Pull at my Heartstrings

Our First Concert

The first concert came quickly. While we do four different concerts each year, this is the first of many in the next month.

We’re going to be performing these songs at different shows, different nights, and even a contest.

And for the first show, I’m nervous.

I’ve done this before, but this is different. I’ve never had a partner before. Much less one that I’m supposed to kiss. And I still haven’t seen the outfit I’m supposed to wear for the last song.

Dirk and I stayed after to get ready. He went to the guy’s dressing room to put on his suit, and I joined Victoria in the girls’ dressing room to put on our dresses.

The dress we wear is a crimson color. Tight around the waist and going out in a skirt that stops down halfway to the knees. I stare into a mirror as I put on my makeup. I had to bring two different types of makeup for the performance, gothic for the last song, normal for the first two.

I’m putting on a red lipstick to match my dress, and then I’m done. For whatever reason, lipstick is always the last thing I put on.

I hadn’t told my sister anything about the performance I’d be doing. It’s always a surprise. Dirk said he hadn’t told his brother about it either.

Victoria looks at me, wearing a matching dress, and smiles.

“You are so sexy.”

“You’re sexy too! And I’m sure Nathan could agree!” Nathan is Victoria’s partner.

“Psh. Nathan doesn’t like me. He likes Marie.”

“Marie likes Dirk.”

“Dirk likes you.”

My face turns as red as my lipstick and I turn away. She giggles.

“So, you guys actually gonna kiss this time?”

“Victoria!”

“Seriously! It’s a part of the performance, yet you continue to neglect it!”

“We’ll… get to it.”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“Shut up.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me to the door. More girls who just got here pile in the get ready. In the corner sits an extra dress covered in a black bag so you can’t see, and extra makeup. I smile at it, before she pulls me out.

We stand in the hallway outside the choir room. Kittens are here too, because of course they’re performing as well. They’re wearing medium blue dresses of a different style, looser around the waist and longer. Their dresses go to their knees.

We stand there and chat with some Kittens, and they chat with us. One Kitten nudges me with a smirk. “I heard you’re dancing with Dirk Knight.”

“U-um, yeah. I am.”

“I know a lot of girls who would die to be you.” I laugh at that, and she looks around. “So where is he?”

“I don’t know, probably still changing.”

“Hm.”

My sister walks up and stands behind me.

“Hey guys, I heard there was going to be an epic party after this~… you know anything bout’ that?” She asks. I facepalm.

“Hey Daisy,” I turn to her.

She beams at me, “You’re so pretty~.”

“Thanks.”

“So, I want to see Dirk.”

My friends snicker behind me.

“Why?”

“Because… I’ve heard so much about him~! I want to meet him.”

“Well, you can meet him later—”

“BRO, WHAT THE WHAT?!”

I wipe my head around to see Dirk blushing furiously, and a taller man standing in front of him laughing. They look a lot alike.

I take a moment to love how that suit looks on him, before I manage to shake myself out of it. I walk over to them, my sister behind me.

Dirk looks at me, clearly embarrassed and very flustered. I smile at him, “So that is the brother I’ve heard so much about?”

“Oh, you talk about me?!” The man asks, looking excited.

Dirk facepalms, “Yeah… this is my Bro. Is that your mom?”

My sister steps forward on que, “Hi~ I’m Daisy~! I’m her older sister… It’s sooo nice to meet you! Our mom died three years ago~.”

Dirk just gives her a shaky smile. Daisy turns to ‘Bro’ and they start talking. They actually mingle. Ohmygod, someone actually likes someone as weird and embarrassing as my sister! This is amazing! I look at Dirk, and it seems he’s thinking the same about his brother.

Dirk looks back at me, giving me a once-over. “You look good.”

“You too,” I look closely at him. “Wait. Where are your piercings?”

He shrugs, “Took em’ off. I’ll put them back on for the last song.”

“Oh… that’s a good idea.”

I pull out my lip rings and nose ring, leaving my ear rings in though. I tell them I’ll be right back and hurry to the dressing room. When I return, Daisy and Dirk’s brother are laughing and Dirk looks flustered again. I join them.

“What’d I miss?”

“Oh, we were just saying—”

Dirk covers his brother’s mouth.

I roll my eyes and look up at him, “So… what’s your name?”

“Bro.”

“You’re real name.”

“I go by ‘Bro’.”

“All right… I was just wondering what I should call you.”

He grins, “Call me ‘Bro’.”

“Okay then!”

Daisy smiles, playing with the hem of her too-short shirt, “And you boys can call me ‘Daisy’.” The two agree and she checks her phone, “Oh! We better go sit before all the good seats are taken. Um, which side will you be standing on?”

