Louder

Chapter 1

"Let's go to Vandos," Serena, my best friend said. "I'm bored."

I lifted my eyes up from my Psychology textbook and gave her a look, which she sheepishly smiled at. Shaking my head, I wondered why I tried studying with her. When it came to studying, Serena did anything to avoid it.

"It took us half an hour to find spots in the library," I said, sighing. "Why did you ask me to have a study date?"

"Because you wouldn't hang out with me if I didn't ask for a study date," Serena said, pouting. "Can we please go to Vandos. It's only September, it's not like we have exams or anything."

Serena continued to pout at me, her eyes growing wide as she tried to persuade me with her puppy-like look. As usual, I gave in. Because I knew how stubborn Serena could be, I knew arguing was pointless.

"Fine," I said, sighing. "But, we have to study tomorrow. Okay?"

"Thank you!" Serena exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "Let's go."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me away, which left me scrambling to grab my stuff. I shot her a look and she laughed, which left me smiling as we ran out of our school's library.

*****

We sat at a table in the large, dimly lit restaurant, directly across from a stage. A beautiful woman stood on the stage along with a band, singing into a mic. I smiled at the sight, gaining chills at her beautiful, gentle voice. As someone who loved to sing, I appreciated the talent.

The restaurant was busy and the tables were full. It took us half an hour to get a seat, but we didn't mind. Vandos was the most popular restaurant in our city and it was because of the amazing food and lovely, old-fashioned setting. It was expensive, but always worth it.

"Hi, what can I get you two?" a waiter asked.

"Alfredo pasta please," Serena said, smiling up at the waiter.

"The Vandos classic burger," I said.

He smiled and wrote it down in his small notebook. Turning around, he then walked off to the kitchen.

Serena was sitting across from me and she smiled when the crowd broke out into an applause. The woman received a standing ovation and I began to smile as well. When I saw the crowd's reaction, something in me twisted. Something in me yearned for what she had, but I pushed the feeling away. Realistically, I knew I'd hate the attention.

"Okay, I'll sing one more song," she said, laughing lightly as the crowd roared with excitement.

The woman began to sing again and I felt chills course through me. My eyes went to the woman and I watched her sing. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be singing from her heart, and my eyes softened. I knew how she felt and it left my heart growing warm.

"Carson's here," Serena said, bringing my attention to her.

Serena was staring off to the side and my eyes followed her gaze. My eyes landed on Carson who was learning again the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. For the first time, he wasn't scowling. Instead, he looked at peace as he stared at the singer.

"You can tell how much he loves singing," Serena said softly. "He's always standing off to the side to watch the performances."

"Yeah, he doesn't look annoyed for once," I said, my eyes lingering on him.

The singer began to belt out the chorus of the song and a cheer ran through the crowd. The corner of Carson's lips lifted and I knew Serena was right. Carson seemed to have a soft side for singing, which I wouldn't have expected.

"One day I want to be singing on that stage," Serena said dreamily. "I want Carson to stare at me the way he's staring at that singer."

"Really?" I said, frowning. "You want Carson to notice you?"

"Yeah... doesn't every girl?"

"He scares me."

Serena's eyes widened and I blushed as I wondered why I confessed that. Looking down at the table, I twiddled my thumbs to hide my embarrassment.

"Why?" Serena asked. "We have classes with him. He's not scary."

"He's always scowling," I said. "He looks like he's annoyed at everyone and everything. I feel like he'll blow up at any second.

"True." Serena laughed lightly. "But, you can't blame him. He's the son of the owner of Vandos. It has to be stressful managing the restaurant and university."

My eyes went back to Carson and I nodded, remembering the way he constantly ran around the restaurant, trying to keep everyone happy. As he ran around he would be scowling, but Serena was right. He was stressed and rightfully so.

"You're right," I said. "But, that doesn't make me any less scared of him."

Serena laughed at that and shook her head, seeming unable to believe me. I blushed then and moved my eyes back to the singer. As I watched her sing, I began to yearn to sing and made plans to later.

*****

No one was home and I sat on my bed with my back pressed against the headboard. My legs were stretched out in front of me and my laptop was on my thighs. I was scrolling through YouTube, searching for a song to sing. After watched the woman sing at the restaurant, I had the urge to as well.

Eventually, I landed on the song Touch It by Ariana Grande and smiled. It was a tough song, but I had spent the past year singing it whenever I had the house to myself. The song was stunning and so was Ariana Grande's vocals, and although I could never compete with Ariana Grande, I was happy with the progress I made.

Clicking on the karaoke version of the song, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. Before I knew it, I was then belting out the song, feeling at ease as I sang. Singing was what made me happy. It was what I was passionate about and it felt like a part of me. I had been singing since I was six and I couldn't see myself stopping anytime soon.

As I sang, my body felt warm. I felt relaxed and happy, and a smile reached my lips as I finished off the last chorus. When the song was over I peeled my eyes open and sighed lightly. Scrolling through YouTube, I looked for another song to sing. Until my parents came home, I was free to sing as many songs as I wanted and that was what I did. Whenever I could, I was singing and being in my happy place.