By No One
The school bus was filled with loud chatter and excited cries on this Friday afternoon, everyone looking forward to getting home for the weekend. Zoe shared the feeling, but things were getting a little too noisy for her taste so she put her earbuds in to drown out the racket with the awesome music of Shana Belle, her favorite singer.
The catchy melodies soon had Zoe completely forgetting her surroundings, as they often did. She found herself mouthing the words to the lyrics—she knew every line by heart, of course. She must have listened to this album a million times already, but it never got old.
It took her a moment to realize that Nancy, her fourth-grade classmate sitting next to her, was trying to get her attention. Zoe pulled out one earbud. “Huh? What?”
“I said, ‘What are you listening to?’ ”
On the bench in front of them, Zoe’s best friend Jen turned around to face them, rolling her eyes. “Do you even have to ask? She only ever listens to one thing.”
Zoe shrugged. “Shana’s the best. Why would I want to hear anything else?”
“Shana Belle, huh? Yeah, she’s cool,” Nancy said. “But I like Taylor Swift better.”
“What? No way.” This was an argument Zoe had engaged in many times. Taylor seemed to be the more popular of the two for some reason, but Zoe couldn’t imagine why. “I mean, Taylor is okay and all, but Shana is… is…” She struggled to find the right words to express how amazing Shana was. “Her music shows artistry and depth rarely seen in other pop starlets,” Zoe finally said, with an air of authority. It was a line she’d picked up from a magazine, but Nancy didn’t need to know that.
“You’re not gonna win this one,” Jen told Nancy. “Ever seen Zoe’s room? It’s like, Shana posters on every wall, stack of magazines about Shana—who even reads magazines anymore?—all the CDs and the records, a Shana calendar, even. Shana Shana Shana.”
Nancy laughed. “Big fan, huh?”
“I’m surprised she’s not wearing one of her Shana shirts right now.”
“Um, they’re all in the laundry,” Zoe admitted, now a bit embarrassed. So maybe she was a little obsessed. Still, Shana was so pretty, why wouldn’t Zoe want to be surrounded by her pictures? “Well, you’re just jealous of my cool room.”
Jen rolled her eyes and looked like she was about to shoot back something, but Zoe forestalled her. “Anyway! This is my stop, see ya on Monday.”
The other girls made their goodbyes, and Zoe stepped off the bus. She walked the short distance to her apartment building and climbed the stairs two by two up to the third floor, where she lived. She was met with a delicious smell, making her stomach growl. Her mom had Fridays off, and she usually spent part of the day preparing food in advance for the coming week.
“Hi, Mom!” Zoe called out as she took off her shoes and coat.
“Hey, honey. How was school?”
“Good, I guess. There was a test in math, but I think I did okay.” Zoe entered the kitchen, where her mom was indeed busy preparing food—meatballs, by the looks of it. Looking in the pantry cabinet, she was tempted by the box of chocolate chip cookies, but she knew what the reaction would be—”Zoe, you’re gonna spoil your dinner!”—so she grabbed a banana instead.
“That’s good,” her mother replied, stirring a large pot of marinara sauce. “Any homework for the weekend?”
“Nope.” When her mom gave her a skeptical look, she added, “No, really! There was a grammar worksheet, but I did it during lunch break. Um, do you need help with that?” She nodded towards the food, but she was reasonably confident that doing her homework early and actually offering to help would net her enough Good Girl points to get out of chores.
Her mom smiled. “Thanks, but I got it. You can go play until dinner.” As expected.
Zoe pondered how to spend the rest of the afternoon. Maybe watch some TV, or read a magazine. Re-read, more like. She did, in fact, have a big stack of magazines featuring Shana Belle, and she’d pored over each one a hundred times, memorizing every detail about her idol.
Recently, she’d gotten a new one that wasn’t exactly what she had expected, though. She’d spotted it on the rack at the grocery store and noticed a feature about Shana in it, so of course she’d begged to have it. Used to requests like that, her mom didn’t pay much attention to the mag and put it in her cart.
Once home, Zoe had excitedly leafed through her new mag until she found the article about Shana, and found that it was actually a whole photoshoot. And the clothes were kind of… skimpy. Glamour, the mag called it. There was Shana in a bikini, and one where she wore only a small tank top and panties, and some that were even more revealing.
Zoe had never seen Shana quite like that before, and was fascinated by these provocative shots. Shana had to be the most beautiful person in the world. Zoe wasn’t too sure she liked the idea that just anyone could see these intimate photos, but had to admit that she enjoyed looking at them herself. They made her feel a little funny for some reason, like butterflies in her tummy.
Her favorite was one where Shana was wearing tiny shorts and some kind of jacket with nothing underneath. Only her beautiful dark hair falling over her chest kept her boobs from view… though not completely. Just thinking about it made Zoe’s heart skip a beat, though she couldn’t exactly explain why.
