7 Someone To Watch Over Me

As the days passed by, the final kiss of summer began to fade away to the crisp embrace of autumn.

Since Washington only had ever-greens, there was no grand display of leaves changing. In fact, nothing really changed at all, except the rains grew colder and more frequent.

Shannon longed to see the brilliant orange and deep reds that painted the trees in the east side of the country. While the large pines which filled her forest home were lovely, there was something about actually seeing the seasons change, that called to her.

If she were able to physically see these changes around her, maybe she would be able to see them in herself?

But then, some things had indeed changed in her life this year.

Along with different classes, came this person who was more mystery than any novel she'd read.

It worried Shannon, that when she went to say her prayers, all she could see were his ice-colored eyes staring back at her. The relationship between student and teacher had become lighter since the day she nearly clobbered him with a book on Chopin.

Funny how things like that bring people together.

Mr. Thompson found his place amongst the flow of the students. It seemed like he could finally begin to relax and have fun every once in a while.

This didn't mean that he slacked on his tyrannical method of drilling music into their brains. With their first concert coming up and the eyes of the town judging the new music teacher, he wanted everything to be perfect.

"All right ladies, tonight is the night. The performance will start at seven, but I expect to see you at six for warm up and final checks. Make sure you dress in some form of black so we are all coordinated. See you tonight."

Mr. Thompson dismissed the choir of girls. They all flittered out the door, buzzing with excitement for the night's activities.

Shannon gathered her books into her bag and went to follow the others. It wasn't until she heard his voice, "I look forward to your performance tonight, Ms. O'Ryan," that she stopped mid-stride.

"It won't be any different than the rest of the altos. We've all worked really hard."

Mr. Thompson shook his head. "Nope, I'm changing it up. I want you to do the solo tonight, without any help from the rest."

Shannon's voice came out in a squeak. "The solo for which song, Mr. Thompson?"

He looked up as if she were missing something. "The one we were just talking about. Someone To Watch Over Me."

It felt like she was going to puke. The thought of so many people looking at her alone, on that stage, made Shannon's heart race. She gripped the piano and stared wide-eyed at her choir teacher. "You...why? Why would you do this to me?"

Mr. Thompson smiled and leaned back in his office chair, hands together. "Because I know the talent that's inside you and I want everyone to see that. The best performance always blooms in adversity and if I don't push you, Shannon, you won't step out of your comfort zone and do it."

"But I..."

"Don't worry, if you get nervous, just look at me. I'll be there to help you."

Those words wrapped around her like a cold, wet blanket. Shannon stepped out the door and numbly walked to her car.

Singing in a group was fine, but all by herself, with all those eyes watching her?

She spaced out the whole drive home, almost passing the driveway twice.

When she saw her father's pick up pull in just behind her, Shannon walked over and slammed her head into his shoulder with a sigh.

"Well, hello to you too."

"Ugh."

"What is it?"

"Nehhh."

"That bad, huh?"

"Mmm hmm."

Michael turned and rested against the door, listening to the tale of his daughter's woe.

When she'd finished, instead of sharing in her outrage, her father exclaimed. "This is great! The man knows talent when he hears it. I've been telling you to sing a solo for years now. You'll be glorious!"

"He didn't even give me time to prepare, Dad!"

He lifted the groceries out of the car and passed one to Shannon. "He probably knew you'd overthink it if you had too much time. Smart guy, I approve."

"Daaaad!" Shannon groaned and followed him inside.

"Let me go tell your mother. She'll be thrilled!"

"That will make one of us."

She dropped off the grocery bag on the counter and flopped on the couch, burring her face in the cushions. When her phone gave a tiny ping, she didn't need to look to know it was Iris. She fumbled around for it, pulled it from her purse and squinted.

"Okay, soooo don't freak out..." This was terrible wording from Iris. Shannon stared at the phone. "About?"

She waited for the text bubbles to stop bubbling and a paragraphed followed that made her want to die.

"So, what happened was, I heard Mr. Thompson is having you sing the solo tonight. I was waiting at the door to scare you when you came down and overheard. Not my fault, he speaks loud. Anyway, I was talking about it on the bus to the other choir girls and Alexia heard. She says she's coming tonight."

Shannon rose to her feet, viciously texting. "WHAT?? Why would she come?"

