“Uh-uh.” Lark shook her head. “This one’s mine.”
On the computer screen, Jackson frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that those lyrics are …” Jackson paused to scratch his scruffy beard. “Well, they’re a little more mature than your usual stuff.”
Lark shrugged. “I guess. But it’s how I feel. Is that wrong?”
“Not wrong at all, darlin’,” said Jackson. “I just don’t want you to grow up too fast is all. I mean, first the development deal, and now …” He sighed. “Now a full-on love song.”
“Daddy!” Lark felt a prickle of embarrassment. “How can you say it’s a love song when the word ‘love’ isn’t even in it?”
Jackson chuckled. “It may not be in the lyrics, but it’s definitely implied.”
Lark considered this. “Okay, maybe it is, but that’s how it is with songwriting. Sometimes you have to exaggerate for artistic purposes.” She smiled. “I promise, Daddy, you have got nothing to worry about. Heck, just being ‘in like’ is confusing enough for me right now.”
After they ended their video call, Lark joined Fitzy in the kitchen to help her make dinner—chicken stir-fry with basmati rice and a surprisingly tasty cheesecake with jalapeño compote for dessert. She did her homework and let Fitzy check her geography assignment. As it turned out, Fitzy’s girlhood obsession with flying airplanes and traveling the globe had made her an expert at geography.
And then, Lark’s phone rang.
Lark checked the caller ID, half hoping it would be Teddy. It wasn’t.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, honey. Listen, I can’t talk long, the boys are due at the concert venue in twenty minutes. I just wanted to ask you a couple of quick questions.”
“Okay,” said Lark. “Shoot.”
“Question number one: Have you heard of Springsong, the annual music festival in Palm Springs?”
“Sure,” said Lark. “It’s super famous. It’s a weekend-long concert. All the biggest acts take part, and it always gets sold out in, like, the first hour after tickets go on sale.”
“That’s right,” said Donna.
“What’s the second question?”
“How would you like to go?”
CHAPTER 18
“I can’t believe Abbey Road got a last-minute spot at Springsong,” said Lark when she and Fitzy hopped into the car early the next morning.
“And I can’t believe I’m driving all the way to Palm Springs,” Fitzy grumbled, backing Donna’s SUV out of the driveway. “It’s the first Saturday in May, the day I always do my mega spring cleaning. I’ve got windows to wash and floors to wax, and I was really hoping to regrout the tile in the guest bathroom this afternoon.”
“Who wants to regrout a bathtub when they can go to the coolest concert of the year?” Lark protested.
“Me, that’s who,” said Fitzy with a sniff. “Now, open that Tupperware container. I packed us some tofu cannoli for the ride.”
Once the world’s most conscientious housekeeper had gotten past her disappointment over not being able to spend the day beating rugs and polishing furniture, the mood in the SUV improved greatly. The drive to Palm Springs was just over two hours, and Lark and Fitzy spent it happily quizzing each other on music trivia. Lark was amazed to discover that Fitzy was an expert on classic rock and roll. Fitzy even rattled off a list of some of the more unusual jobs held by rock stars prior to their becoming famous: one had been a grave digger! Who knew?
When they reached the outdoor venue where Springsong was taking place, Fitzy pulled into the parking lot and flashed the VIP pass Donna had e-mailed. This allowed them to drive right up to the event area.
Lark gasped when she saw how many people were there—and it was only ten o’clock in the morning! Not surprisingly, the crowd was made up primarily of teenagers and college students.
“Should’ve brought my Frisbee,” Fitzy quipped as they got out of the car. “Not to mention my hand sanitizer.”
“There you are!” came a familiar voice.
“Mama!” Lark bolted across the dusty dirt parking lot and threw her arms around Donna.
“There’s my girl!” Donna covered Lark’s face with kisses.
“And where are those Abbey Road hooligans?” Fitzy asked.
“Why?” Donna teased. “Do you miss them?”
“Not at all,” Fitzy lied with an airy wave of her hand.
Donna led them to where several tour buses were parked. Lark had no trouble picking Abbey Road’s bus out of the group. She ran for it and bounded up the steps.
“Hey, y’all,” she said.
“Lark!” cried Max, ruffling her hair as Ollie caught her in a rib-squashing hug.
But Teddy was nowhere to be seen.
“Don’t look so glum,” said Max with a chuckle. “Your boy just went to buy us some sodas. He’ll be back in a minute.”
When Fitzy and Donna joined them, Lark was afraid Fitzy might actually go into cardiac arrest over the condition of the bus. The countertops were piled high with dirty dishes and empty pizza boxes and the floor was strewn with filthy socks and damp towels.
“What are you boys?!” cried Fitzy, aghast. “Animals?”
“Worse,” said Oliver. “We’re pop stars.”
Max laughed. “Sorry, Fitz. I guess we’ve gotten a little behind on our household chores.”
As Fitzy gazed around at the mess, a smile spread across her face. “I guess I’m going to do my spring-cleaning after all,” she said, rolling up her sleeves.