That magazine seemed like a fine way to pass the time right now. She kept it hidden under the whole pile because she wasn’t sure what her parents would think of it. As she was walking towards her room, though, the phone rang.
“Sweetie, can you get that? My hands are all dirty here.”
“Okay!” Zoe made her way to the living room and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hello! Can I speak to Miss Zoe Price, please?” It was a man’s voice that Zoe didn’t recognize. He sounded strangely enthusiastic, like someone you might hear doing a TV commercial.
“Um, that’s me,” Zoe hesitantly answered. Nobody had ever called her “miss” before.
“Good! The same Zoe Price who participated in Star Magazine’s ‘Meet Shana Belle’ contest?”
Zoe gasped. She had nearly forgotten about that contest. She’d filled out an entry months ago, but had never really expected to hear back about it. “Y-yes! Did… did I win?”
“You just might have! If you can answer the following question, which only a true fan of Shana Belle would know.”
Zoe’s stomach twisted into knots. A question. She had to answer this correctly. This was it, the most important moment of her life. A chance to meet Shana! If she missed it, she might just die. No, she had this. She knew everything there was to know about Shana. Favorite food, childhood nickname, every single word of her lyrics. Everything. But what if he asked something weird about recording studios or producers or whatever? Zoe didn’t really care about that stuff.
She was starting to panic when the man continued. “The question is… How old is Shana Belle?”
Zoe blinked. “Is that it?” she couldn’t help asking. That was his big question? What kind of idiot wouldn’t know that?
“Yes, that’s the question. How old is Shana? Do you know?”
“Of course I know. She’s 23. Her birthday is April 16th, so she’ll be 24 in three months,” she added for good measure.
“Zoe.”
“Y-yes?”
“That’s… correct! You have just won a trip to Los Angeles for yourself and a person of your choice, to meet Shana Belle and hang out with her for a day, then attend one of her concerts from a front-row seat!”
“Omigod omigod omigod! For real? Like, the real real Shana?” Zoe blurted out. It seemed like a silly thing to say, but she knew that, for instance, if you went to Disney World, you didn’t meet the real Mickey Mouse. Of course, Shana wasn’t a cartoon character, so that was probably a little different.
“The real Shana! Now, it says here you’re nine years old, is that right?”
“Yes. But I’ll be ten soon. My birthday is a week after Shana’s, isn’t that cool?”
“Very cool. But I’m going to need to talk to your parents to get permission, and sort out the details.”
“Okay, hold on.” She ran to the kitchen, waving the phone wildly. “Mom, Mom! I won! I won!”
Zoe’s mom raised her eyebrows in surprise. “What? Won? Who is that on the phone? I heard you shouting.”
“The Shana contest! Remember? I won!”
“Oh, really? Hang on a minute.” She washed her hands, then picked up the phone. “Hello?”
For a minute or so, all Zoe heard was “yes” and “uh-huh” from her mom, who finally asked, “And this is all expenses paid?” She seemed relieved at the answer.
Zoe wasn’t really listening anymore, though. All she could think about was that she was going to meet Shana. Beautiful, amazing Shana. This was the best day of her life. Well, for now. The day she went to L.A. would be even better.
* * *
The month-long wait before the trip had been a test in endurance, but now, finally, Zoe was stepping off the plane in Los Angeles. It was the first time she’d ever flown, and not only once, but twice—since there was no direct flight from her home state, they’d had to stop in Denver.
Mostly, she’d enjoyed the experience. It had been very impressive to watch the ground and everything on it get smaller as the plane rose into the sky. A sudden bout of turbulence had been pretty scary, though, and she’d had to hold tightly to her mother’s hand.
They’d left at 7 a.m. amid light snow, and now, almost six hours later, it wasn’t even noon, and warm enough to go out wearing a t-shirt. Zoe understood why, of course, but it still seemed magical to her.
“Well, here we are,” her mother said. “Someone is supposed to be waiting for us near the exit.”
Zoe wished she could have brought along her friend Jen—even if the girl didn’t appreciate Shana as much as she should—but the contest prize was only for two people, and a pair of fourth-graders really couldn’t have traveled without an adult. Even Zoe’s dad had to stay home, as they couldn’t spare the money for an extra plane ticket.
Still, now that she was here, Zoe was super excited, literally bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. They fetched their luggage, then she had some fun sitting on her suitcase and rolling around in the giant hallways of the airport. That is, until she nearly crashed into another group of tourists, and her mom made her stop.
When they exited the terminal, there was a crowd of people waiting, some holding signs with names on them, just like she’d seen in movies. It took a moment, but they finally spotted a man who had their names printed on his sign, and went over to him.
