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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 2: Summer Medley

Chapter 2.25 - Just Another Day at the Mall

When I awoke on Thursday morning, I couldn't contain the excitement level that started to rise within me. Not only was I going to get the chance to sing and interact with a number of my fans, but I was also going to release my first album!

I was almost giddy as I took a shower and did what I could to get ready before the entourage showed up. I ended up slipping into a pair of shorts and a tank top to wait. The concert was scheduled to start at 4:00 this afternoon. I would sing for about half an hour, then I'd be signing autographs from 5:00 until 7:00.

Mom wouldn’t be able to do much to help me later in the day, so she had taken it upon herself to make us a big breakfast. I saw the smile on her face and noticed her humming 'Ever After' before she ever saw me enter the kitchen. I laughed at the embarrassed look upon her face when she looked up. She was such a great mother.

As I ate the food she had prepared, I started to think about all the people who made my life special. Mom and Dad were at the top of the list. I wouldn't be where I was today without them. Austin had the least to do with Sarah, but I still wouldn't trade him for anyone else in the world, not even a sister. I had Emily to fill that void. She had to work today, but I was pretty sure she'd get to see the concert. I knew that she'd be able to hear it from 'The Treble with Music' if she wasn’t able to watch. Ethan said he'd ride in the limo with me, but I hadn't heard much more from him. Ethan still meant so much to me, but I still hadn't been able to break through the shell that he had developed while he was at camp.

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly. Julia and Stephanie arrived to get me ready, and I found myself in a dark pair of jeans and a pink top that looked almost like something I would normally wear to the mall. The bracelets, the necklace, and the 3-inch heels that Julia added to the outfit provided the glam that set me apart from being just another girl at the mall, however. I admired her ability to find the perfect outfit for every situation.

By the time I walked outside to the waiting limousine, I could already feel the first tingles of the rush. Dad was already at the mall, and Mom was bringing Austin and his girlfriend Susan later. That left only Ethan waiting for me as I approached where he was standing next to Eddie. Unfortunately, he was his usual self during the ride, and hardly said a word to me.

When we pulled up to the mall, Eddie let me out of the limo at a side entrance that I didn't even know existed. Just inside the doors were a number of offices where my dad was waiting for me. I didn’t know where I was supposed to be going, but I knew he would know.

"Hi, Sarah," Dad greeted me. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I smiled back at him.

There were a number of people whom I was introduced to next. Many of them were either prominent managers of the mall or store owners. I greeted each of them, but like with most people whom I met as Sarah, there was no way that I could remember their names.

Then I was led down a narrow hallway that led to the Plaza. Our local mall was based around a circular, outdoor plaza. There was a small cafe and some tables along with some other amenities and stores on the first floor, and the second and third floors opened up and looked down on the Plaza too. I figured that the edges of all three levels would be packed with people when the time came for the concert, but for now it wasn't any busier than it normally was.

I had only made it two steps into the plaza before somebody nearby screamed. I cringed and covered my ears while turning to see a girl and her friends staring at me like they couldn't believe I was standing there. Then they rushed forward toward me.

"Sarah! Can I get your autograph?" one yelled and shoved a piece of paper at me. I smirked while reaching for it and the pen she was digging for. I signed the paper, and was reaching for another when Dad stopped me.

"You're signing autographs all afternoon, Sarah," Dad told me. He sounded slightly upset. "We need to get some other things done first. Please come."

I frowned at him. I had never turned down an autograph before. Yes, I'd be signing a lot of them later, but that didn't mean these girls were going to be there.

"Sorry, girls," I told them, eliciting a disappointed moan from those who didn't get an autograph. "Come back this evening though, if you can."

I felt bad as I stepped away from them and followed my dad the short distance to where a stage had been set up. The guys were once again putting the final touches on their equipment, and the girls were nowhere to be seen. I suspected they were around though.

"Hi, guys," I greeted them. They each stopped what they were doing and smiled at me.

