Page 58 of The Ruthless Note

I stiffen and debate whether I should answer.

The phone keeps ringing.

With a deep breath, I pick up. “Hello?”

“Cadence.”

I bounce out of my bed. “Oh my gosh! Mr. Mulliez!”

Happiness surges through my chest when I hear my beloved teacher's voice.

It was Mr. Mulliez who gave me the chance to attend Redwood.

It was Mr. Mulliez who lost his job because he refused to out my secret identity

It was also Mr. Mulliez who put me in touch with Jarod Cross and got me back into school.

We chat for a bit and then he gets to the heart of his call. “Have you been working on your stage fright?”

There’s no way I’m telling him that I nearly fainted when I tried playing for an audience of one today.

“Uh… I played the triangle a while back.”

“The triangle? Nice. Any more progress?”

“Not really. I've been busy with…”

“With what?”

Getting revenge on Dutch.

Trying not to think about Dutch.

Doing everything I possibly can to stay out of Dutch's way.

“Life,” I say.

“I’m calling because a student’s been begging me for weeks to get your—well, theotheryou’s number. Not sure if you'd be interested, but I can put you in touch with them. They’re having an event soon. The gig pays well.”

“How well?”

He mutters a number that has my mind lighting up. I do some mental calculations. The rent is due soon and since I gave up my job at the lounge, things have been really tight.

I agree to the gig but, when I get to the address Mr. Mulliez sent me, I instantly regret my choice.

The party is being thrown by none other than… Paris.

“You came!” She waddles down a lavish staircase.

Her slender body is practically popping out of a mermaid dress that hugs her like saran wrap. Her hair dangles down to her shoulders.

She launches her arms around me. “I’ve been looking for youeverywhere, but you’re not online. Why the hell aren’t you online?”

“Well…”

“I just lovedeverythingabout your performance at the end-of-summer showcase.” She barrels right over my words. “Christa never let us admit it, but you were great. I am such a huge fan.”

It’s awkward to receive praise of any kind, but especially from someone who called me ‘Trash Girl’ and spent all of her lunch hour ordering me to ‘pick that up’ and ‘clean there’.