“Oh, Mrs. Fitzpatrick,” said Donna. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Are you kidding?” cried Fitzy, eagerly gathering up the dirty T-shirts and blue jeans from the floor. “This is the kind of challenge I live for! And besides, unless Van Halen is planning to make a surprise appearance, I’d much rather be in here changing bed linens and cleaning out the fridge.”
Max gave Fitzy a pout. “What about us? We go on at noon.”
“I’ll poke my head out to watch you perform, of course,” she assured him. “God knows I’ll need the fresh air! But other than that, I’ve got my work cut out for me. It’s a wonder the health department hasn’t had this bus condemned!”
Fitzy had a valid point. The stench of moldy half-eaten tacos and unwashed socks was beginning to make Lark a little queasy.
Leaving a giddy Fitzy behind to revel in her task, Lark, Donna, Ollie, and Max exited the bus, just as Teddy was returning with three frosty Cokes.
His eyes lit up when he saw Lark, and she had a sneaking suspicion hers did exactly the same. For a moment, the two of them just stood there, staring at each other with goofy grins on their faces.
When it became clear that Teddy had forgotten all about the drinks he was carrying, Max carefully removed the three bottles from his grasp.
“Hey, Max,” said Ollie, “how about we go introduce ourselves to that blond singer from, er, Canada and congratulate her on her number-one single?”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Max, taking the hint.
“Oh!” Donna chimed in. “And I … um … I really need to go and call the lawyers about … um … well, about some very important paperwork! You know how it is with paperwork.”
Lark had no idea how it was with paperwork, and she was pretty sure there was no Canadian singer either. They were all just making excuses—and none too smoothly—to give her and Teddy a few minutes alone.
She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to thank them or clobber them.
“How’s touring?” asked Lark, at the exact moment that Teddy asked, “How’s school?”
“Touring’s tiring,” answered Teddy, at the same time that Lark replied, “School’s boring.”
“Want to take a walk?” Teddy asked. “There’re a lot of cool souvenir booths and food trucks and other stuff we can explore. We might even run into some of the big-name acts. I have to admit, I’m a little starstruck.”<
br />
“I didn’t know stars could get starstruck,” Lark said. She was glad to discover that Teddy’s newfound fame hadn’t gone to his head.
As they wandered the grounds, Teddy got stopped once or twice by autograph seekers and fans wanting to take a selfie with him. Mostly, though, they went unnoticed, blending in with the youthful crowd.
The whole place was alive with sound and color and energy. The band that was onstage was playing something bluesy, groups of friends were dancing and taking selfies, and Lark saw at least three couples making out. This made her blush, thinking back to that sweet rooftop moment with Teddy. She wondered if, after witnessing these bold public displays of affection, he would consider their kiss childish and silly.
In fact, she wondered if he thought she was silly. After all, he was a pop star about to perform at one of the most famous music festivals on the West Coast and she was still an ordinary middle-school girl.
She was just beginning to panic over the extended stretch of silence between them when Teddy turned to her and blurted out, “I really miss you.”
Caught off guard, Lark blinked at him. “What?”
“I miss you,” he repeated. “I hope you don’t think this is weird of me to say, but I think about you a lot.”
Lark smiled. “You do?”
“Yeah, I do. I miss hearing your thoughts on music, and talking to you about school. Before I left, I felt like we were really starting to connect, and I thought maybe you felt it, too.”
Lark nodded. “I did.”
“That’s why I miss seeing you at school, and at your house during rehearsals,” Teddy went on. “Being on tour is exciting, but other than Max and Ollie, it feels like the only people we ever see are grown-ups. The promoters, the roadies, our tutor—everybody’s old. Not like ancient, but still, old.”
“What about the fans?” asked Lark.
“We don’t really interact with them much,” Teddy explained. “And even when we do have a meet-and-greet or a photo op, the girls are all so … aggressive. They’re either screaming or crying or grabbing at our clothes, or begging Ollie for his phone number. It’s all kind of unreal. But, see, that’s what I’ve always liked most about you, Lark. You’re … real.”
“Like a country song?” she said, grinning.
“Just like a country song.”
It was the nicest thing he could have said to her. Emboldened by his honesty, she decided to do something honest too.
She reached out and took his hand.
“Look,” she said. “I know this is a crazy time for you. But there’s only one month left of the tour, and you’re going to get through it, I promise. In the meantime, while you’re out on the road, you can call me anytime you want. I’ll always want to talk to you.”
“Thanks. And I’ll want to talk to you, too.”
“And Donna wants to talk to both of you!” came a familiar and excited voice from behind them. “Now!”
Lark whirled to see Max approaching in a hurry.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Why does Mom want to talk to me?”
“Because she just spoke to the concert promoter,” Max informed them. “Inner Truth, the band that was supposed to play right before us, is stuck somewhere out on Route 111. Their tour bus got a flat tire and they aren’t going to make it here for at least another few hours.”
“Wow, that stinks,” said Teddy.
“Yeah,” said Lark. “But what’s it got to do with us?”
“The promoter needs to fill the spot,” Max explained, beaming. “So Donna thought maybe Songbird might like to get her name on the bill.”
