The first frost of winter clung to the windows of Crestwood High, tracing delicate patterns of ice
against the glass. The days had grown shorter, the air crisp with the promise of snow, and
Selene found herself sinking into the cold with an odd sort of comfort.
Winter had always been her season. There was something about the quiet of it, the way the
world seemed to hush beneath a blanket of white, that made it easier to exist. Easier to be
unseen.
But this winter felt… different.
The music room had become more than a hiding place. It was no longer just an escape—it was
a space where she belonged. Where Lila waited for her with soft smiles and gentle nudges,
where the piano no longer felt like a secret but a conversation.
And now, for the first time in years, she was standing at the edge of something new.
The winter concert loomed closer with each passing day.
Selene had promised to think about it. She had tried not to. But it lingered in the back of her
mind like an unresolved melody, the question could I? pressing against her ribs.
She had never performed for anyone before. Not really.
The thought of standing on that stage, of feeling a hundred eyes on her, made her stomach
knot. But there was something else beneath the fear. A whisper of something that sounded
dangerously like wanting.
And that terrified her more than anything. ---
Lila, of course, hadn't forgotten.
"So," she said one afternoon, flipping her sketchbook closed as she stretched out on the piano
bench beside Selene. "Have you made a decision yet?"
Selene sighed, fingers hesitating over the keys. "Why do you care so much?"
Lila grinned, tilting her head. "Because you're good, and I think you should let people see that."
Selene scoffed. "That's not a reason."
"It's a great reason," Lila argued. "You have this incredible gift, Selene. And I don't want you to
waste it just because you're scared."
Selene stiffened. She was scared. More than she wanted to admit.
Lila must have sensed it, because her voice softened. "Look, I get it. The idea of people
watching, of putting yourself out there—it's terrifying. But what if it's also worth it?"
Selene didn't answer right away. She let the question settle, let it tangle with all the other doubts
and possibilities swirling inside her.
She thought about the music room. About how safe it felt, how right it felt.
Maybe—just maybe—she could find that feeling outside these walls.
"I'll… think about it," she said, her voice quiet.
Lila beamed, nudging her shoulder playfully. "That's all I ask." ---
Thinking about it turned out to be harder than Selene expected.
The days passed in a blur of routine—classes, lunch with Lila and her friends, afternoons at the
piano. But the concert hung over her like a storm cloud, a constant presence at the back of her
mind.
She hadn't even chosen a song.
Every time she tried to, doubt crept in, whispering all the reasons she shouldn't do this.
What if she froze on stage? What if her fingers slipped? What if they laughed?
It was safer to stay hidden. To keep the music to herself.
But then there were moments—tiny, fleeting moments—when she thought about what it would
be like to share it. To let someone else hear what she felt, even if just for a few minutes.
She found herself watching Ava during practice sometimes, the way she played with certainty,
with fire. She envied that.
One afternoon, when the music room was empty except for the two of them, Ava caught her
watching.
"You're performing at the concert, right?" she asked, leaning against the piano.
Selene hesitated. "I… don't know yet."
Ava raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Selene swallowed. "I'm not really… a performer."
Ava studied her for a moment before shrugging. "Neither was I. The first time I played in front of
people, I thought I was going to throw up."
Selene blinked. "Really?"
Ava nodded. "Yeah. But then I realized something. It's not about them. It's about you. About the
music." She tapped the piano lightly. "You play because it means something to you, right?"
Selene nodded slowly.
"Then that's what matters. If you let people in, even just a little, you might be surprised by what
happens."
Ava left her with that thought, and for the first time, Selene considered that maybe—just
maybe—this wasn't about proving something to others.
Maybe it was about proving something to herself. ---
The night of the concert arrived before she had fully convinced herself she was ready.
The auditorium buzzed with energy, the low murmur of voices filling the space as students and
parents filtered in. The stage, bathed in warm light, felt impossibly large.
Selene stood backstage, heart hammering, fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides.
She hadn't told Lila she was performing. She hadn't told anyone.
But when they had asked for last-minute sign-ups, she had written her name down.
Now, standing here, she wondered if it had been a mistake.
She felt exposed, raw, like every hidden part of her was about to be laid bare.
She almost turned around. Almost ran.
Then, a hand brushed hers.
Lila.
She looked up, startled.
Lila didn't say anything—she just smiled, squeezing Selene's hand briefly before stepping back.
It was enough.
When her name was called, Selene forced her legs to move. She stepped onto the stage, the
lights blinding, the audience a sea of indistinct faces.
She sat at the piano.
Took a breath.
And played.
The first few notes wavered, uncertainty threatening to break through. But then—slowly,
steadily—she let go.
The music filled the space, weaving through the silence like something living.
She forgot about the audience. Forgot about the fear.
For those few minutes, it was just her and the piano.
And it was enough.
When the final note rang out, the silence stretched. Then—applause. Loud, real applause.
Selene exhaled, something in her chest loosening.
She turned, eyes searching for one face.
Lila was standing, hands cupped around her mouth as she cheered.
And Selene smiled.
---
Later, as they stood outside in the cold, the world dusted in snow, Lila bumped her shoulder
against Selene's.
"You were amazing."
Selene ducked her head. "It wasn't that big of a deal."
Lila scoffed. "It was a huge deal."
Selene didn't argue. Because, for once, she believed it.
She had done something she never thought she could.
And maybe, just maybe, this was only the beginning.
As they walked down the snowy path, the world didn't feel quite so heavy.
For the first time in a long time, she felt lighter.