Elevator Music

Favorite Short Story written in class- instructor wanted me to publish it.

Elevator Music

"Oh! Oh! Pull in here please," I begged Mitch's older brother Greg. "It's the perfect parking spot."

"Okay..." He swung in and killed the motor with a flourish, then twisted to see me. "Reason?"

Here, off to the side of the Macy's department of the mall, our car would be close enough to the exit to beat the crowds on the way out after the show yet close enough to a discrete side entrance that I wouldn't be too conspicuous. If anyone from my music class, or anyone who knew anyone from my music class, saw me here I would never hear the end of it. "Well, it's the only spot in the whole lot that is equidistant from both the lot exit and a mall entrance. Need me to define anything there for you, Greg?"

"Great date, Mitch. You really know how to pick'em. Look, I'll either be in the movie theater or the arcade," He held out his hand and Mitch slapped his allowance into it. "Meet me back in the car by ten or I'm leaving without you. Be good or Dad'll hear about it. Tell anyone I'm your brother and die."

He got out of the car and Mitch and I tried not to laugh. "He's rough but he doesn't mean it. Well, most of it. He has let stuff slip to Dad before, but at least he thinks he's doing right."

I looked myself in the eye via the rearview mirror, trying to resolve this once and for all before Mitch noticed. My tutor would just have to forgive me, that was it. I was going to this concert. It was just a concert, a freak impulse to find common ground with the scene at my new school. I mean, when one of the rising stars of your school's football team works up his nerve to stutter, "Hey, you doing anything Friday night?", it's not something you pass up, especially when you've kind of had your eyes on him from day one. Even if that was only yesterday.

"Chillax, will you?" he said as he hesitantly lighted his hand on my shoulder. "Breathe. It's just a tiny mall concert, it's not like the Air Raiders have an overwhelming fan base waiting to mob Ami or anything."

I fought back the reflexively gaga grin I got whenever he said my name. "I know that. This is just so different from my kind of music. I don't know what I'll talk to the other people in line about."

"I've been told all us freshmen go through that."

"I'm not a freshmen. I'm a sophomore. Everyone in my classes already have friends here. It's not the same."

"When in doubt, bring up poorly written WB shows. Somebody will know what you're talking about, least I will. C'mon, this'll be fun."

* * *

I left Mitch in the Barns & Noble, promising to be back in fifteen minutes. With my brown paper grocery bag wadded up under my arm I hunted down the ladies room so I could change. See, I couldn't leave the house in my miniskirt without an hour's discussion with my parents, but I couldn't go to a concert in my turtleneck either. Being sixteen is just not as much fun as I thought it would be.

Ladies rooms can be nasty. But I, Ami Yasahiro, have single-handedly discovered the secret to finding one in which you're not afraid to let your skirt touch the floor. Buy a Coke in a nice restaurant and the use their restroom. Nice restrooms define nice restaurants as far as a girl's concerned. So, glass in hand, I swapped out my black turtle neck, jeans and sneakers for the camouflage I'd bought last week. Heals made out of three inches of plywood and black web "socks" that came halfway up my thighs made no sense, but it is nice to fit in occasionally. Made me question what I was fitting in with though. And I'd finally solved one of my Mom's most recent quandaries. See, she had bought me this adorable red mini skort as a secret birthday present. It wasn't exactly against Dad's dress code, because as a skort, it's really just innocent shorts disguised like a skirt. Nonetheless she hadn't since found an appropriate occasion to let me wear it. I smiled. Well, she could thank me when I got home. But now for the real decision. I'd brought two tops, one I'd hoped I could talk myself into wearing and the other in case I couldn't. In the safety of my stall I dared to try on the black one. It was one of those backless tops that looked like you'd tied a handkerchief to your front. But it was so perfect for me, at least my fearless side. It was midnight black lycra with a very fine mesh overlay of metallic silver thread that rippled when I moved. I felt like I was wearing dancing starlight. But I was so far out of my comfort zone already.

In the next stall I heard a cell phone ring the first verse of "On the way down" before the ankles in pink tennis shoes hurriedly pulled the white jeans up out of view and answered as she went for the sinks. "Zoe Lira, who's calling ple- Hi Mom!... No, I haven't seen anyone yet, the band's not due for another two hours...Yeah, I thought I'd grab a bite here - yeah, California Pizza Kitchen. Anyway, grab a bite, get in line, have a ball and get back to our room was the game plan. Dad called yet?... Well, tell me when he does, I want to call you guys from the concert, it'll be crazy! Okay...Love you more-Bye!"

I peeked out of my stall in my starlight shirt. I needed a second opinion. "Excuse me?" I squeaked.

