more for us | grayson dolan (book two)

fifteen

An eager smile paints my lips as I walk into the crowded auditorium. Laura is standing on the stage looking down at a piece of paper and Professor Hill is standing next to her. I immediately spot Carter sitting toward the back, which is where my feet move to.

"You know, for somebody who is so popular at this school, you sure love to isolate yourself." I chuckle while sitting down next to him in the comfortable seat.

"I'm thinking." He shakes his head while staring at me.

"About?" I raise an eyebrow.

"The showcase, duh." His familiar smirk appears once again.

"Did you talk to your friend about playing the guitar?" The excitement is taking over my voice.

"Uh yeah, he's in." He quickly clears his throat while looking down. I slightly furrow my eyebrows as I continue to stare at him. He seems nervous for some reason.

"So, that's a good thing, right?"

"Of course." He nods, giving me a short answer. "Anyway, did you practice last night?"

"Yes." I beam.

"And?"

"And what?"

"How was it?" He waits for my anticipated answer.

"Amazing, obviously. The Beatles have such amazing notes in their songs. I'm surprised I haven't played any of them before."

"That's disgraceful." He scoffs.

"Relax, I still listen to them." I defend.

"I have so many ideas that I've been brainstorming. Since the introduction is all piano, I want the spotlight to be solely on you, then I'll emerge next to you. We'll sing together by the piano, and the rest of the stage will be dark. Once the song picks up during the second chorus, the whole stage will light up with the band." His eyes have such a determined twinkle in them. He's so passionate about what he does.

"That sounds incredible." I can picture it now. It's already giving me chills. "The rock feel will totally be there, which will work in our favor."

"The fact that you enjoy classic rock is another reason why I chose you. I'm so sick of people playing the same songs over and over, especially at the auditions. Beethoven is boring, overused, and won't impress me."

"Right, like playing something like Hallelujah." I smirk to myself.

"Exactly do you know how many times I've heard that?" He places his hand on his forehead and sighs. "Wait, somebody played that?"

"Nope, not at all. I was just giving an example." I mentally laugh.

It's hilarious that Violet seemed to be into him, yet he could care less about her existence. My eyes move to her sitting in the front, next to her partner. A boy named Ian picked her for the big collaboration. To be fair, he was in desperate need of a partner. It was kind of by default.

"Let it Be is pretty easy, don't you think? I mean, it's nothing too hard."

"I started to play half of it, but then I needed to help my best friend with a design."

"Design?" He seems intrigued.

"Yeah, she goes to a fashion school and is designing clothes for an upcoming fashion show."

"No way, that's pretty cool." His impressed tone makes my heart happy for Lanie. "I'll have to remember that, she could come in handy."

"Really?"