Page 32 of Roots and Sky

Another eye roll.

“Honestly, you were only like a half-step flat in that one spot, and everything else was perfectly in tune.”

She tilts her head at my words.

“What?” I ask, suddenly super-aware I’m giving singing notes to Mackenzie Nash of all people. I bet no one’s given her notes in years.

Her question, however, surprises me.

“Kinley, do you have perfect pitch?”

Oh. Well…

“I’ve been told I’ve got a pretty good ear.”

She hums a note and raises her chin at me.

“I’m not your trained monkey, Mac.”

“Humor me. What note did I just hum?”

“You’re not going to like the answer.”

Just being truthful here.

“I can take it.”

“I think you were going for aC, but it was a little…flat.”

She grimaces at my assessment.

“I’m sorry! You asked!”

“I know, I know. Let’s try something that isn’t my shitty voice.”

Before I can protest, she takes her pencil and taps the metal band against her coffee mug twice.

“You hit it in two different places, so two different notes,” I answer automatically, humming the two pitches. “The first hit produced anA. The second produced anA-sharp.”

“Youdohave perfect pitch,” she says accusatorially. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

I sigh.

“Here’s the thing, I tell people I have perfect pitch, and they say I should be a singer, which is, like, a completely different skill set.”

“Youshouldbe a singer. Or a composer.”

“Look, I like singing. I like playing around with the notes. I enjoy doing those things casually, with friends. At karaoke.”

Mac winces.

“You snob,” I elbow her. “Karaoke can be fun.”

“If you’re singing, I’m sure it is.”

“I can sing in tune, but I don’t have great range. It’s one of the reasons I really like your music. You don’t go too high.”

“Yeah, well. My range is sort of limited too.”