Among Stars by Nevi Bernard (best beach reads of all time txt) 📖

him listen to you. I know you two love each other to let something like this come between you. Maybe you could go to the art gallery with him this time and then you go to the movies afterwards if there is still time. Huh?” I looked her with pleading eyes, begging her to think about what I said.

“Ok.” She answered finally with a smile. “C’mon we’ve got to get to class before they realized that we’re missing. I wouldn’t want to get in trouble.” She said getting up from her seat as the bell rang, signaling the end of the session.

            As we entered the hall we saw people crowding by the girls bathroom door. Curiously we both walked towards it. Upon reaching the scene we could see Layla and the rest of the cheerleading squad bulling a junior student.

“Hey! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” I defended before I could realize what I was doing. In the corner of my eyes I could see Jade looking at with wide terrified eyes. She was a little afraid of the squad and avoided them as much as possible. I, on the other hand had never had a reason to be afraid or a reason to confront any of them, until today.

“Like you perhaps.” Lucy said with her hands akimbo

“Maybe. But then why bother when I’m just another lowly student that has no reason to be provoked and I’m also a friend of a friend, one that you guys have been trying to impress and leave a good impression on.” I shrugged my shoulders to show how little the situation appealed to me.

“One day, you will get what’s coming to you.” Was all Lucy said before she and her squad left.

Jade and I left the crowd still standing by the bathroom door, and went to our lockers to collect our books for our next class. Neither of us had said anything to each other since we left the crowd, and so there was an awkward silence before Jade said finally

“That was a good thing you did for that girl back there.” she smiled

“Well I just thought it was about time that someone said something to Lucy and her crew. It’s about time they stopped.” I shrugged hoping that she wouldn’t continue to make a big deal of it.

Checking the time on my phone, I realized that I had only five minutes to get to class, unless I would need a hall pass or a real valuable excuse why I was late.

“Got to get to class, or we’ll be late.” I said slamming my locker shut and dashing off.

 

            I had just bend the last corner when I saw Jaime McDermott the hall monitor, quickly I slowed my pace to a brisk walk and lucky for me, I didn’t have far to go. Before Jaime could see me I slipped into the classroom.

“Ms. Vincenzo just in time, quickly take your seat please.” Mr. Johansen said

Mr. Johansen teaches music for the music appreciation class, he is also one apart of the school’s Alumni. Theodore Johansen is his name but he prefers us calling him by his first name. Even though he stands at about 6ft 7” tall and in his mid – thirties he is pretty handsome, with reddish blond hair and aqua blue eyes and a body to die for, or that’s what many of the girls say about him.

I quickly went to take my seat at the big black grand piano, which sat at the end of the row of seats, and flexed my fingers as I listened to Mr. Johansen’s instructions. We were playing a piece, called Daydream, that we’d been learning for some time now, but had lost concentration and zoned out after awhile. I had been staring at Jayson for a great deal of time when I began to play a song that I had written about Jayson when I was much younger. I hadn’t been able to finish it and as I sat staring at him the missing words of the song began to flow into my mind. I had been so caught up into it that I hadn’t realized that I had really been playing and singing the words, until Mr. Johansen’s voice broke through my fantasy

“Ms. Vincenzo I know this is music appreciation but that is not the piece that we’re doing at the moment.” He said sternly.

Mr. Johansen really didn’t like when his class was being interrupted, he tends to get cranky if it had been disrupted.

“Sorry Mr. Johansen.” I replied and I could feel my faced had flushed red up to the roots of my hair.

As we began playing the symphony again, the notes began to flow through me and in the middle of the piece a few changes came to mind. But before I could stop myself or even realize what I was doing, my fingers began to play them. Mr. Johansen again screamed my name startling me to a stop. In that moment I wished the earth to open up and swallow me whole. I just wanted the class to end. As the bell sounded, signaling the end of the class I quickly gathered my things to leave. I didn’t want to stay another minute.

“Please continue to practice your parts. We only have two months to go before the Homecoming weekend, and this piece needs to be perfect.” shouted Mr. Johansen as we left that class. “DJ I need to have a word with you now.” He continued as I got to the door.

 

            “I’m so sorry that I disrupted your class I didn’t mean to. I just got lost in that song and the notes began to flow into my mind, before I knew what I was doing I was playing them. Please don’t replace me.” I rushed in before he could say anything, but all he did was smile.

“That was an interesting change that you’ve made in the piece. I’ve never heard you play like that. You were always so… ordinary.”  Mr. Johansen really look impressed and I couldn’t help but to smile.

