Monica looked stunned. “A tornado? He thought that?”
“Yeah,” Lillian answered, looking at the wall and shaking her head. “I guess he learned his lesson on that one. Stupid idiot.”
“Where were you?” she asked on impulse. As soon as she blurted out the question, she wished she could take it back.
Lillian shrugged her shoulders as though she didn’t care about talking about it. “Just east of Parkersburg on Highway 57. They found the car about a mile northeast in a ditch. I blacked out and woke up two weeks later.”
Monica sat in astonished silence. She couldn’t digest what Lillian just said. Photos of the disaster were still clear in her mind. Up until that time, she hadn’t seen that kind of destruction relatively close to home. She leaned forward and put a hand on Lillian’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” she said in a soft voice.
Lillian shrugged. “I should’ve died with them.”
“I’m glad you’re still here. I know about being upset at parents.”
Lillian raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
“My birth mom,” Monica said. “She abandoned my dad and me when I was younger.”
“I thought you had two moms,” Lillian stated, showing confusion in her voice.
“I do, but it’s a long story.”
“Gotcha.”
There was a momentary lull in the conversation that started feeling uncomfortable. Monica needed to find something to think about, and soon smiled.
“I’m really glad you started playing again,” she said. “You’re a great pianist.”
Lillian looked back at her and shrugged. “I had a better pianist to catch up to.”
“We kept each other on our toes for sure,” she said. “I was trying to keep up with you.”
Lillian laughed and looked more relaxed than before. “I know I didn’t show it, but I liked going up against you. We brought out the best in each other.”
“Yes, we did.” Monica sat back and looked at her for a few uneasy moments.
“What do you want to know?” Lillian asked. “Sitting there, staring at me while debating whether or not you should ask is just more awkward.”
Monica giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t want to make you remember bad things. I know you don’t think highly of your parents.”
Lillian rolled her eyes as her head shook. “They’re the brown stain on life’s underwear. If Satan runs out of evil ideas, he asks them. It’s hard to hurt my feelings by talking about them.”
A pair of wide, blue eyes stared back. “I can see that,” she said in a carefully surprised tone. “But, if you don’t like them that much, why did you get upset when I started talking about them?”
“You were hitting a little too close to home,” Lillian answered sincerely. “I’ve been trying for years to separate myself from them. It hurt to have it thrown back when I’m trying to show that Lillian Starr is not that girl.”
“I’m sorry, Lillian,” she told her in a heartbeat. “I didn’t know about your parents until Mr. Larson told me.”
“It’s okay,” Lillian responded with a lackadaisical shrug. “I guess I deserved it. I was pretty snotty to everyone.”
“I think you may have been pushed into it,” she countered. “How bad were they?”
Lillian squirmed in her seat. “If I lost a recital, especially to you, they’d pretty much lock me in the piano room for a day or so until they thought I’d practiced enough to earn a break. And that was after my mom screamed at me while my dad whipped my butt with his belt.”
Once again, Monica’s wide blue eyes looked at her. “Oh my gosh, Lillian! And you stayed quiet about it?”
“If they did that when I lost,” she said back, “could you imagine their response if I tried telling someone about it? As I said, they give Satan advice on how to be evil.”
“You still didn’t deserve it,” Monica pointed out. “I’m glad you’re able to be yourself now. I have to admit that on the first day you looked so happy that I thought you were someone else.”
Lillian snickered and looked a little flushed. “I do feel like a different person. I may have some issues, but overall I’m at a spot where I wouldn’t want my old life back.”
Monica gave her an understanding nod. “How about we change the subject. Are you still working on our piece?”
“Yes I am,” Lillian said with a smile. “I have A pretty well down, but B is kicking my butt.”
“Same here. Would you like to try practicing together again?”
Lillian smiled brightly. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Sweet! Let’s work out a schedule for the next couple of weeks.”
Phones in hand, the duo found five times they could get together to practice. They put them into their calendars and looked back at each other again.
“I know I asked this earlier, but that was over a phone. Friends?” Monica asked with a smile.
“Friends,” Lillian said, almost beaming back. “What took you so long to talk to me again?”
“I figured you needed time. But, I kinda got tired of waiting. Besides, I’m not the only one responsible for that.”
“Yeah,” Lillian said back. “Good point.”
The librarian knocked on the door to let them know they needed to head back to their study hall. The girls hugged again and returned to the commons. Monica was happy with how the conversation went and hoped they’d eventually become good friends instead of estranged foes.
After the new semester’s third day of classes, Monica played a few simple melodies while waiting for Lillian. She watched the door fly open, and her partner came through. Lillian set her things down and hugged her.
“Hey,” Monica said, returning the friendly embrace. She felt an odd tingling in her stomach and thought something she ate made her sick. The rest of her body felt okay, so she ignored the sensation for now so they could practice.
“Ready?”
Lillian sat on her bench and smiled. “Absolutely! Let’s get this show on the road!”
Monica turned around to face her piano as well. “Do you have a warmup routine that you like to do?”
