Playing to Win

“Perfect.” I rose from the desk, ready to join the guys in the practice room and forget all about Ms. Jackson and graduation requirements and lose myself in making music. “Thanks, Ms. Jackson, that sounds kind of fun.” Or at least better than picking up garbage on the highway.

She stood up as well. “Great. I still need to meet with someone from the middle school to determine which kids will participate in the program. I’ll let you know when I know. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good. Thanks again,” I said and then made my way to the practice room.

Jarom, Adam, and Bash worked on one of my songs. Once they found out I wrote my own music, they begged to hear some of it. We’d chosen three to begin working on together, adding harmony and including percussion. Jarom had the idea to work on a few songs until we had them the way we wanted them, then put them up on YouTube. I didn’t know about all that, but I loved how the first song sounded once we put it all together.

“Man, this sounds so good,” Adam said when I walked in.

“I can’t believe you aren’t already doing gigs.” Bash shook his head from behind his drum set. “What’s holding you back?”

“I told you guys, my dad.” I slung my guitar strap over my shoulder and played the first chords of the song they’d been working on while I talked to Ms. Jackson. “I like what you did with that last part, Adam. Let’s start from the top. I want to hear it again. I had an idea.”

Happy to not discuss my dad and his lack of support for my passion, I went right into the song.

“Whoa, that sounded so much better.” Jarom held out his knuckles.

I tapped them with mine. “We practice a few more times like that and then I say we record it.”

“This is going to be so epic,” Jarom said.

I didn’t think so at first, but now, I kind of thought he might be right.

After school, I found myself walking slowly toward the exit. I hadn’t tested Jordan’s patience by parking in her spot again, but since I had to take my guitar case in every day, I tried to arrive early enough to get a close spot. That morning, the space beside Jordan had been available and I’d taken it.

My eyes scanned the sea of heads bobbing down the hall toward the door leading to the student parking lot for her particular shade of blonde. Since the incident at practice with Leo, I’d told myself Jordan didn’t want anything to do with me and I needed to leave her alone. Easier said than done. Apparently, I’d become a bit obsessed with a certain tomboy.

Finally, I saw her several feet in front of me and quickened my pace until nobody separated us. I followed her out the door to the parking lot where the noise from the hall dissipated and a quiet sound reached my ear.

CHAPTER SIX

Jordan

I’d fallen asleep the night before with Asher’s song stuck in my head. At different times during the day, I’d caught myself humming the tune, a happy little distraction from the turmoil I’d been experiencing worrying about my little brother. Thank goodness for Friday!

With Asher’s melody running through my mind, I burst through the double doors, immediately shedding some of the tension I’d been carrying around since the night before.

“Hey!” Asher’s voice, accompanied by his hand on my shoulder, pulled me to a stop in the middle of the school parking lot.

“What’s your problem?”I asked, pointedly glaring at his hand me.

He dropped it like I’d burned him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. I was just-” He ran his fingers through his hair.

“Just what?” He’d scared the crap out of me, grabbing me like that out of nowhere.

“You were humming,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and moved out of the flow of traffic leaving the parking lot toward my own car. “That’s a federal offense or something?” I said over my shoulder.

Asher pressed his lips into a thin line and followed me. “No, but piracy is. You were humming my tune and I want to know where you heard it.”

Oh.

Crap.

Heat flooded my cheeks. My neck. My whole body. I busied myself with putting my backpack in my car while I tried to come up with something to say.