Page 102 of Finding a Melody

It was frustrating, frankly. I didn’t want to make him feel like that. I didn’t think how my story would have affected him. But Bryan always seemed the most upset and lost when it came to those around him suffering.

I was still trying to figure out how to talk to him after physics class in the afternoon when still nothing was resolved. I was at my locker, grabbing what I needed for study hall, trying to flip through the homework I needed to get done before school ended. After school, we were going to watch Paxon’s practice while working on our group project for music analysis class. Toby was excited and thought it’d be easier to work on it after school. He was determined to finish the song we had been working on together. Then after that, I was rushing off to my doctor’s appointment.

My stomach tightened at the group project. It was due in a couple of weeks still, giving us plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles. But I also dreaded finishing the song and performing it. It was such a personal song, more personal than what I had done before, simply because it had that extra layer of my dad’s story weaved into it. Or at least what I thought would be his story, what I hoped it to be, especially if his letter was anything to go by.

“Cadence?” The unfamiliar female voice pulled me from my thoughts. Probably for the best considering I really didn’t know what to do to help Bryan. It almost felt like he was pulling away from me, and frankly, that scared me a bit. Bryan was the type to pull away and stay away.

A girl in my grade stood before me, her long, reddish-brown hair braided away from her face in a cute fashion. She held books close to her chest as she stared at me with hazel eyes.

“Yes?” I remembered her from a couple of my classes last year, but couldn’t put a name to her.

“Amber,” she finally said.

“Hi.” I gave her a polite smile. Another girl was with her, standing off to the side, leaning against the locker, looking a bit bored.

“I’m on the girl’s swim team,” she said.

“Okay.” I frowned trying to figure out what was going on. She was about my height, but better filled out than me. She looked fit too. Cute.

“I like Justin.”

Confusion swept through me, not sure what she was trying to get from me. “Congratulations?”

Her cheeks grew a little red, and she glanced around. She licked her lips before speaking again. “I’m concerned about him, considering the rumors going around about him. I only want to look out for him. It’s disgusting how his name is being dragged through mud because of you.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes. Those rumors.”

I opened my mouth to say something when she held her hand up. “I don’t care about your situation. Or what you like to get up to doing. But can’t you leave him out of it. Justin is a quiet, sweet guy. He doesn’t deserve to be talked about like that because of you.”

“Because of me?” I said softly, my face growing red, but not out of embarrassment. Frankly, I was getting pissed. “And how is it my fault?”

Amber’s eyes widened at my sudden harshness. Her friend stepped away from the lockers to let her know she had a friend at her back. She obviously took comfort from it as she took in a deep breath before talking again. “Listen, I don’t judge. And I don’t care. To each their own. But even if you enjoy certain activities, it doesn’t mean you should drag innocent boys into it with you. Justin is a nice guy. He’d never do any of those things.”

“And yet you have deemed that I would? That all of this is because I can’t keep my legs closed? Do we know each other? How can you assume that rumors involving us both doesn’t actually involve us both? What makes you think Justin has nothing to do with it, but I definitely have to be? How can you absolve him, but not consider absolving me?”

“Because you’re the center of the rumors,” her friend finally spoke up. “Rumors don’t come from nothing.”

“Sure. There’s something there. I made friends. With boys. And girls like you can’t wrap your heads around it. So now you’re approaching me like I’m some kind of... what? A whore? A succubus? A bitch? We are friends. Why should I consider your feelings about him over his own feelings? Has he come to you asking for your help? Or are you doing this out of your selfishness?”

“Justin is too kind—”

“So you’ve talked to Justin? Funny, I was with him before classes started, through British lit, through lunch, and not to forget all week, yet not once has he voiced any kind of thoughts like this to me.”

“Like I said, he’s too—”

“What is going on here?” Paxon asked, walking up to stand at my side. Amber had her friend at her back, and I finally had a friend at my back too. Both girls’ eyes widened in surprise and fear once they realized the kind of situation they just walked into. I wasn’t surprised he was here. He usually walked with me to our next class. Today was study hall, though on other days, we had gym together.

“N-nothing. We were just chatting,” Amber said.

Bullshit. I wasn’t letting them shrug this off. “They decided they know Justin better than I do and were warning me to stay away from him. That I should be ashamed for dragging his precious name through the mud with me.”

“What?” Paxon looked completely baffled.

“It’s like suddenly you all have a female friend and the only answer they can come up with is that we’re dating. Suddenly, everyone wants a piece of the unavailable.”

“That isn’t true,” Amber said. “I’m friends with Justin.”