| Don't Let Go |
| By Mattie Scott |
| "Please Andie! For me?" Mark begged. I crossed my arms. "No Mark. You know how much I hate to sing in front of people." "I'll get down on my knees for you," Mark got down on his knees in front of me and looked up at me with his blue puppy dog eyes of his. "I'll be your best friend forever" I sighed. "That's already been done." Mark hugged my legs. "You're the only decent girl singer I know." He pleaded again. I cocked my eye. "Decent? Then forget it!" "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you could do so much better than the other girls who have tried out," Mark got up and tugged on my hands. "And besides you're the only person I want to share the spotlight with." "Oh God Mark." I sighed again as Mark's smile widened. He knew his irresistible charm was working on me. "Fine." I finally agreed. Ever since we were little, Mark would always convince me to perform with him so we could share the spotlight. In his own words, he meant to share the spotlight WITH him. "You're the best friend in the whole world! I owe you big time!" Mark hugged me tightly. "For the next thousand years, you definitely owe me big time." I squeaked out as Mark continued to hug my tightly. "You're going to love it. I promise you. It'll be so much fun!" Mark exclaimed. ***** First rehearsal ***** "I got to talk to the director of the play. Will you be fine here Andie?" Mark asked me. I nodded my head. "Yeah sure. I'll just have a look around." I was a little nervous when Mark left me alone. I didn't go to church so I had no idea who could be in the play. As I was checking out some of the prop baseboards, I bumped into a tall guy who had dark brown hair, like Mark's but also had light brown eyes. "Excuse me." I apologized as I brushed the dust off my pants. "No need to do that. I know who you are. You're Mark's good friend Andie right?" the guy asked me with a smile. "Umm� yeah. Obviously I am." I chuckled while blushing. He was kind of good-looking. "I'm David. I play Mark's best friend who steals the girl in the play, which is you." David extended his hand to me and I shook it politely. "Oh yes. I remember. Mark told me about you. It's nice to meet you." I said in a flirtatious tone, which I didn't mean for it to come out. David grinned. He had such nice teeth. "I must thank his mother for that." I thought as David grinned. "Since we have lots of lines together, maybe we could get together sometimes and practice. Would you like to do that?" David fidgeted with his playbook. "That would be cool. But first I actually need to get a playbook." I joked to David. I felt someone tap me on my shoulder. "So you've met my friend David?" Mark's voice spoke from behind. "Yeah I did," I turned around. "Looks like I'm the lucky girl here. I get to have guys fighting over me." I laughed. "It's more like I'm fighting with you instead of over you, Andie." Mark shot back and he and David did a high five of their own. ***** Weeks later ***** As the weeks went by, David and I spent more time together. We also hung out every couple nights like going to the movies or having a bite downtown. He was a great guy and a great friend. Mark spent more time working on the songs for the musical including adjusting the finale score in which the two of us would sing. To be honest, I missed spending time with Mark. But David made up for the lost time between us and I didn't regret a single second of that. "I'm done with the finale score. Do you want to go out and celebrate?" Mark asked me as we walked home from rehearsal. "I can't. I'm going to the movies with David to see 'Austin Powers 3'" I replied, not looking at Mark. "Oh. I thought you already went to the movies with him last week." Mark said in a sarcastic voice. I bit my lip. "Don't give me that crap. I like David. He's a good friend and I like to spend time with him." Mark scoffed. "And that makes me a bad friend Andie?" "No it doesn't. It makes you a busy friend. I'll see you tomorrow Mark." I turned around, with my hands stuffed in my pockets. ***** The next day - dress rehearsal ***** "You look great in your costume." David complimented me on my blue silk dress. I wasn't too sure about the main idea of the play. It was like an 1880's version of Othello but more romantic. "Thank you." I smiled at him. I glanced over David's shoulder and saw Mark staring at us. He didn't look too happy to see us together. "What's wrong?" David looked around to see what I was looking at. "Why is he looking at us like that?" He asked me when he noticed Mark's stare. I glared at Mark and made sure he would hear us, "He's just jealous. Some friend huh?" Mark immediately looked away and avoided us for the rest of the day. ***** Opening Night - Before play ***** "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" David asked me in a hushed voice. "Sure." I