She was leaning against the sink where she'd opened a Ziploc full of makeup and hairclips, and turned her whole upper half to find me. She was trying her best to make a pigtail out of her very short shag, "Hi there! Phat look! You here for the Raider concert too?"

"Yeah. Um, does this top look okay? I mean," I turned slightly to show her it was backless and made a face, "it's a little freer than I'm used to."

"Oh, you look fine, just a little self conscious if anything. Could you help me with this, please?" She yanked the band out of her hair and handed it to me. "I've got clips to pin up the stragglers but I can't even see what I'm doing."

"Sure." She was quite a bit shorter than me, with freckled arms and her hair had been died hot pink months ago as she had long strawberry blonde roots.

"See you later. Oh, tell you what. Whoever gets the better seats shares, ok?"

"Deal," I said with a smile as I backed into the heavy door to let myself out.

* * *

"Wow Ami!" Mitch said. He put down his book about speed reading and made an admirable effort to look at my eyes and not the rest of me. "Well, um, that was worth the wait," He said with a bashful laugh.

"Thanks." I tossed my straight dark hair as an excuse to avoid his eyes. "We should go claim some spots, don't you think?"

"Yeah probably," He mumbled on our way out of the store, "I hate lines though. Oh, and you know what? I forgot to bring my ipod, so we have to beg music of the other people in line. I've got rock withdrawls, look!" He leaned over to show me his trembling fingers.

"Hm, no...that looks more like nerves."

He withdrew, comically aghast. But it did leave him speechless all the way to the billboard-like map of the building. "Which do you think'll be faster? Walking to the main great room and taking the elevators down all three flights or find Greg, admitting you were wrong asking him to kindly drive us to the correct entrance. You know, the front?"

I gave him a look and started walking.

"Look out!"

Too late. I walked right into some poor guy. The thin, slippery boxes he was carrying clattered and skidded across the waxed flooring as despite his efforts I lost my balance in those idiotic heels and knocked us both over.

Mitch was laughing as helped me off of him. I was wide eyed and kept apologizing, only to realize two seconds later I hadn't been able to make any of it audible. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" The deepest blue eyes I'd even seen smiled at me like they were waiting for me to get the joke. "What's your name?"

"Ami...What?"

He stood up to shake mine then Mitch's puzzled hand. "I'm Okay. Or you can call me Oswin Kidd Angleo Yves if you've got nozing better to do with your tongue. My dad doesn't. Zanks," He said with a vague French accent to the other boy helping us pick up his boxes. They were video games, on every topic.

"I told you to get a bag for these, the environment'll forgive you know," the other boy said, making to smack Oswin over the head with one of the games. But he ducked to protect his hair. It was red bleached blonde and he'd styled it like he'd shocked himself, it stuck straight up.

"Oh shut up, Nate. You're just jealous you didn't get knocked flat be ze pretty girl. Nice to meet you boz," He said as they headed for the restrooms, fishing a locker key out of his pocket, "Who cares how it happened, right?"

"Right. You too!" I called, trotting to keep up with Mitch.

* * *

Well, the rest of the trans-mall hike went without my hurting anyone else, even if I did have to catch Mitch's arm occasionally. I don't think he minded though. My footfalls sounded like an awkward horse's and echoed so loudly everyone in the mall could hear me, I knew it. Mitch stopped to buy us pretzels we could eat once we had found our spots and waited the hour and a half left before the concert started. He kept bringing up how crowded the other concerts he'd been to had been, and how he hated the waiting part. I thought he sounded nervous when he talked about it, but didn't say anything, just changed the subject.

There was a line of other kids waiting to get on the elevators when we got there, about forty dressed to rock it out. Mitch left me in line, if you could call it that, and found a bare spot on the railing to see where they were building the stage. I'd've gone to look too, but I'd probably knock everybody down. I really hoped we would be able to see the stage. Maybe if things got too bad we should stay up here and watch from the landing.

Mitch squeezed back through the crowd to me, shouting slightly over the mall noise, "Let's try to get in on the next batch, the floor's filling up pretty fast." With that he took my wrist and started flossing us through the crowd to the front.

He wasn't the only one with that idea. The problem was no one got much closer, just compacted like sardines in a invisible can. We made it up front all right, but didn't have any personal space whatsoever. Mitch got behind me to try and keep the crowd from squashing me as he braced his arms against the door to give me a tiny triangle of shelter. I'd have thanked him if I'd thought he could hear me. I smiled at him instead.

