by Anna Adams
“I always knew she’d make it big,” Alan Lewis sighed. “Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I’m so glad I discovered her talent.”
James Baldwin wisely ignored Alan’s comment.
“We have some arrangements to make, Alan.”
“Don’t worry. Her schedule is packed. She’s due to appear soon on the David Letterman Show, on the—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about Alan. We have to talk about a tour.”
Alan’s grin disappeared.
“Is she ready? That’s the real question.”
“She is more than ready, Alan. You have to trust her.”
“She has to start small. With a concert, see how it goes.”
“I knew you would say that,” James grinned, satisfied. “And I have the perfect plan.”
Know that you will always be
The two-faced liar who never cared for me.
Maude, facing her mirror, readjusted her big Afro wig as the last notes of her song died out. She had been in the process of preparing for the 1970s- themed Summer Dance when her song started playing.
It was probably the tenth time she heard it on the radio since her single had been released, but she never got tired of that warm feeling she felt whenever her voice streamed out of the radio.
The first time she had heard it, she had been sipping a tall hot chocolate at a Starbucks in Soho with Cynthia and Jazmine. She was seated in a comfortable sofa in the café talking animatedly about the movie they’d just seen.
And that’s when she heard it. She’d always thought she’d be calm when she heard it for the first time, having promised herself not to act too crazy. She forgot all her good resolutions at that very instant.
Jumping up like she’d been stung by a bee, she spilled her hot chocolate all over her raspberry muffin and her jeans. Everything was fine, nothing mattered because Cynthia and Jazmine had jumped up in perfect unison as well. Right there, in front of at least thirty people, the three girls started squealing like frantic seagulls and jumping up and down, not minding in the least that their table was a mess.
The waiter behind the counter looked at them as if they were stark mad and shook his head when he looked at the mess he would have to clean up after. Clients. They never thought about anyone but themselves.
“That’s my song!” Maude yelled almost wildly.
Jazmine and Cynthia yelled back “That’s her song! She’s Maude Laurent! Her voice is all over New York!”
Then they all started a crazy little dance that made the clients laugh. The waiter softened a little and walked towards his messy clients.
“If you’re famous, I want an autograph,” he said, handing Maude his napkin.
“Keep that napkin preciously. Your five-cent napkin just became an important relic,” Cynthia remarked, breathless from all the dancing.
Maude took the napkin. She would really have to work on getting her autograph right. It had to be something really original. At the moment, all she could come up with was a completely stale “Maude Laurent.”
The critics had been overwhelmingly positive, and as she sat in front of her dresser getting ready for the Summer Dance that evening, she couldn’t help but want to squeal at the thought of it all, which was quite contrary to her usual disposition.
Since that first day, she had signed a number of autographs and had been photographed several times in the streets of New York. Those weren’t the most important aspects of this newfound fame.
She was proud to see that her hard work had amounted to something huge and above all, appreciated. She hadn’t disappointed Mr. Baldwin or Matt or herself. And that was what she loved about it. She was proud of what she had accomplished and could return to Carvin with her head held high no matter how painfully the thought of leaving wrenched her heart.
Maude’s thoughts were interrupted by a light knock at the door.
“Come in!”
“Are you ready? Jazmine will be ready any minute now. First, I’d like to talk to you,” James began as he took a seat on the corner of her bed.
“I’m done. What’s wrong? You look very serious,” Maude pointed out wondering how anyone could feel concerned when she felt so utterly, blissfully happy.
“Nothing’s wrong. In fact, I think you can confirm that everything has been going great for you these last couple of days.”
Maude nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Victoria and I are concerned however about your going back to Carvin. We think you should stay in New York with us. We thought that the best way to manage that was by convincing Alan that you were invaluable. We wanted to convince him to sign you for a U.S. tour and a second album. The success of your first single has made Alan more than happy as you can imagine,” James grinned.
Maude almost rolled her eyes, but simply said, “I can imagine.”
“He is willing to organize a U.S. tour but wants proof that you will be able to perform.”
“He’s still stuck on my Cenerentola fiasco,” Maude mumbled, embarrassed.
“That’s why I’ve organized a televised performance. It’s a strenuous enough situation but it won’t be in front of an American audience.”
“Where will I perform?” Maude asked curiously.
“It will be on a French program called Taratata.”
What James didn’t mention was that Alan had agreed to this idea because he thought that if Maude failed, at least it wouldn’t be in front of an American public.
“We will be going to Paris,” Maude realized, her voice almost sounding like a distant echo.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest at the thought that suddenly dawned upon her.
She would be able to retrieve her mother’s box.
“Yes,” James confirmed. “We’re going to Paris. The entire Baldwin family will be there to support you. And then we will be going to Carvin to try to convince your foster family to let you stay with us, if you like. Indefinitely. As one of our own,” James added.
Maude looked up at James, tears welling up in her big brown eyes.
“James, I would like nothing more in the world, but they will refuse to—”
James held up his hand and silenced Maude, shaking his head calmly.