“Welcome to Los Angeles,” he said. “My name is Matthew. Please follow me, and we will be right on our way.” He had a British accent and was wearing some kind of chauffeur’s uniform, also like in the movies.
“Do you know Shana?” Zoe asked him as they walked.
“Yes, indeed. I am Miss Belle’s driver and personal assistant.”
“You must be around her a lot, then. You’re so lucky.” When the man didn’t comment, she added, “Are we gonna see her soon?”
“Yes, quite soon. We will be picking her up from the recording studio on our way to her estate.”
Matthew led them to the parking garage, and Zoe’s eyes went wide when she saw what awaited them there. Not just a fancy car, as she might have expected, but a real limousine. It was by far the biggest car she’d ever seen in person, and now it looked like she was about to ride in it.
“Miss,” Matthew said as he opened the door and motioned her in.
Zoe climbed into the car carefully, looking around in amazement. “Wow!” The passenger area was bigger than her parents’ entire car. The “back seat” was shaped like a U and actually covered three sides of the limo. There was even a TV! She sat down on one side, then her mom got in as well, taking the spot in front of Zoe and looking rather impressed herself.
“We will be on our way shortly. There is a minibar with some snacks in the back, feel free to take anything you want,” Matthew said before closing the door.
Curious, Zoe looked around and spotted the tiny fridge above the seat on one side. She scooched over to take a look and found it contained water bottles, different kinds of pop, and various kinds of candy. With a sheepish smile at her mom, she grabbed a Kit Kat bar. “Want anything, Mom?”
“Just a water. Thanks, honey.”
As she nibbled at her candy, Zoe watched the scenery outside stream by, the buildings getting bigger and taller as they drove into downtown L.A. Many were bigger than anything she’d seen back home.
Zoe was growing more and more nervous as they got closer to their destination. She was about to meet Shana. The Shana Belle. A genuine superstar, and just about the most important person in Zoe’s life… other than her parents and close friends. Probably.
What if she said something stupid, or made a fool of herself? She wasn’t even sure if she should call her “Shana”, or “Miss Belle” as Matthew did. Or maybe by her real name? Her head full of Shana trivia, Zoe knew that “Shana Belle” was just an artist name, of course, but she wasn’t sure what people called her behind the scenes.
Worse, what if Shana didn’t even want to hang out with some silly kid? Maybe she’d had to do the contest for publicity, or maybe she thought someone more interesting would win. What if she saw Zoe as an annoying brat?
Her mind occupied by these doubts, Zoe was startled when the car finally stopped in front of a tall skyscraper. Frantically, her eyes scanned the people on the sidewalk. Was Shana here?
There, at the back, leaning against the building, Zoe recognized her instantly, even with sunglasses on—she’d spent enough time gazing at Shana’s pictures to know her anywhere.
Shana straightened up and began moving towards them when she noticed the limo pull up. She was beautiful, of course. Her curly dark hair falling down her back, her slim figure and long legs, everything about her seemed perfect. Zoe had thought more than a few times that Shana must be what an angel looked like.
Shana was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, not unlike something Zoe might wear herself on a summer day—though she had jeans on at the moment, because it had been winter when she left that morning. It was a far cry from the fancier—or more revealing—outfits that Zoe had seen Shana wear, but it was actually nice to see the star in everyday clothes, and of course, they still looked fantastic on her. Zoe glanced down at her own chest, wondering if it was tacky of her to wear a Shana shirt today.
Shana was speaking on a phone as she came forward. Zoe felt that there should be a red carpet or something under her feet. Maybe that was more for coming out of a limo at some big event, but still, Shana deserved it. The people on the sidewalk didn’t even seem to recognize her, that was crazy.
As Shana came close, Zoe could hear the last part of her conversation. “Look, I don’t give a fuck if it’s complicated. What am I paying you for? Just make it happen.”
A quick glance sideways reassured Zoe that her mother hadn’t heard the curse word. That was probably for the best. Shana sounded really mad, though. That couldn’t be good. There was no way that she’d be in the mood to hang out with some kid she didn’t even know.
Zoe nervously watched as her idol climbed into the car, but to her great relief, Shana took one look at her then flashed a bright smile.
“Hey there. You must be Zoe.” Shana took off the sunglasses, revealing her beautiful blue eyes. “I’m Shana,” she added with a wink. “Cool shirt. That’s actually my favorite design.”
Zoe giggled and shook the offered hand. Touching the real, actual Shana Belle sent those familiar butterflies to her belly and got her tongue all tied up, so she only managed to nod. She could barely believe this was happening. Shana was just as beautiful in real life.
“I’m Helen, Zoe’s mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belle,” her mom said.
