Reminiscing Memories
Keep Holding On
*Pandora’s POV*
I’ll admit, with my best friend gone, and five boys I’ve grown close too over the past weeks gone also, I was a little lonely. They’ve only been gone for two days, but these past few days caused nothing but pure motivation. I’ve caught myself singing more, singing louder, while I worked in Joe’s Records. I even had a few people compliment me, which made me happy. My motivation went toward my music. I was trying to write a song, and no, it was not easy.
I would find myself getting aggravated, but each time, somehow Niall would call. Don’t ask how he managed to do that, but that boy had a weird sense of timing.
“Hey, Pan, I brought my guitar.” I heard my co-worker, Steve say as he walked into the back room.
We were both on break, Susan was taking over the register while we sat around for fifteen minutes. Steve’s been wanting me to tune his guitar for ages, but always forgot to bring the damn thing. “Where’s it at?” I asked, seeing no acoustic in sight.
“It’s in my car. If I bring it in, wanna play me something?”
I shrugged, agreeing.
He got up, leaving me. I tugged at the collar of my shirt. It was hot in the back room, not surprising since the thermostat was broken for it and it was kept at a constant 82 degrees. I stood up, leaving the room to head back to the slightly cooler, but still warm, store. I took a seat on the stool that was by the counter, seeing how there wasn’t many customers. Only two really. One was a spunky thirty year old, arms full of tats and face with piercings. Another was a middle-aged man in a suit. He was looking through the old records, trying to find something worth buying.
Steve came back with his guitar, smiling as he handed it to me. I started messing with it. “Ugh, dude, this sounds horrible. When was the last time you played this?” I asked him, making a face as I tuned the strings.
He shrugged. “It originally belonged to my brother. It’s been sitting in my mom’s attic for about two years now. I figured I could pick up playing.”
“You must not have very many hobbies, huh?” I asked him, grinning some.
“Shut up.” He crossed his arms. Well, he wasn’t denying it. It didn’t take me but about five minutes to tune it. It would usually take me about a minute, but this guitar was really out of tune. I started strumming something random on the top of my head. I could see Steve nodding his head, grinning. “What song’s that?”
I blinked as I stopped. I shrugged. “Dunno, made it up.”
“Play something.” Susan came up behind me. “You always sing to the radio, play something live. Here.” She reached over, turning off the radio, making the store silent. I saw a small glare come from the tattoo girl and the suited man looking up briefly, curious.
I thought for a second before deciding on a song. Hazel has been going through a lot lately. I was stupid not to think of singing something to her earlier. I brought out my phone, handing it to Steve. “Record me, will you? I want to send a song to a friend of mine.”
Steve took it, getting it ready. “Alright, you’re recording.”
I didn’t hesitate before I started playing. “You’re not alone. Together we stand. I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold and it feels like the end. There's no place to go. You know I won't give in. No I won't give in.”
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through”
“So far away. I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end. With you by my side I will fight and defend. I'll fight and defend. Yeah, yeah.”
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through”
“Hear me when I say, when I say I believe. Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny. Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” I let my voice carry out the long note. I could see Steve and Susan smiling, something I’ve failed to notice before.
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through.”
“Keep holding on. Keep holding on.”
“There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…”
I let my guitar die out and Steve stopped the recording. “Beautiful.” Susan said, clapping me on the shoulder before returning to the register where an impatient tattoo girl was standing. Steve handed me my phone and I didn’t even look over the video. I wanted to send it to Hazel and my thumb hovered over her name, then I remembered. Her phone was total the day she got hit by the boy’s van. She had no phone, and her mom couldn’t afford to buy another until the two year contract ran out.
I didn’t want to think about that, so I decided to scroll down the list of contacts, seeing who I could send it too. I stopped scrolling, seeing one name in particular: Niall. I checked the time. London’s time ran six hours ahead of my time zone. It was past six o’clock here. It was past midnight there. Would he be asleep? One way to find out.
I sent the video to him, leaving a long text telling him to show Hazel.
“Excuse me, miss?”
I looked up, seeing the suited man. I stood up, handing Steve his guitar. “Can I help you find something?” I asked. I noticed a record in his hand.
“Actually… it’s quite the opposite.” I gave him a look of confusion and he just smiled. “What you have there, miss, is raw talent. My name is Robert Jenson.” He stuck out his hand and I shook it, not really knowing what to do. He continued never less. “I’m a scouting agent for Columbia Records.”
