She nods, pulling out the menu and taking it with her to her office. I join the others in the living room, where they’re already playing a movie. The only spot left is between Adam and Abby, so I plop down between them. We don't even make it five minutes before my hands are wrapped in theirs, and I smile to myself, unable to stop it.
Sophia walks in a few minutes later, her eyebrows drawing down at our clasped hands but doesn't react any further. Though, knowing Sophia, she'll bring it up later. For once, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’ve never been this happy or liked anyone as much as I like them. It may not be conventional, but for us it’s perfect.
She watches part of the movie with us, waiting for the Chinese to get here. I glance over and notice the hard edges to her eyes, knowing that something with the conversation didn't go well. She’s not a fidgety person, but the way she twirls her rings and shifts in her seat have me worrying even more.
The doorbell rings, disrupting the movie. Alice pauses it, and we all head into the dining room to wait for Sophia. I stop in the kitchen and grab a stack of plates and napkins before joining them. Despite trying to keep myself busy, I find myself watching Adam as he picks at his food. Abby and Trent are trying their hardest to keep the conversation flowing around us, but my stomach is full of nerves and I barely touch my own food.
The moment the movie starts back up, Adam drifts off, his head leaned back against the couch. The others all say their goodbyes and leave quietly, before Sophia repositions him comfortably and covers him up, motioning for me to follow her to the kitchen.
"I spoke to his dad. He claims he had no idea it was that bad. He asked for Adam to stay here until he gets home. He said he can wrap up his meetings, and he'll fly home tomorrow. He'll come to get Adam tomorrow night," she explains, sighing and sitting down.
'Do you think things will change? Will he get in trouble for this?' I ask, worried Adam will get punished when his mom finds out.
"No, his dad really did sound shocked. So I think things may change for him. At least I really hope so," she says, rubbing her hand over her eyes. "Go get some rest, he'll be all right down here."
With one last glance at her, I nod and blow out a breath before walking away. I stop in the living room long enough to kiss him on the forehead and head upstairs.
As I get ready, my mind doesn't stop shuffling through all of the things going on. One part of me is still worried about the case. It lingers in the back of my mind and never really leaves. The other is worried about Adam. And an even bigger part keeps turning over the changes in our group and what I'm going to do. After hours of my thoughts circling, I eventually drift off, no closer to the answers I want.
Friday
Afternoon
Charlie
“You’re going to be amazing, Charlie girl,” Cole murmurs, confidence infused in his words. It’s his attempt to encourage me as we walk out of the instrument room to perform our song in front of the entire class. Mr. Hill moved the piano and violin into the main room for us. It's the first time I've ever done any sort of performance, and I'm practically bouncing on my feet with anxiety.
Cole situates himself at the piano, and I sit on my stool with the violin. Our eyes lock together as we wait for Mr. Hill to finish talking, that singular moment grounding me enough I feel like I can breathe again.
“And now, Charlie and Cole, you may begin.” Our teacher gives us a nod, before taking a seat with the class to watch.
Cole counts us off and we begin. As soon as the first notes take off, I can see the smiles on some of the students’ faces, their faces lit with recognition. This is why we chose a more modern song, in the first place.
Once we find our pace, everything slowly fades away except the sound of the piano and my violin. My tension drains with each swipe of my violin bow, the song unfolding in front of us easily, like this is second nature.
We finish the last few notes, and the classroom bursts into applause. I can't keep the grin off my face as I pull my violin away and glance at Cole, his smile matching mine.
“Fantastic work!” Mr. Hill praises as he ushers us back to our seats. As soon as we’re at a table together, Cole tugs me forward and crushes our lips together, the kiss passionate and insistent, but it’s over in a flash as Mr. Hill calls up the second group.
They play a classical piece. It's really well practiced, but it's not as exciting as ours apparently, since whispers and glazed eyes fill the room. As they finish, they also get applause, though not as enthusiastically as we did. And honestly, I’m so proud of us that I can’t find it in me to feel bad for them. It's the perfect end of the semester.
“What should we do during break?” Cole asks as he takes my hand. I mime sleep, and he laughs. “That does sound nice, but not very exciting,” he jokes.
“Really, Cole? You're with the mute?” Callie’s awful high-pitched voice practically screeches. I roll my eyes and keep walking, but Cole stops. He does a slow turn and glares at her. Oh shit, here we go.
“She's beautiful and twice as genuine as you could even dream of being. And yes, Callie, she’s my girlfriend now. Don’t be jealous that I wouldn’t give you a chance and Adam doesn’t want you anymore,” he says, his voice icy and low. I'm honestly just thankful I'm not in her shoes. “Maybe this is why you’re single.”
“You don’t even know me,” she growls, but he’s already turning back to me. Her eyes meet mine and I give her a smug smile, not feeling the least bit sorry for her.
“Ready, beautiful?” he asks as he leads me away. Wanting to be closer, I take my hand out of his and lean my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around my waist and guides me outside.
When we reach the front doors, I pull out my phone so I can type for him. ‘Want to ride with me and Sophia? We can head over to the coffee shop or something?’ I turn my screen around for him to read.
“Sounds good,” he agrees with his signature half grin. When Sophia pulls up, I gesture to Cole, and she smiles and waves him in. We're about halfway home when Cole speaks up to save me from typing out a message.
“She wants to go grab a coffee, and I want to hit up the music store, is that cool?”
Sophia’s smile grows wider, and she winks at me in the rearview mirror.