Chapter 3

“How was your weekend?”Ryder asked as we trudged through the halls of Felony High. At least, that’s what we called it. Fellston High was a nightmare, especially if you were of the weak variety. You typically would get stuffed in your locker and your possessions confiscated by whatever bigger fish was passing by.

Luckily, I didn’t get fucked with, and neither did my best friend, Ryder. We kept our shit to ourselves and just tried to make it through.

“It was good. Mom worked all weekend. I grabbed some hours at Twisty Cone and hung out with Trent and Tia mostly. Watched some movies. Worked on some music. Worked out at the gym after martial arts.”

Ryder nodded, his eyes trained on Vanessa Wallace in her short skirt.

I nudged him, chuckling.

“Man, what I wouldn’t give,” he murmured, tearing his focus from her as we continued on to our next classes.

“I honestly heard you wouldn’t have to give much,” I said. “Jake Thornton was talking in the locker room about him and Joey Winston taking turns on her at Cleo’s party over the weekend.”

Ryder sighed. “I’d join in. Fuck it. My dick wants what it wants.”

I shook my head at him, amused by his antics.

“You’re telling me that if some gorgeous girl you’ve wanted forever was getting banged out by multiple guys and you were invited in, you’d say no?” Ryder shot me a curious look.

I wrinkled my nose. “I guess it would depend on the girl. I’m not into dudes.”

“I’m not into dudes either, bro, but I didn’t ask you to fuck any in this scenario. It’s all about the girl. She wants you. She wants them. You love her. Do you tell her no?”

“You don’t love Vanessa.”

He let out a groan. “Dude, just answer the question.”

I contemplated it for a moment. “I don’t know. It would depend on her, like I said. I’d have to love her to be able to share her. Like, really love her. I’m not good at sharing, but honestly, I can’t even imagine something like this ever happening in my life, so it doesn’t matter.”

“You take the fun out of hypothetical situations, Anson.”

I laughed. “You’re welcome.”

He waved me off as the hall split and headed over to his history class while I veered left and went to the music room. I was a good student. Top of my class. While I could work through a lot of boring homework, music was where I came to life. It excited me beyond anything else in the world.

“Anson, hey,” Mrs. Delaney greeted me.

“Hey,” I answered, going to the piano and sitting down. I ran my fingers over the keys, relief flooding through me. Something about music just made me calm.

“I have good news,” Mrs. Delaney said, coming over to me as the room filled with students. I was going to play piano today for a new number we were working on for a state competition.

“What is it?”

She glanced behind her to the filling classroom. “See me after class. We can talk then.”

I agreed and went back to playing softly. We spent the entire hour working on the new song. It went well. When it was over, the class was dismissed, and that meant it was time to head home.

I didn’t get up from my seat, opting to play some of the music I had flowing through my head while Mrs. Delaney spoke to a few students after class and scheduled additional practice time for them.

As far as teachers went, Mrs. Delaney was a good one. She spent a lot of time trying to hone our individual skills. I’d learned a lot from her, and she was probably my favorite at Felony High. Why she bothered to stay here was beyond me. She could be teaching at a better place in a heartbeat, yet she continued to show up every day. It was admirable. I knew the moment I got a chance to get out of here, I was going to take it.

She wandered back over to me and listened to my song for a few minutes until I paused my playing.

“I have something for you,” she said, offering me a smile. She walked to the closet, stepped inside, and rummaged around for a few moments before she came out holding an old black case.

“What is it?” I rose from my seat and followed her to her desk.

“Open it,” she said, her dark eyes sparkling.

I reached out and opened the case and let out a soft gasp at the old violin that rested on worn velvet.

“It’s for you. My husband and I were out doing some shopping, and we found it in an old shop. You said it’s the one instrument you’ve always wanted to play.”

“Mrs. Delaney, I can’t accept this,” I whispered, my heart in my throat. I yearned to lift the instrument from its case and play the hell out of it. I’d been studying it for years but had never had my hands on one.

“Yes, you can,” she said gently. “Listen, Anson. I know talent when I see it. Hear it. You’re going places. I’d like for you to take this violin with you. I really think you’re going to change the world someday. If it takes a small gift to make that happen, then it’s worth it.”

The unshed tears prickled my eyes, and my throat grew tight.

“Thank you,” I finally choked out.

“You’re welcome,” she said, a smile on her face. “Now, let’s see if you can make it sing.”

I looked from the violin to her and nodded, eager to see if all the studying I’d done over the years could be translated into actually playing.

“It’s tuned.” She held the lid as I pulled the shiny instrument out. “We had some work done on it, so I’m hoping it’ll last you for a long time.”

I nodded, completely astounded by her generosity, and lifted the bow.

I exhaled and ran the bow over the strings, getting a feel for it. It was instantaneous. It was like another part of my body that I knew I’d been missing.

Within minutes, I was lost in the music of Clair de Lune by Debussy, the music rushing from my fingertips.

Completely consumed.

I’d never felt that way before, but this was what I’d been missing in my life.

This was where I needed to be. If I’d ever had any doubts before, they were washed away as the music invaded the air around us.

Mrs. Delaney sank onto a chair and placed her hands over her heart while she listened to me play.

This was it.

Absolutely, forever. Consumed.

I closed my eyes and let the music sweep me away.