“Just sit in the middle.” I say with a smile. I can’t wait for them to see…

“Okay. I’ll see you later, Tootsie Roll~!” She skips away, leaving me with a red face.

Dirk snorts, “‘Tootsie Roll’?”

“Shut it.”

Bro ruffles Dirk’s hair, “See you in a bit Lil’ Man.” He follows after my sister.

It’s my turn to snort, “‘Lil’ Man’?”

“Okay, okay! We both have weird-ass nicknames! Let us never speak of this!” A pause. “… Tootsie Roll…”

I swat at him with a pink face. “No, something else.”

“I have to call you something else?”

“Yes. No Tootsie Roll. Never Tootsie Roll.”

“Okay… Kitty.” I look away while my face heats and he nods. “Kitty it is.”

We walk over to the group I was talking to earlier, except Dirk joins us now.

After a while, we have to go into the choir room to warm up. The Kittens will warm up while we’re doing our first song.

We all sit down, buzzing with excitement and nervousness.

I’m hyperventilating, and Dirk taps my shoulder. I look at him. He grabs my shoulder, takes a deep breath.

I copy him with a smile.

After warming up our voices, Mrs. Crum looks around the room. She then motions for us all to stand.

“All right,” she says in a calm voice. “I want you to go out in order. But Amber and Dirk with go out last.”

And with that, couples are leaving two at a time, Mrs. Crum giving them wireless mics to put on quickly, and then they walk out onto the stage. Once it’s down to just me and Dirk, Mrs. Crum tells us we have to hold hands. She then leaves and takes her place at the space just in front of the stage, before the seats starts. Dirk and I take a deep breath, take each other’s hand, and walk out on stage.

The first person I recognize is my sister. She’s sitting in the middle next to Bro. She looks very confused until she sees me, then she looks like the happiest person in the world.

Bro looks at us and smirks.

We take out place front and center, let go of one another’s hands, and pose just like everyone else.

And the song begins.

* * * * * *

Dirk’s face is so close to mine as we finish. I continuously reply the sound of the wolf whistles from when we did the jump. In fact, people are still whistling at out ending. I even hear someone scream “kiss her”.

He pulls me to a stand and we walk off stage as Kittens walk on stage.

As soon as we’re back in the choir room, I squeal and jump around. Dirk has his hands in his pockets watching me with a smile.

Victoria walks over to us with Nathan.

“So, how does it feel to perform with a partner?” She asks me.

“Amazing!!! That was awesome! And the look on my sister’s face was just…” I sigh happily.

“Bro’s face was pretty interesting.”

I look at Dirk, “What was he doing?”

“He just had this smug grin on the entire time,” he shrugs.

We relax for the next couple minutes until the Kittens are flooding back in. Dirk and I are once again the last to leave.

We take our places again. This is Dirk’s solo song.

It’s almost impossible for me to sing the background parts with the rest of the class because my smile is too big and stuck there. Dirk is smiling as he sings as well, but not to the point where he can’t sing. In fact, I think his voice just sounds better tonight than it ever has.

We finish and I can hear Bro yelling; “GO LIL’ MAN.”

“THAT’S MY LITTLE TOOTSIE ROLL!”

We both have flushed faces from embarrassment as we exit. Just Dirk and me, everyone else remains to do their last song. We walk into the choir room alone and the Kittens look at us, all grinning.

Before they can say anything, I go into the girls’ dressing room, and Dirk heads for the guys’. I pull away the black bag covering the dress and gasp.

It’s my dream dress. And it comes with sexy black socks that go up to my thighs, but stop so some of my legs will be visible.

Black combat boots are on the floor for me.

I change as quickly as possible. A couple of my friends who are Kittens come in to chat with me until she has to go. Then Victoria comes in as I wipe away my old makeup and put on something darker, finally putting my piercings on.

I look in the mirror, do a little twirl, and can’t wipe off my smile.

“You are gothalicious.”

“I am.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yup. I’m excited. My sister would absolutely love this!”

“Really? My mom would kill me if she saw me wearing something like that.”

I laugh, “Almost wish I knew what that was like. Almost.”

I leave the room and allow the girls to gush over me. I know that Dirk will enter from the other side of the stage, so I won’t get to see him until I go out there.

Kittens begin to walk back into the room. Girls look at me and murmur things like, “have fun” “do good”, things like that.

I take a breath, make sure the mic is on correctly, and walk out there.

The music starts, and I put my hands on my hips, swinging them. Dirk walks on stage, wearing his own sexy get up. He almost stops and gawks at me, but manages to keep up for the show.

As I start singing, we continue to do everything as planned.

When it comes to the last few notes, Dirk dips me, and this time he leans down to kiss me. He pulled off his shades in the process, closed his eyes and made our lips connect. My face turned red and I kiss him back.

The crowd roars.