19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rzBomWR1O
By Friday, Naomi had almost convinced herself things were normal again.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHB6dMM8TjH
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.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzN0HXdbsUh
She didn’t expect anything new when she walked into the music hall.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92ttmc9szS
But there it was—taped neatly to the corkboard:
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAzker6piB
> **DUET COMPETITION: Regional Winter Gala Selection**
> *Finalists to perform live before guest judges. Open to all Music Division students.*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEczNszZ40
Below the bold headline was a growing list of names.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ301SI1iOfa
Her eyes skimmed down the sheet.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRNfiz9bF7
And froze.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5otkFsMzX
> **Levi Hayes & Maya Holloway**
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqJohT0JCF
The names were circled in thick black ink.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6cz59r9Ga
Her throat tightened.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKxdIMojD2
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.*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9An5EOm2Df
Naomi’s fingers tightened around the folder in her arms. The paper creased beneath her grip.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKehmqIPaRn
Someone behind her gave a low whistle.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bidXhEmrE
> “Guess he’s making upgrades,”
> someone muttered.
> “She’s basically his type. Public performer. People pleaser.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaNvDHWsMm
Naomi turned sharply, but the voice was gone, swallowed by a group of students filing in with coffee cups and instrument cases.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTy2WW8KS5
And just below the list, someone had scribbled in faint pencil:
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZIqTs4LFd
> **#Leomi is over. #Leaya?**
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfm4QXcz5y
She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until it burned.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdcKT7XNS2
---
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIUv29rm3x
She found Levi—too easily—just outside the rehearsal room, casually tuning his guitar by a window like nothing had changed.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LOzilC7s2
“Nice choice,” Naomi said, flatly.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIB7uXkqW4
Levi glanced up. “What?”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5768ZHUS6o
She nodded toward the flyer. “You and Maya.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINbbIFgdFe
Levi blinked. “She asked. I didn’t say yes.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM2ytSfGFE
“You didn’t say no either, clearly.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX8Ik9GaO7
“She signed us up. I didn’t even see the list until this morning.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnv4wEHAyr
Naomi gave a dry laugh. “Convenient.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh7TBciNIf
He stepped forward, voice quieter. “Naomi, come on. You know I wouldn’t just—”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIt3eLl4lR
“Pick her?” Her voice cracked just slightly. “Maybe not intentionally. But you didn’t stop her either.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNIllNLjvJ
A beat passed.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx71EmTzDG
“She’s not you.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU1rARk3ik
“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.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOLlxOX65Z
Levi flinched.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vhaljTp3J
“That’s not fair.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItRo1RRtXK
“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.”
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBd16ujjFJ
He looked at her like he wanted to explain everything.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjW1SPxym5n
But he didn’t.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuX18NXP02L
And she didn’t wait.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzffMtf76OB
She walked off, heart pounding in her chest like an off-beat drum.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmTxSBsT9c
---
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNo5ps569S
That night, Naomi sat in the dim quiet of her room, fingers poised over her notebook. She didn’t try to compose a melody.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCsDMOIr7r
She wrote.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqC6Wah9YUH
Fast. Messy. Raw.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyqQ9rgBkW
Lyrics poured out of her like confession:
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fNiz4XxUR
> *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.*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxV069eBZRG
Her vision blurred. She blinked it away.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jPQgU3iX2
She’d never written something so angry. So *real.*
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCo4LWnkvZ
And when she read it back, it hurt.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTzL53e1tA
Because it wasn’t just a song.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOCkHEi0yd
It was the truth she couldn’t say out loud.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwH49bTR17
---
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpncTFtTvG
Saturday came. Naomi arrived early to rehearsal, pretending she felt fine.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiQ2Jj0GFz
But the room stayed too quiet.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHov2UMWnQt
No Levi.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcKQSdR8sr
No call. No text.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WFr1EWiwA
He wasn’t just late.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cVG14Xu7X
He wasn’t coming.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwl1QyqCTNx
---
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSzgXbHiaU
She stood alone by the piano, hand resting on the lid, her mind racing.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dZ3DBHjm4
Was he avoiding her? Regretting the performance? Choosing Maya after all?
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeppAVCpql
Or was something else going on—something she didn’t understand yet?
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z1SjzwCDw
The worst part wasn’t that he wasn’t there.
It was how much she’d hoped he would be.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdepSwGBEs
--
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQIYuZgypV
Take a wild guess — what do you think will happen next? I won’t spoil, but I’ll be watching your theories! 👀19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpyxSzYhNN
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtYMwrJJGq
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK6Jze2D6K
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwABOR9E39
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.