Read Online Connection (Le Garde) by Emily Ann Ward - Free Book Online Page A

the concert tonight.” She turned and walked down the hall, disappearing into the crowd. Kaylie could blend in anywhere. It was weird. We’d gone to the same middle school and even had some of the same friends, including Anna and Tyler, but I didn’t even know it until freshman year.
    That night, the band met at the school an hour before the concert to rehearse and whatnot. I felt Anna in Mr. Boyd’s room as I walked down the hallway. Tonight wouldn’t be as big as the winter concert before Christmas break or the spring concert at the end of the year—it was just one of those concerts Mr. Boyd liked to torture himself with.
    He paced around, barking directions at us. His eyes looked bloodshot. When had he last slept? I rolled my eyes at Anna, and she grinned at me.
    Mr. Boyd left to check things with the auditorium, and I asked Anna, “You ready?”
    “ Yeah,” she said, “but I’m a little nervous.”
    “ We’ll do great.” I almost punched her in the arm lightly, but thought better of it when I realized she was wearing a short-sleeved blouse.
    She saw my hand lowering and she glanced away. “Wanna warm up?”
    We played through The Entertainer once, and after we started another song, Mr. Boyd came in and broke us up. Grinning, I told Anna, “We’re going to be great.”
    “ We are!” Anna said.
    Seven o’clock rolled around. I saw my parents in the audience, and a few rows away, Anna’s mom and sisters. The band played three songs, then Anna and I were up. Her anxiety was high, and I tried to give her a reassuring look as we set up our music stands. She was going to be great.
    “ This is Anna Beauvais and Aaron Bender,” Mr. Boyd announced. “Melissa Lodge was supposed to play with Miss Beauvais, but she came down with the chicken pox!” He let out a tight laugh. “Aaron was nice enough to take her place. They’ll be playing The Entertainer by Scott Joplin.”
    My mom grinned at us and clapped with the rest of the audience. She was probably ecstatic we were hanging out again.
    I counted us off, and we started. We played through the song flawlessly. I could feel her in my head, her nerves relaxing, her delight growing as we played. My fingers flew over the saxophone, and my body swayed to the beat. This was where I’d felt the most at ease all day today—playing music and being with Anna. We swelled toward the end and finished perfectly.
    The crowd started clapping, and Anna beamed. “You want to play I’ve Got the World on a String ?” she asked.
    I laughed. “And give Mr. Boyd a brain aneurysm?”
    Anna started counting off, and I had to join, my smiling lips straining to play the notes. I felt Mr. Boyd’s eyes burning into the back of my head, but we played through the whole song, and we sounded amazing. Even though I had a bigger part than her and she’d previously warned me not to steal the show, I could feel her elation. During her solo, she closed her eyes, and I grinned watching her.
    We ended, and another round of applause met us. Standing directly behind me, Mr. Boyd cleared his throat, making me jump.
    Laughing, Anna said, “We had to, Mr. Boyd! Didn’t we sound great?”
    Mr. Boyd’s lips twitched. “Please sit down.”
    We picked up our music stands and walked back to our seats as the applause died down.
    “ That was awesome!” I said.
    Anna put her hand up, and I high-fived her without thinking. A loud crack sounded through the auditorium, and all the lights went out at once.
    “ Oops,” I breathed.
    Gasps and murmurs of alarm swept through the auditorium. Mr. Boyd raised his voice over them, yelling for everyone to stay calm.
    “ Oh, my gosh,” Anna whispered.
    I reached out for her in the darkness and touched her arm. I felt a surge of energy from our touch, and the lights flickered on and off, blinding us and then plunging us into darkness again. Everyone’s voices grew louder, and Mr. Boyd struggled to talk over them.
    Anna pushed my hand away. “Don’t touch