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A flash of blonde catches my attention. I do a double take, but my hope dies down the moment I lay eyes on the girl. Her form is too tall, her hair too dark. Just then, she turns around, her brown eyes meeting mine. She’s about to look away, but she must recognize me because her eyes narrow as she clearly tries to figure out if I look familiar.
Fuck.
Lowering my gaze, I let the brim of my ball cap throw a shadow over my face as I turn and start walking toward my next class.
I’ve been here for a week, and so far, I’ve managed to avoid being recognized, and I was in no rush to change that. Honestly, I’d prefer it if nobody recognized me at all.
Birdy recognized you,the voice at the back of my head taunts me, taking me back to that moment in the music room.
My skin prickles just thinking about it.
I was immersed in her music, but it was hard to miss that flash of recognition on her face when she heard my voice.
Did she not like my music? Was that the reason why she ran for the hills without glancing back? Or maybe she worried I’d take her music and try to sell it as my own. Not that I’d ever do that, but she didn’t know that. I’ve been writing my own music for as long as I can remember. There was no way I’d ever stoop so low as to steal another artist’s songs. Hell, I had no desire to even perform music that wasn’t mine. People tried to sell me songs all the time, but I refused every single one of those offers without blinking an eye.
Bypassing the main entrance, I go to the back one instead. There are barely any students sitting in the last few rows, and none of them pay me any attention as I take my seat away from everybody else. Dropping my stuff on the floor next to me, I glance around the classroom. The place is buzzing as people chat in their little cliques.
Shaking my head, I pull out my phone. I might as well kill some time before our professor arrives, but before I lower my gaze, a sliver of gold catches my attention. My heartbeat increases as my head snaps up, and I stare at the woman walking up the steps.
I’ll be damned.
Birdy is here.
I stand up, ready to go to her, but just then, our professor enters the classroom. He closes the door behind him, barely lifting his head from his phone as he yells loud enough for everybody to hear him. “Okay, guys. It’s time to get down to business.”
Well, shit.
CHAPTERSIX
PENELOPE
“Hey, Penny. It’s Enrique.”
Pulling Henry to a stop, I turn to my right at the sound of the familiar voice, a smile spreading over my lips. “Hey, stranger.”
“I was wondering where I’d catch you. I was planning to text you, but…”
“Too busy with your backpacking trip around Europe to remember us, regular folks?” I ask, unable to stop from teasing him.
Enrique was one of those rare people I hang out with here at Blairwood outside of Jade and our friends. We met during our freshman year of college, and since we both majored in music, we’ve had a few classes together.
Enrique lets out a loud groan. “Not you too. Taylor has been bugging me the last few days with it.”
Taylor was his childhood friend. When we were struggling with our statistics class freshman year, it was Taylor who helped us out considering math was her thing. Since then, the three of us occasionally hang out together.
“That’s because you haven’t been in touch, and you know how worried she gets.”
“I know. You’d think we were thirteen again.”
I nudge him with my elbow. “What did you do at thirteen to make her angry?”
Enrique lets out a chuckle. “You don’t want to know. I hope she’ll calm down by tonight.”
“What’s happening tonight?”
“She made me promise that I’d meet her at Moore’s to talk about the trip, which I don’t mind, but I know she’ll probably rip me a new one for not texting her more while I was away. Unless…”
There is a beat of silence as his words ring in the air between us.