CHAPTER 19
Lark’s head was spinning.
They were back on the tour bus and she was seated on one of the freshly made bottom bunks, her feet tapping nervously inside her old boots.
“But I haven’t rehearsed!” she protested.
“You don’t need to rehearse,” said Teddy. “You’re a natural.”
“And I don’t have anything to wear!”
“The sundress you’ve got on is perfect,” Donna assured her. “It will complement your country sound. They’ll play you up as Lotus’s newest star and introduce you as Songbird.”
“Songbird, huh?” Lark gulped. If she did decide to go out onstage in front of all these people as Songbird, there would be no turning back—she would be revealed once and for all as the girl in the videos Mimi had posted online. Somewhere out there, GlitzyGirlFluffyFace would have a good laugh at Lark’s expense.
So what? Who cares what someone called GlitzyGirlFluffyFace thinks?
But still … YouTube was one thing; this was Springsong! All those cool people in the audience …
Then again, once a girl’s played the Grand Ole Opry …
“What would I sing?” she heard herself asking. “I don’t have my guitar.”
“There are over nine hundred musicians performing at this festival,” Donna said reasonably. “I’m pretty sure one of them would be kind enough to lend a guitar to a sweet young thing like you.”
Okay, so it wouldn’t be her Gibson, but she could work around that. Lark looked from Donna to Max, to Ollie and Fitzy, and finally to Teddy. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ll knock ’em dead,” said Max emphatically.
“Definitely,” said Teddy.
“Go for it,” said Ollie, giving her an encouraging little punch to the shoulder.
“Best opportunity ever,” was Donna’s professional opinion.
“Honey,” said Fitzy, taking Lark’s face in her hands and tilting it upward so their eyes met. “I never had my chance to fly. But today is your chance to soar.”
There was a knock on the bus door and the promoter’s assistant poked her head inside. “We’re ready for”—she consulted her clipboard—“Songbird.”
Lark’s breath caught in her throat.
She looked around at the people she loved. She could feel their eyes on her, but more than that, she could feel their faith in her.
“All right,” she said, pushing her shoulders back and lifting her chin. “You can tell them that Songbird’s ready to sing.”
Twenty minutes later, Lark took the stage to the sound of the announcer’s voice. “Give it up for Lotus Records’ hot new country sensation and YouTube star, Lark ‘Songbird’ Campbell.”
The crowd offered only a tepid reception. After all, they’d been expecting Inner Truth, and here was a twelve-year-old girl in cowboy boots clutching a borrowed guitar.
Lark’s gut instinct was to run.
But then she caught a glimpse of Abbey Road in the wings, urging her on with big smiles.
In that moment, she knew she couldn’t fail.
She opened with “Everything’s Working Out,” then segued into “Homesick.” Music spilled from her fingertips as her voice filled the desert air. Lark played two of Holly Rose’s current hits, then wowed the audience with the song she’d written in Nashville.
I’ll make the rules and do it my way,
Let me lead, or hit the highway.
It’s time to face the great unknown,
But one thing’s sure—I’ll hold my own.
When she finished, the crowd started chanting her name. “Song-bird! Song-bird! Song-bird!”
“Thank you so much,” she said, her heart racing with joy. “I think I have time for one more before we bring on Abbey Road.”
This inspired another eruption of cheers and applause.
“This is a song I just finished writing yesterday,” she explained. “I wrote it about somebody who means the world to me. It’s a song about those feelings of confusion everybody has once in a while. But I’ve got to tell you, today …” She darted a glance into the wings and met Teddy’s gaze. “Well, today, I’m not feeling confused at all.”
She took a deep breath and began to sing.
Do you remember when you kissed me?
You’re on the road, but do you miss me?
I know yo
ur life is a crazy whirl,
But all I want is to be your girl.
The final note faded and the fans roared their approval.
“Thank you, Springsong!” Lark called out, waving both hands. “I hope you had as much fun as I did! I’m Songbird … and today is the day I learned to fly!”
The applause followed her as she ran off stage—where Teddy wrapped her in a hug.
“That one was for you,” she whispered in his ear.
“I was hoping it was,” he whispered back.
Then Max was tugging Teddy’s sleeve and Abbey Road ran out onto the stage, to a maelstrom of shouts and cheers.
Breathless, Lark watched as Ollie positioned himself at the mic.
“Hello Palm Springs!” he cried, relishing the crowd’s enthusiasm. “And … one, two, one two three four …”
When Abbey Road launched into the familiar lyrics of “Wounded Pride,” thousands of fans sang along. It gave Lark goose bumps to hear all those voices singing words she’d written herself. She stood in the wings, feeling proud and amazed.
Songbird’s first performance had happened on her own terms—her words, her music, her decisions. And although she had no idea what would come next in this brand-new music career of hers, she did know this much … it had definitely started on a high note!
And there was no better feeling in the world.
With special thanks to Lisa Fiedler
Copyright © 2017 by Hothouse Fiction
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in the United States of America in June 2017
by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
www.bloomsbury.com
Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018
The High Note Page 15