“No way,” Sarah insisted. “I have him wrapped
around my little finger. I say jump, he says how high.”
“I heard he’s got a big piano competition
coming up. Make him skip it, then we’ll talk,”
someone challenged.
“Easy,” Sarah smirked. “Just watch.”
I froze I know exactly how important that
I froze. I knew exactly how important that
competition was. First place meant a full
scholarship to the Vienna Conservatory. I
knew, because it was the same competition
he’d missed in my past life. Back then,
convinced Sarah was using him, I’d tried to
warn Ethan. He’d just dismissed me as
jealous and spiteful. Finally, I’d gone to his
parents. It had blown up spectacularly. They’d
been forced to break up, and Ethan,
distraught, hadn’t placed in the competition.
He still got to Vienna, but the scholarship was
gone. And he never forgave me.
Sarah turned to me, a glint in her eye. “You
wouldn’t tell, would you, Quinn?”
I looked down at my textbook. “No,” I said
quietly. “I won’t.” This time, I would stay
eir liv26 unfa
without
<
interference.
I didn’t see Ethan again until he showed up at
my front door, drunk and bleeding. Shattered
beer bottles littered the porch. It was the first
time I’d been face–to–face with him since
coming back. The bile rose in my throat.
He scrambled to his feet, eyes red–rimmed.
“Quinn, you and Sarah are friends, right? Can
you call her? She…she wants to break up. I
can’t…I can’t live without her.”
“She says I’m boring, that I spend too much
time with my piano. I’ll quit! The piano’s
nothing compared to her. Please, help me.”
“I’m desperate. I love her. I’ll do anything.”
I looked at him, the golden boy stripped bare.
<
His long, elegant fingers, the fingers he
cherished, were dripping blood. He didn’t
seem to notice. The Ethan I’d had a crush on
was long gone. Some first loves are better
left in the past.
I pulled out my phone and called Sarah.
“Sarah, Ethan’s here. He’s… upset. Can you
come over?”
He stood beside me, listening, hope flickering
in his eyes.
Sarah’s voice, laced with amusement, drifted
from the phone’s speaker. “Ask him if he’d
really do anything for me.”
Ethan’s voice cracked. “Anything.”
“Tell him to skip the competition.” The line
went dead.
Ethan stood there, stunned. I watched him,
wondering what he would choose. His dream,
or Sarah?
He hung his head. “Is that…is that the only
way to prove how much she means to me?”
He wasn’t asking me, but I knew he already
had his answer.
I just watched him walk away, defeated.
Ethan missed the competition. He’d hurt his
hand, he said. He and Sarah were back
together, sickeningly sweet. I saw them
walking home from school, hand in hand. The
light was back in Ethan’s eyes, focused solely
on the girl beside him. She was smoking,
blowing smoke in his face, and he just
laughed, pulling her close and kissing her.
Then, arm in arm, they disappeared into the
local pool hall, joining a group of rough-
looking older kids. I sighed and turned away.
I didn’t see Ethan again until his mother
showed up at school. Mrs. Miller, a high
school teacher herself, was usually the
picture of composure. She’d helped me with
my math homework when I was younger,
telling me I was a bright girl. Ethan’s family
wasn’t rich. His dad worked a factory job.
They’d sacrificed everything for his music.
And he’d been so close to making it.
Now, Mrs. Miller’s face was contorted with
rage. In front of the entire class, she slapped
Sarah across the face, leaving a bright red
handprint.
L
Sarah recoiled, shocked. “What the hell,
lady?!”
Mrs. Miller’s voice dripped with contempt.
“You little hussy. You’ve been leading my son
astray.”
“You’ve ruined his future. Do you have any
idea what we’ve invested in him, the years of
work, the sacrifices? And you’ve thrown it all
away! You made him miss that competition!”
Sarah’s face paled. “Made him? He begged
me to be with him! He wanted to skip the
competition. It wasn’t me! I didn’t force him!”
Mrs. Miller lunged, grabbing Sarah’s hair.
Someone ran to get Ethan. He burst into the
room and pushed his mother away, shielding
Sarah with his body. “Mom! Stop it! Hit me,
<
not her. I skipped the competition. It was my
choice.”
Mrs. Miller stared at him, dumbfounded. Her
perfect, obedient son, defying her for this…
girl. She trembled with fury. She slapped
Ethan, then her eyes scanned the room,
landing on me. “Of all the girls…why her?
Why not someone decent, like Quinn? Are you
trying to kill me, Ethan?”
My jaw dropped. This hadn’t happened
before. In my past life, Mrs. Miller had
handled things quietly, discreetly. No public
showdowns.
Every eye in the room was on me. Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Quinn! You snitched! I
thought you were my friend!”
L
Ethan turned to me, his lips set in a thin, hard
line. The look in his eyes was terrifying.
I held up my hands. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t say
anything. I don’t want to be involved in your
drama. If you’re going to fight, please take it
outside. Some of us are trying to study.” |
turned to Mrs. Miller. “And please tell them it
wasn’t me.”
Sarah didn’t believe me. Luckily, Ethan’s
homeroom teacher arrived and pulled Mrs.
Miller aside. “If Ms. Davies hadn’t told me…”
Mrs. Miller was saying. So, it was the
homeroom teacher who’d told his mom. I was
off the hook.
