Kiss Me Katie (Complete)

Chapter 13

Riley

"So... how's the new arrangement for the audition song going?" I asked Annie, as she and Katie slid into their chairs at breakfast the next morning. I knew my smile looked smug, but I was pretty confident Annie wouldn't be able to pull this off. "Think you might have bitten off a little more than you can chew, Annie?"

Annie just raised her eyebrows and lifted her coffee cup to her mouth, her own smug smile shooting me down in flames. "Oh that? Yeah, it's ready whenever you want to hear it."

Katie grinned at the stunned look on my face and chuckled. "Did you seriously think she'd let us off the hook that easy? She's worked like a mad-woman to get it finished."

"Cool," Joel said, his eyes sparkling as they flicked around the faces of everyone at the table. "If we eat fast, we should be able to sneak into one of the studios and have a listen before our first lesson."

Un-freakin-believable. Somebody just shoot me now!

I was seriously regretting not folding to the challenge in Katie's fiery eyes the day before. But there was no way I'd back out now. This was my big chance to show Katie what I was made of. Although, I admit I was still secretly hoping the new arrangement would turn out to be terrible. But from the worried look on Katie's face, I was pretty sure it was really good.

Oh what the hell. It might actually end up being fun.

Either that, or the most embarrassing experience of my life.

Ten minutes later, I sat in stunned silence as Annie played the new audition piece. It sounded nothing like the original version. Annie had somehow managed to change it from an operatic pile of drivel to a slow, sultry masterpiece. Having already sung a couple of songs with Katie the previous afternoon, I knew how well our voices blended. If we could pull this off, we'd bring the house down.

"Okay, Annie, you are indeed a genius." Joel bowed and winked at Annie. "I just hope Cole Porter doesn't roll over in his grave, or Professor Haines slap us with a year's detention, for messing with a classic. Hey, what do you think about adding some congas? That sultry beat is awesome."

Annie smiled and opened her mouth to say something when the bell for our first class rang. She shrugged and looked at Katie. "Well, I guess we can talk about the details later. So... you think it sounds okay then?"

Annie was eyeing me nervously, and I suddenly realised I hadn't said a word since she'd started playing. "Are you kidding me? Okay is the understatement of the year. This new version is brilliant."

Annie beamed and shared a weird look with Katie. Okay, what weren't they telling me? I threw a suspicious look at Katie, and she started rifling through her bag.

"So... guess we'd best get to class then," she said to Annie, grabbing her hand and dragging her out the door. "See you guys after English."

English and Math classes were the only ones sorted by gender. Apparently separating boys and girls had proven to increase concentration levels, especially in the male species. Gee... I wonder why.

Not that it helped when you couldn't get a particular girl out of your head. Which reminded me of that weird look the girls shared. It was still bugging me as we walked to class. "Hey Joel, did you happen to notice the weird looks those two were throwing at each other?" I finally asked.

Joel chuckled as we entered the classroom and found a couple of empty seats. "Yeah, they're definitely plotting something. And I hate to admit it, but I can't wait to find out what it is. I kinda like this new never-a-dull-moment when those two are around."