“Don’t worry about a thing. For now, just concentrate on this upcoming event, okay? We’re leaving in four days so enjoy yourself tonight.”
He kissed her gently on the forehead and walked quietly out of the room.
“So, do you think I look anything like Diana Ross?” Jazmine asked in the taxi on the way to Franklin High.
She checked her Afro in the rearview.
“You might be mistaken for her very distant cousin,” Maude mused. “Open your eyes a little wider, and you’ll look just like her. Anyway, you won’t be playing only Diana Ross’ songs this evening will you?”
“Of course not! We’ve got a large repertoire of disco hits for this evening from Chic to the Jacksons and Barry White. You’ll see.”
“I hope you aren’t too nervous about your band playing in front of the entire school. Not to stress you out or anything, but if the Summer Dance sucks, it’s on you. That’s a lot of pressure,” Maude joked.
She knew Jazmine to be the most confident person she’d ever met and couldn’t imagine her to feel the least ounce of pressure about a high school dance.
“I’m not worried about our band. It’s just—” she hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Maude insisted, concerned.
“Jonathan’s been acting strange these last few weeks. I know he doesn’t want us to be more than just friends, but still, he’s been growing distant.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t really know. It’s just a vibe I’ve been feeling.” Jazmine turned to Maude anxiously. “I’ve never liked a guy this much, Maude. It kills me to feel we’re growing apart.”
“Why don’t you talk to him about it?”
“I don’t really know how to bring it up.”
; “I know what you mean. I’ve kind of been giving Matt the cold shoulder since the whole Thomas debacle, and I don’t really know how to get our friendship back on track.”
“You should definitely talk to him at the dance tonight.”
“Tonight?” Maude asked surprised. “He’s coming to the dance?”
“Yes, with Lindsey,” Jazmine wrinkled her nose. Then she looked at Maude and realized that Maude hadn’t known.
“He didn’t tell you,” she stated, biting her lower lip. “God, Matt can be so—”
“It’s fine,” Maude reassured quickly, although her face seemed to say otherwise. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad you told me.”
“I don’t even know why he’s going with the girl who stole your song.”
“It was his song, too. And apparently, he’s forgiven her,” Maude shrugged trying but failing to appear nonchalant.
“Have you forgiven Thomas?”
Maude shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to him since our awful date.”
“Why would Matt forgive Lindsey and come to the dance with her? He knows how much I hate her!” Jazmine exclaimed as if that was a justification in itself.
Maude couldn’t help but laugh at Jazmine’s indignant pout.
“I don’t think he chooses his girlfriends according to your tastes,” Maude pointed out. “Forget about Lindsey. Tonight is going to be a fun and peaceful evening. I’ll clear things up with Matt and we can be . . . friends again,” she hesitated at the word friends.
She wondered if they had ever been actual friends. They were a good team and wrote great music together. Were they friends?
“If you ever become friends with Lindsey, you’re dead to me,” Jazmine warned as the taxi pulled up in front of Franklin High.
“That will never happen,” Maude laughed as they got out of the cab.
When they entered the gym, the loud blaring lyrics of Bee Gees hit “Staying Alive” and a blinding disco ball greeted them. Bell-bottoms and platform shoes were sweeping the dance floor while wiggling dancers were trying but not quite succeeding to copy the fancy moves they had seen in 1970s-themed movies. Jazmine left to go set up the stage with her bandmates, while Maude hit the dance floor.
Maude had barely started dancing when she heard frantic, high-pitched squeals, shrieks of delight and felt people rush around her.
Matt and Lindsey’s entrance was quite a noticeable event, and two-thirds of Franklin High’s female population rushed to Matt. Not having any paper at hand, they didn’t hesitate to ask for autographs on the most inappropriate body parts.
Maude went to get herself a drink, feeling her throat was uncommonly dry all of a sudden. She also didn’t want the dazzling couple to spot her. Seeing them together was harder than she thought it would be.
Alas, Maude’s wish wasn’t granted, and Lindsey made a beeline for her.
“Maude! So happy to see you!” Lindsey yelled over the music.
“I’m sure you are,” Maude greeted sarcastically.
Lindsey looked around Maude as if looking for someone.
“Don’t tell me that the great Maude Laurent came to this Dance by herself!” she squealed.
“I came with friends,” Maude answered calmly. She looked fondly at the stage where Jazmine and her band had started to play.
“You poor thing! I couldn’t have shown my face all alone. I’m so glad Matt invited me, I’d be lost without him.”
Maude looked at Matt who hadn’t bothered to wear a 1970s outfit and was surrounded by girls.
“Matt invited you?” she mocked trying to hide her discomfort. “He’s not even dressed up for the occasion, and from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s invited the entire female population of Franklin High.”
Lindsey looked like she’d swallowed a frog, but couldn’t help but jeer, “You’re just another one-hit wonder, Maude. After this single withers out, no one will ever hear your name again.”
