Page 53 of Wicked Little Darling

I gritted my teeth and drew in the clefs, then put four-four for the time signature for now. Next came the notes on the empty bars for E minor, and?—

I glanced over at Dakota, then did a double take. “What are you doing?”

Exasperation and disbelief had me gaping at him as he drew a bunch of squiggly lines on blank paper.

“Um…It’s my…” He trailed off and started shaking his leg.

I was so confused. “Where’s your sheet paper?”

“Ah, gentlemen! I meant to have a word.”

I looked up at Professor Hawkins, who stood in front of us. Had he been watching us? I mean, his desk was only a few feet away, so probably.

He leaned forward and said, “Reese, I thought you should know that Dakota is very gifted, but can only play by ear. He’s unable to read traditional sheet music and has gotten special permission to utilize the method he came up with. His talents are performance-based, so he also takes tests aurally rather than written. Please be patient with him, Mr. Walker. I’m very excited to see what the two of you come up with.”

What…? I glanced over at Dakota, who was leaning back in his chair, watching me.

Always watching me.

I met Professor Hawkins’ eyes and smiled. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know, this should be, um…fun.”

“Lovely.” The professor smiled and went back to his desk.

So what was I supposed to do now?

I gestured at the paper he’d been working on and said, “I’m sorry, I should’ve— I mean, I just wasn’t expecting…that.”

Wow.

I hung my head in my hands as my face burned with embarrassment.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know.” There was a warm amusement in his voice, and for whatever reason, that comforted me. He sounded like his normal self again, and I felt like…

I felt like fucking crying. I hadn’t been ready for this rollercoaster of emotions that Ashbrook was taking me on. I hadn’t been ready for someone like Dakota Voss.

Sometimes I really wished I could disappear.

10

WILL YOU BE MY LIGHT IN THE DARK?

DAKOTA

Reese was frowning down at his paper, and I wished we weren’t in class right now so I could actually talk to him.

He was way more upset about the other day than I’d originally thought he’d be, but I didn’t blame him at all. I’d been an absolute bastard to him.

I’d wanted to run after him, had regretted my words instantly, but…they’d just burst out of me.

Everett wasright there. I had to get Reese away from us.

I was being eaten alive by guilt.

I didn’t like it. It was like worms festering in my rotten core; a squirming, filthy, awful sensation that wriggled in the pit of my stomach.

I wanted to down a bottle of acid and dissolve it.

I shouldn’t have spoken to him that way. Even as the words were ripped from my chest, I knew better than to let them fly so easily. But I couldn’t stop them.