Duet (Readdie Family Book 1)

by Lizzie Lawson

  “One of the new students, Lillian Starr. But, she only auditioned for next year.”

  There was only one Lillian that she knew, and she just so happened to play the piano. They used to do competitions against each other all the time until she just vanished. Monica remembered how good she was, but remembered that snobby attitude even more. She also remembered an equally snobby last name, although she couldn't think of it at the moment. But Starr didn't sound right, so this was probably a different Lillian.

  “Next year?” she asked. “That’s a little weird, but I suppose it makes sense. How’d she do?”

  Mr. Larson leaned forward across the desk. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. Do you have time?”

  Monica recalled her schedule and nodded. “I just have P.E. right now. It’ll be okay if I’m a minute or two late.” She took a seat across from Mr. Larson and began to wonder if her spot at the piano bench was in jeopardy. She’d had it for so long; it felt like the bench was hers until she graduated. Her eyes locked on and watched him intently.

  “Well,” he began, raising her anxiety level several notches. “If you two tried out at the same time, I’d have to have you to try again for a tiebreaker. She’s every bit as good as you are. One of the pieces we’re doing for spring has an optional second piano part, and both are complex. How would you feel about having Lillian do the second part? It’d be kinda like Monica passing the torch to Lillian for next year.”

  She didn’t need much time to think it through. “That sounds like a wonderful idea! But how complex are we talking about?”

  He took two folders from his desk and handed them to her. “Complex enough that you two should have started working on it last week.”

  Monica’s eyes bulged. She shuddered to think about just how difficult it is if he thinks they’re already a week behind. But still, if Lillian was on her level, she was sure they could make it up in no time at all.

  “There are two versions,” he continued. “They’re both hard, but one is easier. I think it’d be great if both of you could do the harder versions. That’s why you’re getting it now.”

  She slid the folders into her stack and returned her attention to Mr. Larson. “So, I’m guessing you want me to tell her?”

  “If you don’t mind. She seems to be a fan of yours.”

  Monica smiled and stood up, sensing the end of the conversation. “I’ll let her know, and we’ll get working on it.”

  “Great! Let me know if either of you run into any issues.”

  “I will!”

  Monica left the choir room, and power walked to the girls’ locker room. Along the way, she wondered about how to tell Lillian that she made a huge impression on Mr. Larson. She also started listing things they’d both need to consider for their practices. They’d have to work around each other’s schedules, activities, and even their homework. Monica trusted that they’d be able to work out a schedule that would work for them. Although they haven’t met yet, she was excited to work with Lillian and couldn’t wait to get started.

  The bell echoed throughout the commons, signaling the start of seventh period. Lillian spread out her chemistry homework and got busy. She didn’t mind having a study hall so late in the day but also wished it were one period later so she could take advantage of open campus and go home earlier.

  Mr. Reese, the shop teacher, stood up and started calling names. Across the table, Chloe responded when her name was called. While the names kept coming, Lillian stopped to consider this teacher. She didn’t know much about him since she wasn’t interested in shop, but he had a quality that made him rather memorable. Mr. Reese seemed like the type who wouldn’t know a joke if it came up and shook his hand. He was always a stickler for rules in study hall, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was like teaching a shop class. The more she thought about it, the more relieved she got that she didn’t take shop.

  Lillian raised her hand and replied when her name was called. She returned to her assignment a moment later until a whisper came from the other side of the table.

  “How are you adjusting?” Chloe asked. “I hope you’re feeling better about being here.”

  “So far so good,” she said with a smile. “I like it here.”

  “Awesome! Any new friends?”

  Her smile faded. “No, just you and Erica.”

  “I’ll say it again,” Chloe told her. “You should meet Monica. I’m sure you two will have a lot in common.”

  Lillian looked at Chloe for a moment, uncertainty in her eyes. She knew that she couldn’t avoid Monica all year. Maybe if she kept encounters as short as possible, Monica wouldn’t remember her.

  “We’ll see,” she said with a slight grin.

  “Speaking of music,” Chloe said next, changing the topic of conversation. “How do you like choir?”

  “I love it,” she answered, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. “We sound great. I can’t wait to perform. I’m more excited about next year.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I tried out for pianist last week,” she said. “But, I specifically said I was trying out for next year. Monica is a great pianist, and I don’t want to step on her toes or anything.”

  Chloe nodded her head in understanding. “Cool! Have you heard back about it?”

  “Not yet, but I may not until closer to the end of the year. I’m okay with that.”

  “I hope you get it. You’d have some big shoes to fill.”

  Lillian giggled. “I’d be up for the challenge.”

  They both smiled and went back to their assignments. Lillian caught herself thinking about meeting Monica again and chastised herself for going there. She didn’t need the distraction. There were better things to do than worry about how bad things would be with her former rival. She hoped the end of eighth period wouldn’t take long to get here, but she already knew time would crawl since she wanted it to go faster.

  When the final bell did go off an eternity later, Lillian rushed to get out of the building and to her car. She darted out of the side door and began to take in the warm sun. Her backpack was over her right shoulder, its straps swaying side to side while she walked down the sidewalk. She couldn’t wait to get home and get Monica off of her mind. Lillian breathed in the fresh outside air and felt better.