“Oh, please, it’s ‘Shana.’ Nice to meet you.” After shaking hands, Shana turned back to Zoe. “You two had a nice morning, I hope? Flew in?”
“Yes.” Nervous to be talking to her heroine, Zoe’s voice came out as an embarrassing little squeak, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes. It was really cool! My first time flying, ever. We could see the clouds below us and everything! Um, I didn’t like it so much when the plane got all shaky, though…”
Shana smiled. “Yeah, turbulence can be scary at first, but you get used to it. It’s not dangerous. Trust me, I’ve taken the plane hundreds of times and never crashed, not even once.”
Zoe laughed and nodded. Of course, Shana had to have flown so many times for media appearances and touring that there wasn’t anything new Zoe could tell her about it. She tried to think of something interesting to say to fill the silence, but could only come up with, “So, um… how was your morning?”
“Hmm, pretty good, I guess, all things considered. Some annoying crap to deal with, but we finally finished recording the new single, so that’s a relief.”
Zoe gasped. “A new single?”
“Ah, yeah. I guess that’s not public knowledge yet. It should be out in a month or two.” Shana considered Zoe for a moment, a sly smile growing on her lips. She fished in her handbag and pulled out a small USB drive. “Say, I happen to have it right here. Would you like to be the first person in the world to hear it?”
“Omigod yes!” Zoe couldn’t believe her luck.
Shana chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Now, this isn’t the final mix yet. There’s still some… fiddling around left to do, so it probably won’t sound exactly like this when it’s out on Spotify or whatever, but it should give you a good idea.”
“That’s okay!”
Shana plugged the drive into a music system that Zoe hadn’t even noticed, off to one side—this car really had everything!—and after a few seconds, the song started playing.
Zoe was all ears as the first notes came out of the car speakers, taking in the new piece of music. It was beautiful, of course, as she would have expected. A little slower and more melancholy than usual, but still recognizable as Shana’s style. She listened to the whole thing without saying a word, her attention entirely focused on the song.
“Well, what do you think?” Shana asked after it was over.
“Wow, it was soooo good! Kinda different, but still really great. Thank you so much for letting me hear it.” Zoe already felt like listening to the song all over again.
Shana smiled. “You are very welcome. And thank you, I’m glad you liked it so much. I’m thinking the piano should probably be just a smidge softer in that quiet part, though, and the chorus… Well, anyway, I won’t bore you with those details.” She seemed to be taking notes on her phone as she spoke.
“I guess that’s the song I’ll be hearing over and over for the next few months, then,” Zoe’s mom said, apparently trying to be funny.
“Mom! That’s rude,” Zoe hissed. She couldn’t believe her mother would embarrass her in front of Shana like that.
But Shana only laughed. “It just might be, sounds like it’s already a hit with Zoe here. Sorry about that.” She winked at Zoe before turning back to her mom. “Um, you know, come to think of it, this must all be pretty boring for you. Now, this is just a thought, but… My favorite day spa is on our way, best in the city. If you want, we could drop you off there, pick you back up for dinner. Get an afternoon of massages, facial, manicure, all that good stuff. I’m a member there, so it won’t cost you a dime.”
Her mom’s eyebrows rose up, as did Zoe’s, but probably for different reasons. Could she really spend the afternoon alone with Shana, without her mom there to say stupid things and annoy them? That would be so awesome.
“Oh, well, that all sounds really nice, but… I don’t really think I should leave Zoe,” her mom said, though she seemed to be very tempted by the offer.
“It’s not a problem. It’ll just be the two of us, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on her. We’ll probably do karaoke all afternoon or something. What do you think, Zoe?”
“Karaoke together? Ooooh, yes! That would be so cool!” Singing with Shana sounded just like a dream. In fact, Zoe was sure she’d dreamed about that before.
Her mom looked less than enthusiastic about the prospect of karaoke, though. In fact, Shana might have just said the exact thing that was needed to convince her to leave them alone. “Um, yes, that’s not really my kind of thing… and I’ve never been to one of those nice spa places before… Hmmm, well, Zoe, do you think it would be okay if—”
“Yes! It’s fine,” Zoe quickly interrupted.
Maybe she’d been a little too eager, because her mom gave her a look, but then she nodded. “Well, it looks like that’s settled, then. Thank you for the generous offer, Shana.”
“Oh, my pleasure. Don’t worry about it.” Shana pushed a button on the car door. “Matthew, could you make a stop by the spa? We’ll be dropping Helen off there.”
“Of course, Miss Belle,” came the reply through the speakers.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a fancy-looking building. “You can leave the luggage here, just take what you need with you. Matthew will make sure it gets to your hotel room.” Shana pressed the button again. “Matthew, can you go in and set things up so that she’s all covered on my membership? Oh, and get her phone number, okay?”