Luckily both elevators came up at once, at least the swarm diffused a little. Six other kids got into our tiny elevator before Mitch could get the doors to shut. The doors sealed out the racket a little, but replaced it with whimpy music. It was set for the worst volume too, too loud to simply ignore yet quiet enough to command respectful silence. At least now I could see the floor where they were setting up the stage with eight rows looky-loo's. And more were hurrying to get a spot. I didn't see Zoe down there.

"I said I had music withdrawals but this is doesn't count, even for a desperate man," Mitch mumbled. "Do you know this guy?"

"Nah, it's not one of the classics, it's just mocking them."

"Why don't they at least play the radio in here?" A blonde girl whined. I recognized her as Lizy, the school's Paris Hilton of a senior. I put my arm through Mitch's and wished we were invisible.

Then it happened.

I didn't know what it was at first, my stomach felt strange but I thought it was because I was so close to Mitch. Then the lights winked out and I could hear other girls screaming, including two in our elevator. I heard rumbling and glass shattering. Mitch pulled me close as someone yelled "earthquake!"

"Hold on!" a guy said, then the elevator slammed still and a few of us fell over. "I've put the brake on, we're stable. Just chill out, it's got to be over any minute."

"We okay?" Mitch asked.

"Little shaken," Someone tried to tease.

The rumbling subsided, but I could still hear the panic outside as a few things continued to crash and shatter. Suddenly I could see the buttons and white screen of a cell phone near the switch plate. The glow wasn't much but enough to barely make out the edges of our cab. It was Nate, the blonde guy with glasses that had helped us pick up the games not ten minutes ago. He put his phone face up on the floor in the center of the cab, then helped the closest girl back to her feet, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Okay said as he opened his phone and pooled the light source on the floor, "Zank you."

"Zoe?" I said as I recognized the girl Nate helped up.

"I'm okay, I think. Thanks." She rubbed the shoulder she'd landed on, "Guess sharing seats wouldn't do us much good now, huh?" She said with a shaky smile. She turned back to Nate, "Phones don't work in elevators, do they?"

"Their lights do," he said gently.

She nodded, and with trembling fingers she opened her phone and laid it with the others, but she didn't stand back up. She sat where she was, hugging her knees.

"What now?" a boy with a brown ponytail asked.

"Wait, I guess," Mitch said, sliding down to sit.

"Time's seven forty-two pm."

"We knew the pm part, Nate. How long, you zink?"

Zoe started fingering the pendant of her necklace, "Well, probably until after they rescue the other elevator. I heard-I didn't hear their brakes lock until- after ours did."

I bit my lip and looked at the other shaft. It was safe a few feet off the ground, but the cab was dark and motionless. I averted my eyes and I went to sit with Zoe and Nate. "You don't know anyone in there, do you?"

"No, no. I live up in LA. But it doesn't make much difference, does it?"

"Hey, zey'll be okay. Maybe zey just don't have phones to light zeir cab."

"Maybe..."

"So how long until they get started on the other cab?" ponytail boy asked.

Nate glared at him, then took a deep breath. "I don't know."

"Well, at least you don't have to listen to the elevator music anymore," the black-haired boy with acne grumbled.

Ponytail boy asked, "When will the power come ba-"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Okay said with a smile. "Let's just guess half an hour, shall we? So, let's talk about somezing else."

But no one really felt like talking.

Zoe started whispering to herself as quietly as she could. No one responed, so I think Nate and I were the only ones who could hear her. She was praying. I'd heard the prayer before, but the way she said it, it sounded like she meant it, not like she was reciting poetry. And it didn't make me feel desperate, or panicky like we had exhausted all other options. This was her first opinion.

When she'd finished, she shyly looked around to check that no one had heard her. Nate discretely took her hand though, Mitch met my eyes and Okay blinked pretty fast but not really in our direction.

Okay scooted forward to the phones and picked his up, "It's been ten minutes. Okay people, do we really want go through this without even knowing each other's names?"

"Fine. I'm Mitch Stren," He started slowly, "I go to Cediac High, where I get okay grades but really have to work for them. But I love to play foot ball. I'm just on the warm up team, but it's early in the season and I think the coach has his eyes on me. I love to play."

"Zank you. We've already met, but to everyone else, my name's Ok. You don't want to know what zose initials stand for," He paused for a laugh that didn't come, "I just moved to California last month from Paris. I've lived here before, from when I was five till I was ten. My mom's a French surgeon and my dad's an American artist, and zey wanted me to have the best of both worlds, so every five years we move. I'm a legal citizen of boz nations. Frankly I prefer it here, I get along with the kids better. But I do miss ze museums, ze atmosphere's really something zere. Oh, school, I go to Cediac too."

