Her fingers struck a different set of keys. A yearning tone crept under the eerie melody, lifting the song up into something hot and light. Keira grabbed the pencil and scratched the next notes onto the paper. She barely noticed that the room had grown dark. All that mattered was getting the music down on the page, because finally—finally—her hands felt right on the keys again.
She ran through the piece again, letting her memories drift across her mind’s eye. When she thought of the bizarrely dark wall that sprang up behind Walker, she stiffened. The music pouring from her fingers became discordant. Keira slid her hands off the gleaming keys. She didn’t want to write the last bit down. It didn’t sound the way she wanted to—it didn’t sound right.
But maybe, if I hadn’t had a stupid hallucination . . .
Tentatively, she played the first bit of the song again, remembering how Walker had leaned in close to her. If she hadn’t imagined that wall, she would have swayed toward him, until there was no space left between them. Until . . .
The music soared, so graceful that Keira’s foot quivered on the pedal.
The notes came so easily when she imagined kissing him. She hadn’t played like that . . . well, ever, actually.
Keira scribbled the last few measures onto the scrap paper and looked at the song that had taken shape. The evidence of her feelings for Walker lay in front of her, separated into notes and bars and rests. It was like the universe was giving her a sign that it was okay to date him. Like the music itself wanted them to be together.
Jesus. Now I really am losing my mind.
Keira slid the sheets of newly written music into the bottom of her basket. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched, heading into the kitchen for the most sane thing she could think of: a cup of tea.
? ? ?
Sunday passed in miserable silence. Susan called and invited her over, but Keira could hear Mrs. Kim clucking and hovering in the background. She didn’t want to deal with Susan’s over-interested mother. Mrs. Kim would have too many questions and Keira didn’t have any answers.
Walker didn’t call, which disappointed Keira and she spent most of the day locked in her room, avoiding her cranky parents. The one time she ran into her dad, he gave her a twenty-dollar bill, in case any “expenses” came up while she was stuck riding the bus to and from school. It was obviously guilt-money, meant to make him feel better about having been gone after her accident. But without a job, she needed the money too badly to refuse.
School was a relief on Monday, even though she had to take the bus. Susan was supposed to give her a ride, but she’d called indecently early and announced that, as part of her punishment for coming in past curfew, Mrs. Kim had forbade Susan from using her car. She’d hinted none too subtly that Keira should call Walker and ask for a ride.
As if.
Susan flopped down across from Keira at lunch.
“Hey.” Keira waved her half-eaten sandwich in Susan’s direction.
“Hey, yourself. Sorry I couldn’t give you a ride this morning. How are things with your parents? Are they still miserable?”
“Yeah.”
“That sucks. Did you at least get some good practice in?”
“No. I couldn’t focus.”
“Oh, that sucks! And you were stuck in the house all weekend. Maybe today’ll be better, since you’ve gotten out and all, even if it is just for school.”
Keira hesitated. “Actually . . . I was gone almost all afternoon on Saturday, and it didn’t make any difference.”
“You were gone? Where?”
Keira shut her eyes. There was no sense holding back now. “I was with Walker. We drove down to the coast and hiked around on the rocks.”
Susan stopped with a pretzel halfway to her open mouth. “Like on a date?” The last word was a squeal.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“What’s this about a date?” Jeremy leaned over her and put his hand down on the table. She could smell his musky cologne and she wrinkled her nose, moving her sandwich away from his hand.
“Hi, Jeremy,” Susan said. Keira watched as Tommy stepped up behind Susan and wrapped his arms around her. Susan jumped in surprise and then cracked up. “Hey, you,” she said, tilting her head up to kiss him.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It sounds like Keira went on a date.” The singsong tone in Jeremy’s voice made Keira grit her teeth.
Susan frowned. “Jeremy, you are totally butting in on a conversation that has nothing to do with you.”
Tommy pulled his arms away from Susan. “Hey, Jeremy only came over to say hi,” he insisted.
“Then he’s way over his word limit,” Keira snarked.
“Come on,” Tommy said to Jeremy. “Let’s get some food before they close the line.
“Fine.” Jeremy put his mouth so close to Keira’s ear that she could feel his breath. “But if you’re open for business, I am totally taking a number.”
Before Keira could think of something smart to say, the guys had disappeared into the lunch line. She settled for a disgusted groan.
“So, putting Jeremy’s jerk-wad tendencies aside, what did happen with Walker this weekend?” Susan asked.