“Certainly.”
“Thanks.” Shana turned back to Zoe’s mom. “We’ll text you with the dinner plans.”
“Sounds good. Thank you, again. Well, sweetie, I’ll see you later, okay?”
Her mom still looked unsure whether she was doing the right thing, so Zoe gave her a big reassuring hug. “Okay, cool! Have fun, Mom!”
The car door closed, and now she was alone with Shana, sitting right next to her. The singer smiled, and Zoe’s heart skipped a beat. Stop being weird, she told herself. She looked around, trying to find something to say. “This car is so cool. Do you always ride in it?”
Shana chuckled. “Oh, no. It’s a bit much for everyday use, you know? I only use a limo to make a big entrance at some events… or to impress a special guest.” She winked at Zoe, then reached out to brush her cheek.
Zoe felt her face grow warm. Special guest, she liked that. But being so close to Shana made her feel all kinds of weird. Blown away that she was meeting her idol, too shy to actually speak to her, and… other feelings that she couldn’t quite put into words.
Luckily, Shana seemed to be the exact opposite: completely at ease and happy to carry the conversation. “So, are you looking forward to the show tonight?”
Zoe’s excitement quickly got the better of her shyness. “Yes! Omigod, I’ve been wanting to see you in concert for so long! But, um, you never play near where I live…”
“Oh? Where’s that again?”
“North Dakota.”
Shana made a face. “Ah, yeah, um, that’s not really on the typical tour itinerary… Hmm, an untapped market, maybe?”
“I would so go!”
“Then it would be worth it. I’ll look into it.” Shana gave Zoe’s thigh a quick pat. “What songs do you most want to hear tonight?”
As their car resumed its journey, Zoe gushed about her favorite songs, her reserve soon fading away. To her delight, Shana assured her that many of those were on the setlist for the show.
After a twenty-minute ride, the car turned into a wide driveway. Distracted by the conversation, Zoe hadn’t been paying much attention to her surroundings, but now she took a look outside and was very impressed to see the large mansion they were driving towards. It looked like something out of a movie. “Wow! That house is huge!”
“Welcome to Beverly Hills,” Shana said, amused by her reaction. She got out of the car and held the door open for Zoe.
Eyes wide, Zoe looked around at everything while Shana gave some instructions to the driver, who left soon after on some errand or other. The two-story house could probably contain the small apartment she shared with her parents five times over, if not more. She wondered what someone did with so much space.
Zoe was no expert in architecture, but the building looked very modern to her, with large windows everywhere. The yard was beautifully arranged as well, with lots of trees, and hedgerows all around.
Shana came up from behind, putting a hand on the small of Zoe’s back. “Well? Want a tour?”
“Yes!” Zoe followed Shana inside, a bounce in her step. She was having trouble containing her excitement.
The front door opened onto a giant area that combined living room, dining room and kitchen into one open space. All the furniture looked refined and expensive, though Zoe didn’t really know much about that stuff. The entire back “wall” was made of windows, giving a nice view of the backyard and the large pool it contained. This room alone was bigger than Zoe’s entire apartment.
Shana led her around, showing off the rest of the floor, which included a practice room with a big piano, a number of well-furnished bedrooms, and no less than three huge bathrooms.
When they returned to the main area, Shana made a vague gesture towards a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. “And up there is… I dunno. More rooms, I guess?”
Zoe laughed, though she wasn’t quite sure if Shana was kidding or not. “Your house is so big that you haven’t seen all of it?”
“Well, I might have been there once or twice,” Shana replied with a wink. “To be honest, most of the time, I live in my apartment in New York. This place here, I guess it seemed like a good idea when I bought it. Like, ‘oh, look at me, I’ve made it big,’ but all that celebrity status stuff is kinda B.S. when you think about it. I mean, the place is nice and all, but… it’s not really me, you know?” She shrugged. “Though it is great for throwing parties.”
Zoe nodded slowly. “Yeah, um… I think I get it. Like, even if I had lots of money, maybe I wouldn’t want something so big. It looks real nice, but I think I’d like a place that’s more… I dunno, cozy?” She hoped she didn’t offend Shana by saying that.
But Shana only grinned. “See? You’re smarter than me.”
Zoe smiled back, flattered that Shana was confiding in her. She’d read tons of interviews with the singer, of course, but this sounded more personal than what Shana usually said publicly. And it didn’t feel like the star was talking down to her, or treating her like a kid, either.
“Well, anyway,” Shana continued, “how about that karaoke?”
“Oh, yeah!”
Shana led Zoe to the section of the room where there was a couch in front of an enormous TV. Usually, when Zoe and her friends felt like doing karaoke, they would simply load up videos on YouTube, but Shana actually had her own karaoke machine with a microphone and everything—now that was money well spent.
