Out of Tune

Chapter Fifteen

I think wherever you go, when people hear good music, they will react to it -Wiz Khalifa

"So, I have an update," Taylor said as she fell into the seat next to Lennon during the lunch period.

            Lennon swiped a French fry off of Taylor's plate.  "What is it?"

            It was Wednesday – two days before the band's first gig as regulars at Quincy's.  They'd been practicing every spare minute they had to prepare. Lennon had spent the entirety of the previous two evenings at Spencer's house, working on their new setlist. 

            The band had upped their social media presence thanks to Taylor's involvement.  Their YouTube page was growing substantially, as were their Facebook and Instagram followings. The website Taylor had set up was garnering hits and Taylor – in the midst of the rising stardom – had even managed to talk the boys into a photoshoot.  She'd borrowed her mother's camera and they'd set up a backdrop with a plain white sheet in the corner of the basement. 

            There had been minimal resistance from the boys who'd allowed Taylor to dress and pose them strategically.  She was still editing up the photos but promised that she was going to be posting them across their platforms to help boost the band's exposure.

            Now, Taylor leaned forward and pitched her voice low.  "Okay so I was talking with Danielle last night and she told me that she and Katie were hanging out yesterday.  Apparently, they got to talking and Katie mentioned that the whole Bryce being an ass to you thing at my party was intentional.  Katie told Bryce that you and she had a conversation about how you were ready to sleep with him but didn't know how to make the first move.  That's why he got handsy with you at the party."

            "Wow."  Lennon blinked.  She was glad that the boys were running late.  There was enough bad blood between her bandmates and Bryce as it were.  The last thing she wanted to do was add fuel to that fire.

            "I know," Taylor said flatly.  "Anyways, she's the reason that Bryce decided to get all creepy and is basically why your relationship with him ended."

            Lennon shook her head.  "That's Bryce's fault, not Katie's.  She gave him information.  He's the one that decided to listen to her instead of talking with me about it."

            But at least she knew now what had happened.  Why Bryce had gone so weird that night and what he and Katie had been talking about in the kitchen.  Lennon found it disconcerting the lengths that Katie would go to for a guy that didn't seem interested in her, and decided that she'd dodged a bullet

            "I guess...Well, I've decided that I can't stand to be around her or Bryce at the moment so I'm going to be sitting with you every day from now on."

            "I don't have a problem with that."

            The words did not come from Lennon.

            She looked over her shoulder to see Miles grinning as he approached with Spencer.  "Where are Zeke and Charlie?" Lennon asked as they came to sit down across from her and Taylor.

            "The library," Spencer answered.  "They've been assigned some group project in one of their classes so they're meeting with their groupmates to flesh it out."

            "Ah."

            "So, why is Taylor avoiding Bryce and Katie?" he asked but the look in his eyes as he glanced quickly to Lennon made her think that he already knew.