The Bad Boy's Singer

09. Her

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

- Mark Twain

The tears of impossible normalcy streaked down my face when his eyes turned confused after the light kiss on my forehead as it brought me back to my mother's harsh imprinted trauma that made it hard for me to exist.

That is the only soft contact I ever had after my dad. It made me turn into an emotional rollercoaster as my lips trembled and my body shut down in desperation to go away.

I made the choice to run out of the room, but what surprised me was that Xavier was hot on my trail as I ran outside to the empty garden.

"Are you okay?" he breathed heavily from the one minute run he had to do to follow me. His hair got frizzed out and his jaw glinted under the lights of New York City.

"What does it look like?" I exploded, "you both leave me alone, I don't want you both in my life," I shouted angrily and he looked taken aback, a flash of hurt flashed across his eyes but returned to their icy state.

"I am sorry if my sister pushed you too hard, she didn't mean it," he soothingly amended, "we will not be in your life anymore, I will make sure to let her know," His jaw tightened as he turned around to walk away when he shouted "sorry about the forehead kiss."

My legs carried me back to my room and the moment I entered, my body slumped on the bed, I wiped the undersides of my eyes and got my assignments out of my bag for it was the only way I coped. My eyes glanced at the golden microphone on top of my table and I took it placing it on my chest as I closed my eyes as I felt my dad's embrace.

People like Xavier and Elodie didn't understand what it was like to go through hell and back for their dreams. My dreams made me awake and alive in this world.

Please, dad, give me the strength to get to my dreams.

I opened my eyes with a soft smile that painted my eyes from the aftermath of my rainy eyes.

I put down my golden microphone on the table as I got down to solve my assignments. I was dead tired but I had to finish for all the deadlines as I organized my schedule and wrote down my assignments.

I didn't know why my mind had to sway back to Xavier. His brooding behavior the moment I stepped into his room showed and the way he kissed my forehead made me warm inside like I had a kept flare in me.

I forced my mind back to my assignments and finished them all in an hour, I was proudly a hardworking student and I was my dad's lucky star.

Closing my books to place them back in the bag, I went under the covers of the comfortable bed when my task was complete.

I placed a hand under my cheek as I laid on my left side to think through the past events of the two days since I arrived and prayed for a better tomorrow.

••

"Come here, you devil," I ran as my mom continued to race behind me as I cried out in terror.

Juilliard was in front of me as I sweated and reached out to it but before I could grab the door, mom pulled back my hair hitting my body down the stairs as she made sure to dig her nails in me.

"No!"

I gasped the moment I woke up at 5 am as I cried into my knees for support. I needed to see a therapist this time and nobody was going to distract me.

My patience was minimizing when my shaky legs stood up to grab water and my hands traumatizingly shook in despair as I trained myself to breathe slowly draining out all the trauma responses.

At least this time the nightmare wasn't long; it was like a snippet that rolled by. I managed to sleep longer which was a progress to me.

I witnessed my drowsy appearance in the bathroom mirror where I had usual jaded bags under my eyes, my dried-teared cheeks and my dry lips. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair into a braid, I applied a medical lip balm for my lips and a natural blush to cover my ached cheeks.

That was why girls often use make up: to hide their pain.

My phone vibrated against the tile and I wondered who was calling me so early in the morning.

"Hello," my morning voice was raspy and impatient. I had no time for phone calls and I didn't know who would have my number.

"Is this Rayna Harrington?" the Greek accent relieved me and I was happy that professor Diana called.

"Yes, it's me," I answered warily not knowing what she was going to say.

"Hi dear, I wanted to let you know that I have applied for you to join the contest with the application of your singing video and they accepted you," my morning started out amazing when I heard what she has to say, the feeling of freedom alleviated me, "I will be sending the email of all the details for training, hope you have a nice day," she said gently.

"Thank you so much for helping me out, I appreciate it, I hope you have a nice day too." She hung up and I jumped around in release as my purpose to going to Juilliard happened.

It dawned me that I had no friends to share the exciting news so I shared it with my dad when I went out of the bathroom and held my microphone.

Dad, we did it.

I kisssed the microphone and began to get ready with my new journey.