I'm Out of the Band

Sarah North was the lead singer of an all-girl music group called Sarah and the Sparkletones. The members all came from different backgrounds and played different instruments. Sarah was American and the lead singer. Chiyoko was Japanese and played the drums. Romy was German and played the saxophone. Anoushka was Russian and played the electric guitar. Josefina was Brazilian and played the acoustic guitar. Mia was Australian and played the violin. Vivienne was French and played the snare drum. Zalika was Ethiopian and played the keyboards. Nancy was British and played the bass guitar. Alexandria was Hungarian and played the tambourine. Ever since their early days, the girls dreamt of rising to the top of the charts. They even had three hit albums, called "Love", "Dreamer", and "Shine Bright Like a Diamond". A lot of people, especially young girls, looked up to the band as idols because of the positive messages in their songs and how they were able to celebrate their differences in personality, interests, race, and sexuality. The band knew that they had a bright future ahead of them.

But one day, things started to change. After being the lead singer of her band for almost a few years, Sarah realized that maybe it was time for her to retire from The Sparkletones. This was because she had become so busy with other things that she barely had as much time to rehearse with her band as she used to. Besides, she was still in high school and needed to finish up her studies. She couldn't spend her days playing in concerts, because she would never get an education on that. Still, even though she was thinking about leaving the band, she knew that one day, they would be world-famous. Someday, they would get a record deal and hit it big. Their records would go platinum, they would have groupies, and they would travel to different countries in the world playing their songs. Maybe they would even star in a movie. But Sarah knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon. At least, not with her. She had to focus more on schoolwork, because her parents told her to almost every day. If she were to continue her musical career after high school, she would likely be a solo act. Even though she loved to sing, she couldn't decide whether she wanted to continue her career after high school, go on to work at a regular job, or start college. This was a rather tricky choice for her. She wanted to tell her bandmates about her decision to retire, but she worried that they would be heartbroken at the news, and so would her fans who followed her on social media. 

Either way, this would be the end of an era for The Sparkletones. Sarah didn't know what her bandmates would do once she retired. Would they hire a new lead singer to take her place? Would they continue as an instrumental group? Nevertheless, the band would never be the same without Sarah. Although she had to retire because her parents wanted her to focus more on schoolwork, she was a little hesitant about her decision. What was she to do? Should she stay and sing in the bad for a little longer, or should she accept the fact she had to quit for the sake of her parents and her education? She was a little nervous about telling her bandmates she wanted to quit. She worried that it would be a bad move on her part, and if the other girls got mad at her for retiring as lead singer, they wouldn't forgive her for not telling them personally. 

But hopefully, they wouldn't get mad at her. At least, that's what Sarah thought. She knew there was no way to weasel out of this. In order to tell her bandmates she was going to retire, she decided to practice for it so she could be ready. She rehearsed her routine by role-playing with her friends Billy and Matt, with them being her bandmates. After a bit of rehearsing, Billy told Sarah that she needed to be honest and speak with her heart. 

Sarah practiced with Billy and Matt a few times, but she couldn't get her words right. Eventually, she decided she couldn't rehearse how she was going to tell her band about her retirement. She just had to do it. She was not going to overthink it. The next time she came to her band's rehearsal, she was just going to tell them. 

The next week, Sarah did some of her homework before meeting up with her bandmates at their high school's youth club, where they usually rehearsed after school on Wednesday afternoons. However, while Sarah was able to show up on time for rehearsals, the time she didn't come right away. The other girls had no idea what was going on, so they decided to practice their instruments while they waited for her to arrive. Twenty minutes later, Sarah showed up, and she could see that her bandmates were a little concerned about her. 

"Sarah, where have you been?" asked Anoushka. "Rehearsal started twenty minutes ago!" 

"Girls, I have something important to tell you," said Sarah. "I must quit The Sparkletones."

"Quit?!" exclaimed the girls. 

"Yeah," said Sarah. "I have to."

"But why do you want to quit?" asked Chiyoko. 

"Because my parents want me to concentrate more on schoolwork," said Sarah. "They don't want me playing with you anymore." 