“Just scales and chord progressions,” Lillian told her. “Nothing overly fancy.”
She slid over on the bench and turned to look at her. “Come, show me.”
Lillian moved over to her bench and taught her the routine. As promised, there wasn’t much to them. Starting at middle C, Lillian played a standard major scale going up one octave and back down in minor. Next came the chord progression I, IV, V, IV, and back to I before moving up a half step and repeating the process.
Lillian explained that she moves in half steps from C to F, moving down to A-flat, then back up to B-flat, where the chord progression turns into a common blues pattern. During that part, her right hand improvised some melody for two full progressions.
While Monica paid attention to what Lillian was doing, she got the same unfamiliar tingling as before. Her thoughts tried to wander, but she fought it off. Part of her wanted to step out of the room and clear her mind. The other part just wanted to stay put and not show anything was wrong.
When Lillian finished, Monica tried the first three scales and got comfortable with it. Lillian returned to her bench, and they ran the routine together from middle C, up to F, down to A-flat, then up to the blues section. Lillian told her to improvise while she did the progression, and Monica didn’t disappoint. They marched through the 24 bars, turning around and high-fiving each other when it was over.
“That was awesome!” Monica exclaimed. “Next time, it’ll be your turn to improvise.”
“We kicked butt on that,” Lillian said back. “Imagine what’ll happen when we get A going!”
Monica figured that was a pretty good segue into what they were there to do. “Speaking of A, let’s go through that one.”
She put her phone on the music stand and started her metronome app to set the tempo. It played its steady beat for four bars
before she spoke up. “Should we slow it down for the first few run-throughs?”
“It’s fine,” Lillian answered. “I think I practiced it a little bit faster than this.”
“Okay. Let’s give it a try. All set?”
Lillian got herself ready and nodded. “Ready here!”
Monica waited for the metronome to cycle back to a downbeat before counting off. “Here we go. After two bars. One. Two. Three. Four. Two. Two. Let’s go.”
The two former rivals started their respective parts on cue. Their pianos sang out together, their combined harmonies carrying down the small corridor. Lillian played softer when Monica’s part had emphasis and vice versa. Although focusing on her part, Monica also listened to Lillian and was still amazed by her abilities. She already knew how good Lillian was, but it sounded like she added a few levels.
It took seven minutes to get through the 15-page score. They played their final chords and notes, lifting their fingers off the keys and pedals in unison. Just as with their warmup, the two girls turned around and gave each other a high-five.
“Boom!” Lillian exclaimed as their hands connected. “That was incredible!”
Monica’s smile lit up the room. “It’s been so long since I’ve heard you play that I almost forgot how good you are.”
Lillian blushed and smiled back. “Thanks. You still play as beautifully as I remember.”
For a few moments, they just stared at each other without a word. Monica started to realize one of the new feelings inside her, but it couldn’t be possible. “Should we go through it again?” she asked, changing the subject so she could stop the turmoil in her mind.
Lillian nodded as though she understood something. “Sure!”
They went back through the piece two more times, both paying closer attention to the other as they played. After their third time through, they called it a day.
“I think we can start working through B next time,” Monica said. “How about we break it up into sections? We can work on the first 32 bars to start.”
“That works,” Lillian told her. “I’ve been struggling with B.”
“Same here. But I’m sure we’ll get it well before the spring show.”
Lillian’s head nodded in agreement. “You know it!”
They packed their things and left the room, making small conversation on their way to their cars. They reached Monica’s car first, and she started loading things in.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked.
“Same times, same places,” Lillian said back.
Monica’s brows raised slightly. “What?”
Lillian smirked back. “We have study hall and choir together, silly.”
“Gotcha,” Monica said with a soft giggle.
After Monica met up with Kendra and got into her car, she watched Lillian continue down the sidewalk. She thought about the last few days since they started reconnecting. The more they talked, the more those curious her feelings became. Clueless about what was going on with her, Monica decided that she needed to talk, preferably with someone she wouldn’t have to pay.
CHAPTER NINE
The next day in the commons, Monica took a bite of her sandwich and shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. It’s been that way since I started working with her.”
Erica swallowed her bite and looked at her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush.”
“Are you sure?” she asked before letting out a sigh. “I’ve spent the last two years thinking I’d never feel anything romantic because the right person hasn’t come along yet.”
“I think she has, Monica. I have a hunch that you’re interested in Lillian beyond her being a simple friend or a zucchini.”
Monica’s eyes shot over to her friend. “Where did you learn that word?”
“I can use Google just as well as you can,” Erica answered matter-of-factly. The two shared a laugh before the somber mood between them returned.
“Is it possible?” Monica asked. “I mean, do I have a crush on someone I have a tainted past with? Can demiromantic people even have crushes?”
Erica finished her carton of milk and set it on the tray. “That’s a good question. I may not fully understand demiromantic from looking it up, but I’d imagine a crush is possible. You two already have a connection, even if it is confrontational.”
She considered Erica’s reply as she finished off her last carrot slice. “The problem with that is that I don’t feel close to her.”
