Page 129 of Verses

Apparently, I’d been quiet in my internal struggle for too long. “Um…I need to tell you something.”

“What’s that?” he asked, turning down the long drive that would lead us to the east end of the city.

I might as well just get it over with. If I wasn’t safe with Wolf, I wouldn’t be safe with anybody. “I, uh…I can’t read or write music.”

He was quiet for a moment and, during that long pause, my stomach rolled over, the nausea growing worse. He had to be thinking I was a fraud and wondering how I’d made it this far. Jesus…had I destroyed my career before it had even had a chance to get off the ground? “You coulda fooled me. Hell, youdidfool me. Do the other guys know?”

“No. I…” My voice trailed off as all my energy drained from my muscles.

“Huh. Do you want to learn?”

“Oh, God. I’ve tried. I’ve watched a few YouTube videos and stuff and I used to spy on Liam and Kyle when they used to write together, but they did a lot of stuff with tabs—and that made it even more confusing. I get the basics. Like I know what a staff is and I kind of get the clefs and how each line and space is a note—but I feel like an outsider, because I don’t understand how to actuallyusethat information.”

“I can help. I’m no music teacher, but it’s something I understand. I’ve done it for so long, it comes naturally to me.”

Still feeling uneasy, I said, “Thanks, Wolf. I’d really appreciate it.”

“And your secret’s safe with me.”

I nodded, feeling even more grateful.

A few seconds later, he was pulling into the parking lot at Walmart. We took the old battery in and picked up a new one, and once more, I was glad Wolf was there, because I wouldn’t have had a clue how to figure out what new battery to get. ButI was shocked at how much it cost, and Wolf paid for it before I could say a word.

As we were heading back to the truck, I said, “I can pitch in for the cost of the battery.”

“Nope. I got this. It’s your Christmas present, remember?”

“Well…thanks.”

As we headed back to Charlotte, Wolf said, “Did you see what looks like a storm rolling in from the north?”

I turned my head to glance past his beautiful face. In the distance, clouds were accumulating over the hills, gloomy, gray, and ominous. “Are we supposed to get snow?”

“Looks like it.”

Before long, we were back at the apartment and Wolf wasted no time putting in the new battery. I was glad, because it was getting colder and those stormy clouds were getting closer.

A couple of minutes later, Wolf said, “Let’s give it a try.”

I got in the car and noticed immediately that the dome light came on, and I took that as a good sign. When I turned the ignition, the car didn’t sound happy at first, but it finally started. I looked at Wolf, a huge smile on my face. Even through the glass, I could hear him say, “Give it some gas.”

As I did, the car sounded healthier by the minute. Rolling down the window, I asked, “How long should I do this?” Then I glanced down at the gas gauge. Typical. Less than a quarter of a tank.

“Just another minute or so. Did you remember anything else was wrong with it?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then go ahead and shut it off. We’ll check all the fluids and then take it for a spin.”

Nodding, I shut off the engine and jumped out of the car. Wolf showed me all the different places I should check, something I hadn’t known for sure before, fetching some fast-food napkins out of the glove box of his truck to wipe off different measuring sticks.

I learned a lot that afternoon.

“Now, as for coolant, normally you’d open the radiator cap here—but it’s probably already hot from running the engine. If you opened it now, the pressure in there could make the coolant spray out and burn the shit out of you.”

“So should we check it later?”

“Yes, but we can kind of get an idea from the overflow here,” he said, pointing to a plastic tank near the back. “See the coolant in there?”

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