis Munroe everybody," he clapped with the crowd as he walked off the stage. Genesis emerged from the dressing room onto the platform. The crowd continued clapping and she could hear a few people yelling out her name. And a faint "that's my best friend!".

Jen was wearing the dress she got tailored from James's house. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, swinging with each step she took. She tried to look placid, but her heart was pounding like a hammer. She almost thought of taking her glasses off so she couldn't see the crowd, but then she also wouldn't be able to see the piano.

As she walked onto the stage, her eyes landed on Chad. He was also clapping, and she could see his smirk from here. She looked away and gave a quick bow to the applauding crowd, who only stopped after she sat down. Then, it was almost quiet. She could feel cameras trained on her, the silent recording buttons sounding loud in her ears. She glanced again at the crowd, her eyes landing on James's maid, Jezebel this time.

You see, there are certain moments in life that you will always remember as if it just happened, even if it was decades ago.

Jen looked down at the piano. She adjusted the bench so she was closer to the keys and positioned her feet to hover over the pedals. She took three deep breaths, each exhale sending a chill down her spine. Then, her fingers hit the keys. Now, she knew what she was going to play.

Slowly, Jen guided her hands along the white ivory keys. She was going to play I Love You by RIOPY.

She always loved playing the piano...ever since she was a little girl, it had been her passion. Her parents encouraged it, and she spent hours practicing, dreaming to one day stand in front of an audience like this.

The only disadvantage was her shyness.

And yet, at this moment with her hands on the keys, body surrounded by ruby red curtains, she's never felt more calm. The notes echoed around her as the audience listened, enthralled , silently dancing in perfect harmony to the keys she constantly touched.

Her fingers were moving on their own. Staying unshakeable as her mind traveled to the past. When at just the age of five, her father bought a keyboard and put it in the garage, attempting to learn himself. And everyday, she would stare at that gorgeous, ebony black keyboard.

And never, did she see her father actually play it.

Until one day, when she passed the garage, she saw an unfamiliar family friend, sitting on the bench with blue eyes focused so intensely on the music sheets in front of him. His hands were strong and big, and yet he managed to play with such delicacy. The tune he played washed over her, and it became something she could never forget.