I let the shock become apparent on my face, but I had to keep my excitement mustered inside.
“Oh?” I asked.
He smiled at me. “I’m here for the next couple days because they will be holding auditions for young adults like you. In fact, I believe you have something we may be looking for. Are you interested?”
Am I interested? Hell yeah. A huge smile was on my face as I answered. “Yes I am, actually.”
He placed the record on the counter, reaching into his suit pocket, pulling out a card. “Well, I can’t guarantee anything since sign-ups for the audition was over a week ago, but I’ll give you this… Do you have a pen?”
I did. In my back pocket. I pulled out, handing it to him. He was writing on a card. “This is my personal cell phone number. Call me tomorrow at 2 PM and I’ll try to fit your name in for the auditions. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem though.”
He handed me the card. I held it close. “Thank you.” I breathed.
He smiled as he picked up the record, leaving me to go to Susan to check out. Steve and I stared at each other. For at least two minutes I had to hold in my excitement until the man left, leaving the store empty and me screaming my head off.
I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I saw it was Niall calling. I answered. “Oh, my God, Niall!”
“I just got you video. I have to say that was the best-“
“You won’t believe this!” I cut him off.
“What? Calm down!” I heard him say, but I didn’t listen.
“I might have a chance. I’ll have to audition, but that deal I made with Hazel… it could happening a lot sooner than I thought.”
The tears were streaming down my face, out of pure happiness. So much has happened, but I knew I could only tell Niall. Hazel couldn’t know. I promised I would cut all ties to her. We couldn’t talk, not until after I debuted and after she got all of her memories back. The thought hurt, but then again, seeing how this was happening… I was ecstatic.
It was this very moment where a thought hit me. I could practically hear my perfect song in my head. I could hear how Niall was, but I had to cut him off. “Niall, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I… think I know what I can write for my song now.”
“Okay. You have my full support.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up. Holding the phone and card to my chest as the happy tears continued to fall. “I’ll cover your shift. It’s only for another hour anyways.” Steve said, smiling at me. “You go ahead home.”
“Thank you.” I breathed, running to the back room to get my stuff.
Yes, I thought. This could be it. I could finally make myself… useful. I could do what I loved most. My dream… it was starting to come alive.
I’ll admit, with my best friend gone, and five boys I’ve grown close too over the past weeks gone also, I was a little lonely. They’ve only been gone for two days, but these past few days caused nothing but pure motivation. I’ve caught myself singing more, singing louder, while I worked in Joe’s Records. I even had a few people compliment me, which made me happy. My motivation went toward my music. I was trying to write a song, and no, it was not easy.
I would find myself getting aggravated, but each time, somehow Niall would call. Don’t ask how he managed to do that, but that boy had a weird sense of timing.
“Hey, Pan, I brought my guitar.” I heard my co-worker, Steve say as he walked into the back room.
We were both on break, Susan was taking over the register while we sat around for fifteen minutes. Steve’s been wanting me to tune his guitar for ages, but always forgot to bring the damn thing. “Where’s it at?” I asked, seeing no acoustic in sight.
“It’s in my car. If I bring it in, wanna play me something?”
I shrugged, agreeing.
He got up, leaving me. I tugged at the collar of my shirt. It was hot in the back room, not surprising since the thermostat was broken for it and it was kept at a constant 82 degrees. I stood up, leaving the room to head back to the slightly cooler, but still warm, store. I took a seat on the stool that was by the counter, seeing how there wasn’t many customers. Only two really. One was a spunky thirty year old, arms full of tats and face with piercings. Another was a middle-aged man in a suit. He was looking through the old records, trying to find something worth buying.
Steve came back with his guitar, smiling as he handed it to me. I started messing with it. “Ugh, dude, this sounds horrible. When was the last time you played this?” I asked him, making a face as I tuned the strings.
He shrugged. “It originally belonged to my brother. It’s been sitting in my mom’s attic for about two years now. I figured I could pick up playing.”
“You must not have very many hobbies, huh?” I asked him, grinning some.
“Shut up.” He crossed his arms. Well, he wasn’t denying it. It didn’t take me but about five minutes to tune it. It would usually take me about a minute, but this guitar was really out of tune. I started strumming something random on the top of my head. I could see Steve nodding his head, grinning. “What song’s that?”
I blinked as I stopped. I shrugged. “Dunno, made it up.”