  “Lillian?” a voice called out from nearby.

  She stopped and turned toward the voice. Her eyes bulged when she recognized Monica standing there. Holding back her urge to bolt down the sidewalk, Lillian walked over to what she thought was Monica’s car.

  “Yes?” she answered, hoping that she wouldn’t show how intimidated she was right now.

  “My name is Monica. I hear you auditioned for the pianist spot for choir.”

  “Yeah,” she replied softly. “It was supposed to be for next year.”

  Monica smiled at her. “Mr. Larson told me that you’re a pretty good pianist. He was highly impressed with you. I’m happy to tell you that you’re the pianist for next year.”

  A smile stretched across her face to match her sparkling eyes. So far, the reunion was going well. “That’s awesome!”

  “Yep! Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll do great.”

  “Thank you.”

  Monica reached into her backpack for a folder. “Mr. Larson also had another idea. We’ve usually gone big for the final piece of the spring show. This year, he picked one that has an optional second piano part. How would you like to team up on it?”

  Lillian paused for a moment to consider the situation. She was curious about why Mr. Larson didn’t tell her himself. If she wanted to get back at someone who wronged her, this is something she could see herself doing. She knew Monica was trying to trick her.

  “Are you serious?” she asked, now doubtful about Monica’s motives.

  “Absolutely,” Monica told her with a smile. “It could be a way of ‘passing the torch’ as it were. Besides, I think it’d be fun to work with another pianist.”

  To sa
y Lillian was confused would be the understatement of the century. She fully expected Monica to try getting back at her, but she never told anyone she tried out—except for Chloe. Did she tell Monica about their conversation? Are they working together to get some payback? But still, the offer to play was just too much for her to ignore.

  “That sounds fun! When should we start practicing?”

  Monica handed her the folder. “That’s the score. There are two versions, one more complicated than the other. If you don’t mind, how about starting later this week?”

  “Okay,” she said, taking the blue folder from Monica’s hand. “Let me know what time will work for you. I’m pretty open since I don’t have much going on.”

  “Awesome! I usually get my work schedule today, so I’ll see when I can, and we’ll get started.”

  Lillian’s face matched the excitement she had inside. “Alright!”

  “Talk to you soon,” Monica said. “Have a good day!”

  “You too.”

  Monica got into her car, and Lillian resumed her small hike to her car. She drove home, shifting her attention to the road and the folder Monica gave her. She wanted to dig in right away, but decided to wait until she got homework done.

  But in the back of her mind, she was still expecting something about this to be a joke. Either way, she knew Judy would be thrilled so she sent a text to her.

  Lillian: You’re never going to believe this…

  Lillian: Remember how I tried out to be the pianist for choir next year?

  Aunt Judy: Yeah…

  Lillian: Well, they want me to team up with the pianist this year for one of their pieces!

  Aunt Judy: That’s awesome Lil!!! I’m so proud of you!!!

  Aunt Judy: Let’s do dinner to celebrate!

  Lillian: Okay!

  Lillian rushed home to get as much homework done as she could. She decided not to start practicing until she had a chance to talk to Mr. Larson. Although she was taking it at face value, Lillian couldn’t help but think otherwise. If Monica was fooling her, she was going to do what she could to stop it.

  The next day, Lillian stayed behind when everyone else left the choir room. She was on a mission for facts. Her conversation with Monica was too good to be true. It had to be. She couldn’t see any other explanation. Monica had to be getting her back by getting her hopes up.

  “Hey, Lillian,” Mr. Larson said when he spotted her. “Has Monica been in touch with you about helping her with the spring finale?”

  Her thought train hit the emergency brakes, grinding to a halt and rattling her, and her eyes bulged. So Monica was supposed to talk to her? And for that matter, Mr. Larson virtually repeated everything Monica told her. She couldn’t believe she allowed herself to be so negative about the news. Thinking it was a prank, she left the folders Monica gave her on the kitchen table. Not trusting Monica wasn’t the best way to start their collaboration.

  “Yes,” she said. “We talked about it after school yesterday. We’re going to get started as soon as we can.”

  “Awesome,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “It’ll be great.”

  She smiled and left the room, not sure if she should be happy to have the opportunity or angry with herself for dismissing what Monica said. One thing was certain. Giddiness took over her body. Her legs had a little extra pep in them. Her aura felt brighter. She needed to practice! After all, it’s likely that Monica started last night. She needed to catch up before they practiced together. But her smile got brighter when she realized she had an incredible opportunity.

  This was her chance to put the past behind her. A chance to show Aunt Judy just how good she can be. A chance to solidify her spot as pianist for next year. Most importantly, a chance to show Monica she was no longer that snobbish, rich girl that wanted to be the better of the two.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Monica’s fingers worked the keys in the small practice room until she heard a knock at the door. She stopped and pulled the door open for her expected guest.

  “Hey!” she greeted with an inviting smile.

