9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4Q2lmrcNB
By Friday, Naomi had almost convinced herself things were normal again.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB7P3lZqLZ
She wore her calm like a well-fitted jacket—neatly zipped and carefully ironed. Her hair was pinned back, her folders crisp. If she looked put-together on the outside, maybe the chaos inside her wouldn’t show.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj1Y0v4q82
She didn’t expect anything new when she walked into the music hall.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP3Dv9kDkW
But there it was—taped neatly to the corkboard:
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qAOTsXDD4
> **DUET COMPETITION: Regional Winter Gala Selection**
> *Finalists to perform live before guest judges. Open to all Music Division students.*
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBZXG4im5J
Below the bold headline was a growing list of names.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qWEujYd0o
Her eyes skimmed down the sheet.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnImSjfKGlg
And froze.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBeGS0JtVk
> **Levi Hayes & Maya Holloway**
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUlVxgJgt8
The names were circled in thick black ink.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9or32P6Dq
Her throat tightened.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2hcUY0joS
Maya Holloway. First-chair violinist. Voice like silk. Always perfectly in tune—on stage, in conversation, in life. Maya wasn’t just talented. She was polished. Public. *Safe.*
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AlDwfig4s
Naomi’s fingers tightened around the folder in her arms. The paper creased beneath her grip.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0xqLwmd11
Someone behind her gave a low whistle.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdhynI96sT
> “Guess he’s making upgrades,”
> someone muttered.
> “She’s basically his type. Public performer. People pleaser.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgi8ndcHiC
Naomi turned sharply, but the voice was gone, swallowed by a group of students filing in with coffee cups and instrument cases.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSSgcPDKWX
And just below the list, someone had scribbled in faint pencil:
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtY4vhWPCr
> **#Leomi is over. #Leaya?**
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0uMSXSoyy
She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until it burned.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPONZv26Mhz
---
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpxroM0xuw
She found Levi—too easily—just outside the rehearsal room, casually tuning his guitar by a window like nothing had changed.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwTMIIVSBV
“Nice choice,” Naomi said, flatly.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhc8HxKkjaI
Levi glanced up. “What?”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWM1lyAPIn
She nodded toward the flyer. “You and Maya.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51YE5la90l
Levi blinked. “She asked. I didn’t say yes.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVe2kbyGRQF
“You didn’t say no either, clearly.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOApygjW5FA
“She signed us up. I didn’t even see the list until this morning.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmzF2ThmzS
Naomi gave a dry laugh. “Convenient.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9g18Gw4Fc
He stepped forward, voice quieter. “Naomi, come on. You know I wouldn’t just—”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeeOrmreFg
“Pick her?” Her voice cracked just slightly. “Maybe not intentionally. But you didn’t stop her either.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cFI7jumft
A beat passed.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfF9iU1Asbi
“She’s not you.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPR0VoL698
“Exactly,” Naomi said, the words sharper than she meant. “She’s not difficult. Or defensive. Or confusing. She's everything I’m not—and apparently, that works better for you.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZ6fVh4IEW
Levi flinched.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33YravwvE1
“That’s not fair.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqsEIaxsk9
“No,” she said, stepping back, her jaw tight. “What’s not fair is that I can’t even figure out what we are, and now I have to watch you duet with someone else like nothing happened.”
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbrXy2w3kS
He looked at her like he wanted to explain everything.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JuHMI9bnz
But he didn’t.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04GR3HKkHU
And she didn’t wait.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATSyWIJMkw
She walked off, heart pounding in her chest like an off-beat drum.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxbv4hmPyJ
---
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNTbS7jfLD
That night, Naomi sat in the dim quiet of her room, fingers poised over her notebook. She didn’t try to compose a melody.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqLYYS81m6
She wrote.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYr4KiHJdMI
Fast. Messy. Raw.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8KvpyckrG
Lyrics poured out of her like confession:
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RHHEdSQeL
> *You said it was just the music
> But the silence left a scar*
> *And now I’m a note you skipped
> On the way to who you really are.*
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20P63Gux6X
Her vision blurred. She blinked it away.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHFgwhRPl1
She’d never written something so angry. So *real.*
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZWG1kRB6p
And when she read it back, it hurt.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUHq0KIy3C
Because it wasn’t just a song.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kLTXEvtzS
It was the truth she couldn’t say out loud.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetcCwfTHwA
---
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUk9A48yTs
Saturday came. Naomi arrived early to rehearsal, pretending she felt fine.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOVKSRHuTv
But the room stayed too quiet.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXIMLcDwgf
No Levi.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQvam9snyJ
No call. No text.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoAoqB7aME
He wasn’t just late.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpl1IEToVBX
He wasn’t coming.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYXvxBapwM
---
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNSkePZgpy
She stood alone by the piano, hand resting on the lid, her mind racing.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOh5XcnTCc
Was he avoiding her? Regretting the performance? Choosing Maya after all?
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVWe0yyNoU
Or was something else going on—something she didn’t understand yet?
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAdTyuBWjU
The worst part wasn’t that he wasn’t there.
It was how much she’d hoped he would be.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TcM6nUYs7
--
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOsru3rTVW
Take a wild guess — what do you think will happen next? I won’t spoil, but I’ll be watching your theories! 👀9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBI02rLvlMY
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcdh0e8lTv
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWU9eHkVUq
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgVEvjY0Tt
