Sapphire couldn't wait to tell her best friend, Zara Jones, the good news. She had just received a phone call from SOUL High, confirming that she had won the full scholarship. She was overjoyed and excited, and she wanted to share her happiness with Zara, who had always been there for her.
She ran to Zara's apartment, where they lived together. She knocked on the door, and heard Zara's voice. "Come in, it's open." She opened the door, and saw Zara sitting on the couch, holding a letter in her hand. She looked nervous and sad, and Sapphire felt a pang of worry. She wondered what was wrong.
She greeted Zara, and hugged her. She tried to sound cheerful, and said, "Zara, I have something amazing to tell you. You won't believe it. I got the scholarship. I got the full scholarship at SOUL High. I'm going to be a singer. I'm going to be a star. I did it. We did it."
She expected Zara to be happy and proud, to congratulate her and celebrate with her. But instead, Zara looked away, and sighed. She said, "Sapphire, I'm happy for you. I really am. But I also have something to tell you. Something important.
Sapphire felt a chill in her spine, and a knot in her stomach. She asked, "What is it, Zara? What's wrong? You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"
Zara nodded, and said, "Sapphire, you're my best friend. You're like a sister to me. You've been with me through everything. You've supported me, encouraged me, and inspired me. You've shared your dreams with me, and I've shared mine with you. You know how much I love music, and how much I want to be a singer, too. You know how hard I've worked, how hard we've both worked, to get this chance. To get this scholarship."
Sapphire nodded, and said, "Yes, Zara, I know. And I'm so proud of you. You're amazing. You're talented. You're beautiful. You deserve this. You deserve everything."
Zara smiled, and said, "Thank you, Sapphire. That means a lot to me. But you see, I didn't get the scholarship. I didn't even get a partial scholarship. I got nothing. I got rejected. I got a letter from SOUL High, saying that they appreciated my audition, but that they had chosen someone else. Someone better. Someone more suitable. Someone like you."
Sapphire felt a shock of disbelief and guilt. She said, "Zara, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I thought you would get it. I thought we would get it. Together. I thought we would go to SOUL High together. I thought we would be singers together. I thought we would be stars together."
Zara shook her head, and said, "No, Sapphire. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It's just the way it is. It's just the way life is. Sometimes, you get what you want. Sometimes, you don't. Sometimes, you have to make a choice. Sometimes, you have to let go."
Sapphire felt a surge of confusion and fear. She asked, "What do you mean, Zara? What choice? What do you have to let go?"
Zara held up the letter in her hand, and said, "This letter, Sapphire. This letter is from my aunt. She lives in London. She's a famous singer. She's a celebrity. She's heard me sing, and she likes my voice. She wants me to go to London with her. She wants me to live with her. She wants me to study with her. She wants me to sing with her. She wants me to be a star with her."
Sapphire felt a mix of emotions—shock, disbelief, envy, anger, sadness, and loss. She said, "Zara, are you serious? Are you telling me that you're leaving? That you're going to London? That you're going to be a singer? That you're going to be a star? Without me?"
Zara nodded, and said, "Yes, Sapphire. I'm serious. I'm leaving. I'm going to London. I'm going to be a singer. I'm going to be a star. Without you."
Sapphire felt a tear roll down her cheek, and a pain in her heart. She said, "Zara, how can you do this? How can you leave me? How can you leave us? How can you leave our dreams? How can you leave our music? How can you leave our melody?"
Zara felt a tear roll down her cheek, and a pain in her heart. She said, "Sapphire, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But I have to do this. I have to leave you. I have to leave us. I have to leave our dreams. I have to leave our music. I have to leave our melody. Because this is my chance. This is my opportunity. This is my destiny. And I can't let it go. I can't let it pass. I can't let it slip away."
Sapphire felt a wave of emotion, and a burst of anger. She said, "Zara, you're selfish. You're selfish and you're cruel. You're betraying me. You're betraying us. You're betraying our dreams. You're betraying our music. You're betraying our melody. Because this is your choice. This is your decision. This is your mistake. And you'll regret it. You'll regret it someday. You'll regret leaving me. You'll regret leaving us. You'll regret leaving our dreams. You'll regret leaving our music. You'll regret leaving our melody."
Zara felt a wave of emotion, and a burst of sadness. She said, "Sapphire, you're wrong. You're wrong and you're hurtful. You're not understanding me. You're not supporting me. You're not inspiring me. You're not loving me. Because this is my dream. This is my passion. This is my life. And I love it. I love it more than anything. I love it more than anyone. I love it more than you."
Sapphire felt a shock of realization, and a pang of loss. She said, "Zara, you're right. You're right and you're honest. You're not lying to me. You're not pretending to me. You're not hiding from me. You're not leaving me. Because this is your dream. This is your passion. This is your life. And you love it. You love it more than anything. You love it more than anyone. You love it more than me."
They looked at each other, and felt a mix of emotions—love, hate, joy, sorrow, pride, shame, hope, and despair. They hugged each other, and said goodbye. They smiled, and wished each other luck. They walked away, and never looked back. They left each other, and their dreams. They left each other, and their music. They left each other, and their melody.