"Never seen you."

"Sure you have, I'm ze kid in the back zat's either doodling or drifting off."

"Him? Oh, the hair's just for the concert?"

"Well, I tried it for the concert but I zink it does somezing for me. I might keep it. Anyway, not so great a student, but I like math and physics. Lit, language and art classes bore me. But I've never flunked a course, just a few sociology papers. I'm ok at archery, rock climbing, and gymnastics but do it more because it's fun than because I'm any good at it. For team stuff though I play Alliegence online."

"Yeah, that's where I met you," Nate said. "It's litterally the one thing we have in common."

"Who do you play, I mean, what's you user name?" Mitch asked casually.

"Kick-me" Okay answered.

"NightStorm," Nate said.

"Wow, seriously?"

"Nope, I'm a liar. Yeah I'm serious. You play or somezing?"

"I'm Procrammer."

Okay smirked and punched Mitch's fist.

Nate laughed. "I wouldn't have even come if it wasn't to welcome him back to the States. Rock's not my style."

"Mine neither," I said, "I came because a cute boy finally asked me out."

"That's hardly why I'm here." Nate laughed.

Okay pretended to puke at the idea.

Zoe laughed as Nate made a point of putting his arm around her.

"I just transferred to Cediac too," I said, "My dad got a better job and could afford to send me to private school. I just started a few days ago, but it's so different from where I used to go. I hated it there, I didn't get it. I mean the material was okay, so long as I could study the book and go from there. The kids were so bad the teachers couldn't cover half of the material they'd promised. I was home schooled before last year, so I'm used to having to do it all myself, but the classes were just..."

"Like having to sit in the monkey exhibit in the zoo for eight hours before you could actually learn anything?" Zoe asked.

I made a face and nodded.

"Same here, except I had to sit though all of middle school like that. I'd just had it. I finally told my dad that if he wouldn't send me to a Christian school I'd just have to start dating where I was. That did it."

"Cediac's Christian?"

"That's why I transferred," Nate said, "My dad's kind of cold to the whole thing, but my mom and I are good about it. I've gone for two years now, it's a great school. It challenges me to grow in everyway I can. I mean they moved me up a grade and I'm still doing better than ever."

"Yeah," Zoe said, "but I get the feeling they're proud they're tolerant enough to let you pray in class. I'm still looking for a place that'll lead you in prayer."

"That's Church," Mitch said bluntly.

Zoe shrugged and backed off.

"Do you go?" I asked.

"Well ok, used to for Christmas and Easter but not really anymore. I mean I believe in Jesus, I was just raised to think I'm in the driver's seat of my life. Like I should try answer my own prayers before I bother Him with'em."

"Like you could make our elevator brake work and while zose kids in ze other cab couldn't?" Okay asked, then after a pause, "Zat's not luck you know. I mean everyzing happens for a reason, right?"

Mitch acknowledged but looked away.

"I just keep zinking of that Cabrera hit, `On the way down'?" Okay said, "It wasn't about Ashlee you know, he wrote it before he met her. He really tapped somezing zere. I mean listen to zis: `Sick and Tired of this world," he recited slowly, "There's no more air. Trippin' over myself. Goin' nowhere. Waiting, Suffocating. No direction. I took a dive and," he started drumming on his leg, "On the way down, I saw You, and You saved me from myself," He started actually singing the words, well too. "And I won't forget the way You loved me. On the way down, I almost fell right through. But I held onto You."

Zoe slowly caught up with his version and smoothly sang with him, "I've been wondering why it's only me," She watched Mitch with soft eyes, "Have You always been inside, waiting to breathe? It's alright. Sunlight's on my face. I wake up and yeah, I'm Alive! 'Cause-"

I sang along with the words I knew, "On the way down I saw You, and you saved me from myself. And I won't forget the way You loved me! On the way down, I almost fell right through. But I held onto You.

"I was so afraid of going under. But now-" Nate joined in now. He wasn' t very good but he sure felt it anyway, "the weight of the world feels like nothing! No, nothing!

"Down, down, down... You're all I wanted... Down, down, down... You're all I needed, yeah! Down, down, down... You're all I wanted! You're all I needed!

"And I won't forget the way You loved me!"

"All that I wanted!"

"All that I needed!"

Mitch finally picked up on the chorus, "On the way down I saw you and you saved me from myself! And I won't forget the way you loved me! On the way down I almost fell right through. But I held onto you!

"Down, down, down... But I held onto you! Down, down, down..."

At this pause in the lyrics, I heard the instrumental playing over the elevator speakers.

"But I held onto You," we finished just as the lights came back on.