“Play something.” Susan came up behind me. “You always sing to the radio, play something live. Here.” She reached over, turning off the radio, making the store silent. I saw a small glare come from the tattoo girl and the suited man looking up briefly, curious.
I thought for a second before deciding on a song. Hazel has been going through a lot lately. I was stupid not to think of singing something to her earlier. I brought out my phone, handing it to Steve. “Record me, will you? I want to send a song to a friend of mine.”
Steve took it, getting it ready. “Alright, you’re recording.”
I didn’t hesitate before I started playing. “You’re not alone. Together we stand. I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold and it feels like the end. There's no place to go. You know I won't give in. No I won't give in.”
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through”
“So far away. I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end. With you by my side I will fight and defend. I'll fight and defend. Yeah, yeah.”
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through”
“Hear me when I say, when I say I believe. Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny. Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” I let my voice carry out the long note. I could see Steve and Susan smiling, something I’ve failed to notice before.
“Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through.”
“Keep holding on. Keep holding on.”
“There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through…”
I let my guitar die out and Steve stopped the recording. “Beautiful.” Susan said, clapping me on the shoulder before returning to the register where an impatient tattoo girl was standing. Steve handed me my phone and I didn’t even look over the video. I wanted to send it to Hazel and my thumb hovered over her name, then I remembered. Her phone was total the day she got hit by the boy’s van. She had no phone, and her mom couldn’t afford to buy another until the two year contract ran out.
I didn’t want to think about that, so I decided to scroll down the list of contacts, seeing who I could send it too. I stopped scrolling, seeing one name in particular: Niall. I checked the time. London’s time ran six hours ahead of my time zone. It was past six o’clock here. It was past midnight there. Would he be asleep? One way to find out.
I sent the video to him, leaving a long text telling him to show Hazel.
“Excuse me, miss?”
I looked up, seeing the suited man. I stood up, handing Steve his guitar. “Can I help you find something?” I asked. I noticed a record in his hand.
“Actually… it’s quite the opposite.” I gave him a look of confusion and he just smiled. “What you have there, miss, is raw talent. My name is Robert Jenson.” He stuck out his hand and I shook it, not really knowing what to do. He continued never less. “I’m a scouting agent for Columbia Records.”
I let the shock become apparent on my face, but I had to keep my excitement mustered inside.
“Oh?” I asked.
He smiled at me. “I’m here for the next couple days because they will be holding auditions for young adults like you. In fact, I believe you have something we may be looking for. Are you interested?”
Am I interested? Hell yeah. A huge smile was on my face as I answered. “Yes I am, actually.”
He placed the record on the counter, reaching into his suit pocket, pulling out a card. “Well, I can’t guarantee anything since sign-ups for the audition was over a week ago, but I’ll give you this… Do you have a pen?”
I did. In my back pocket. I pulled out, handing it to him. He was writing on a card. “This is my personal cell phone number. Call me tomorrow at 2 PM and I’ll try to fit your name in for the auditions. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem though.”
He handed me the card. I held it close. “Thank you.” I breathed.
He smiled as he picked up the record, leaving me to go to Susan to check out. Steve and I stared at each other. For at least two minutes I had to hold in my excitement until the man left, leaving the store empty and me screaming my head off.
I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. I saw it was Niall calling. I answered. “Oh, my God, Niall!”
“I just got you video. I have to say that was the best-“
“You won’t believe this!” I cut him off.
“What? Calm down!” I heard him say, but I didn’t listen.
“I might have a chance. I’ll have to audition, but that deal I made with Hazel… it could happening a lot sooner than I thought.”
The tears were streaming down my face, out of pure happiness. So much has happened, but I knew I could only tell Niall. Hazel couldn’t know. I promised I would cut all ties to her. We couldn’t talk, not until after I debuted and after she got all of her memories back. The thought hurt, but then again, seeing how this was happening… I was ecstatic.
It was this very moment where a thought hit me. I could practically hear my perfect song in my head. I could hear how Niall was, but I had to cut him off. “Niall, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I… think I know what I can write for my song now.”
“Okay. You have my full support.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up. Holding the phone and card to my chest as the happy tears continued to fall. “I’ll cover your shift. It’s only for another hour anyways.” Steve said, smiling at me. “You go ahead home.”
“Thank you.” I breathed, running to the back room to get my stuff.
Yes, I thought. This could be it. I could finally make myself… useful. I could do what I loved most. My dream… it was starting to come alive.
i love this story sooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!
1/17/14