Nearly There

Rachel shoved past the students in the high school halls. She was trying to get to her locker where her best friend Devin was calling her name from across the hall.

“Hey Rachel, want to come over?” Devin yelled as a tall boy on the football team shoved him out of the way. Rachel kept walking as fast as she could to get to her friend.

“Yeah, sure. Actually, do you wanna come over? I have something to show you.” Rachel said as she opened her locker door.

“Of course. Wait, what do have to show me?” Devin said with his eyes widening.

“Just something that I've been working on,” Rachel was trying to keep what she was going to show him a secret. She had already shown it to her friends Becca, Connor, and Luke. They all loved it.

“Is it one of your new songs?” Devin’s excitement was starting to fade.

“Yeah, but this one's really gonna be my big break, I could become famous, I'm sure of it,”  Rachel said in an annoyed yet definite tone as she slammed her locker shut. Rachel and Devin pushed passed the crowded halls and made it to the door.

“You sure?” said Devin. “‘Cause that’s what you said last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and probably several times before that. And you still are not world famous with your name up in shining lights.”

“Well OK, first, I never said that my name had to be up in shining lights, and if I did I wouldn't have said shining. Also, I didn't say world famous I just said famous. Plus, I already showed it to Connor, Becca, and Luke. They all say that it’s amazing.”

By now Rachel and Devin were on there way back to Rachel’s.

 

Meanwhile, Becca, Connor, and Luke were walking to Connor’s house.

“History class was like, sooo boring today,” said Becca.

“Tell me about it,” Connor said with a moan.

“Wait, guys isn’t Rachel’s song like amazing?” said Luke starting to change the topic. He enjoyed history class, but he didn't want his friends to think that he was weird. “She could be, like, famous.”

“I know, and we could help her with everything she needs once she’s famous!” Now Becca’s voice was louder than usual. Beca gets loud when she is excited.

“Okay, well let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, it’s not even definite that she is even posting the song, she could always make a new one that she likes more” said Conner, starting to become annoyed.

“Oh is someone jealous?” said Becca in a sarcastic tone.

“No, I’m just tired,” said Conner in an angry, low, tired sounding voice.

“OK, Oscar” said Luke starting to back away.

“Wait did you just make a sesame street reference?” Said Becca sounding amused.

“Yeah,” said Luke, his cheeks turned pink.”

“Guys,” said Connor, “do you think that I have a chance at becoming famous?” He kind of slow and quiet tone.

“Yeah,” said both Becca and Luke at the same time. They started to chuckle.

“How come?” asked  Luke in a sorry tone.

“I don’t know,” said Connor “It's just that if Rachel becomes famous famous before me I’ll owe her $500.00 because when we were, like, 6 I bet her that I would become famous before her, and she took the bet.”

“Oh,” replied Luke, “That was when you were 6, you 17 now. I’m sure she won’t make you pay the $500.00”

“Yeah, it’s Rachel you're talking about of course she won’t make you pay. Why are you so worried?” Becca added on.

“Just because,” said Connor.

Connor, Luke, and Becca finally got to Connor’s house.

“I will be in my room for a minute,” said Connor as they walked into his living room.

“K,” said Beca as Connor started to walk away.

Connor had been in his room for about 5 minutes, and Becca and Luke were starting to wonder what was going on. “Should we go check on him.” Said Luke

“I don’t know, what do you think he’s doing?”

“I have no idea. I'm gonna go check.” Luke got up and walked over to Connor’s room. He opened the door, and saw Connor sitting there on his computer. “Hey, what are doing?” Luke walks about 2 steps before he see’s that Connor is on YouTube.

“Um,” said Connor uncomfortably, “I'm just posting something on YouTube.”

“Cool, can I see?”

“Uh, maybe later.”

“I didn’t  know that you had a channel. Come on Connor just let me see it, I'm sure it's good.”

“It’s not that it’s just”-   Luke grabbed the computer before Connor could finish his sentence, and Luke hit the play button. Before he knew it he was watching the world’s 7th most popular video, no, 6th, not, 5th. More and more views and likes were coming at the fastest rate both of them had ever seen! The video was of Connor. Singing.

“Connor, your voice sounds really good, what song is this?”

