Chapter 3: The Performance

Shane was still inside his room when he heard someone hooting outside the house. When he looked through the window, there was an Audi R8 standing outside. Next to the car was a young boy who was grinning from ear to ear. He had the car keys in his hand and he swung it high above his head. When he saw Shane's face through the window, he called him to come out. Shane smiled when he saw the boy. Andrew just knew how to lift his spirits.

Shane rushed out and heeded his parents goodbye before he went to greet his friend.

"She's quite cute, isn't she," Andrew bragged to Shane. Not to sound too impressed, Shane just responded and said: "I think she might be too good for your lousy ass."

Andrew bursted out laughing. He knew he could freely brag, because Shane wasn't one who would become jealous over earthly possessions. His friendship was true and the only time Shane had genuinely showed that he was jealous of Andrew was for the two months that he and Maddie used to date in the tenth grade.

“Are you ready to paint the town red?” Andrew asked. Shane nodded. Just as he was about to head over to the passenger seat, Andrew threw the keys of the car over to him. Shane was surprised. However, he knew what was going through Andrew’s mind.

“Let’s hope someone notices you now. Especially since it has been over three years since a girl looked in your direction,” Andrew said. Shane just glared at him and excitedly jumped into the driver’s seat.

The car was as stylish as it could come. The Audi was Andrew’s second car and he usually allowed Shane to drive when the two of them went out.

“So where do you want to go to first?” Shane asked. Andrew just responded that they could go wherever the wind blew them. Shane smiled as he stepped on the gas. The car accelerated with a huge speed. Shane felt a rush through him as he disappeared around the corner.

As they drove down the streets of Ertonbridge, the two boys didn’t have a care in the world. This was the one day that they were allowed to let go and just enjoy themselves. After all, they did work hard to get to where they were.

Shane pulled up in front of the mall. A lot of bystanders looked in awe at the beautiful car in front of them. They knew that the person who was driving the car must be someone who had quite a considerable amount of money.

When Shane stepped out of the driver’s seat, a lot of the girls fawned over him. He felt their gazes on him. Andrew also stepped out, but then Shane threw the keys over to him.

“Quite a nice ride you have here,” he said. Andrew knew exactly why Shane said that. He didn’t want people to get the impression that he was the owner of the car. Andrew shook his head in disappointment. The main reason he allowed Shane to drive was to give him the opportunity to impress girls, but he just denied himself the opportunity.

“You know there is a new ice cream place that opened up here recently. Let’s first get something to eat and then we’ll go for some,” Andrew suggested. Shane looked around at all the faces around him. He didn’t appreciate being around so many people, so he agreed to Andrew’s request.

Andrew led the way as the two boys made their way over to one of the fast food joints that was in the mall. The two of them ordered a burger with french fries and some coke to wash it down with and ate to their heart's content. They were laughing as they discussed how stressed Andrew was in the morning. They also sympathized with the other students who couldn't break into the top ten, since it meant that their chances of getting a scholarship would decline significantly.

Although Shane was fourth in his class, his overall position in the grade was only seventh. That didn't bother him too much, since he knew that he fulfilled the criteria to get his hands on a scholarship. That put his parents' mind at ease.

When they were done eating, Andrew took Shane to the ice cream place. They each ordered a cone and ate it while they walked through the mall. As usual, they were as playful as ever, but whenever they walked past a beautiful girl, they would always act more mature and greet the girls with a sly smile. Shane couldn't help but laugh when he saw Andrew get all flustered when a few of the girls came over to get his number.

After all, Andrew was hot and handsome, while Shane wore glasses and didn't command that much of a presence. Although he was invisble, the people who usually paid close attention to Shane, would always be fascinated by how handsome he was, especially when he decided to remove his glasses.

They played a few games, but after they got bored, Andrew decided to make things more interesting, by making a bet. He told Shane that the person who lost the next game of King of Fighters would have to play the piano in front of the whole mall. Shane knew that Andrew loved these stupid bets of his, so he agreed. After all, he knew that he could not lose.

There were three rounds, and for the first round, Shane managed to beat Andrew perfect. For the second round, Andrew came back stronger, but Shane still managed to dominate him, and just as he was about to finish Andrew off, he saw Caen pass behind him in the reflection of the screen. That moment's lapse in concentration was enough for Andrew to beat him. The score was tied at one win each.

