Chapter 16: You're a One-in-a-Million Talent
Galveston County High School
"Juno!"
Adam stared at her like she'd just volunteered them both for something genuinely insane. Which she had.
"I believe in you," Juno said simply. "And if it comes to it, I'll run with you."
"Perfect." Cash's eyes lit up. "That's what I like about you, Juno. You've got nerve." He looked back at Adam. "What about you? You scared?"
Adam's expression went flat, but Juno was giving him a look that very clearly communicated: do not back down right now.
"Scared of what exactly?" Adam said.
"Then it's settled."
Cash grinned, said something loud enough for the hallway to hear on his way out, and was gone before Adam could think of a reason to walk it back. The noise trailing after him made it obvious — this was already spreading. There was no quiet exit from this one.
The four of them stood alone in the classroom.
"Juno." Adam turned to her. "What was that?"
"A calculated decision."
"It's a naked run!"
"Only if we lose," Juno said, unbothered. "So let's not lose."
"Cash is actually good," Adam said. "He's annoying, but he's talented. He plays well and he writes his own material. We don't have original songs. How exactly are we supposed to beat him?"
"We write one."
Juno looked at him steadily. "Adam, I've been listening to you play for weeks now. Those little melodic fragments you run through when you're warming up or just messing around — some of them are genuinely extraordinary. Not good-for-a-high-school-band extraordinary. Actually extraordinary. If you can pull those together into a complete song, we don't just beat Cash. We make an impression that goes well beyond this school."
Adam opened his mouth and closed it.
She wasn't wrong about the fragments. As his intelligence points had climbed over the past weeks, his memories from his previous life had sharpened noticeably. When he picked up a guitar, pieces of music he'd absorbed without really paying attention to — classics he'd heard in the background of life — surfaced more clearly than before. Rock that had survived decades to reach the ears of someone who wasn't even a music fan was, by definition, the kind of material that didn't need much help.
Juno had heard those fragments and drawn her own conclusions. Her conclusions were more generous than the reality, but they weren't entirely wrong either.
"They're incomplete," he said. "I can't just—"
"You have until the weekend," Juno said. "Stop making excuses and start putting it together."
"And if we lose anyway?"
Adam hesitated. He was sixteen in body but considerably older in experience, and running naked in front of the entire student body carried a different psychological weight for him than it apparently did for Juno.
"If we lose, we find a reason to back out," Juno said easily. "Or we just ignore it. Do you honestly think Cash is going to streak ten laps around the school if he loses? This is a bluff wrapped in a bet. He made it public so you can't say no. That doesn't mean anyone's actually running anywhere."
Adam thought about it.
She had a point. The whole thing was theater. Cash had constructed a situation where Adam couldn't decline without looking scared, not a situation where anyone genuinely intended to follow through on the consequences. That was a very different thing.
"Besides," Juno added, glancing at him sideways, "even if you did have to run, it wouldn't exactly be a tragedy for the audience."
"Please don't."
Adam exhaled and started walking. Juno fell into step beside him, Emmett and Sheldon trailing behind.
He spent the walk home and most of the next several days doing something he hadn't done seriously in a long time — really reaching back into his memory, pulling at the threads of music he'd absorbed without meaning to, testing what he could reconstruct from fragments and instinct.
The school's social ecosystem had also shifted subtly since he and Juno had started spending time together. The girls who had been ready to offer consolation after Amy's very public departure had quietly redirected their energy elsewhere. Adam found he didn't mind. The focus was useful.
Homecoming Weekend
The gym had been transformed. Streamers, a proper stage, a sound system that was actually decent for once. Students in their best clothes filled every available space. Alumni mingled near the back. The energy was high before anything had even started.
Adam had checked the guest list the principal's office had posted on the bulletin board. Amy Dunne's name was not on it. He felt a full-body wave of relief and let it go.
Tonight was its own thing. A new chapter. He was done being a supporting character in someone else's story.
The host worked the crowd through the opening announcements and then leaned into the microphone with a grin.
"Alright, you've all heard about the bet between Emotion and Hard Candy. I'm not going to pretend you're not here for it. Let's find out what happens." He gestured to the wings. "First up — Emotion, performing an original song!"
The lights shifted. The Emotion band took the stage — drummer, keyboardist, bassist finding their positions — and then Cash walked out last, guitar over his shoulder, and the reaction from the crowd was immediate. Girls screamed. Guys whistled. Cash absorbed all of it like it was his natural environment, because for him it basically was.
He was good. Adam watched from the wings and acknowledged it honestly. Cash had stage presence and he had the song, and the combination worked. The audience was completely with him by the end of the first chorus.
Emmett, standing beside Adam, had been watching the crowd with growing excitement right up until his eyes landed on Ivy — the girl he'd invited because he hadn't wanted to show up alone — and his expression shifted.
"Of all the nights to have made that decision," Emmett muttered darkly.
The song ended. The applause was enormous. Cash took his bow and swept his arm toward the other side of the stage with a smile that contained several layers of meaning.
"And now," the host said, "Hard Candy!"
End of Chapter 16
[Support Goal: 500 PS → +1 Chapter]
[Support Goal: 10 Reviews → +1 Chapter]
Your review helps the story grow.
P1treon Soulforger (20+chapters ahead)