Page 37 of Behind the Bars

“Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll tryagain.”

He didn’t allow me to leave his house until I got it right. We worked long into the night, missing dinner but not caring. That was when the magic started happening. It came after the struggle, after the exhaustion, after thepain.

TJ was a unique kind of music professor. He didn’t teach people how to play an instrument or how to sing; he took those who already knew and taught them soul. He showed them how to dig deeper and discover more withinthemselves.

Once TJ could get you to a place where nothing existed in the world except for the music, that’s when you’d find it—yourvoice.

If it weren’t for TJ, I wouldn’t have even known I had avoice.

Sure, his belief in me drove me up the wall sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade it foranything.

He believed in my gift when I didn’t believe inmyself.

“There!” He clapped his hands together and nodded. “There it is!” he remarked after I took the song I had thought I’d already perfected and made it magic. “See? You see what I mean, son? That was it! That’s why we keepgoing.”

I smiled, because I knew he wasright.

“Now go home. I’m sick of looking atyou.”

I laughed and gathered mythings.

“Wait, I got you something,” TJ called after me. He walked into the back room and came back out with a box. “Your mom said you were going on your first everdate.”

“Mom talks toomuch.”

“Only because she loves you. Here, this is for you. Figured you might wantit.”

I took the box and grinned. “Cologne?”

“Only two sprays, buddy. No need to drown yourself. Be subtle aboutit.”

“Iwill.”

“And, Elliott? Have the best time of your life. You deserve this. You deserve all of this.” I left before he got too emotional, because TJ was very much like Mom in many ways; he loved me so much, it often made him cry whenever something goodhappened.

And Jasmine Greene was my somethinggood.

* * *

Saturday morning,I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself.Today’s the day—my first date. Mom had already cried about three times that morning, and Katie couldn’t help giving me tips on how to treat Jasmine like alady.

I didn’t really need too many ideas, though. When a guy lived with two girls all his life, he learned what to say and what not to say prettywell.

I stared in the mirror, my face bright red as I tried to say the only thing I really wanted to say to Jasmine. “You’re b-be—” I grimaced.Beautiful. Beautiful. The word is beautiful. “You’re b-b-b…God!” I groaned, slapping my hands against my face. Sometimes I hated myself more than I could describe. I took a deep breath and stared myself in the eyes. “You. Are. B-Be—”

“You don’t have to say it,” Katie said, walking past the bathroom. “The way a guy looks at a girl already tells her he thinks she’sbeautiful.”

“How am I supposed to look at her to let her know she’s b-b-be…?”

“Trust me, you already are looking at her that way. Get out of your head, Eli, and just havefun.”

I took my sister’s advice. I let go of overthinking everything and got out of my ownway.

“And here. Let me fix your tie.” She walked over to me and started retying my poorly put together tie. “I like that you’re wearing a tie. I’d never been on a date where a guy wore atie.”

I tensed up. “Is it too much? Is it st-stupid?”

She shook her head. “It’s charming. Trust me, girls like charming. And, I know I was mean to her because I thought she was one of them, but she’s not, Eli. She’s nothing like the popular kids. Jasmine is a good thing. You deserve a goodthing.”

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