Iris finished her text. "I guess her brother is in the band, so she was coming anyway. Now she said she is looking forward to hearing you sing and you better not disappoint."

Shannon fell back on the couch with her hand over her eyes. This was it; she was doomed.

Alexia was the last person she wanted to do anything in front of, especially something that made her so nervous in the first place.

There was another ping and Shannon's anxiety made her want to ignore any more news all together.

Instead it was a text saying. "Don't worry, dude. Alexia wouldn't know talent from a used condom. Who cares what she thinks?"

This brought a small smile to her face, but didn't make her feel any better inside.

Shannon sighed and conceding to actually speaking on the phone for a longer conversation. "Hey, what are you going to wear tonight?"

The sound of bustling came from the other end. "I'm not sure yet. The last concert I did, I wore a cocktail dress with red heels."

"That was classy."

Iris huffed. "Too classy. I need to do something different this time. Maybe I'll go goth princess or funeral wife. I could wear a veil! This makes me think about new options. I love that the dress code is black dress, it makes things so much more fun!"

Shannon smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and sorted through her own options, with the phone snuggled securely in the crook of her neck. It would have to be a little fancy if she had a solo piece, but the only black dress she had was the one she wore to her grandmother's funeral.

Not very glamorous, to say the least.

Shannon's eyes flickered from all her sweaters and pastel dresses, when Iris spoke, reading her thoughts. "If I see you in that funeral dress, I'm pouring pig's blood on it."

"Well that's a waste of perfectly good blood."

"It is indeed, so don't make me do it."

Shannon pulled out the dress. "It's the only black one I have."

The voice on the other end of the receiver was exasperated. "Helloooo, you have me! I can let you borrow one."

Shannon scooted the phone from one side to the other. "Um, Iris, sweetie, you are five two and I'm five seven."

"Duh, not MY dresses. You couldn't pull them off anyway. Come over and try my mom's on! She was around your size and had great evening selections."

Shannon's voice was quiet. "Oh, Iris, I don't think I could do that. She left those dresses for you."

"Well, unless I take some Miracle Grow, I doubt I'll be able to fit them. Come on, Mom loved you, I know she wouldn't mind."

She stopped and stared out the window at the rain clouds coming in. "Okay then. Thanks. I'll stop by around five?"

"Sure thing! You know where the key is."

When she hung up her phone, Shannon sat on the bed and sighed.

It was already been two years since Mary died and Shannon couldn't believe how much time had passed.

Iris's mother was very weak in body and mind. Some cancer spread through her and instead of fighting, she just gave up. One day she was there, laughing and baking cookies with them and the next, she was gone, leaving her only daughter in the custody of her grandmother.

Shannon's mother stepped in as much as possible to love Iris twice as much, but it wasn't the same. Some days, it still felt like she was going to walk through the door and the bad stuff would only be a nightmare. She wondered if Mary would be proud of all Iris became or if she'd just stay in that cancer-riddled mindset? Either way, she missed her.

Later that evening, Iris and Shannon went back and forth over dress conditions. Iris always wanted her in something more revealing. "Come on! You've got boobs, show them!"

"Your fascination with my boobs is borderline creepy, you know."

"Well, someone has to notice. I mean, someone besides me and Brandon."

"Ugh, will you drop that already? It wasn't a date!"

"Come out with something good and I will."

Shannon sighed and stepped out in her final option. Iris stopped playing on her phone and looked up. "Wow. That's the one, dude."

"You think? I'm worried it's a little tight."

"No, it's perfect. Look in the mirror."

Shannon turned to look at herself fully. The dress was indeed beautiful. It went down to the floor, but in heels, would be the perfect length. It had a slit up to her knee, she worried wouldn't be in line with the school dress code.

"I look like Morticia Addams." She said, fiddling at the tight sides.

"And Morticia Addams is hot!"

"I guess."

"No guessing, that's blasphemy."

She curled her red hair, applied some make-up and stepped into her matching heels, feeling almost like it were a Halloween costume and not her actual outfit. That actually made everything a little easier. If she could pretend to be someone confident, maybe no one would notice the way her knees were shaking?

As they left out for the school, Iris's grandmother, Debbie, took a few pictures, "Aww my girls look so lovely. I wish I could see you both tonight. Make sure you sing beautifully for me."