"Hi, Sarah," they each replied. Then Jason spoke. "Are you ready to get back on stage?"

"Very much so," I told him. Apparently he could see the longing on my face because he started laughing. "Oh, by the way, I want to get you guys to sign my copy of the album before you guys leave, okay?"

"Okay," Jason said. "We'd like you to return the favor if you could."

"Of course," I replied. The band and I had been through so much in the short time we had known each other. I'd do almost anything for them. "Where are the girls?"

Jason rolled his eyes at me like I should already know that answer before pointing at the entrance to Bloomingdale's that was right off the Plaza. He was right - I should have known.

The guys went back to setting up their equipment and I sat on a nearby bench to wait for the sound check to start. I did not know why Dad was in such a rush to get me away from those girls who wanted my autograph, because now all I was doing was sitting there. Ethan sat down next to me, but I couldn't get him interested in any type of conversation and we sat next to each other silently. It was frustrating.

Eventually Sophie and Holly showed up sporting a couple of shopping bags. They looked embarrassed when they realized that we had been waiting for them, but soon I was up on stage with them. As I sang through 'Friends Forever' that Stacy had picked for the sound check I watched people scramble to find a place to watch us.

Then I noticed Ethan sitting on the same bench I had been sitting on a few minutes before. He may not have been one of the co-writers of this song, but I had hoped that it would apply to him too. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. Perhaps there was still hope for us.

When I finished singing the song, there was a pretty good applause returned. If this small sampling was any indication, the full concert this afternoon was going to be a blast.

*  *  *

The wait between the sound check and the concert was horrible. The girls went to do more shopping, but I was stuck sitting in one of the offices where nobody could see me. I seriously considered taking off the wig and joining them, but I knew that would be too risky. At least I had my Jive and my phone to keep me occupied for part of the time. If I'd known that it would be that boring waiting all alone, I would have brought a book. I had no idea where the guys spent the time in between. Even Ethan abandoned me.

But Emily was kind enough to help alleviate some of the boredom. She dragged Ethan back down and ate lunch with me while she was on her break, confirming my suspicion that Ethan had been with her. We texted back and forth a bit while she was working, but the closer we got to the concert the less time she had to talk. Apparently the store's sales were starting to boom in anticipation of the CD signing.

When Dad finally showed up to escort me back out to the Plaza, I nearly screamed with relief. I knew I'd need to be more prepared for these waits in the future.

"How are you doing, Princess?" Dad asked me as we approached the door leading out to the Plaza.

"I was bored silly before, but now I'm really excited," I replied. I was too. I could hear the crowd now that we were at the doors. They weren't nearly as loud as the crowd in Salt Lake City had been at this point, but there were enough people out there that I knew it would be a busy signing session afterward.

"Good," he replied. "Wait here for a moment. Someone from the mall is going to introduce you before you go out."

Before I could respond, I heard a voice over the speakers.

"How is everyone doing today?" the feminine voice yelled into the microphone. A loud roar was the reply. When the noise died down, she continued. "Before we bring Sarah out, there are a few announcements that need to be made. First, we ask that everyone please be courteous to the other mall patrons and the facilities during and after the concert. We love to put on these shows for you, but we can't keep doing it if the facilities are not taken care of. Second, when the concert is over, please proceed to your next destination in an orderly manner. I know many of you will be heading for 'The Treble with Music' for the CD signing. Please wait your turn and have some patience. Sarah will be here for at least two hours and that should be plenty of time for everyone to get a chance to meet her. Okay?"

There was a chorus of responses, mostly positive, before she continued. "Now, if you'll all join me in welcoming Sarah Carerra!"

The crowd roared again as Dad opened the door onto the Plaza. Immediately the rush started to increase at the noise levels directed my way. I stepped out the door and noticed that there was a small corridor between me and the stage that had been kept clear. I quickly walked through it and climbed up the short stairs onto the stage where the band was waiting for me. I stepped up to the microphone, but there was too much noise to say anything over the cheering of the crowd.

