Sound Carries

5.

The next morning, all hell broke loose over breakfast. I walked in several minutes late, just in time to discover Audra and Hannah in the midst of a heated discussion.

I discovered later that Cecily – weary of their constant bickering – had started the argument by provoking Audra, but at that particular moment she was looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else than between two very angry women who were arguing with a passion that was, in honesty, frightening.

"I never said I thought I was better than you!" Hannah was in the middle of an objection when Audra pointed a long finger at her.

"You didn't have to!" Audra hissed. "Little miss high-and-mighty over here with your 'marvellous rendition' and 'incredible acting' – as if you had to say anything at all! You've been lording it over me for days!"

"You're the one who got the lead role, Audra!" Hannah sounded desperate, glancing at a group of second year students who were watching with muted interest. "And I haven't been 'lording' anything over you!"

Cecily glared at the students until they shuffled away.

Audra shot up, red in the face, scraping her chair against the stone floor. "We both know you're just avoiding what Dr. Ritter said about the aria, how it's 'so much more difficult to cast.' Good god! I'm sick of this school playing favourites!"

She stalked away, brushing past me, head down, and when I turned, I thought I heard a muffled sob.

For several stilted moments, all was quiet. The boys, usually able to – in large part – ignore whatever drama Audra was the epicentre of, were all three staring at the door, which was swinging on its hinges.

They were not alone. Hannah stared too, two spots of red on her pale face, her face set, deliberate.

A bit tentatively, I sat down beside her.

The boys resumed their conversation, albeit a little more quietly than they usually would have.

"Are you alright?" I asked her quietly, so that they wouldn't hear.

To my shock, Hannah burst into tears.

I had never seen Hannah cry before.

She buried her face in her hands. "Sorry." She mumbled through her fingers. "God. Sorry. I didn't mean to –"

"It's alright." I shrugged off her apology. None of us at Conolly were strangers to unpredictable outbursts of emotion, especially during exam season.

Cecily stood abruptly, looking at Hannah with a mixture of what I took to be alarm and distaste, then turned on her heel and followed in Audra's footsteps,

At this, Hannah swiped furiously at her eyes. "No, it isn't. I should – I've got to get a grip."

I put my hand on her shoulder. She didn't shrug my hand off, exactly, but her body stilled under my touch, and just as quickly, I retracted my hand.

She sighed. "It's been a hard week."

"It has." I nodded my agreement.

"It won't be forever." She shook her hair out of her eyes and let out a low breath. Then she put the fork down, seeming to steel herself. "I'm going to go find Audra."

"Why?"

"I'm tired of the constant tension. I'm going to see if I can... appease her. Bare my soul, that kind of thing." She offered me a wry smile. "Wish me luck."

I blinked at her, then looked down at the table. "You'll need it."

-

Whatever it was that she had done, it had worked. When I passed their room that evening on my way to the library, they were both sitting on Hannah's bed, and Audra was working Hannah's long hair into an even plait.