“You’re just sorry you didn’t manage to steal ‘Betrayed But Not Broken’ instead of ‘Paris Versus New York City,’” Maude went on, undaunted. “I should thank you. Without your little scam, I might never have written my very first hit single. To Lindsey and Thomas,” Maude said, raising her glass of punch, as if giving a toast. “You say I’m a one-hit wonder when I’ve already created two,” she mused. “If I were you, I’d be worried. How the hell are you going to release another Hot 100 hit without me?”
Lindsey swallowed, genuine anguish etched on her face. Maude had said aloud what had kept her awake for the last months.
“I’m planning on collaborating with Matt again soon,” she taunted defiantly.
“Good luck with that,” Maude said, feeling a lot less flippant than she sounded. “The smoke seems to have cleared,” she pointed towards Matt, who was standing alone having finished signing autographs. “I don’t think we have anything more to say to each other, Lindsey. Enjoy your evening.”
She turned, but froze suddenly as she noticed Thomas Bradfield entering the gym. He spotted her almost instantly and started heading towards her but was stopped, just like Matt had been, by a herd of delighted fans. Thomas excused himself, pushed away a few angry fans and headed towards the stage where the Screaming Angels were starting on “Shake Shake Shake (Shake Your Booty).”
“What is he doing?” Maude wondered.
Thomas took the microphone from an equally surprised Stacey and cleared his throat.
“Hi,” he started, out of breath. “I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but this won’t take long. I have something very important to say to a very special person.”
He looked at Maude and took a deep breath.
“Wow, I’ve never felt so nervous,” he acknowledged frankly. “Maude Laurent, I’m in love with you.”
Maude dropped her glass of punch and prayed the ground would open up and swallow her alive. This couldn’t be happening.
“I know I acted like a total jerk. I was so wrong, and I am so sorry. I’ve been sorry for months. I’ve missed you, your laugh, your sense of humor, and your dazzling smile. I want to make things right. Please forgive me. I know you never want to speak to me again but I won’t leave this stage until you do,” he finished dramatically.
Maude hid her face behind her hands wanting simply to disappear. She slowly opened her hands and gulped seeing a whole crowd of students staring at her waiting for her answer in order to continue an evening that had so pleasantly began. Her throat was too dry for her to utter a word so she just looked at Thomas and pointed towards the entrance signifying she wanted to talk outside, away from the bulging eyes and gawking stares.
As she walked towards the entrance, she passed Matt but barely looked at him.
Thomas followed her outside, and the music resumed happily inside.
“I know this is crazy, Maude, but—”
“Crazy?” Maude snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year!”
“I didn’t know how else to get your attention. You haven’t been answering my calls, my text messages—”
“Can you blame me? After what you’ve done?”
“I know, and I’ve regretted it ever since. I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am.”
“You didn’t even tell me yourself, Thomas. I found out while we were at the restaurant. How sick is that? I never felt so humiliated in my entire life! Until this evening, that is.”
“I know I never should have stolen your song. I want to make it up to you.”
“How? How can you possibly make up for stealing my song and singing with Lindsey?”
“I think we should date.”
“ Ha! I don’t understand how that will make up for what you’ve done?”
“I care about you and I want to help you. If we publicly date, we would apparently be the ‘hottest teen couple’ according to several gossip journals.”
“So you want us to date so that I can sell more albums. How generous of you!” Maude exclaimed sarcastically.
> “It wouldn’t help me seeing as my overwhelmingly female fan base prefers to see me single. This is completely disinterested. I just want to be with you. I want your forgiveness.”
Thomas looked at Maude with sorrowful eyes and she smiled a sad, sorrowful smile.
“Thomas, I have already forgiven you.” And when she said it she realized it was true. She didn’t feel the same poisonous sting she had felt the first night she had learned of his betrayal.
“Then there is hope that we can be together. Publicly or not, I don’t care.”
Maude shook her head mournfully.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. Besides, I don’t need a guy to boost my sales. I want to be judged solely for my music.”
“Don’t you feel that from the moment we met, there was something special between us?”
“It was friendship, Thomas. We were friends,” she insisted. “We were just friends,” she repeated softly.
Suddenly, she understood. Matt and she had never been friends. They were more, so much more. He drove her crazy. He was incessantly irritating, arrogant, and completely full of himself, but they also had crazy musical chemistry, and he was funny. He made her laugh, when he wasn’t laughing at her that is. And she had feelings for him. Never would she have believed herself capable of falling for a guy with whom she couldn’t spend over five minutes before getting angry at him, but there they were. Those feelings were there and there wasn’t much she could do about them but tell him how she felt. And she hated Lindsey Linton! She hated the fact that he was probably dancing with Lindsey while she was here wasting time with Thomas.
She needed to speak to him now.
“Thomas, I’ve got to go!” she cried.
“What, wait!”
It was too late. Maude had dashed back inside.
She spotted Matt almost immediately and ran towards him.
“Matt!” she cried breathlessly.
“What do you want?” Matt asked coldly.
Maude faltered slightly, but continued nonetheless.
“I talked to Thomas. I forgave him. And I realized—”