Eventually the noise started to die down, and I was able to start the show. "Welcome to the debut concert for my new album!" I yelled. I'd hoped to get more out, but they started cheering again afterward. I had to wait patiently until it died down once again.

"When my manager asked me if I wanted to do a concert and a signing session today, there was only one place that came to mind," I told the crowd. "I've been shopping at this mall for most of my life, and it seemed like a natural place to spend some time with you all." They roared again, and I felt the smile on my face widen as I waited to continue.

"My life has completely changed over the summer," I said when they had quieted once again. "Some of it good, some of it bad. This is one of the good parts."

I briefly stepped back from the microphone, but the boom of Stacy's drums filled the air immediately. I stepped back up to the microphone when Jason joined in with his tune, and it wasn't much longer before I debuted 'My Life' for the assembled crowd. I had written this song about the feelings I'd had the night after my first concert. It was an apt beginning for how I was feeling today.

That feeling continued as we performed five more songs for the assembled crowd. I sang them 'Intuition' second, followed by the two love songs 'Open Your Eyes' and 'Ever After'. 'Ever After' got the reception I expected after the emotional display I had made on national TV when the Salt Lake City concert had been replayed. I didn't know if Emily was watching, but I knew she probably felt it too. I then introduced the crowd to 'Turn Around' before it quieted once again.

"I told you at the beginning that there were good and bad things that have happened to me this summer," I said to the crowd. That seemed to be enough to tell them what was coming next, because a small cheer ran through them. "Most of you know the bad side of this next song, but in truth it has become one of the most positive experiences of my life. Not only did it build up my confidence, but it also allowed me to learn how to deal with the pressure of living in the spotlight. Thank you all, and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in 'The Treble with Music'."

There was a small groan of disappointment when the crowd realized that we were already on the last song, but that quickly turned to another cheer when the opening notes of 'You Can't Hurt Me' started coming from the band. After watching the music video last night, I knew that this was one of the songs that would stick with me for the rest of my life. I could feel the inner fire within me burning brighter than ever before as I sang the song for them.

As the song came to an end, the mall erupted into the loudest roar I had heard all night. I basked in the rush that was overwhelming me for only a moment before two police officers were at the bottom of the stage to escort me up to the store. The crowd was still roaring as I gave them one last wave and stepped off the stage.

*  *  *

It only took me a couple of steps to realize why they wanted me off the stage so quickly. I had thought there might be a back hallway they would take me down or something, but instead the two police officers started moving Dad and me toward the nearby elevators. If I was going to get to the store through the throng of people headed in the same direction, it was going to take some time. People would try to approach me as we moved, but the two police officers kept me between them and didn't let anyone get close enough to impede our progress. I knew that there would be plenty of time for them to meet me at the store, so I tried not to slow us down either.

The elevator ride up to the second floor was somewhat of a relief as we had the entire elevator to ourselves. But it wasn't long before we were back in the crowd and trying to make our way to the store. The closer we got, the harder it was to keep moving. We slowed down quite a bit, but most people were willing to move out of the way when they realized who was trying to get through.

The line for the CD signing was already out of the store and around the nearby corner. I was worried about not having enough time to see everyone. I had already told my dad that I wanted to stay longer if there was still a line after the two hours we had specified. He didn't seem to like that idea, but I didn't want to leave anyone upset about not getting a chance to see me.

When I stepped into 'The Treble with Music' there was a small cheer from the people who were waiting at the front of the line. I was led to the back of the store where I had seen the table set up the other day. I smiled at Emily as I passed by the checkout counter. It looked like there were a lot of boxes behind her that held the CDs. The fans in the line would be able to purchase their CD before continuing down the line to where I was sitting. I was sure there were even those who weren't buying a CD who would still have me sign a poster or some other memorabilia that they had.

