(07
“Oh, don’t worry about me too much. You’ve been busy lately. After all, your beloved Mr. Sullivan recommended you to replace me,” I said.
Mia took a breath, then sweetly smiled.
“We really can’t hide anything from Coach Claire. If you can’t make it, why not let me take the top spot? Why does it sound like I’m taking your place?”
She chuckled on the other end of the phone, adding, “But honestly, Coach Claire, you’ve held this position for so long. Maybe it’s time to let go. Why not take this opportunity and hand it over to me?”
“Okay, let’s see if you have the ability to snatch it away.”
I did not bother listening to her sarcasm any longer and pressed the button to end the call.
What Mia did not know was that I had, in fact, mentioned it to Lennon in pretense. My back injury was too serious for me to perform, so I would have to watch from the audience. I was sure Lennon would share the news with her soon enough.
I lowered my head and checked the calendar on my phone. Just one week left.
Sometimes, I could not understand Lennon. While helping his little lover push me off the stage, he was also planning a proposal for me.
But my best friend just rolled her eyes when she heard about it.
“Lennon doesn’t love anyone. He wants you to give up your career and stay home to cook while still being infatuated with that charming Mia. In the end, he is just a jerk who wants to have you both.”
Her words hit me and a sharp pain shot through my waist, causing me to frown.
“You still want to perform like this?”
She complained, though she did not stop massaging my back.
I smiled and reassured her. How would I perform well if I would not go on stage?
The day of the commemorative performance came quickly and my best friend sent me off to the orchestra.
d–b
A large poster was already up by the door, full of photos of Lennon and Mia. They looked like the perfect couple.
I carried the violin case backstage and by chance, I saw Mia tuning her violin.
She looked slightly surprised when she saw me but quickly adopted a well behaved dome
Love Does Not Wait Forever
Ο
Ο
She looked slightly surprised when she saw me but quickly adopted a well–behaved demeanor and walked towards me with an affectionate smile.
- me.
“Coach Claire, you’re here so early. The auditorium isn’t open yet.”
I set my violin case firmly on the ground and smiled at her. “Who said I would be in the audience?”
As soon as I spoke, the noise around us abruptly stopped. Everyone paused and turned to look at us.
The group leader was the first to react. His surprise was evident as he pushed Mia aside and hurried towards
“Claire, I’ll have someone change the posters outside right away. Now that you’re here, tonight’s performance will be a huge success.”
After that, he seemed to remember something and quickly ushered me along. “Let’s go meet the conductor. He’s been upset because you weren’t going to perform tonight, but now, this is great!”
I glanced at Mia behind me. She had been pushed aside by the group leader. The light background was already dark and the shadows now consumed her form.
Despite the darkness, I could see the anger on her face.
Also, after practicing for so long, she still could not take the lead and was forced to stay in my shadow.
Mia Blake, your spot will always be behind me.
It was only two hours before the performance when my violin was discovered to be damaged.
The group leader beside me sighed and muttered in frustration.
If we replaced the violin with the spare, not only was it out of tune, but it had not been properly used either. The performance would suffer greatly. I understood this all too well, better than the leader.
“Oh no. This performance is deadly important, but Coach Claire’s violin is broken.”
Mia’s sweet voice interrupted and I turned to look at her. But there was no trace of concern on her delicate, gentle face.
“Why not let Mia go up?”
The group leader, clearly in a hurry, glanced at me for my opinion, not stopping to consider the cause of the damage.
