It's Like Music In My Ears

CHAPTER 2: THE SCHEME

The next day, I found myself at the library with Jace, my best friend and the only person I could really talk to about this whole Melody situation. We were supposed to be studying, but I couldn’t focus. The memory of Melody’s visit to the music room kept playing on repeat in my head. I finally turned to Jace, lowering my voice.

“Dude, you won’t believe what happened yesterday.”

Jace looked up from his book, interested. “What? Did Melody trip over her own ego?”

I smirked. “I wish. She came into the music room while I was practicing.”

“No way.” Jace leaned in, already hooked. “What did she say?”

“She wished me luck,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, but the annoyance bled through.

Jace raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? She wished you luck?”

“Yeah, like she’s trying to psych me out or something,” I replied. “Like she’s so confident she’s got this in the bag that she can be all nice about it.”

Jace leaned back in his chair, thinking. “Or maybe she’s trying to mess with your head. Make you overthink everything.”

“Probably,” I muttered, staring down at the open book in front of me without really seeing it.

We sat in silence for a moment, the only sound the quiet rustling of pages and the occasional cough from one of the few other students scattered around the library. Jace finally broke the silence, his voice low and conspiratorial.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. What if you got to know her better?”

I blinked at him. “What? Why?”

He leaned in closer, his eyes lighting up with the kind of mischief that usually got us into trouble. “You know, find out what makes her tick. Everyone’s got a weakness, man. If you can figure out hers, maybe you can use it to your advantage.”

I frowned, trying to imagine myself doing that. Getting close to Melody? It seemed ridiculous. “I don’t know, Jace. I mean, I can barely stand being in the same room as her.”

Jace waved it off. “It doesn’t have to be real. Just, you know, pretend to be interested. Ask her about her music, see what she’s into. You might learn something that gives you the edge.”

Before I could respond, the librarian appeared out of nowhere, glaring at us over her glasses. “Boys, this is a library. Keep your voices down.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Henderson,” Jace said, flashing her an innocent smile. She huffed and moved on, leaving us to our scheming.

Once she was out of earshot, I turned back to Jace. “It’s a bad idea. I’m not a spy. Besides, even if I could stand talking to her, I don’t think I’d learn anything useful.”

Jace shrugged. “Maybe. But you never know. What’s the worst that could happen?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. It was probably the dumbest idea Jace had ever come up with, and that was saying something. But as we sat there, I couldn’t help thinking about it. What if there was something to it? Maybe getting to know her would give me some kind of advantage. Or maybe it would just make me hate her less, which would definitely make this whole competition thing easier.

By the time we left the library, the idea had wormed its way into my brain. I wasn’t convinced, but I couldn’t shake the thought. What if Jace was right? What if getting to know Melody was the key to finally beating her?

As I headed home, I realized I was actually considering it. And that scared me almost as much as the competition itself.

That night, sleep didn’t come easy. My mind kept replaying Jace’s words, mixing them with Melody’s too-polite wish of luck. Eventually, though, exhaustion won out, and I drifted off. But instead of the usual dreamless sleep, I found myself on stage—bright lights, a huge crowd, and Melody Summers standing just a few feet away.

The auditorium was packed, the kind of crowd that made your palms sweat and your heart race. I was at the piano, ready to perform, but something felt off. My fingers felt stiff, like they couldn’t move the way they were supposed to. I glanced over at Melody, who was already at her piano, her hands gliding effortlessly over the keys.

The music started, and it was like my worst nightmare come to life. Every note she played was flawless, each one ringing out like it was meant to be there. The crowd was eating it up, leaning forward in their seats, completely absorbed in her performance. I hadn’t even started yet, and I knew—I just knew—that I was screwed.

Finally, it was my turn. I placed my fingers on the keys, but they wouldn’t cooperate. The first chord came out all wrong, a jarring mess that made the audience wince. I tried to recover, but it was like my hands had forgotten how to play. Each note was worse than the last, until finally, I just stopped, my fingers frozen over the keys.

The crowd was dead silent, waiting. And then, out of nowhere, Melody’s voice cut through the stillness. “Loser!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the auditorium.

The spotlight shifted to me, blindingly bright. I looked out at the audience, and that’s when it started. First, a single voice, then another, until the whole crowd was chanting in unison: “Loser! Loser! Loser!”

I tried to say something, to defend myself, but the words wouldn’t come. My mouth felt glued shut, my body heavy and immobile. I turned to the side, hoping for some support from Jace, but he was standing in the crowd, laughing right along with everyone else. Even Angus, my usually loyal dog, was barking “Loser!” like it was the funniest thing in the world.

The boos grew louder, the laughter more intense. It felt like the whole room was closing in on me, like I was trapped in a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. Melody just stood there, her arms crossed, a smirk on her face, like she’d known all along this was how it would end.

And then, just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I jerked awake, my heart hammering in my chest. The room was dark and silent, the only sound the pounding of my own pulse in my ears.

I sat up, running a hand through my sweat-damp hair, trying to shake off the lingering terror of the dream. But one thing was clear, crystal clear. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let Melody win, couldn’t let myself be that loser on stage, humiliated in front of everyone.

“Nahh,” I muttered to myself, my voice rough with sleep. “I gotta do this.”

Whatever it took, I was going to make sure that nightmare didn’t become reality. And if that meant getting to know Melody, figuring out her weaknesses, and using them to my advantage—then so be it. I wasn’t going to lose. Not this time.