  “Hey there,” Lillian replied, putting her things on the floor. “I'm sorry for being a couple of minutes late. I’m glad we finally have the chance to practice together.”

  “Me too. And don’t worry about being a little late. Do you prefer Lillian or something shorter?”

  “Lillian,” she replied with a calm smile.

  “Okay,” Monica said with a smile. She didn't remember the other Lillian smiling so that probably meant that her playing partner was a different person altogether.

  Lillian got her music organized and sat at the other piano. She played a few scales and chord progressions to warm up. Monica stared at her. There was something familiar about her. It felt like she’d heard that warmup routine before. She searched her memory for anyone she remembered with the name Lillian. The only other one she knew was a stuck up snob, but oh how she could play the piano. This girl has some talent as well, but it couldn’t be her.

  “Ready when you are,” Lillian said.

  “Sweet,” she said, pulling herself out of her thoughts. “Let’s start with Arrangement A.”

  “A?” Lillian asked without bothering to hide how surprised she was. “We should do B.”

  “We will, but I think it’d be good to get A down as well in case we can’t get B ready in time.”

  Lillian scratched her head. “I know it’s been about three weeks since you asked me to play, but we still pretty much have eight months to get it right. Besides, B will knock everyone off their seats.” She began to open up her preferred arrangement.

  “Let’s work on A, Lillian,” Monica said. “This is my thing, and I want a backup plan.”

  “B,” she repeated. “We’re good enough to learn A fast. Stop playing it safe and let’s get started.”

  Anger swelled in Monica’s stomach. She turned around and gave Lillian a stern, serious look. “We’ve got one chance at doing this right, and we need a backup plan, which is A. If we can get A down, learning B will be easier. Many of the rhythms and phrases are similar between them. This is my thing, and that’s how we’re going to do this.”

  Lillian huffed and crossed her arms. “You’re playing it safe, Monica. You’re every bit as good as I am. The only one we need to work on is B. We’ll wow everyone with it! Stop being scared and let’s work on B.”

  Monica closed her eyes and sighed as recognition kicked her in the stomach and followed up with an immediate right uppercut. From the girl’s behavior, she knew who this was. Mr. Larson put her with Lillian Barrington. Heck, Lillian’s parents probably offered to fund the choir program for the next five years if he put Lillian with her. That’d make it much easier for them to add another few years if he named Lillian the pianist for this year in a few weeks.

  “Work on B or what?” she asked, exasperated.

  “What do you mean?” Lillian asked in return.

  “Don’t give me that,” she began, opening her eyes and gathering her things. “Poor little Lillian Barrington isn’t getting her way, so she’s going to go running home to mommy and daddy—”

  “Stop!” Lillian stated, her voice louder than a moment ago.

  “Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Monica continued. “Poor baby, your parents aren’t here for you to run to right now. But they’ll pull out their wallets and make everything better. They’ll make sure I’m kicked out of choir so their helpless little baby can get the job she auditioned for.”

  Lillian sighed and looked at the floor. “Monica, please listen—”

  “Enough, Lillian,” Monica interrupted. “You can’t stand that someone else doesn’t want to do what you want. Go home and tattle to mommy and daddy. And since it’s clear that you don’t want to make this work, I’m going to go.”

  She picked up her backpack and got to her feet. “God, I’m so stupid! I actually thought that you might have changed over the last few years. And here you are wanting to go all out hoping to show yo
u’re better than me!”

  Monica pulled the door open and stormed out. “Stupid!”

  When she arrived at her car a few minutes later, she was greeted by an agitated Kendra, tapping her foot against the tires. “Where have you been? I’ve been sitting here since school let out.”

  Monica gave her a snarl. “I had that practice this afternoon, remember?”

  “Oh!” Kendra said after remembering the text. “With that new girl? It looks like it didn’t go well.”

  “Only because I was stupid,” Monica said back. “I should’ve figured out it was Lillian Barrington.”

  Kendra raised a brow. “Who’s Lillian Barrington?”

  “The only person worse than my birth mother.”

  “Birthmother?” Kendra asked in surprise. “I thought you belonged to Mama.”

  Monica started back for the house and glared at her. “Do you want to hear the story or not?” she barked, bringing Kendra to total silence. Convinced of her sister’s compliance, she went ahead and told her the infamous tale.

  “Need me to put my foot where the sun don’t shine on her?” Kendra asked, drawing a laugh she needed to let out.

  “No,” Monica said, her expression still deadpan. “She isn’t worth the effort.”

  Monica slammed her backpack onto her upstairs bedroom floor so hard that the dog barked at the front door. She threw herself onto the bed and buried her head into her pillow. History repeated itself. Lillian did just enough and now her parents were going to get involved. There was no way she could pull through if they went on a rampage. There was only one thing she could do to avoid it all. No matter how she looked at it, she was out as the choir's pianist.

  She decided she may as well get it over with and got her phone and text Lillian.

  Monica: Don’t bother telling your parents. I’ll tell Mr. Larson that I’m stepping down, so you’ll get the pianist spot you and your parents want you to have.

  As much as she didn’t want to, she may as well let Mr. Larson know now instead of later. Her next text went to him.