Valentina POV
At Lexington High School, academics weren't the only thing that mattered. Apart from our regular courses, every student must take part in extracurricular activity. And it wasn't just for fun. We wrote tests and exams in it too. If you failed, it would affect your grades just like every other subject.
I chose the music department.
I loved playing violin since I was a kid. There was just something that draws me towards it. But loving it and owning one are two different things. My mom could not afford to buy me one, so I could only practice at school.
Somehow, on my tenth birthday she got me a violin as a birthday present. I was so happy.
But my stepfather… thinking about him right now left a bitter taste in my mouth. During one of his angry episodes, he smashed it against the wall.
Anyways it's all in the past now.
My instructor has already sent me the music piece for the fundraiser event. It was a difficult one. But I had to perform it next week. It was already past school hours, but I couldn't go home without finishing at least the first half.
I have been trying to get it right for a week now but I just can't.
The music room was quite as I lifted the violin to my shoulder and began to play. At first, my fingers felt stiff. But slowly, I relaxed and let myself feel the moment. I poured my heart into it—my fear, my dreams, my anger, and my hope.
When I finished the last note of the first half, I lowered the bow gently and exhaled.
A sudden clap filled the room. I turned around to see who it was.
Elsie was leaning against the door, smiling.
"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.
"Long enough to see you've improved since the first day," she said.
I smiled. "Yeah… I know, right?"
"All right, violinist" she teased. "Let's go home. It's getting late."
We packed up our things and left the school together.
Elsie's house came before mine. Still, she came to my house every morning to wait for me before school. And am always grateful for that.
After she got into her house, I continued walking home. I passed the usual blocks of houses until mine came into view.
Then I noticed a car was parked in front of our house. And I could see that the foyer light was turned on.
That's strange. My aunt had started taking double shifts recently. She was rarely home this early.
My heart skipped a beat.
I walked to the door and typed out the password. As soon as I stepped inside, I heard voices coming from the living room.
When I got there, I saw my aunt sitting on the couch. She looked tired and pale. But the moment she saw me, her face lit up.
"Aunt… what's going on?" I asked, dropping my bag on a nearby chair.
"It's nothing serious," she said quickly. "I'm fine."
The person sitting beside her cleared his throat.
"Hello, Val. I'm Doctor Andrew. Nice to meet you."
"He..llo..," I replied politely, clearly confused.
"Well," he continued gently, "your aunt hasn't been feeling well for a few days. Today, she fainted at the hospital. It took a lot of convincing to bring her home. She just needs to rest nothing serious."
That moment my chest felt tight.
"She fainted?"
"I'm fine," my aunt insisted.
I turned back to the doctor. "Thank you so much, Doctor."
"My pleasure," he replied with a small smile. Then he stood up. "Francesca, I'll be on my way now. Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"I will," my aunt said.
I moved to walk him to the door, but he refused.
"There's no need to, please stay with her ."
After he left, the house felt quiet.
I sat beside my Aunt, holding her hands.
"Aunt, what is really going on? First, I saw the tax letter. Then you started taking double shifts. Now this? I'm worried."
She sighed softly. "Val, don't get worked up, okay?"
"How can I not?" My voice was shaking.
"I was saving for your tuition," she said gently. "That's why I couldn't meet up with the tax payment on time. I thought I could balance it. But it piled up."
" I took double shifts," she continued. " so I can clear the tax money before it becomes something worse. Also I did not want to run out of cash."
My eyes were filled with tears before I could stop them. I moved closer and hugged her tightly.
"I'll be fine, sweetie" she said softly, rubbing my back.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. You heard the doctor. I just need some rest. Once my salary comes in, I'll clear the debt."
"I don't care about the debt," I whispered. "I just want you to be fine."
She laughed.
"So...," she asked, changing the mood, "how was practice today?"
I wiped my eyes quickly. "It was good. I finally got the first half of the piece right."
"Aww, that's so nice."
"Yeah," I said with a smile. "I can't wait to learn the whole piece. I'm just a little bit nervous. A lot of important people will be at the fundraiser."
She squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. You'll perform well."
"Are you hungry?"
"A little," she admitted.
"what do you think about pancakes?"
Her eyes widened playfully. "It's been a while since I had your pancakes."
"Well," I said, heading toward the kitchen, "you're about to."
We both laughed and for a moment, the house felt warm again.