Sour Note

For the first time in nearly four years, the P*lace was totally empty End of year exams were today, and nearly every kid in town was sweating through them. Riley was actually enjoying the unnatural peace and quiet. Of course, he knew it would eventually end.

Sure enough, the members of Kids Incorporated slowly filed into the P*lace, looking worn out.

“Aw, cheer up, guys!” he said brightly. “School’s almost out!”

“Yeah, and I’m gonna have nightmares all summer long about that test!” moaned The Kid.

“That stuff didn’t seem so hard when we were actually learning it.” noted Renee.

“That’s because it didn’t take 5 hours.” Ryan pointed out.

“Gloria, you’re quiet today.” Stacy said to her. “Did you have a hard time with the test, too?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, absolutely.” she blurted out. Then she turned to Riley and said, “Riley, has any mail come here for me?”

“Not that I know of, no.”

“Oh. Well, okay, I was just checking.”

“Why are you so anxious about the mail?” asked Ryan.

Gloria looked guilty. “Well, I wasn’t gonna tell you,” she began, “but there’s this really exclusive music school I’ve been trying to get into for months. It’s so exclusive, you have to audition to audition. I sent them a tape, but I haven’t heard from them, and it’s really making me nervous.”

“Aw, what’re you worried about? You’re the best!” The Kid told her, and they all echoed his sentiment. “They’re gonna be breaking down your door begging you to go to their school!”

“In the meantime,” Riley interrupted, “Why don’t you practice by doing the next number?” They quickly obliged.

Hanging out in the storeroom may not have been the most entertaining way to spend the afternoon, but after a morning of tests, it looked wildly appealing. For a few moments, anyway.

“Is anyone else bored?” Stacy asked of them. Gloria, Renee, and The Kid sighed.

“I wonder if anyone’s ever died of boredom.” The Kid contemplated.

“I actually miss homework!” wailed Gloria, which got a moan out of them.

“Try reading.”  Ryan said without looking up from his book. They stared at him like he was from another planet.

“Oh, now I’m even more depressed!” Renee said mournfully. Then she got an idea. “Do we have any paper?”

Stacy and The Kid wisely separated themselves from her to avoid teasing her unmercifully and started puttering around the storeroom looking at old props. Gloria considered joining them until Riley poked his head in the door. “Hey, Gloria? Phone call for you.”

“Ow! Pick up your end!” The Kid yelled from somewhere behind a pile of junk.

“Well, it’s heavy! Quit holding your end so high!” Stacy barked at him. They emerged struggling with a familiar, old battered trunk.

“Hey, I forgot we had that!” said Ryan, putting down his now-forgotten book. “Let’s see what’s inside!”

“Did you ever notice,” Renee said, “how there’s always something different inside this trunk?”

“Yeah, I found my ring in here.” Stacy said.

“We’ve found other stuff in this trunk, too.” Kid hinted to her, and they shared a smile.

“What’s that about?” Ryan asked Renee.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, their leprechaun.” she said with mock seriousness.

“Their what?”

“Hey, whether you want to believe it or not, he was real.” The Kid defended Stacy and himself.  “You know, kinda like your alien.”

“Alien?” said Ryan.

Stacy began chuckling, and Renee turned red, “Well, at least everyone could see him!” she said. She glared at Stacy and said, “And how’s your ghost doing?” Stacy stopped chuckling.

Ryan just sat there shaking his head. “This is the strangest town I’ve ever lived in.” he said. Suddenly Gloria stepped in, letting the door close behind her with a loud click! that stopped all conversation. “Important phone call?” Ryan asked her. She just stood there. “Gloria?”

“I got it.” she said quietly. “I got an audition.” For some reason, she didn’t look happy about it.

Thanks to summer vacation, everyone had more free time, so Kids Inc’s boredom was soon replaced with a heavy concert series. After a particularly successful show, the Kids noticed Riley had company at the bar.

“Kids, meet Ms. Sharp.” he said. “She’s from the music academy.”

“Oh, are you here about my audition?” Gloria asked her. “When is it?”

Ms. Sharp smiled. “You’ve just had it.” she confessed. “And might I add, it went very well. You have a natural talent. I’ll look forward to working with you in the fall.”

Gloria practically jumped up and down. “You mean I’m in? All right!” Everyone cheered for her. “I’d better start packing right away!”

“Packing? Just where is this school?” Riley asked, stunned.

“Why, upstate, of course. Only the most musically gifted young adults in the region are enrolled.” Ms. Sharp said, obviously not seeing the problem.

“Gloria, you’re leaving us?” said Renee in a very small voice. She looked like she was going to cry. Everyone did.

Gloria looked to Ms. Sharp. “Can I have a moment with my friends?” She nodded.

They huddled close to her. “Look, I love you guys more than anyone else in the world. But I can’t stay here forever. I mean, we’re all gonna leave the band someday.”

Stacy put her arm around Renee. “We’re really gonna miss you.” she said to Gloria. “You’re like part of our family.”

Gloria hugged both of them together. “I hope you two realize how lucky you are to have each other.” she told them.

“We do.” sighed Renee. “It’s a little hard sometimes, but we really do.”

“This is all wrong!” The Kid said angrily. Gloria saw the hurt underneath. “You can’t leave! What are we gonna do without you?”

She tried to hug him, too, but he resisted. “You guys are gonna be just fine.” she insisted. “Please don’t make this any harder for me than it already is.”

“You’ll write to us everyday, right?” Ryan asked her.

“Of course I will!” she said. At least he let her hug him. She even rumpled his freshly spiked hair. “I guess this puts you in charge, huh?”

“If you think I’m ready for the responsibility.”

“You were always ready, Ryan.”

“I’m still mad at you...” The Kid said to her.

“You probably will be for a while.” she informed him.

“...but I will miss you.” He hugged her then.

“Oh, boy!” she sighed, forcing a laugh and a smile. “You guys, you almost got to me there, and I haven’t even left yet!”

When do you leave?” Riley asked. “And where’s my hug?” He pretended to scowl at her.

Oh, Riley, I’d never forget you!” She made a big deal of hugging him. “I’ve still got a few weeks left.

I m going out there tomorrow to check out the school.” She turned to Ms. Sharp. “Now, it’s got a dorm, right? ‘Cause I...”

“Hey, you guys,” Ryan suddenly said, “I’ve got an idea! While Gloria’s gone, we should plan a going away party for her. What do you think we should do?”

“Well, when Mickey left, we dedicated a performance to hint” Renee told him.

“That’s not big enough! This is Gloria we’re talking about!” Kid said enthusiastically. Now that he was over his resentment, he seemed to be back to his old, rambunctious self

“How ‘bout a whole concert?” Stacy suggested.

Ryan approved. “Perfect! Okay, here’s the plan. Riley will distract her while Kid and I spread the word. Now, you two know all her favorite songs...

When Gloria returned all ready to rehearse, she was met only by Riley.  The P*lace was dark. “But where is everybody?” she asked, confused.

“They’ve got a little surprise for you.” he said slyly, sitting her by the stage. The lights came on, and a crowd magically appeared, cheering.

“Can I have your attention, please?” Ryan’s voice boomed. “I have an announcement to make. Sadly, as you may know, our good friend Gloria is leaving us.” The audience aww-ed. “But we couldn’t let her go without letting her know how much she means to us. So Gloria, this one’s for you.”

Gloria sat back and watched as the kids she’d watched grow up for years paid tribute to her. “Yes, sir. They’re gonna be just fine.”

The End