They waved to the elderly woman and settled in Shannon's car, since Iris hadn't managed to pass her driver's test yet.

The golden sun began to set on the coast, painting the sky a deep crimson and reflecting off the constant pull of the ocean tide. Birds drifted in pairs for their final meals, before settling into their nests for the night.

Shannon stepped out of her car at the high school and breathed deep the scent of salt and nightfall. This was the best time of day, in her opinion, and she'd have given anything to avoid going up the stone staircase, leading to her worst fears.

Thankfully, Iris was there to grab her hand and do it for her or she wasn't sure she'd be able to walk there in one piece.

Already, people were filling the gym that never escaped the smell of sweat and bleach. Shannon and Iris took their places with the other girls in the choir room, waiting for their director to lead a few warm-ups.

There was a murmur of excited chatter, the spark of electricity in the air as a giddy wave over took each young lady. Shannon closed her eyes, trying to center herself and she didn't even notice Mr. Thompson walking through the double doors, until Iris smacked her shoulder.

"Wow...." she whispered, as Shannon opened her eyes to a sight that made her breath catch in her throat.

Mr. Thompson stood before them, his dark hair tied back in a loose pony tail, the brilliant blue of his eyes framed with stylish glasses. His toned body was fitted into a tailored suit that made him look like a real-life prince and Shannon wasn't the only one left gaping at the sight of their sharp dressed teacher.

Mr. Thompson smiled a dazzling grin. "Good evening ladies. Don't you all clean up nicely? Now, we only have a short amount of time, so please start with the C scale and we'll work our way up."

There was a collected breath and the familiar warm-up rang through the choir room in perfect harmony.

Shannon opened her mouth to sing, but it came out small and shallow. Whether that was from her bubbling anxiety or the fact that she couldn't take her eyes of Mr. Thompson, was beyond her. What teacher was allowed to be that attractive? There must be a rule book of some kind and he was definitely breaking it.

Once they finished their warm-ups, Mr. Thompson smiled and said. "Beautiful, all right everyone, it is time to head out. Remember, breathe deep, stay focused and do your best. That's all I ask from any of you."

"Easy for him to say." Shannon thought to herself.

They got into their positions in line and started to march out. Shannon was on the tall side, so she was always in the back. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Mr. Thompson saddled up behind her, his voice a warm whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. Remember, just watch me and everything will be fine."

"So, you keep saying."

He chuckled, seeming to be enjoying her nerves and that marked him as public enemy number one in Shannon's book.

The gym went quiet at their approach, all eyes turning to the female choir. The sound of their heels clicking against the hard wood floors resonated throughout the large room. Shannon took her place beside Iris and waited, a layer of sweat trickling down her back at the turnout.

Mr. Thompson bowed to the crowd and gave a few words which sounded fuzzy in her ears. "Good evening. Thank you all so much for joining us for our winter concert. My students have worked very hard this season and we're excited to show you the fruit of their efforts."

There was a splattering of applause, as he took his place at the piano. He wished the school could afford an accompanist, but since it didn't look like anyone was volunteering and he wasn't willing to lose Shannon's voice from the group, he'd simply trained his choir to watch for his starter movement and lead themselves in the rest of the song.

The first few songs flowed together beautifully, their melodies and harmonies mixing together in a way no one expected from a high school choir. Shannon felt proud of her girls and though she hated to admit it, they sounded better under Mr. Thompson's direction than they ever did with Mrs. D.

He was all about precision and it showed whenever they nailed a difficult section.

She was so caught up in nailing each intense measure, that it didn't even dawn on her that her solo song was next, until Mr. Thompson stood from the piano with the microphone in his hand. "Thank you very much, this is our last song for the evening. As a special treat, it's my pleasure to introduce a young voice I'm hoping will resonate with you, the same way it's captured me. Introducing, Miss Shannon O'Ryan."

There was a polite round of applause, as Shannon stepped down from the riser and felt as if the world was jelly beneath her feet. The sound of her heart in her ears deafened anything else and it was only the fact that she saw rest of her choir moving their mouths, that she realized the song already began.

Her green eyes were wide with fright, her palms so moist, she felt she might able drop the mic.

She opened her mouth to sing and to her horror, no sound came out.