"Bravo! Camille!" Paige swings back and forth in her chair, waving her arms and smiling as I step down from the Karaoke stage and take a seat next to her. "Camille, that was awesome!" I smile and blush in embarrassment, "You think so?"

"God, Camille. Everything you sing is awesome!"

We laugh and wait as the next few lines of people step up to the stage and bellow notes into the microphone. Paige swirls around in her chair and takes a peek back at the empty rows of seats in the cafeteria and smacks her lips, turning back to me, "So this is what it's like to be bored." I snicker, "Oh sorry? Am I boring?" She snorts, "Not at the least, Camille! Just this...setting. Maybe I can get the student council to fund better chairs. This one's making my buttcheeks sore." Paige is head of the student council-President, as she likes to refer to her role as. I don't see "President" as any different from "Head" but she would roll her eyes and tell me I didn't understand student council as well as I thought I did. Which was, as a matter of fact, actually half-true. Paige lowers her gaze from the stage to the floor and batts her eyes slowly, "Ugh, I'm falling asleep!"

"Ah! Stay awake!"

"Whyyy? I see no point in staying awake," She complains and picks her knees up, pulling them close to her chest and rocking back and forth, "I feel like I'm dying over here."

"Wanna come over afterward and we can watch the fourth part of 'I'm Living on the Moon'-"

"Yes!" She squeals, answering almost immediately. 'I'm Living on the Moon' is one of her favorite rom-com movies, I'm not sure whether it's because of the storyline or because she's swooning over Luke McBrye every time we watch it. After the last person flunks the high ending, nearly cracking my ears off, Paige grabs my wrist and rushes into the main office with me, smiling ear to ear. Dad looks from me to Paige and twists his bottom lip, "Paige? Where's your mother?"

"I called her earlier today. Camille said I could ride with you!"

Dad gives me a look then nods and takes us out to the car, opening the door to the back for Paige and me to scoot in. We arrive at the blue mansion in less than half an hour and swing open the door, Paige instantly makes a beeline for my room and I run into the kitchen, pulling out a bucket of instant ramen and throwing it into the microwave.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Paige and I have a tradition of eating instant ramen while watching movies--specifically rom-com movies. "Camille! It's starting!" She beams at the screen and forks a few lines of noodles into her mouth. I do the same and watch the characters leap across the stage with fluent movements, the only thing I like about these movies is the fact that their musicals, with actors that sing and dance--particularly the singing. One day, I planned to be an actor like that--leaping across the stage. What changed?

Oh, I'll give you the entire list:

Mom didn't have enough money to send me off to a fancy high school for actors.

I needed to be a doctor to ensure the wealth of my family.

This house is coming out of the charity center's funds, and I never want to end up having to live off of charity.

Dad is the only one with a job.

And last but not least, my brother needs funds too. I don't like to think of the last one as a reason too, but if he had to live off charity, that would be ten times worse for Mom than having me live off charity because he's younger. More petite. I have no idea what any of that has to do with me not being able to be an actor, but sometimes you just have to wait for the chance to come itself. Most actors were once people off the street, living a busy life.

Paige taps my leg, "This is the part you like!" I peer back at the screen and smile, "Yeah..."

It's a serenade of colors on the TV screen, the woman sings her heart out, hitting the vocal notes perfectly and gasps for air, breathing out and falling into the man behind her's hands. His hands are pressed softly against her feeble dark skin and he's looking into the light, singing lyrics about his dark background. The mood is so dramatic and Paige tugs my arm before I remember Luke was supposed to ride in around this part.

She blushes in awe of Luke's movements and I roll my eyes.

The only character not to sing at all is Luke's character and I find that unbelievable considering how famous and "hot" he is. Truth be told, in my perspective, he's nowhere near the word "hot." I'm not sure what he's like in real life but even when he plays a nice character, I hate his acting.

Paige rides home with her Mom that night, waving goodbye to me and I roll back up into my room and turn on the lamp, dragging a playwright from underneath my nightstand and folding it open to the first page, "It is not about who is speaking, but rather what they're speaking about."

Sometimes I find that hard to believe, but it is, fondly, an alluring quote.

I tuck myself back in bed and roll over on my side, staring out of the window.

----------------------------------------

High school was like that. It was traumatizing and the first year passed by rather easily, leaving me without much left to ponder on. I'm sure there were plenty of people who begged to differ, to say that I lived the best life at school and I'd agree with them. Because I do.

I'm living my "prime" time, and I doubt anyone else is against that, really.

I'm ten times better than what I want to be and ten times better than who I am, what does that make me? Unique, that's what.

And that marked the end of ninth grade.