Page 168 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“Okay. Give me say an hour and come find me. I have a booth in the back corner of the room.”

We all nodded, and he walked away like he hadn’t just offered us our dream on a platter.

“Did that really just happen?” Jude said.

“Fuck yes, it did. We have a meeting with Denny Hambridge, talent scout for Razorsharp Records.”

They were a big label, representing some of the biggest acts in the world. Mom and Dad had been fans of one of their megastar signings back in the day, Black Hearts Still Beat.

“Holy fucking shit.” The guys jostled each other down the hall toward our small dressing room.

“Kandon?” Jude glanced back. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” Fuck.

“Ahh, shit, you’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

“The ‘I need to go after the girl’ look.”

“I’m sorry, but she needs me.”

He studied me for a second and then said. “Go, get out of here. We can handle the rest.”

“You sure?” Guilt snaked through me.

“Seriously, Kandon. Go get your girl.”

“Thanks, Jude. I owe you.”

“Yeah. Tell me that when we’re rich and famous.” He chuckled.

I rushed back to the room and grabbed my stuff and slipped back into the hall, careening straight into Aaron.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked.

“I need to go.”

“Go? But I thought you needed to stick around and—”

“I need to be with her.”

“You’re going to Sofia?”

I nodded.

A wide grin broke over his face and he clapped me on the back. “Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here.”

* * *

Sofia was sleepingby the time I arrived. She looked so peaceful, her cell phone still in her hand as if she’d fallen asleep waiting for me to call or text. My chest tightened at the thought.

I quietly dropped onto the chair beside the bed, the one Mr. Bennet had vacated when he’d come downstairs to greet me. He and Mrs. Bennet had checked into the hotel across the street so they could be close by after they’d agreed to let me stay the night.

It meant a lot that they trusted me with their daughter.

I reached for her, tracing my fingers across her brow. She murmured softly, her eyes flickering open. “Cole?”

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