"Get your head back in the game. I don't want any excuses as to why you lost again," Andrew warned Shane. He realized that the only reason he managed to win that round, was yet again because Shane was distracted by something. One thing about Andrew was the fact that he wasn't afraid to take advantage of an opening, and Shane couldn't blame him. He liked the ruthlessness of his friend.

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I was you," Shane said as he got himself ready to finish off Andrew. However, as soon as the game started, Maddie walked in. The first thing Shane noticed was the smell of her perfume as she walked past him. He knew instantly who that fragrance belonged to, and he didn't even bother to look at her on the reflection of the screen. He simply turned around and was just in time to see how Caen kissed her on the lips in front of everyone in the arcade. Shane's attention was interrupted when he heard a voice shouting: "You Lose!"

Andrew laughed out loud. He reminded Shane that they had a bet and he had to honour his part of the deal. Shane pleaded with Andrew to wait until Maddie left. That was the one condition he had, and luckily for him, Andrew agreed. The two of them waited for a minute or two before Caen pulled Maddie by the hand and the two of them disappeared from where the piano was placed in the middle of the mall.

Usually talented musicians would use it to play a tune for people who walked past, but on that day there was no one there. The mall security were not too strict, especially when someone who could play, used it. When he saw that Maddie was gone, Shane slowly walked out and had a word with the security guard. The guard nodded and Shane took one last glance over in the direction of Andrew and his friend could see how irritated Shane was.

Shane was quite a talented musician, since he was good at playing both the piano and guitar, while he also had a magical singing voice.

Shane placed his hands on the piano and took a deep breath. He first started to slowly play the opening of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The mall which was busy around him, suddenly became more quiet. A few people walked over to him as if the music was physically drawing them towards him.

When his fingers started to speed up, one or two of the audience members let out a gasp of surprise. They were astonished to see the bespectacled boy playing such a masterpiece as if it was just another Tuesday. Of course it was another Tuesday, but it was wonderful to listen to.

The more he played, the more he was drawn into the song. Shane's fingers danced over the black and white keys as his eyes gradually fell close. The music swept him and everyone around him away. Andrew looked at his friend with pride in his eyes. Shane was very talented when playing the piano, but he never wanted to pursue music. Andrew knew that he could go very far, especially because he had such a soothing voice.

After about seven minutes, Shane opened his eyes to a loud standing ovation. The people who heard him play gathered around him and bursted out cheering for him. Shane was shy, but he knew he had to honour their bet. He looked over in the direction of Andrew who had one finger in the air. It was to remind Shane that he had to play two songs, because he cheated. The deal was to play the song with his eyes open, but Shane had his closed.

Shane glared at Andrew, and after the crowd went quiet, he took a seat again and pressed his fingers on the piano. When he heard the intro, Andrew immediately bursted out laughing. He just knew that Shane wouldn't ever let that one song go.

Shane's fingers were playing the song 'Unravel' by Toru Kitajima. That was Shane's favourite piano song. Ever since a young age, Shane was playing the piano, because his father was clearly skilled in it, and so was his father. Shane also used to play when he went over to play at Andrew's place.

When they heard the flowy metal beat, some people's bodies moved on their own. It was a stark contrast as to when he played the Moonlight Sonatra. Shane didn't dare to close his eyes again, because he wanted to get it over and done with.

Just as the song came to an end, Shane could see a familiar face joining the crowd. It was Maddie. It seemed like she dragged Caen by the hand to come and listen with her to the amazing piano piece that Shane played.

Shane bowed to the onlookers as Andrew couldn’t hold his laugh anymore. He knew Shane hated the spotlight, so he purposely made him perform in front of such a loud crowd.

“I will get you for this one. Don’t think I’m ever going to forget what you did here today,” Shane warned Andrew when he came back to him. Andrew put his hands in the air to plead his innocence.

“Look at the bright side. At least now Maddie knows that you exist,” Andrew said as he slyly pointed over in the direction of Maddie. She still had her eye on the two boys, but once Shane turned to face her, she turned and walked away. It looked like she was disappointed when she realised who was the person who played ‘Unravel’.

Shane didn’t feel bad at all. The mere fact that she paid any attention to him, was more than enough.

“Tonight I can sleep in peace,” Shane said proudly. Andrew shook his head. How was it possible for someone to be content with so little. Andrew wondered that maybe something was wrong with his friend. It was clear that he was down bad for her.