"Well, just because your folks want you to focus on school doesn't mean you can stop performing with us," said Mia. "We need you as a lead singer. Your vocals are what make our performances legendary." 

"But even if you do quit, we might hit it big without you," said Vivienne, feeling a bit hopeful. 

"Yes," said Zalika. "Once you leave, we might hire a new lead singer to take your place."

"But what if we get world-famous someday?" asked Sarah. "If the band hits it big, I don't think it would be the same without me as the lead singer."

"Oh, Sarah," said Nancy. "I know you feel guilty about your plans to split up with us, but we understand why you want to quit. Education is more important than fame, after all. Besides, we're not quite ready to become super famous yet."

"Yeah," said Alexandria. "What's the rush with having to become famous anyway? We just want to take things nice and easy for the time being." 

"So...you girls aren't upset that I'm leaving the band?" asked Sarah.

"No, why should we be?" said Chiyoko. "We had you in our band for a while, and we had fun. But we knew one of us would leave eventually. We weren’t going to stay together forever."

"Even when you retire, you might move on to a solo career someday after you finish high school," said Anoushka.

"Yeah," said Josefina. "If we hire a new lead singer, she might be just as good as you."

"I must admit, it will be sad to see you go," said Mia. "But we will always remember your time with us, even after we get a record deal."

"You'll always be a Sparkletone, no matter what," said Nancy. 

With these words of encouragement, Sarah started to feel a lot better. Although she was going to drop out of the band due to real-life concerns, the other girls would still be friends with her. 

"Thanks, girls," she said. "I'll miss you after I retire, but I bet you'll do great when you get a new lead singer. Maybe you'll be signed to a contract and tour different countries. Everyone is going to look up to you as role models. 

The next week, the girls rehearsed for Sarah’s farewell concert. They knew that their lead singer’s retirement was going to be the start of something new. Since Sarah would most likely not be coming back because she needed to finish her studies, they were going to make the most of their final performance with her. For their big finale, they decided to compose a song about how their friendship would remain strong even when they drifted apart. 

On the night of the concert, the band set up their equipment on the stage at the school gymnasium, where they would be performing. They had talked to the principal ahead of time, and he agreed to let them play. The students bought tickets and took their seats. When it was showtime, the curtains rose up, and the Sparkletones began to jam. Their fans were aware this was the last time they would hear Sarah sing. They would miss her a lot, but they were grateful that she and her band inspired them for all the times they performed. Some of them had their phones out to record the band's concert, capturing their final memory of Sarah's astounding voice. When the band finished their last song, the crowd jumped up from their seats and gave a standing ovation.

"Thanks, you've been great!" said Sarah. "This is the last time I'll be singing with my girls. I'm retiring, good night!"

After the concert was over, Sarah and her bandmates all hugged each other as their lead singer prepared to say goodbye to them. 

"Girls, I want to thank you for everything," said Sarah. "I loved singing in our band, and we all made some pleasant memories together, but now my work here is done. I could return someday as a solo act when I finish high school, or I could start attending a good college. Who knows?"

"We're just glad that we could stick with you for a while, Sarah," said

Chiyoko. 

"Even though singing has always been one of your passions, you know what’s best for you," said Romy. 

"We sure wish you could've stayed a little longer," said Mia.

"Me too," said Sarah. "But there are still some responsibilities I need

to get back to. I don't think this will be goodbye forever. It's more like see you next time."

"So we'll still keep in touch after you've left?" asked Nancy.

"You bet," said Sarah. "No matter where I go or what I do, I'll always be a Sparkletone."

The other girls agreed. They were all happy to have Sarah

with them for a while, but now it was time for her to go. They all waved goodbye as Sarah got ready to go home.

"Bye, girls!" said Sarah as she walked out the door. "Thanks for the

memories!"

As Sarah went home, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for choosing to retire. She hoped she would see her band again someday, and they would probably have a new lead singer who would be just as good as she was. She would never forget all the wonderful times she had with them, and she knew they would remember her, too.