let him pull me to the side of the side right by the curtains. David leaned closer and pulled off his feather cap. "I just wanted to say that I'm glad I met you. You've really made the last couple of weeks the best weeks of my life." I laughed. "I did? In that case, thank you." David suddenly leaned in even more closer and I felt his lips on mine. I immediately pulled away when I got this feeling that it wasn't right. I didn't even feel that spark or a funny feeling in my stomach when you love someone. "What's wrong? I thought you liked me." David touched his lips and sighed. "I do. Not that way. I thought I did," I started to back away. "I'm sorry for possibly leading you on. I'm just sorry." I whispered and shook my head. ***** Opening night - Play ***** "You're on!" the director hissed at me. I saw Mark just about to walk on stage from the other side of the stage. "Go and sing his song!" The director pushed me onstage. I took a deep breath. This would be the first time since our argument that we would stand by each other. Mark and I already knew the song by heart so it wasn't necessary for us to practice. "Good thing he finished it early." I thought as I walked on stage with a smile. I was to sing first so I shot a menacing look at Mark then smiled at the audience. As I smiled at the audience, I couldn't help myself but think about how handsome Mark looked in his Victorian outfit. He was even wearing blue tights that matched his eyes. At that second, my heart alleviated. I forgot about our silly argument but my stubbornness bounced back again. I sang the best that I could. I knew I would not shine as much as Mark could but to be honest, it was perfect timing. When I sang and danced a little, Mark kept his eyes on me the whole time, not believing what he was hearing. Andie: I can't believe this moment's come It's so incredible that we're alone There's so much to be said and done It's impossible not to be overcome Will you forgive me if I feel this way Cos we just met - Tell me that's okay So take this feeling and make it grow Never let it - Never let it go Mark: Don't let go of the things you believe in Andie: You give me something I can believe in Mark: Don't let go of this moment in time Andie: Go of this moment in time Mark: Don't let go of the things you're feeling Andie: I can't explain the things I'm feeling Mark: Don't let go Andie: No I won't let go My heart pounded as Mark grabbed me the way he was supposed to do and twirled me around. As he twirled me back in his arms, our eyes locked and my knees felt weak. He licked his lower lips and then bit them as if he was playing mind games with me. Both: I've been waiting all my life To make this moment feel so right The feel of you just fills the night So c'mon - Just on hold tight I was supposed to lean back on a sofa while Mark would "serenade" me, but the whole thing felt so real. The only thing that made me doubt the whole thing was the "revenge acting" we were using against each other. Mark: Now would you mind if I bared my soul If I came right out and said you're beautiful Cos there's something here I can't explain I feel I'm diving into driving rain You get my senses running wild I can't resist your sweet, sweet smile So take this feeling and make it grow Never let it - Never let it go Mark, like he was supposed to do, crawled up to me on the sofa I was sitting on. My heart raced. "Is this for real?" I kept thinking. At that very exact moment, I saw myself falling in love with this guy I've grew up with and shared every single memory with. Both: I've been waiting all my life To make this moment feel so right The feel of you just fills the night So c'mon - Just hold on tight�� "Just hold on tight." I whispered to Mark as he looked down at me on the sofa. He didn't say anything but to me but instead just smiled at me - only this time it was a soothing smile. "You're so beautiful." He whispered back. I smiled as the song ended with a solo piano chord. Mark's blue eyes glimmered under the stage lights and I touched his cheek to kiss him. My emotions were driving me wild and I just couldn't hold back from that unexpected kiss. Mark acted as if it was the most natural thing on this planet - like it was meant to be. We only pulled away when the audience gave us a standing ovation and screamed for an encore. As we all lined up to take a bow, Mark gripped my hand tight and gave me a wink and another smile. He lifted up my hand and kissed it softly. My heart melted when he did that. It was a side of him that I've never seen before but I felt so lucky because I was about to experience that. I've been waiting all of my life To make this moment feel so right The feel of you just fills up the night So c'mon - Just hold on tight�� song performed by: Bryan Adams feat. Sarah McLachlan in "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" |