“Um, it’s-” Connor was cut off was mid sentence

“Wait is this Rachel’s song? You know she’ll be, like, really mad at you. That’s not cool, you know that she worked really hard on that! Did you ask if you could post post it on youtube?”

“Um… no, not really,” replied Connor in a slow sad tone. “I feel like a complete idiot. Rachel’s gonna kill me.”

“She won’t kill you, she’ll just be pretty pissed off.”

A few seconds later someone rang the doorbell, and there was a knock on the door. “Hey guys it’s it’s just Rachel and Devin, can I let them in?” called Beca from the other room.

“Uh…” both Connor and Luke said at the same time. “Yeah, I guess,” said Connor.

“Hey, you sure about this?” asked Luke.

“Yeah.”

“Connor! You a**hole! You just posted my original song on youtube and said it was your original!” Rachel was storming into Connor’s room. “Not only that, but all the comments underneath, say that you’re an amazing songwriter, and you have one the most liked videos in the world right now! That is my song!”

“Rachel, calm down,” said Connor in a slow tone, as if he were talking to a dangerous animal.

“No! I will not calm down!”

“Rachel, I, I’m really sorry,” Connor sounded like he was about to cry. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No!” Rachel stormed out of Connor's house and sprinted down the street.

“Rachel, wait up,” Yelled Devin.  He was jogging to catch up with Rachel.

“Hey,” said Rachel, once Devin had caught up with him. She was having mixed feelings about what had happened. She wanted to scream, but she also wanted to cry. She had trusted her friend, and she did not know if she still could.

“Rachel, it’ll be ok,” said Devin. “You could write another song, better than the one that Connor posted.

“No, I won’t” tears started to fall down Rachel’s face.

“Rachel, lets get home and relax. Ok?” asked Devin. He felt super bad for Rachel, and wanted to help.

“Ok,” Rachel’s tears started to slow down. She knew that she had other friends that she could trust, and be friends with.

“Rachel, you know even if Connors being an a**, you always have me, Luke, and Becca.”

“Yeah, I guess. It, it’s just that I really trusted him, and he’s been my friend for so many years. Since we were 4, that’s like over 13 years.” The tears started to come back. “Lets just go home.”

“K.”

They were very quiet on the walk home. Rachel started to relax and her tears slowly stopped.  

“Devin, thanks for being my best friend,” Rachel said as they entered her house.

“I’ll be there for you, no matter what.”

“Thanks Devin, and I’ll be there for you too.” Rachel found her phone, buzzing on her bedroom floor. “I just got a text from- you know who.” Rachel read the text. There was a link. “He sent me link,” said Rachel. “Should we look at it?”

“Uh-” Devin was hesitant. “Yeah I guess. Why not?” Rachel clicked the link and it went to YouTube. Rachel thought that it was the video that he had posted before. But it wasn't. It was a new video, of Connor on bed playing his guitar and singing. He was singing to Rachel.

“I think Connor just wrote a song for me,” Rachel said as she listened and watched.

“Yeah I think it could be.” The music ended, and Connor put his guitar down. He then said to the camera… “I wrote this song for my friend Rachel. The last video I posted went viral because someone who has a lot of followers posted it on a lot of social media sites, but that song was not my original. It was my friend Rachel’s. She wrote that song, and it took her a long time. She worked really hard on it and I feel offal for calling my own original. I just want you to know that from the moment I started this video to the moment I die everything that I call my original will be my original. Also, Rachel, if you're  watching this I would like you to know that I'm sorry. Very sorry. Well, that's it for today. I'll see you guys later.” Then the video ended. Tears started to form around Rachel’s eyes.

“I think I should find Connor,” Rachel said as she stood up. “Do you wanna come?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Devin and Rachel walked out the door and saw Connor walking towards Rachel's house.

“Rachel!” Called Connor from down the street. “I'm sorry!” Connor got closer to the house and slowed down.

“Connor, it's okay. I forgive you.”

“Hey Rachel,” said Connor with a little smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Rachel replied.

“I think someone owes me $500.00” Rachel and Connor smile and laugh.

“Hey Connor,” said Rachel. “ I'll give you those $500.00 once I'm rich and famous and famous and you're stealing someone's music.” They start laughing again.

 

“Rachel, let's write a song.”