Page 46 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

Somewhere between watching her dance with Jordan Handell, to waking up with her in my arms yesterday morning, I’d decided she was worth it.

Sofia was worth the risk.

Aaron was my best friend, and yeah, he was her brother. But if he cared about us—both of us—he’d come around eventually. Besides, he knew me better than anyone. He knew I would never willingly hurt her.

He could trust me with her.

And if Sofia gave me a chance, I wanted to talk to him as soon as I could, face to face. Friend to friend. Teammate to teammate.

Sofia moved in, curling her slender fingers into my hoodie and gently yanking me closer.

I liked it—I liked it a whole lot.

“Hi,” I said, grinning.

“Hi,” she breathed. “What are we doing, Cole? This is crazy. You’re… and I’m… I mean, we’re…”

“Don’t overthink it. We’re just two people who happen to like each other. That’s not so bad, is it?”

“It’s more complicated than that, and you know it.” Her expression turned sad, the strong emotion rolling off her.

“You’re hiding something.”

“Cole, don’t do that. Don’t try to get in my head.”

I brushed the stray hairs out of her face and touched my head lightly to hers. “Don’t push me away. I’m here, Sofe. I’m not going anywhere.”

She took another shuddering breath, leaning into my touch. “I wish it was that easy.”

“What does that mean? What are you—”

“Okay, everyone,” the emcee’s voice went up around the room. “Next up, we have one of Roadhouse’s very own. Give it up for Cole Kandon.”

The room broke into a chorus of cheers, a noise that usually fueled me. But I was too focused on Sofia, on the violent thud of my heart beneath my chest.

We were finally getting somewhere. I could feel the shift between us. The frenetic energy.

“Uh, I think that’s your cue,” she said around a tentative smile.

“Talk about bad timing.” I let out a frustrated breath, glancing over to the stage, the solitary stool and mic stand calling to my soul.

“Go,” Sofia urged, shoving me gently. “I’ll be right here.”

“Good.” I kissed her again, the flash of surprise on her face worth the risk. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Go.” She chuckled, touching her lips again. Like she needed to feel it to know it was real.

“We’ll resume this conversation the second I’m back.”

I didn’t give her a chance to argue, grabbing my guitar and making my way to the stage. The last time I’d performed here had been the summer before junior year. I’d been so amped to try out some new original songs. Then my dad had turned up and ruined everything. God, I’d hated him that night.

Still didn’t much like the guy. He’d never understood me. I was nothing but a big disappointment to him and his dreams of a cloned version of himself.

The emcee spotted me and beckoned me up on stage. “Give it up one more time for Cole Kandon.”

The harsh glare of the lights licked my skin as I sat down and got comfortable, hooking the strap over my neck.

“Hey there,” I said into the mic. “It’s been a while since I got up here, but it feels good to be back.”

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