Page 192 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

Someone yanked my door open, and my brother’s face appeared. “Getting out anytime soon, Sis?” He grinned.

“I… What is going on?”

“You’ll see.” He held out his hand and I took it, letting him pull me from the car.

“Sofia,” Lily called.

“Hey, everyone.” I joined them, still in shock at finding them all here. “Can anyone tell me what’s going on?”

“So you know how you couldn’t go to the show?” Aaron said, his arm around Poppy’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Well, Kandon thought we could bring the show to you.”

“Wha—” The movie screen flickered to life and a stage filled it, music pouring out of the speakers.

“That’s Rebel City.”

I’d recognize that song anywhere, after sitting in Jude’s garage for a week listening to them rehearse.

“This is a live feed.” Poppy came over, lacing her arm through mine. “He didn’t want you to miss out, babe. And besides, none of us felt cool about leaving you.”

“Poppy…”

“We love you, Sofia. I hope you know that.”

Someone handed out drinks, beers for everyone who wasn’t a designated driver. I stuck to water thanks to the concoction of drugs I was still taking.

“They’re good,” Kaiden said.

“They are. I wish Cole didn’t… Uh, guys, where is Cole?” I asked.

Aaron smirked and pointed at the screen. “You’ll see.”

The song ended and Jude thanked the crowd.

“And now we want to welcome on stage a friend of the band. Some of you may know, he should have been up here on this stage with us tonight, but our boy is in love.” The crowd cheered, and Jude laughed right along with them. “Cole, my man, get out here. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together… for Cole Kandon.”

“Oh my God.” I clutched my throat, my heart ratcheting in my chest as I watched him walk out on stage, guitar slung over his shoulder.

Aaron took my hand and squeezed it gently. “You good?”

“I… I don’t know what to feel.”

Cole was there, at the show.

“Jude and the guys agreed to let me come out here tonight to play you a song about a very special girl. Some of you may know this one already, but we’ve made a few adjustments. I hope you like it.”

When the opening beats toMissed Notesfilled the air, the air left my lungs.

Jude seduced the crowd with Cole’s haunting lyrics and his gravelly voice. But I only had eyes for Cole as he played his heart out.

For me.

He wasn’t looking at the crowd. Or his friends. He was staring right into the camera.

Right. At. Me.

---