“I only play like that if I’m inspired. I have a problem playing exactly what I see, or dance the exact steps that I’m given. But I…”

“I want you to play a lead in this piece. I haven’t seen playing like this since Giorgio Ruzza.” He interrupted me excitedly

Giorgio Ruzza was a magnificent violinist that had been transferred to OAA in his sophomore year. On 1995, at the OAA Alumni Homecoming, he’d done so well that he got a scholarship to Julliard and Garnet Hall University of Switzerland to play music. It was a night to remember said the caption under his picture in the school’s hall of fame on the Enrique DiMarco Hall.

“This piece that we’re doing is a piece I created in my senior year here. But when Ruzza came he took that piece and made it his own and I’ve been waiting for another student like him to wow me and now I’ve found that student.” He paused to take a breath and then continued “Here take this and this”

Mr. Johansen place two copies of a symphony into my hand and when I frowned with puzzlement he smiled and said, “I your hand is the symphony I wrote and Enrico Ruzza’s as well. I want you to take them, play them and put your creativity to it. Those are copies, not the original sheets of the symphony so feel free to write on it make notes where ever. Now here is your hall pass.” He signed the piece of paper and handed it to me with a smile as he dismissed me from the room.

 

 

            I was heading towards the car park at the end of another day of school, when I noticed a black Mercedes pulling up. I had been thinking about what had transpired between Mr. Johansen and me during the fifth period class. I had been so eager to get home to work on the piece, when I spot the vehicle pulling up I just knew by the uneasy feeling in my stomach that the day was going to turn out to be an awful day. Looking quickly around for my friends, I spot Jayson, Myk and Nash standing by Jayson’s Jeep. I quickly ran over to them.

“Hey you guys! What’s up? Have you seen the girls?” I fired the questions breathlessly trying not to cause them to be concerned but failed.

“DJ what’s wrong?” Nash asked with a frown

“Uh – er – I’m ok nothing’s wrong what makes you think something’s wrong?”

“Well for one, you’re screwing your fingers and biting on your lip.” Jayson stated

“Two: you’re firing questions at us like your life depends on it.” Myk said observingly.

“I’m fine. I was just running… so that’s the cause... I guess” I stated quickly.

I took that moment to take a quick look behind. At the far corner the of the park the Sedan had stopped as though searching for a place to park, and I stared just hoping it wasn’t who I thought it was. As if hearing my silent cry I saw my own private driver coming into view.

“Hey my drive is here. Got to go.” I quickly gave them a hug as I ran to the Sedan not looking back to see the expression on the guys’ face.

“Hey! How was school?” Daleon asked after I had thrown my bag on to the backseat and gave him a quick hug.

“It was great.” I said once again excited, “Dal, guess what?” I continued with great enthusiasm

“You’re gonna tell me whether I wanted to hear or not. But fire away.” Dal said

In that same breath I told him about what Mr. Johansen said and all that had occurred during the day. I was in the middle of telling him about the situation between Jade and Myk when I noticed a Mercedes of the same color. It was a little too much of a coincidence that I didn’t know what to think. I hadn’t taken the license number before leaving the school grounds, one the stupidest things that I could have ever done considering my lineage. I kept just on trying to ignore the vehicle that seemed to follow us, a mile and a half later. I glanced out the window for the umpteenth time.

“What’s wrong DJ? You’ve been looking out the window from the time when we were driving out the school’s parking lot.” He asked with a concerned look on his face.

For a moment I wondered if by some chance I could have been mistaken, and that the vehicle was some kind of reporter who somehow got some scoop on my where about, and the thought was just very unnerving. I was totally unaware that I was biting on my lip until I fell I bit of blood that oozed onto my tongue.

“DJ did you hear what just I said?” Dal said even more concerned

“Ah – I think we’re being followed. The car came into the parking lot and I ran out of panic that it might be my dad. But then I wasn’t so sure and since then I’ve been watching it. Now we’re home….” My voice trailed off as Daleon drove into my driveway

“What if it’s some reporter who found out something about me!” I almost shrieked in a squeaky voice

“Hey calm down. I was watching too and I’ve signaled Pedro and Enrico so what I want you to do is, when I open your door I want you to run inside with your face down just in case it’s a reporter.” I nodded as I listened to his instructions. “By the way here is a cap put it on” I took the cap and put it on as he came out to open my door.

I kept watching eagerly, the car behind us but no one came out, but not wanting to risk being seen, I pulled the cap further down my face so that it would