Page 23 of Behind the Bars

“I’ll close my eyes.” That was the best way to feel musicanyway.

“Promise you won’tpeek?”

“Ipromise.”

I shut my eyes and waited for her to sing. When she began, it took everything inside of me to keep my eyes shut, but I kept my promise to her. She sang “Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye, and I felt every word of it. Her voice was deep and smoky, powerful. She sounded even more beautiful than she looked. As my eyes stayed shut, I knew Jasmine was going to be a star. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Some people wanted to sing, but others were destined to do it. Jasmine Greene was designed to be a star. There was no reason she shouldn’t have been inside any of those bars performing hermusic.

There was no reason her music shouldn’t have been on theradio.

As she sang, all the other sounds around us were drowned out. Her voice made everything around usdisappear.

Once she finished, I opened my eyes and saw her reddened cheeks. “How bad was I?” she asked, chewing on herthumbnail.

“I’m gonna hear you on the radio and be watching you on TVsomeday.”

She giggled and nudged me in the leg. “If I end up on TV, I want you to be in myband.”

“Deal.”

“What is jazz music to you?” she asked, crossing her arms. “What does it mean toyou?”

“Jazz is…um, jazz is the reminder that when I’m alone, I’m not reallyalone.”

“That’s what soul music is to me,” she agreed. “It’s my best friend when everything else in the world is just anacquaintance.”

She glanced at her watch, and then shifted around. I could tell her mind was wandering away as unease built up in hermovements.

“So…are you going to Todd’s party tonight?” Iasked.

She sat up straight. “How did you know I was going toTodd’s?”

“I hear everyone talking about his parties onMondays.”

“What do they say about me?” she asked, her voice more aggressivenow.

“Uh, nothing, really. Just th-that you’re there andwasted.”

She shifted around in her seat, and embarrassment seeped into her eyes. “That’s all theysay?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t drink a lot,” I toldhim.

“It’s okay if youdo.”

“Yeah, but I don’t. It’s just…at those parties, I just need…” Her fingers combed through her hair, and she glanced back my way. “Do they still mess with you, Elliott? I noticed in the hallways they don’t seem to mess with you asmuch.”

I gave her a fake smile, and she saw right through it. “It’s fine,” I told her. “I don’tmind.”

She twisted her body more my way and shook her head. “They’re still messing withyou?”

“Yeah, but I think they noticed it bothers you when they bother me, so…they do it when you’re not around. I can handleit.”

“No.No. God, I hate them. How bad has itbeen?”

“Just a few br-bruises.”

“Showme.”

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