Page 14 of A Wish for Us

“No Bryce today? Never normally see you without him on a school day.”

“New partner.” She said it like she was announcing a death.

He looked at me. The prick nodded as though he could see why she was so pissed off. “The biggest coffee you have,” I said. “Black.”

Bonnie opened her notebook. “Okay. I think we should start with what we can play. That’ll help us know what our strengths will be.”

“I only do electronic music. So I’ll have my laptop. Drum machine and all that shit.”

Bonnie looked at me blankly. “We can’t compose a showcase piece with your laptop and synthesized beats.”

I lounged back in my chair. “That’s what I’ve got. I work electronically. Lewis knows it. He offered me the scholarship. He scouted me out. Think I’d find this bumfuck place on my own?”

“You don’t play anything else? No actual instruments?” There was a questioning lilt to her tone. Like she was privy to something about me I didn’t want her to know. It unsettled me.

I shook my head, stretching my arms and putting them behind my head. I wanted to tell her that mixing electronic beatswasplaying an instrument, but I didn’t even open my mouth.

“I play piano and guitar. A little violin too, but I’m not that great at it.” Her eyes narrowed on me. Like she was studying me. Testing me. “You can read and write music though, yeah?”

I nodded, thanking God when the coffees turned up and she stopped bloody talking. I drank mine like it was a soda. Sam saw and indicated he’d be back with a refill.

“Lewis wants us to at least have an idea of a theme. What the piece will be about. What we’re trying to say.” She tipped her head to the side. “Anyideas?”

“Nope.”

“I thought something like the seasons? Maybe something to do with nature? The idea of time moving, us being useless to stop it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sounds like a riot. I can just hear the sounds of birds threading through my bass beat on my laptop.” I was being a dick again. At least more than usual. I couldn’t help it around her.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Cromwell. We need to just get through this, okay? Neither of us has to enjoy it. But we can work together. Plenty of musicians do it, have done it, and have created something good.” She took a drink of her coffee. “I preferred the idea of the seasons changing. That way we can incorporate more instruments and tempos.”

“Fine,” I said as Sam came back to the table and refilled my cup.

Bonnie sat back in her seat, sipping on her coffee. She stared at me over her cup. “Like what you see?” I asked, smirking.

She ignored me. “Lewis told me you were top of all your classes in London.” I froze, my muscles locking.

“Someone should tell Lewis to shut his fucking mouth.”

“I’ll leave that to you.” She rested her chin on her hand. “So how did you come here anyway? Visa?”

“Dual citizenship. I was born here. In Charleston.”

“You’re American?” she said, shocked. “I didn’t know that.”

“No. I’m British.”

She huffed in frustration. “You know what I mean. You were born here?”

“Moved to England at seven weeks old. Never even visited here since. So I’m about as American as good old Charlie”

“Who?”

“The King.”

Bonnie ignored that. “So your parents are South Carolinian?”

“Mum is.”

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