Page 4 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

“Oh...do you have a dad?” Kyle unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite.

I tinkered at the keys. “I have a stepdad, Derek. He’s okay but not around much. He travels a lot for work. My real dad took off a couple years back. I haven’t heard from or seen him since.” I prayed and prayed every day he’d call or come home to take me away from this place. Every day I questioned why he hadn’t taken me with him. He’d known what Mom was like. That was what crushed my insides. He’d left me with her.

“Sorry about your dad.” Kyle lowered his chin. “Did my dad run him out of town by any chance? He’s the local head cop, the captain. He and his cronies think they own the place.”

Different theory, but no. Dad left because my mom was a whore. But the undercurrent of spite in Kyle’s tone hurt my chest. Didn’t he get along with his father? But then, what kid got along with their parents? I didn’t know of any.

With a strained smile, Kyle held out half his sandwich. “Want some peanut butter?”

My mouth watered. There’d been no snacks at home for me to bring for lunch. I avoided the greasy cesspool of food offered in the school cafeteria as often as I could. I’d grabbed an apple today—that was it. “Um...sure. Thanks.”

I took the sandwich and had a nibble. Peanut butter had never tasted so good.

“What are you playing?” Hunter waved his finger at the piano keys.

“I’m learning. I’m not very good.”

“What kinda music? Classical? Jazz? Band?”

“Fuck no.” I grimaced. “Rock. Pop rock. Classic rock. The charts. The all-time favorites.”

Hunter’s eyes lit up. So did Kyle’s. Their electric vibe rippled and tingled my skin. Totally weird.

“Wanna show us?” Excitement jumped in Kyle’s voice as he pulled up a chair beside me.

My pulse quickened. I’d never played for anyone before. “Why would I do that?”

Hunter laughed and jumped off the desk. Grabbing a chair, he swung it around backward, and took a seat beside Kyle. “Music is our jam. Kyle here plays every instrument under the sun and can hold a wicked tune. Me...I’m a performer. I sing and play the guitar and the piano.”

Fire blazed in their eyes as they talked about music. I guessed we all had secrets and hidden talents.

“How long have you been learning the piano?” Kyle asked.

“Um...only about two years.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’m self-taught. I’m much better on the acoustic guitar. My dad taught me before he took off. But I love the piano. The sound. The tone. The magic it can create.”

Understanding gleamed in Kyle’s eyes. He slapped his hand on the side of the piano. “Show us what you got?”

“No...” I fidgeted with my fingers in my lap. “I’m not that good.”

“We won’t laugh.” Kyle’s tone softened. “Promise.”

Something in his smooth, reassuring voice made me believe they wouldn’t make fun of my poor skills. “Fine.”

I reset the YouTube video and hit play. I hovered my hands over the piano then struck the keys, hitting every one with clumsy gusto.

Kyle stood, moved behind me, and I could feel him watching my hands. Hunter took to the floor beside the piano and danced, shuffling, sliding, and spinning just like JT. No...better. For someone so lanky, damn, he could move. And then...he sang. Wow. What a voice. Shivers charged up my spine and down my arms and through every vein in my body.

Kyle placed his hands on my shoulders and pulled them back. “Sit straighter.”

I refocused on playing but the warmth simmering across my skin beneath his touch distracted me. I missed a note. Shit!

“Andrelax your hands more,” Kyle added. “Your fingers are too tense. Hold your hands higher. Soft curled fingers, not rigid sticks.”

I spun to face him. “How do you know all this shit?”

He shrugged. “My mom’s a music teacher.”

“She is?” Holy. Freaking. Awesomeness. “I’d kill to have lessons.”

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