I was happy to take a seat behind the table. The two police officers stood nearby, Dad sat down next to me, and before I was even settled in we were approached by a man.

"Sarah," he greeted me excitedly. "Thank you so much for agreeing to do the signing here. I'm Jeffery Chambers, owner of 'The Treble with Music'."

"Hi, Jeffery," I greeted him with a large smile. I'd met him a couple of weeks ago as Megan, but never as Sarah. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for the opportunity."

"It's my pleasure," Jeffery replied. I grinned back. It was obvious that this whole thing would give his store a big boost in sales. I would have been shocked if he wasn't pleased.

He left shortly afterward, and the first fan approached me. She was probably about my age and had a huge smile on her face.

"This is so totally awesome!" she exclaimed with one of the largest smiles I had ever seen. I smiled back as I took the CD from her. "I'm your biggest fan!"

"What's your name?" I asked her while uncapping the permanent marker that my dad handed me.

"Brittany," she replied. Dad had already told me that I didn't have enough time to personalize any of the messages in my autographs, and I had to struggle to only sign my name before returning the CD to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Brittany," I replied. Then she was ushered away. It was much too brief of an encounter with one of my fans, but it needed to be quick if I was going to get through all of them before my time was up.

The signing session continued in that vein for the next hour. I saw a number of people I knew from school or from church. I had to force a smile on my face when some of the football players and cheerleaders who had given me a hard time at school showed up in line. But the smile I gave Ms. Carson, one of my teachers, was completely genuine.

"Hi, Austin," I smiled at my brother as he stepped up to the table with his new girlfriend. "Hi, Susan."

"Hi, Sarah!" Susan said excitedly. Once again she was the blubbering girl I had first met as Sarah instead of the confident girl I had been introduced to as Megan. Austin had an unexcited look on his face that told me he couldn't wait to get out of there, so I quickly signed the CD case Susan slid my way and let him lead her away.

It wasn't long afterward that I had the first major shock of the day. I had just signed for a beautiful little blonde girl and looked up to see who was next.

"Paul!" I exclaimed, louder than I wanted to. It was the wrong thing to do, because he froze in place immediately. Paul Johnson was a friend from school. He had been my lab partner in Biology. Then, on yearbook day just over a month ago, I had confronted him when I'd seen him eyeing me over lunch. Paul was deathly afraid of girls. The fact that I was now a girl had made him very nervous when I had sat down across the table from him that day. But we were still friends, and I had at least gotten him to talk to me.

I couldn't believe that he was here though! Standing in line to get an autograph from a female celebrity was the last place on earth I would have expected to find him! He would have had to stand in line for over an hour to make it to me. I couldn't believe that he hadn't chickened out at some point. I was so proud of him!

It looked like he hadn't completely conquered his fears, because he was standing at the front of the line with an expression on his face that told me he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. I had tripped his alarm response when I called out his name.

"It's okay," I told him, hoping it would help. It didn't. "You are Paul Johnson, right? Megan's friend?"

Invoking my real name seemed to help. He took a small step forward, and then another. I was smiling proudly at him as he finally reached me.

"How...How do you know my name?" he stuttered. Some of the fear started to encroach on his face again, but started to dissipate when he saw my kind smile.

"I know Megan pretty well," I told him. "We've met before, at her house. Before this, anyway," I said while motioning around me to indicate the craziness of Sarah's life. It wasn't a complete lie, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

"She's talked about you before," I continued. "She said that you were one of the nicest persons she has ever met, but that you are really shy. I'm sorry I scared you like that when I called out your name. I was just surprised to see you here!" I was beaming again. I could even feel tears start to well up in my eyes that I immediately pushed back down. Crying in front of him would not be the best thing to do, but I was so happy that he had made the effort to come down here to meet me! It was a big step forward for him.

He looked speechless, and I was afraid I had overdone it for a moment. Before he was able to talk, we were interrupted.