“I don’t know that you’d need that for a crush,” Erica said. “What if your relationship started from the recitals instead of back in August when you met up with her again?”
Monica finished chewing her latest bite while reflecting on Erica’s comment. “I guess it makes sense. But, how could a crush develop from something adversarial? I didn’t care for her back then.”
Erica smiled and shrugged. “Sometimes, that’s how they start.”
She saw the sincerity in Erica’s eyes and tried to wrap her head around the idea. Could she go from not liking Lillian to the total opposite? It seemed counterintuitive. How could a romantic connection begin with a mutual dislike for each other?
“Romance seems incredibly confusing,” Monica said.
The comment made Erica laugh. “Yep, and it’s only going to get even worse.”
Monica got the day’s sheet music organized on the piano and glanced up to the top row. She smiled when she saw her three best friends talking amongst each other. Her eyes squinted when Chloe’s eyes suddenly lit up while Erica looked dismayed. Whatever it was didn’t seem to faze Lillian, who just laughed in between them.
Shaking her head, Monica turned her attention to her music to make sure she had it in the same order as Mr. Larson had it on the board. A sudden movement from the corner of her eye got her attention, and she glanced back up at her friends. This time, Erica and Chloe were both trying to wrestle a phone out of the other’s hands. She rolled her eyes but also noticed how neither of them seemed to remember that Lillian was between them.
Erica pulled the phone down, telling Monica that Erica was trying to confiscate Chloe’s phone for some reason.
“Come on, you two,” she yelled up at them. “Give it a rest!”
Erica’s arms jerked down hard, freeing the phone from Chloe’s grip. Monica’s eyes grew to golf balls when Chloe’s arms shot up, slamming into Lillian’s head just below her jaw. She watched in horror as Lillian’s head snapped back, recoiled forward, and fell back again. Lillian’s body started sliding off her chair, but Chloe and Erica caught her.
Monica launched herself off the piano bench as the surrounding tenors and altos congregated around Lillian. She pushed her way through, joining her friends as they tried to wake her. To her surprise, Monica felt a sense of panic, seeing Lillian lying unconscious on the floor.
One of the students ran off and returned a minute later to report that the school nurse was on her way.
“Back off everyone,” Mr. Larson said as he approached the scene. “Let’s give her some room.”
The three friends and Mr. Larson softly called out Lillian’s name, but she didn’t move a muscle.
“What the hell was so important on that phone!” Monica asked her friends.
Chloe and Erica remained in stunned silence. “We didn’t mean to,” Chloe said. “We were just playing around.”
The nurse came in going right over to Lillian. “Let’s give her some space.”
Everyone within four feet of Lillian backed away, except for Monica. Over the nurse’s objections, she wanted to make sure Lillian was okay and stayed where she was. After a few unsuccessful tries at waking Lillian, the nurse pulled out some smelling salts. When Lillian stirred a few seconds later, Monica felt a sense of relief washing over her.
“How are you feeling, Lillian?” the nurse asked.
“My neck hurts,” Lillian told her in a barely audible whisper.
Monica looked on while the
nurse quizzed Lillian on some general knowledge things. She was relieved when Lillian answered everything correctly and knew she’d be okay.
“Why don’t you come with me, Lillian,” the nurse said. “You can rest while someone comes to take you home.”
Lillian nodded just enough to be noticeable. “Okay,” she whispered.
Monica helped the nurse get Lillian on her feet and helped her walk to the office. She guided Lillian down on one of the cots along the wall while the nurse started making a phone call.
“Thank you,” Lillian said after getting comfortable. “I’m sorry I probably won’t be able to make practice this afternoon.”
A welcomed giggle emerged from her as she stared into Lillian’s eyes. “It’s okay. I’d rather see you get better.”
The nurse ended her phone call and turned around. “Lillian, your aunt is coming to pick you up. Is your neck getting better or about the same?”
“About the same,” Lillian said. Monica felt helpless while the nurse got an ice pack from the freezer, wrapped it in a towel, and slid it under Lillian’s neck. She groaned from the added pain but calmed down after a moment.
“You’d better get back,” Lillian told her.
Monica felt torn. She knew she had a responsibility to the choir, but she also wanted to stay with Lillian and make sure she was okay.
“I can watch her from here, Monica,” the nurse reassured her.
Monica’s head gave a slow, reluctant nod. She turned her attention to Lillian. “I’ll check on you later, okay?”
“Okay,” the injured girl replied with a small grin.
Monica got up and returned to the choir room. The closer she got to the doorway, the more she started to wonder what caused Chloe and Erica to fight over that phone and hurt Lillian. She was determined to get answers before the end of the day.
When the final bell sounded throughout the school, Monica darted out of her seat to her locker. The afternoon crawled right by. If she wasn’t forcing herself to pay attention to her teachers, Monica’s mind stayed focused on Lillian. She was worried about her. How was she doing? Is she feeling better? Did she hurt her neck? Would she like to have a visitor? She needed to check on Lillian as soon as she got home and wanted to get there as soon as possible.
Duet (Readdie Family Book 1) Page 7
