On stage, Brittany was wearing a long white
dress, her hair flowing behind her.
It fit her queen persona perfectly.
She finished her piece, and the crowd
applauded.
く
Jake was standing close to the stage, hands
in his pockets, watching her intently.
Someone – and I have no idea who cough
scheduled Brittany and me to perform back-
to–back.
Brittany came off stage, gave me a quick
glance, and headed straight for Jake, linking
her arm with his.
I kept my head down, trying to not let it
bother me.
Jenny muttered, “Annie, don’t let her get to
you.”
I laughed.
At this point, Jake couldn’t stir up any
L
feelings in me.
I walked on stage, brushing past Jake as I
went.
“Annie!”
I stopped.
He said, “You can’t play piano. Why are you
doing this to yourself?”
I looked at Brittany with amusement.
“Is that what you told him? That I’m terrible,
so he should stop me from going on?”
“It’s got nothing to do with Brittany. She just
cares about you and doesn’t want you to
embarrass yourself in front of everyone.”
L
“Oh, really? Tell her thanks! But I don’t need
it.”
I turned and walked onto the stage.
I didn’t even bother to acknowledge Brittany’s
fake facade.
I played “Croatian Rhapsody,” a piece full of
power and emotion.
It wasn’t just about the hope of the Croatian
people after the war; it was about me leaving
the past behind and embracing a new life.
Until I hit the last note, the room was silent.
Then, a roar of applause erupted.
Under the stage lights, my beauty was
<
dazzling.
I heard someone whistling and Jenny
cheering.
A burning gaze pierced through the crowd,
landing on me.
I looked back and saw Kyle smiling.
I won, no doubt about it.
After the show, I dropped Kyle off at his
place.
With the campus competition over, the
campus had a sunset feel.
Jake’s voice drifted over.
Г
“Brittany, why don’t you believe me?”
“How am I supposed to believe you? You
keep saying you love me, but you look at
other women.”
“What about you? You’re playing all these
other guys. What do you think you are?”
Brittany’s voice had a hint of anger.
“What choice do I have? My brother needs
$30,000 for surgery. Can you give me
$30,000? If you can, I’ll cut off contact with
the other guys and never see them again. Can
you do that?”
There was a pause.
<
I thought Jake would agree, but I heard him
say, “Brittany, don’t push me.‘
“Nobody’s pushing you. I never asked you for
anything.”
“You didn’t? What were you saying when you
were crying and begging me to get Annie to
back out of the competition? Did you forget?”
“Jake, don’t say you don’t feel anything for
Annie. You regret seeing how pretty she looks
today, right?”
The pair then walked off.
I sat there for a long time.
So that’s what the $30,000 was for.
Г
Last time, Jake took out a loan with a high
interest rate.
They came to beat him up because they were
not getting paid.
I didn’t know what he needed the money for.
I paid the debt and told him I borrowed it
from a friend.