"Hurry it up," one of the store employees said. His name tag said Tony, but I hadn't been introduced to him at all. He was the one helping to make sure that the line flowed quickly. Paul jumped at his words, and turned to go.

"Paul, wait!" I said quickly. He turned back to me with fear in his eyes. I knew that he didn't want to get in any trouble, and he would want to get out of here quickly now. "I haven't signed your CD yet."

He looked down at the CD case still clutched in his hands like he didn't even know it was there. I smiled up at him, and he held it out to me. Despite what Dad had told me to do earlier, I wrote 'I'm so proud of you' before signing my name. Then I handed it back to him.

"Thank you for coming, Paul," I said. I was rewarded with one of the largest smiles I had ever seen Paul give to someone. I didn't know why he had decided to come down here today. I didn't know what had prevented him from leaving before he made it to me. But that smile told me that he had accomplished something today. He had grown closer to the type of person I'd hoped to be able to bring out in him.

And inside of that smile, I saw his own ‘thank you’ returned to me. He didn't say anything else before he turned and walked out of the store. My eyes followed him the whole way. The guy that had been standing behind him was not happy that my attention was still elsewhere when I turned to sign his CD.

"Hey!" he screamed while slamming his palm onto the table. I know I shrieked at the surprise of his move, but before I could do anything else, the two police officers were on either side of the boy, holding him by the arms. I knew without a doubt now that 'boy' definitely described the male in front of me, even if he was my own age.

"Johnny!" I screamed back at him. "What was that for?"

Johnny Crawford's sneer was unmistakable. He was really mad at me.

"You know this boy, ma'am?" one of the police officers asked me.

I reluctantly nodded. "Unfortunately," I replied. "He's the son of my representative with the record company." The officers started to let go of him at my statement, which was not what I wanted. "He was just leaving, though." I had to suppress the smile that started to curl my lips when the officers’ grips tightened instead.

"You can't kick me out!" he spat at me. "You have to sign my CD! If you don't, my dad will fire you!"

"No, I don't," I replied calmly. "Your dad told you to stay away from me. I don't think he would be upset at my refusal. Bye, Johnny."

The two police officers started moving him toward the door to the store, but it wasn't easy. If he got any more rowdy, I expected the officers to charge him with something.

I sighed. I wished I knew what was going on in that boy's head. I had no idea why he seemed to be so obsessed with me. But one thing was becoming clear to me: Johnny Crawford did not like it when he didn't get his way. But I didn’t care.

"Are you okay?" Dad asked me. I looked over at him. The concern creasing his eyes was evident, and I could feel the love and support behind them.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just don't like that boy at all."

"He has been giving you a lot of problems this summer," he replied. "I'll talk to Scott about him. Perhaps there is something that we can do to alleviate the situation."

"Thank you," I replied with a smile. I really hoped that I didn't have to deal with Johnny when school started again.

I was in a slight slump after that. I tried to be nice to the fans who followed Johnny, but it was getting more difficult as the time wore on. We were approaching the two-hour mark, and I was seriously considering stopping at the appointed time instead of continuing on.

But that all changed a few minutes later. A large smile broke out on my face as the next people in line stepped toward me. I knew immediately that I wasn't going to be stopping at two hours. It was because of fans like these that made this whole thing worthwhile. I wasn't going to let Johnny ruin that.

"Hi, Tracy," I greeted my cousin warmly. She returned my smile, and I looked over at her husband. He was astonished, and I knew immediately that Tracy had told him my secret. Dad would be unhappy about that, but I was okay with him knowing. Like Tracy, he was a lot of fun to hang around with. "Hi, Mark."

Amazingly, his eyes became even wider at my greeting. Obviously he still harbored some doubts about me as they approached the front of the line, but I had just confirmed that I knew him.

"I..." he started before pausing. "I never would have guessed," he finally said. I laughed, which caused him to laugh with me. "I thought you were good on Sunday, but today...Wow!"

"Hurry up, Sarah!" we were interrupted by Tony. He'd been doing that every time I took a little extra time with somebody. And I was tired of it.

