Page 13 of Wylder and the Secret Rockstar
At least eight hands shot into the air, and Mrs. Shepherd chuckled at their eager response. “Ms. Clark?” The teacher nodded at Kim Clark.
“Yes, Ma’am. How will we turn in our performances? As a video?”
“No, you will all perform live in concert for the whole school. We’re even inviting the locals of Twin Rivers and Riverpass to join us in the auditorium.”
The other students let out gasps of excitement and started talking about their ideas with their partners. Logan shifted lower in his seat and let out a groan.
“What? Not your cup of tea?” Wylder crossed her arms over her chest, her leg bouncing under the desk. There was no way she was doing this. Not for all the promises to her brother. Not for a million dollars would she get up in front of the whole school and everyone she’d ever known in Twin Rivers and give a live performance.
That was the old Wylder. She’d left music in the past, and it needed to stay there.
“I’m going to kill Bash,” Logan grumbled.
Just the sound of his name brought it all crashing back on her. The distraction of Beckett’s meddling drove all thoughts of Sebastian out of her mind. But this class was the least of her worries. If she wasn’t careful, she and Sebastian were going to end up on the tabloids in the supermarket aisle, and then she really would have problems.
“Break off with your partners, and start brainstorming ideas for your performance,” Mrs. Shepherd called over the din of conversation. “Play to your strengths. I’ll come around and meet with each of you before the end of class."
Wylder and Logan turned toward each other.
“I’m not doing this with you,” they said at the same time.
“I’m not doing this, period.” Logan’s knee bounced under the table, and he leaned back in his chair, his hands trembling in his lap.
“You look a little green. You all right?” Wylder frowned at him. “Let me guess, stage fright? Or sibling rivalry? Not as good as your brother?”
“Whatever, why don’t you want to do this?” Logan shot back at her. “Didn’t you used to play in a band with your brother?”
“How do you know that?” Wylder hadn’t thought about her time withAnonymousin ages. Once upon a time, she and her brother had a band. Wylder played drums, Beckett sang, their friend Julian played guitar, and Nari played keyboard. Then they all graduated. Julian went on to become a bestselling romance author, and Beckett and Nari left for Nashville where they became household names and a songwriting powerhouse duo. And they’d all left Wylder behind.
Things went downhill for Wylder after that.
“I’m pretty sure everyone close to the Country Music scene knows about Beckett Anderson and his high school band with his little sister.”
“Yeah, it’s ancient history.” Wylder felt like running again, but she couldn’t run out of two classes in one day.
“Dude, you’re so lucky you got Wylder Anderson.” The guy at the next table nodded to Logan. “She’s crazy talented. Probably even more than her brother.”
Wylder pretended like she didn’t hear them talking about her, turning her attention to the class syllabus. If it weren’t for the fact that her brother signed her up for this class and the whole performing live thing, she would probably have really enjoyed the chance to learn more about the business of music. The things that happened behind the smoke and mirrors on stage and in the recording studio.
Wylder would always love music, and she’d always be drawn to it. The idea of a behind the scenes career held some appeal. Maybe she could be a manager like her cousin Skye.
“You should go look for another partner. I’m dropping the class.” Logan tapped his pencil against the desk. He carried a decent beat. She wondered how he might handle a pair of real drumsticks.
“Not happening.” Wylder fidgeted in her seat, groaning when Mrs. Shepherd headed their way.
“It’s lovely to have you both in my class.” Mrs. Shepherd pulled a chair up to sit in front of them. “I’m really looking forward to working with students who have real experience in the music industry.”
“I don’t have any experience,” Wylder said. “My brother does.”
“What she said,” Logan echoed.
“Of course. I just meant you’re both familiar with the goings-on of the industry. You won’t have any of the illusions some of your starry-eyed classmates might have. So tell me, what can we expect from this dynamic duo?”
“Nothing, I’m afraid there’s been a mix-up with my scheduling, Mrs. Shepherd.” Wylder scooted to the edge of her seat. “I wasn’t supposed to be in this class. I’ll need to meet with my guidance counselor to discuss transferring to the art class I was supposed to have this period.”
“Oh, I see.” Mrs. Shepherd frowned.
“Same for me too.” Logan reached for his bag. “Except for the whole art thing.” He was apparently going to ride Wylder’s coattails all the way to the headmistress’s office. “If you could excuse me from the rest of the period, I’d like to see what happened with my schedule.”
