Best Days Of Our Lives

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Carrie walked into the choir room on Thursday, silently cursing under her breath that she was the first one in there which meant it was just her and Kelly. They had done a rather good job of avoiding each other the past couple days. Or better yet, Kelly hadn't been to any of the classes they had shared, so Carrie was mildly surprised to see her sitting there today.

She had actually been hoping to get a chance to talk to her to apologize; she just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. She had never meant to lash out at her, and she was starting to realize just how good she had had it by being Kelly's friend. If she had to hear one more time about the right and wrong ways to apply lip gloss and how, apparently, she was applying hers the wrong way, she would scream. Plus, she wasn't sure why, but she found herself really missing that hoarse laugh.

The Texan, however didn't notice her, and just went on playing on the piano. The soft song grew louder and louder, and suddenly a voice joined it, sending chills down Carrie's spine as she realized that Kelly's voice was the one she had been praising when they had left Kelly's church's choir practice days before.

"And I know these voices in my head are mine alone," Kelly sang, the hauntingness of her voice along with the unique way her fingers were gliding over the keys, causing the piano to sound like an entirely different instrument all together, had Carrie completely entranced with the girl before her. "And I know I'll never change my ways if I don't give you up now."

Carrie could feel the goose bumps rising on her skin, and she knew inside that there was a hundred percent chance that she wasn't supposed to be listening to this, but she couldn't bring herself to leave or to make herself known, mostly because of the fact that she was completely frozen to her spot.

"It's like I can't breathe," Kelly sang out. "It's like I can't see anything. Nothing but you. I'm addicted to you. It's like I can't think...without you interrupting me, in my thoughts, in my dreams, you've taken over me...It's like I'm not me...It's like I'm not me."

Carrie felt her jaw drop at the amount of emotion each note pouring from her mouth rang out with. Her face flushed as she comprehended the lyrics in her head. The sound of the piano ceased, and Carrie held her breath, thinking she was caught, but as she listened closer she could hear Kelly still singing, only in a lower register, making the words too soft to hear.

Carrie took a shaky step forward as Kelly brought her hands back up to the keys, playing a chord loudly, her voice rising once more.

"I'm hooked on you! I need a fix! I can't take it. Just one more hit! I promise I can deal with it. I'll handle it! Quit it! Just one more time then that's it! Just a little bit more to get me through this...It's like I can't breathe---"

"Wow," Carrie whispered, quickly cupping her hand to her mouth as the music immediately stopped.

Kelly shot up to her feet, turning around abruptly, her eyes wide. They immediately narrowed at the sight of Carrie standing there.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, trying to hide the shakiness of her voice.

"I was just...I..."

"Do you have any respect for other people's privacy?" Kelly asked, her voice still several pitches higher than normal. "God, I can't believe you," she shook her head, gathering up her books.

"Kelly, I'm sorry," Carrie insisted. "I didn't know what to do."

"Save it," Kelly replied, trying to walk past her.

"You sounded great," Carrie said, moving into her path.

"Why don't you go run along to your new friends, huh? I'm sure they'll be thrilled to hear about this," Kelly pushed her out of the way.

"What song was that?" Carrie asked, grabbing her arm to stop her. "I've never heard it before."

"No shit," Kelly shook out of her grip. "It's a KC original," she smirked as she walked to the door.

"Who's Casey?" Carrie asked as the door opened, and the choir teacher walked in.

"Kelly," Mrs. Glenn smiled, placing her arm around the short girl. "Glad to have you back today."

"I was just leaving," she replied.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Glenn, shook it off, guiding her back to the piano. "The poor class has been lost without you."

Kelly glared at Carrie as she passed by her once more. This time the Oklahoma native made sure to get out of her way.

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"Kelly!" Carrie called out, rushing down the hall. "Wait!"

The shorter girl, normally the last one out of the choir room, had shot out as soon as the bell sounded.

"Kelly, please," Carrie said, finally catching up to her. She hooked her arm, bringing her to the side of the hall, out of people's way.

"Let go of me," Kelly fussed, twisting out of her grip, her eyes icy.

"Kelly, look, I'm sorry ok. I'm sorry about everything."

Kelly turned to walk away, but Carrie stopped her once more.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you the other day. I had no right to do that. I mean, you were just trying to be nice. You don't know anything about any of what's going on, and I had no right to go off on you. And I'm sorry about ignoring you this week. I shouldn't have started hanging out with Stacey and them. You were right ok? They're clueless."

"I think I was the one ignoring you," Kelly reminded.

"And I'm sorry about a while ago," Carrie continued. "I shouldn't have been listening to you. It was a private moment, and I'm so sorry for that, I really am. But, God, your voice? It's so freaking beautiful. Why didn't you tell me..."

Her voice trailed off as she watched Kelly's eyes visibly darken. She was literally shaking in front of her, her jaw clenched tightly.

"Kelly?" Carrie questioned.

"I've got to go back to work," she replied, her voice low as she walked off.

"Kelly!" Carrie called after her, sighing in defeat as she leaned against the locker behind her.

"Do you mind?" she heard a voice, turning to find Ashley standing there.

"Huh?"

"That's my locker," she pointed out.

Carrie moved out of the way.

"So what did you do to her?" Ashley asked, opening her locker.

Carrie sighed.

"Look, there isn't much stopping me from kicking your scrawny little ass right now, so you had better start talking," Ashley said, throwing her books into her locker and closing it before turning to the new girl.

"I went off on her the other day which she totally didn't deserve," Carrie frowned as they walked down the hall.

"I already knew that," Ashley remarked. "I meant just now. What did you do to her?"

"I just don't get it. I mean, I was just getting used to her being a hundred percent all the time, you know? I mean, when she's happy, she's seriously happy. I just didn't think it was the same when going the other way," she sighed.

"She's definitely an..." Ashley paused, searching for the right word. "Artist."

Carrie looked at her curiously.

"When she feels something, she really feels it. The good thing is that it takes a hell of a lot to get her down, so ninety-nine point nine percent of the time you get what you saw when you first got here."

"She wouldn't even talk to me," Carrie said, confused. "It was almost as if she couldn't. I mean, I couldn't tell if she was about to rip my head off or completely break down, and instead she just walked away."

"That's Kelly," Ashley nodded.

"I just don't get it," she repeated.

"First, that's just how she is. She doesn't open up. She keeps things inside until she pretty much explodes, you saw that earlier this week when she got detention."

"But why?" Carrie asked.

Ashley shrugged, "We all have our own faults. But second, even if she were a talker, why would she confide in you? Haven't you already proved that you aren't worthy of that?"

"I was kinda spying on her," Carrie admitted. "Before choir. She was playing and singing, and I knew I shouldn't have been listening, but I...I couldn't help it."

Ashley shook her head, "Way to go."

"I'm sorry, ok? How many times, and to how many people do I have to say that to?" Carrie asked, exasperatedly.

"You don't have to apologize to me," Ashley replied. "But you're gonna have to do a hell of a lot more than apologize to her."

"But why? She was just singing?"

Ashley laughed in disbelief, "Just singing?"

"Ok, it was definitely more than just singing..."

"No, you don't get it. Kelly sings out in lyrics what she can't say out in words."

"She said it was somebody named Casey's song," Carrie wrinkled her forehead.

"Kelly's last name is Clarkson," Ashley explained with a sigh.

"So?"

"Kelly Clarkson. K--...C--..." she drew out the two letters as she walked away, shaking her head once more.

Carrie froze in front of her locker. Kelly had written that song?