"I'll take as much time as I want, Tony!" I shot back at him. The frustration I'd had at seeing Johnny came spilling out at him. It was unfortunate, but it had the desired effect. He closed his mouth and stepped back as he realized that I was the one in charge of the line, not him.

I turned back to Tracy. "Where's Heather?" I asked. Now that I had decided that I would be staying late, it was nice to have a short break and talk for a couple of minutes.

"She's at my Mom's house," she replied. "Mark and I thought we'd make it a date afternoon. We had lunch together before coming over to watch you perform."

I laughed lightly. I never would have thought that I would be a date for my cousin! "I'm glad I could help," I told them, which got them to laugh with me again.

Tracy then handed me two copies of my CD. I looked at her curiously while uncapping the marker again. "I told Katy I would get her one," she explained. "She wanted to come, but she had dance class."

"Ok," I replied and started writing on the first CD. "Tracy, Mark, and Heather, Thank you for everything," I said while writing. Then I signed my name and handed them the CD. Then I started writing on Katy's before handing the second CD case to them. Tracy took a look at it and started laughing. Mark did the same after he'd read it.

"Sarah, you are wicked!" she exclaimed before they turned to leave. They'd had the longest interaction with me of any fan yet, and I could see Tony getting antsy again. "Let's do lunch again, okay?"

I smiled and nodded back at her before the two of them walked away, still chuckling.

"What did you write?" Dad asked curiously.

"I just told Katy that I was the best friend she didn't know she had," I said with a straight face. That got Dad laughing too. Katy was going to be really mad when she found out about my secret, but in the meantime I was going to have fun with her.

That short time with my family reinvigorated me and gave me the energy to continue the signing. It was another 45 minutes before we were finally able to make our way out of the store and toward the door where my limo was waiting for me. I even had to stop three times to give another autograph on the way. But by the time I sagged into the back seat, I was more than ready to go to bed.

My wrist hurt, and I was tired. But I was happy that I'd had this opportunity. I loved my fans!

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The Bad News
I won't sugarcoat it. This will be the last chapter of Sarah Carerra posted for a while.

When I started writing this story, I had no idea that it would become such a big part of my life. I can't go a full day without having some kind of idea for the story pop into my head. I love this story. I love writing this story. I love reading your comments and seeing how my story can bring a moment of entertainment to you. I thrive on it.

So why am I stopping?

Truthfully, I'm not. I have nine projects that I am currently working on right now. Most of them do not get much time. Sarah takes up a lot of my available time, and I know the fans of A Flower's Bloom may be jealous of the story for that reason. I have other stories that I want to finish and give to you too. I'm even trying to write a non-transgender book with the hope of getting it published. But none of these are the reason why Sarah is taking a break.

Life is.

I try to stay ten chapters ahead in Sarah Carerra to prevent things like this from happening. But the muse isn't always there, and I had started to get behind. Then December happened. December caused my life to get hectic. Between work and school and family, I didn't get much time to write. I had hoped to get a lot done over the holiday break, but that turned out not to happen as I got to spend some rare time with my sister who lives two states away. Every week as I've posted a new chapter and watched the end of what I had ready to publish loom ever closer, I've gotten more and more depressed at my inability to find the time to write. I'm truly sorry that it has come to this, it wasn't my plan.

What happens now?

I'm writing still. I have three more chapters of Sarah written, and I'm working to get two more before I send them off to my editor. I started dedicating time every day to sit down and write. So far my muse has cooperated and that time has been spent on Sarah. I believe that it will continue to be. My hope is that this break will only be for three or four weeks. That seems like a long time now, but I hope it will be shorter. I will leave updates at www.sarahcarerra.com.

Thank you for your continued support. I couldn't do this without you guys, and I hope that I can return to posting a new chapter each week quickly. My life will be empty without something to share in the upcoming weeks.

Sincerely,
Megan