Louder

Chapter 5

      Carson, Serena and I were in the basement of Vandos. Serena and I were following Carson who was leading us to the room where Serena could practice in. We were walking through the long, dim hallway and Serena glanced me, shivering. I smiled.

     Carson soon stopped in front of a room and Serena stopped behind him. I stood a meter away and stared at the two of them. Carson was a lot taller than Serena and Serena stared up at him adoringly. Her cheeks were flushed and I knew it was because around Carson, her heart was constantly pounding.

     "Here's the room," Carson said, stepping in.

     We all entered the room and my eyes widened at the sight of it. Although the basement looked sketchy, old and unused, the room we stood in looked new and extravagant. There was a large tv, a gorgeous beige couch, and a glass table in the centre. There were shelves aligning the walls with many books in them and I looked around in awe.

     "You can practice for your performances here," Carson said. "It's far from all the ruckus upstairs, so you can practice in peace here."

     "Thank you," Serena said. "It's a lovely room."

     "You can also stay here," Carson said, looking at me. "I'm guessing you'll be hiding in the basement again when Serena performs today."

     I blushed and Serena laughed. Unsure of what to say, I looked down at my feet.

     "Do you talk?" Carson asked, causing me to look up quickly. "I don't think I heard you say anything today."

     I blushed harder and stared at Carson, stunned. His hazel eyes stayed on my blue eyes and embarrassed, I wished I could disappear. Around Carson, I was silent and I found myself trying to hide. I wasn't sure why, but I was intimidated by him, which was why I found myself unable to speak.

     "Yes, she does talk," Serena said, stepping in front of me. "She's just scared of you."

     My jaw dropped and I stared at Serena in horror. Carson frowned, but I could see the confusion that clouded his eyes.

     "Scared of me?" Carson asked slowly, looking over at me. "You're scared of me?"

     "No," I blurted out, mortified. "I... I'm not."

     Serena shot me a look and I glared at her. She laughed then and shook her head, and I found myself fuming.

     "Well, I've never scared anyone before," Carson said thoughtfully. "This is new."

     I blushed once again and huffed, and to my surprise Carson smiled a bit. He then shook his head, seeming unable to believe this.

     "I'll be back in ten minutes," Carson said. "I have to do something in the kitchen."

     "Okay," Serena said. "I'll get myself familiar with this room."

      Carson smiled at her and then left the room. Once we could no longer hear Carson's footsteps, Serena squealed.

     "This is amazing!" Serena said. "I can't believe I'm talking to Carson! Do you see the way he looks at me."

       Although I wasn't sure of what she meant, I nodded.

     "Thank you so, so much for doing this for me," Serena said, her eyes softening. "Seriously, this is the best thing that's happened to me."

     My eyes softened as well and I watched as Serena walked around the room. She was radiating happiness and glowing with joy. It warmed my heart to see her likes this.