The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle

Author:Julie Hammerle [Hammerle, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl, summer camp, social media, Stephanie Perkins, forbidden love, music
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2016-06-06T22:00:00+00:00

chapter thirteen

Kiki Nichols @kikeronis: Almost resorted to near-nose-picking as a seduction technique, but I stopped myself in time. #maturity

In the hallway outside his room and Seth’s, Jack stops in his tracks. He stares at his door for a second, then turns around to face me.

He bites his bottom lip. “Play something with me one more time,” he says.

“Jack,” I say, “I’m not supposed to—”

“I know you’re not supposed to,” he says, shaking his head. “I know that. But please, play with me one last time and I promise I’ll never ask again.”

I gape at him. “I could get in huge trouble.”

“If this weren’t a life or death situation—”

“It’s a life or death situation?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He wrings his hands and looks toward his door again.

Seeing him in the light of the hallway, I realize he looks haggard. He’s not his normal, put-together self. His hair is standing on end and the back of his polo shirt is untucked from his khaki pants. It’s kind of freaking me out. I wonder what went down during dinner at his parents’ house tonight.

“Are you okay?” I ask. Usually he’s the one asking me that.

“I’m not sure,” he says.

I sigh. “Will it make things better if I sing one song with you?”

“It couldn’t hurt.”

It could hurt me, I think. But because he looks so forlorn, I say, “One song.”

His eyes light up. “Really? You sure?”

I nod, and even though I know this could be my downfall, I’m excited. This is what I’ve been longing to do for weeks. I want to sing with Jack again.

“Let me get my drums.” He darts into his room before I can change my mind.

When he emerges a few seconds later, he’s not carrying a set of drumsticks and an old magazine. He has a full electric kit in a box under one arm.

“Where were you hiding that?” I ask as we take off toward the basement.

“In the closet.”

“Along with your super-secret drumming ability?”

“You know it.”

Down in the basement, it’s quiet except for a rhythmic thump from the laundry room at the bottom of the stairs. Jack and I turn right and head toward the end of the hall, to the secret lounge with the barely in-tune piano.

“You need anything?” he asks as he sets up his drums on the coffee table in the corner.

“What song are we doing?” I ask. “‘Deathly’? The one we were supposed to play before?”

He looks up at me. His eyes are serious. After a few moments, he says, “Sure. That one.”

I take my place at the piano. “I know it by heart, I think.” I’ve only been practicing it during every spare moment since he first mentioned the title to me.

He raises his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Well, we’ll find out.” I run my fingers over the keys without pressing down, playing the song without a sound. I glance back up. “You ready?”

He holds up his drumsticks.

I grin and take a deep breath, ready to begin.

He stops me before I start. “Kiki?” he says.

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