“So, pick the song you want,” Shana said, handing Zoe the controller after setting up the system.
Zoe looked through the list of available songs—there were a lot!—and finally selected “Shooting Star.” It was one of Shana’s, of course, and quite possibly Zoe’s favorite song, though there were a few other contenders.
Shana simply smiled and held the microphone out to Zoe.
Reaching out for it, Zoe suddenly froze. The realization had just hit her that she would need to actually sing in front of Shana. All at once, she found herself extremely self-conscious about her abilities.
“Want me to start?” Shana asked, and Zoe was quick to nod.
As soon as the first lines were sung, it became obvious just how talented Shana was. Zoe had known that, of course, but she’d also heard that many pop stars used tricks in the studio to make their voice sound better. Clearly, that wasn’t the case with Shana. With no warm-up or anything, the singer sounded just as perfect as she did on the albums.
Zoe stared, captivated, as Shana sang the first few verses of the tune. It was like her own private show. Even if there wasn’t an actual concert that night to look forward to, the trip would have been worth it for this moment.
Shana glanced at Zoe and winked. “Sing the chorus with me, don’t be shy.”
Zoe got closer to the mic and, in a hesitant voice, began singing the words that she knew so well. She’d done so by herself many times before, but it was a very different experience when the person who wrote the song was standing right next to you. Her voice sounded so weak and unsteady next to Shana’s, she was afraid that she was only embarrassing herself.
But Shana smiled, giving an encouraging nod. That boosted Zoe’s confidence, and she slowly let herself be drawn in by the music. Her voice gained in assurance, and soon enough she was enjoying the duet with her idol. She even sang the last verse by herself.
“Not bad at all,” Shana said once the song was over.
“No way.” Zoe hid her face in her hands, giggling. Shana was probably just teasing her.
“No, really. You’re pretty good, especially when you relax and start having fun. You can’t find your true voice if you’re all nervous.”
Zoe smiled at the compliment. She didn’t think she had a future as a singer, “true voice” or not, but it was still a lot of fun to pretend. And she’d be able to say she sang with Shana Belle, how cool was that?
“Wanna try another?” Shana asked.
Nodding, Zoe put on another of Shana’s songs, something more rhythmic this time.
Shana began dancing—not choreographed like in her video clips, just casually moving around to the beat. Even so, her movements were graceful and alluring. The swaying of her hips, in particular, grabbed Zoe’s attention, and it took her a moment to realize that Shana was motioning for her to join in.
Feeling some heat on her cheeks, Zoe jumped to her feet. She wasn’t even sure why she’d been staring like that, but hoped that Shana didn’t think she was weird. Trying to act casual, she began moving along to the music, mostly imitating what Shana was doing—though with a lot less elegance.
They danced and traded verses, and soon Zoe had forgotten her momentary discomfort. She was having the time of her life singing with Shana. They went through a few more songs, and she bounced around, and sang at the top of her lungs, and it was a ton of fun.
“You don’t have to pick only my songs, you know,” Shana said after the fourth or fifth one of hers that Zoe had selected.
“But they’re the best!”
“Aww. Thanks, sweetie.”
“But okay, um, let’s see…” Zoe looked through the list to see if something by another artist would catch her eye, just to switch it up. In the end, she settled on “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the Joan Jett song. It was one of her dad’s favorites, and she’d always liked it too.
“Oh yeah, love this one,” Shana said when the recognizable guitar riff came on. It was her turn on the mic, so she began singing the first few lines. She winked as she changed “he” to “she” in the lyrics, making the song about a girl instead of a guy.
Giggling, Zoe did the same for the next verse. It made sense, they were the ones “singin’ that same old song” together, after all.
They took turns with the verses, then sang the famous chorus together. Shana began banging her head to the catchy guitar lick, and Zoe soon imitated her, laughing all the while. By the time the song was over, all that dancing and moving around had made her work up a sweat.
“Phew,” Zoe said, shaking the front of her shirt to try to cool off.
Shana chuckled. “Now try that for two hours under big spotlights.”
Zoe felt exhausted just thinking about it. She’d never really thought about how demanding it must be to perform a concert. “How do you do it?”
“Practice, and regular workouts, mostly.” Shana shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“Oh, yeah, I guess you must practice like this all the time… Sorry, this must be kinda boring for you.”
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s nice to sing just for the joy of it sometimes, y’know? And with a good partner, too.” Shana winked. “This is fun. I’m glad I picked you for the contest.”
Zoe was delighted at the compliment, then a little confused. “Wait, picked? Wasn’t it a random draw?”
