Chapter 14: Magic in the Music

A few hours later, I found myself attending the school concert hosted by the freshman and sophomore classes. I texted my mom to let her know my new plans, which she thought was a fabulous idea, saying it enhanced my interests. I looked around the auditorium to see if I could place anyone I knew, and I didn't. Part of me was hoping to find Chase and pretend that the entire fiasco earlier never happened. The other half of me did not want him around Courtney. "Chase, over here!" a voice shouted. I turned to look. It was Courtney and another cheerleader I didn't recognize. Chase caught my eye and ignored her, walking over to me. He passed me and found a seat. For a split second, I thought he would talk to me in front of the others. I didn't care though. I saw the look of disappointment on Courtney's face as she sat down. I turned around and found a seat right next to him. No one near us knew who I was, making me feel comfortable that I was not crossing a boundary. He didn't want a girlfriend, which was fine. I didn't even know I wanted to be one. I did like being near him. It felt right even when it shouldn't. "I didn't expect to see you here," he whispered and looked around as if he was looking for someone specific. I nodded. "I had no intention of coming until I heard you were," I whispered. I almost felt a twinge of embarrassment. I was not sure if I was coming off clingy with this action or not. I glanced up to see his face. He was smiling, which in turn, gave me butterflies. "Trust me, this isn't my scene, but I wanted to support my sister, Emma." He slid in that fact coolly. I had to remember that I was not supposed to know about Emma. He only mentioned his sister to my fake persona. "Oh, you have a sister?" I asked. "Are you close?" I already knew the answer to this, but I needed to set myself up to not come off as a stalker. Those were words I never thought I would say to describe myself. "Very, she's my best friend. You can't tell anyone that though. I have an image to maintain." He looked at me and winked. The lights went off, and the closed curtain on stage was lit up by stage lights. Music from behind the curtain played. At this moment, I realized I didn't know what kind of music this was going to be, or what kind of concert. The curtain slowly pulled back to reveal several students with instruments next to a few more in front of microphones. I was grateful I never had to do this. I would have fainted. I had zero musical ability, and the embarrassment would be never-ending. "What instrument does she play?" I asked. I was curious for several reasons. I wondered if Chase played anything. "Oh, and which one is her? Is she up there now?" I shot out questions, coming across extra eager, but he didn't seem to mind. "You'll have to guess. I bet you get it right the first try, but to be nice, I'll give you three guesses," he said, making it a game. The curtain opened, and the music began. It sounded like more of a harmonious melody. The students unable to play an instrument were either singing backup or making the magic happen behind the scenes. After several minutes, a young girl with dark hair holding a violin stepped forward. It was at this moment that my body experienced shock once again. Chase slid his hand over my leg, letting it linger for a moment. He eventually grabbed my hand gently. He squeezed it. As I looked up at him, he was watching this girl and smiling. He leaned in and whispered, "I am so glad you're here with me, Aria, thank you." "I'm glad I came too and that you are so kind to sit with me and not the cheerleaders." I giggled, and he let out a quick laugh. The people behind us hushed us, so we went back to staring straight ahead. My guess was that this was Emma. I could see it now. They looked nearly identical. I could imagine she was probably not as closed off as he was. Then again, his sister could have looked opposite of him, but I had my doubts. He squeezed my hand then brushed his thumb over my hand, sending tingles down my arm. A few hours ago, I never would have guessed this moment would ever happen. He kept surprising me, although I could do without the hot and cold. "Is that her!" I whispered and leaned into him. He nodded his head, not saying a word. "She is extremely musically inclined, unlike me," he whispered back, answering my earlier thought. "She is sensational," I said as her piece came to a close. The curtains closed. A moment later, the next act came on stage. At the close of the concert, Emma ran over to us and jumped into Chase with a huge hug. My heart swelled at this. He was a good older brother. That much was clear. "Chase! You made it! Thank you!" Emma had a mousey voice that made her even more adorable. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it. I also brought a friend. Emma, this is Aria. Aria, this is my little sister." He waved over to me. I waved at her, and she pulled me in for a hug. "You are incredible! Where did you learn to play like that?" I asked. She bowed and giggled. "Thank you! I've been playing my whole life. It wasn't a choice at first, but I've learned to love it." She was smiling. She knew she rocked it. Her dark hair sat on her shoulders. She had dark eyes to match her brother. Emma seemed small like a fairy. Instantly, I wanted to be her friend. She was approachable, which was funny because her brother wasn't to begin with. "I can't believe my brother has a nice friend. I've met all the others, and they are horrible." She scrunched her face, and Chase laughed. "Okay, I don't always have the best judgment in people. This one isn't so bad. She kind of gets stuck with me." He smirked and lowered his head a little as if he was embarrassing himself. The thought of that was cute. "Are your parents here too?" I asked. "No, they don't have the time to come to this sort of thing." Emma tried to hold a smile, but it quickly weakened at the thought of her parents. "Well, they are missing out," I said. I needed to change the subject. "What are you two up to now?" I asked them since the concert was over. "Probably going home and studying. Well, that's just me. This one needs to do more of that." Emma pointed at her brother, and I was afraid to say anything after earlier. Chase gave me a sympathetic smile as if to say he knew what I was thinking and was sorry. At least, that was what I told myself. "Yeah, I should probably get you home so you can continue to be the smart one." He laughed, and she beamed. This made me wish I had a sibling, but who knew if it would be a positive relationship? "Aria, it was wonderful to meet you. I would love it if you would hang out with my friends and me some time," Emma said, somewhat nervously. "That would be fantastic. I would love to," I responded. Emma seemed nice. If I got bonus points with Chase, that didn't hurt either. "Here's my phone. Pop in your number, and I will text you mine." I entered my number. Once she got her phone back, I received a text from her. Chase watched the entire encounter, and I could only imagine what was going through his mind. "Sweet, it was nice to meet you, Aria. I'm happy to know my brother has someone looking out for him aside from me." The lovely girl grinned, waved, and disappeared into the crowd. "She likes you," he said as we turned to exit the auditorium. "She seems nice. I'm sure she likes most people." I shook it off. I didn't want to come off conceded, but that went well. "You'd be surprised. Then again, she might just hate my friends. She thinks they are a bad influence," he explained. It was tempting not to agree out loud. I didn't want to be rude after a compliment. "I'm not touching that one with a six-foot pole." I laughed, and he joined me. I could tell he was slowly becoming more comfortable with me. We went our separate ways for the night, and I hoped, desperately, that I would see him again soon.