Kashi broke into a grin. "No way."
Carr turned to look at her, but Kashi wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were on her best friend. Sierra was smiling, placing a capo on the neck of her guitar, a few guys behind her making minor adjustments to their instruments. Sierra's grin didn't falter a moment as she walked to the front of the stage, her wild curls bouncing with every step of her cowboy boots.
"Kashi, what is she doing up there?"
Kashi shook her head. "She's never actually performed before, but she's a very talented musician. She's been writing songs since middle school. They were good then but they've come a long way." Kashi laughed, looking at her shoes and shaking her head. "I'm proud of her. Pissed that she didn't tell me, but I'm really proud of her."
Carr said something else, but Kashi wasn't listening. She walked up nearly to the front of the stage, but there were already quite a few people gathered. They all knew who Sierra was, but Kashi would bet that not a single one of them knew she could sing and play.
The drum counted in a few beats before the whole band picked up. Kashi wasn't musically well versed, but she could tell the instruments apart. She knew this song well, despite the addition of drums, an electric guitar, a bass, and a piano. Sierra had certainly added to it since she wrote the little acoustic piece in Kashi's room their junior year of high school. It was one of Kasi's favorites. Sierra had written it the first time her parents had a major fight. She'd come to Kashi's at midnight to cry, and she ended up writing a song about it. Kashi just loved how heartfelt and true it was. The song was so honest and true. Kashi knew Sierra personally, but she bet that the other listeners would still feel the soul that Sierra poured into this song.
Sierra made a downstrum, and started to sing, her lilting, high, country voice amplified by the microphone, ringing out over the field, weaving through the picnic tables, bouncing over the booths…
Kashi felt a smile growing over her face, watching as more people crowded around. Phones and cameras were pulled out. Recordings and photos were snapped. All the while Sierra stood up there, smiling brilliantly, her feet tapping, hips swaying all while she strummed her guitar, singing into the microphone.
Kashi hadn't seen Sierra this happy, almost ever. Most people put Sierra down. Thought of her as a drunk partier, thought of her as irresponsible and flighty. Sierra's mother was the queen of the town gossip. Everyone knew of Sierra's fits and quarrels and her inability to do what was best for her future. Sierra's mother told stories of how she slaved day and night to organize interviews, auditions, tv slots for commercials and guest spots… Sierra was just too immature and ungrateful to accept. Kashi knew better. She knew that Sierra wasn't trying to be ungrateful or rebellious, it just wasn't her dream. Kashi was proud of her friend for standing up to her mother again and again. She was aware of how much Sierra's mother stifled her. Which is why Kashi was amazed to see Sierra up on that stage.
Sierra spun in a circle clapping her hands above her head, the audience joining in, clapping on the beat. She hadn't stopped smiling once. She was singing her heart out, the crowd getting bigger and bigger.
Kashi watched and listened, excitedly. But there was a part of her that was worried. Sierra had confided in her that she had never performed solely because it was the one thing she loved that her mother hadn't taken and turned into some stunt for making money off of it and "hitting it big" as her mother would put it. Kashi knew Sierra had wanted to perform but fear of her mother controlling when and where and what she performed had kept her from it. So while Kashi was happy for Sierra, she was also slightly nervous for her.
She felt one of Carr's hands slide around her waist, resting on her lower back. He grinned. "Care to dance?" He kissed her forehead, bringing her close to him. "If I recall correctly Kashi Thomson, you are a divine dancer."
Kashi smiled back at him, the music filling the space around her, willing her feet to move. "I'd love to."
Carr leaned down to whisper in Kashi's ear, "I mean this kind of dance."
Kashi got butterflies as he spun her around in a circle, she remembered those words from the first time they met. From the look in Carr's eyes, he obviously had done it on purpose. "Let's give these people a show and do some dancing that really honors Sierra's music." Kashi said, unable to help the grin that stretched wide across her face.
So they did.
Their feet kept the time perfectly, working in tandem. Carr stepped forward, Kashi stepped back. He lifted Kashi's left arm, spinning her around a few times. Carr ended the spin so her back was to him, her arms crossed over her chest, grabbing his hands by her shoulders. Then as the music picked up, swirling around them, he spun Kashi outwards, letting go of her left hand to fling her to the right before Kashi spun back towards him resuming their original hand position.
Kashi loved dancing. She closed her eyes and let Carr lead her through all the motions, letting Sierra;s voice and her song fill her ears, her head, her entire body until she was moving with the music as if it were telling her each and every step she should take. Carr led her with ease executing every perfect motion.
She opened her eyes, watching as Carr moved both hands to her hips. She grinned. He took that as a yes and with surprising ease he lifted her, his sturdy hands on her waist, spinning her in one full circle, right as the song ended.
Sierra caught Kashi's eye and whooped, "Hell yeah! It's a hoedown y'all." before launching into the next song.