“Oh, well… sorta.” Shana looked a little embarrassed. “Okay, don’t tell anyone, but I had to insist on getting the right to veto the contest winner. ‘Cause, like, imagine if some creepy old guy won it, and then I’d have to spend the whole day with him? No way. So in the end, what they did is they drew three entries at random, and I got to choose one as the winner.”
“Oooh. That makes sense.” Zoe could see how it might be very awkward to be forced to hang out with some random person. She couldn’t help grinning, overjoyed to know that Shana had chosen her personally.
Shana nodded towards the windows at the back of the house. “So anyway, how about a soak in the pool to cool down?”
The idea sounded wonderful, but there was one problem. “Oh, um… I didn’t think to bring a swimsuit,” Zoe admitted. “It’s still winter back home.”
Shana shook her head. “Came to California without a swimsuit, huh?”
Zoe rubbed the back of her neck, feeling silly. “I kinda packed in a hurry before bed yesterday…”
“Well, that’s okay…” A mischievous smile spread on Shana’s lips. “We could just go skinny-dipping, if you’re game.”
Zoe’s eyes went wide with shock. Go swimming in the nude? She’d never done that before… at least not since she was a baby. She was pretty sure she shouldn’t do something like that with a grown-up she’d just met today. But this was Shana, not some weird stranger, so maybe it was okay.
The thing that caught her attention the most, though, was that Shana had said “we”. Did the singer intend to go naked, too? Zoe felt her heart race at the thought, and those butterflies flew around in her tummy, kind of like when she looked at Shana’s skimpy photos in that magazine. This time, though, Shana wouldn’t be wearing anything at all. Her cheeks burned as she imagined it.
“Don’t be shy.” Shana took Zoe by the hand and led her to the back door, which she slid open. “See? Nobody can see us out here,” she said, indicating the hedges and trees blocking the view.
It was true. Though Zoe knew there were other large houses around, only a couple of roofs could be seen. The neighbors wouldn’t be able to see anything in Shana’s yard any more than she could look into their houses.
“But we don’t have to, it’s up to you,” Shana added, shrugging. She watched Zoe, waiting on her decision but showing no sign of impatience.
“Well… okay, I guess.” The whole thing sounded pretty embarrassing but… Zoe had to admit that her desire to see Shana naked was stronger than her sense of modesty. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It seemed so weird. One thing that was for sure was that her parents wouldn’t approve. “But, um, don’t tell my mom… “
Shana chuckled. “Deal. I’d probably be in more trouble than you, actually, so… It’ll be our little secret, okay?” she said, extending her little finger.
Giggling, Zoe hooked Shana’s pinkie with her own. “Okay!”
“Good. Let’s get to it then.” Without further ado, Shana grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off in one quick motion, carelessly tossing it aside next to the pool. Her shorts soon joined the shirt on the tiles, leaving her in a skimpy bra and matching panties.
Zoe stared. Shana was so beautiful, especially when she wore so little, somehow. Zoe couldn’t keep from eyeing every inch of her idol’s body, though she felt a little creepy doing so. In her view, Shana was perfect from head to toe, and the lacy black bra and panties only highlighted that fact. Is she really gonna take ‘em off? she wondered.
As if reading Zoe’s mind, Shana winked then reached behind her back to undo the bra, letting it slide down her arms and drop to the ground. Without a hint of shyness, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pushed them down her long legs.
Zoe tried to look away, as it seemed terribly rude to gawk at someone’s bare body, but she kept stealing glances without meaning to. Shana was the first naked woman she’d gotten a good look at, other than her mother, and she couldn’t help comparing the two. Shana’s breasts were a little smaller, but looked more firm and shapely, and Zoe was puzzled to see that the spot where she’d have expected Shana to have a patch of hair between her legs was as bare as her own.
The strange sensation in Zoe’s belly was growing stronger as she studied Shana’s nude body. It felt like the butterflies were trying to fight their way out, but in a kind of nice way. It was very confusing, she’d never felt that way with anyone else.
Shana took a few steps around the pool to where the water was deeper and dove straight in. Coming up after a few seconds, she turned towards Zoe. “Well? You gonna join me, cutie? The water’s nice!”
Zoe hesitated. Now that it was her turn to undress, it seemed like a big step. Cutie? Did Shana really mean that? She’d never given it much thought before, but now she wished she was more grown-up and looked more like a woman, so maybe Shana would find her beautiful, too.
She slowly unbuttoned her jeans, pushed them down her legs and stepped out of them, did the same with her panties, and finally pulled off her socks. The t-shirt was long enough to cover her private parts, so that wasn’t too embarrassing… but now it was the only thing left to take off. She wanted to turn around, but Shana had undressed without batting an eye, and Zoe didn’t want to seem childish in the eyes of her idol.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the shirt up and over her head, held it in front of her for a few seconds then, not knowing what else to do, let it drop to the ground. Shana seemed to be watching her intently, which made Zoe even more uncomfortable, but then the young woman smiled and said, “Come on in, sweet stuff!”
It felt really weird to be naked outside, but Zoe tried to ignore it, reminding herself that nobody else could see. There were stairs leading into the in-ground pool, and she carefully went down one step at a time. The water was nice and warm, but still refreshing after all the exercise from earlier.
At the bottom of the stairs, the water was up to her shoulders. Shana swam up to join her, rising out of the water until her breasts were fully visible. Zoe tried not to stare at them, but with little success.
“You good?” Shana asked.
Zoe nodded. “Yeah… I think. It’s kinda weird, being naked, but…”
“But… kinda fun, too?” Shana completed with a wink.
“I guess so.” Zoe giggled. There was a kind of thrill to it.
Shana grinned. “I thought you might enjoy it. So… race you to the other end?”
Zoe gave the older girl a dubious look. “That doesn’t sound fair, your legs and arms are way longer. And um… I’m not a very good swimmer, anyway. I’m a little scared of the deep end,” she admitted.
“Yeah? Well, wanna practice that? I’ll help you.”
“Um… okay.”
“Here, climb on my back,” Shana said, lowering herself into the water so that Zoe could do just that.
Laughing, Zoe wrapped her arms around the young woman’s neck, and Shana began slowly swimming towards the deep end of the pool. The direct skin contact was making Zoe feel funny all over again. She was growing a little lightheaded, being so close to Shana, nestled against her beautiful body.
“Okay, now let go, and just hold on to my shoulder. Try to keep yourself afloat,” Shana said, once they were at the other end of the pool.
Zoe did as she was told. With one hand gripping Shana’s shoulder, she kicked her legs as hard as she could to try to keep from sinking. It was pretty stressful to be in a spot where the water would go over her head if she stopped moving.
Shana chuckled. “Not so fast, you’re gonna tire yourself out. Relax. Your body’s naturally buoyant, you don’t need to make such a big effort to keep floating. Do like me.”
Zoe observed Shana’s calm movements and tried to imitate her. There was a moment of panic as she began to sink but she soon managed to find a good balance between exertion and keeping her head above the water.
“Yeah, much better,” Shana said. “And even easier with both hands.”
Zoe hesitated a moment, scared that if she let go of Shana, she’d immediately plunge to the bottom of the pool. Tentatively, she loosened her grasp on Shana’s shoulder, then released it completely, and to her surprise found that she was staying afloat under her own power. “I… I’m doing it!”
“Very good!” Raising her hands above the water, Shana applauded. “See? It’s not so hard. Now, show me how you swim. Here, I’ll hold you up so it’s easier.”
Zoe felt Shana’s hand on her tummy, lifting her up so she could demonstrate her swimming technique. The touch made the butterflies go even wilder, filling her lower belly with warmth. It felt strangely pleasing, Shana’s hand on her bare skin. Zoe squirmed a little, unsure of how to respond to these new feelings and afraid that Shana might think she was weird, but in the end, she decided to just enjoy the sensation.
She swam around a little, Shana giving her tips on how to improve. Zoe couldn’t keep from grinning. She’d never imagined that one day she would be getting singing and swimming advice from her all-time favorite pop star.
After a while, Zoe was feeling more confident in her swimming abilities. She even swam the length of the pool from the deep end on her own, to Shana’s acclaim.
“Phew. I’m getting kinda tired, though,” Zoe said afterwards.
“Yeah, okay, let’s get out.”
Zoe followed Shana up the steps and out of the pool, getting a good view of the singer’s butt in the process. It was perfectly shaped, just like the rest of her body. Zoe tried to look elsewhere, but it wasn’t easy.
“We can rinse off here,” Shana said, indicating an outdoor shower, the kind they have at public pools. Her house really did have everything. Shana walked under the showerhead and turned on the spray, then motioned for Zoe to join her.
Zoe had assumed they would take turns, but she decided this was even nicer, and stepped beneath the streaming water with Shana. Once again, she had trouble keeping her eyes from exploring the young woman’s body. They seemed to want to take in every detail: the fine legs, the curiously bare private parts, the flat belly, the strangely fascinating breasts… When her gaze drifted higher, she met Shana’s eyes, and suddenly realized that she’d been caught staring.
But Shana only smiled warmly. Apparently she didn’t mind at all, if she even did notice. For a moment, it looked like Shana’s eyes might be doing a bit of wandering as well, but Zoe figured that had to be her imagination.
On to Part Two!
Six-year-old Alice Mitchell was often told by her mother that she had a very overactive imagination. Alice wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly, so her mother explained, telling her, “Well, sweetie, it means that you have a wonderful mind that thinks up some incredible things… but they aren’t always real.”
