“One last gig. No fear.” Becks met each of their gazes.
“No fear,” they repeated.
“Let’s show this school why nothing they say matters to us. We don’t play by their social rules. Let’s show them we get to define ourselves.”
They all nodded as the announcer spoke. “Next up, we have Anonymous!”
Nari followed behind Becks, not looking out at her peers as she made her way to the keyboard and adjusted the mic for her height. This performance wasn’t about the people in those seats. Anonymous’s final performance would consist of only one song, but they’d make it count.
“Hello,” Becks said. People called his name. Some hooted and hollered. Becks gestured to Wylder. “Wylder Anderson on drums.” He pointed next to him. “Julian Callahan on guitar.” His eyes met Nari’s. “Nari Won Song on keyboard.” He paused, sending a wink toward the crowd. “And I’m Becks. Buckle up, because we’re pretty damn good.”
Nari couldn’t help but laugh. Her eyes found where Cam and Peyton held up a sign with her name on it. She loved her friends.
The music started, and it seemed as if all air left the room, like everyone held their breath, not knowing what was coming for them.
Then Becks started singing, and they cheered. Nari’s fingers crashed down on the keyboard, and she knew she could do this for the rest of her life.
Energy buzzed along her skin, making the hair on her arms stand on end. The Nari known in this school melded with the one she held in her heart. The nerd and the musician who wasn’t afraid anymore. The girl who never felt like she fit and the one who belonged right where she was.
She leaned into the mic to join her voice with Becks’, and the crowd grew louder. Her eyes shifted toward the side of the stage where Avery waited, concealed from the crowd. She’d never seen him smile so big. He caught her watching and wiggled his hips in a little dance.
Tearing her eyes away, she let the music fill every part of her, realizing there weren’t as many empty spaces for it as before. Once, she’d felt like this band held her together. It was everything when nothing else made sense.
Now, she held herself together. The music would always make her happy, and she couldn’t wait to get to Nashville, but it didn’t have to be everything for her anymore.
The song faded away, and the crowd quieted for just a moment before the roar of applause. Nari didn’t wait around for her final bow. Their praise didn’t matter to her. For so long, this school treated her like an outcast. They would soon be part of her past.
She sprinted from the stage and hurled herself at Avery. He caught her in midair with a grunt as if she knocked the air out of him. Her legs wound around his waist, and she looked down into his eyes.
“That was amazing.” She grinned.
He settled his hands under her butt to hold her up. “You were amazing.”
Her thoughts jumbled in her mind as the rush from the stage buzzed through her. But there was one thing she knew. She’d known it before, but then when the music ended, and she realized the only person she wanted to see was waiting backstage, it became clearer. Music was in her future, but it wasn’t the love of her life.
“I love you.” Her chest heaved from exertion.
“Oh, thank God. Nari, I think some part of me has been in love with you since the first night you let me sleep on your floor.”
She tapped a finger against the corner of his mouth. “And the other parts of you?”
“Oh, well, this is embarrassing. Those are still holding out to meet Carrie Underwood in Nashville.”
She pinched his arm, and he laughed.
“Nari Won Song, my little ninja—”
“Ninjas definitely aren’t a Korean thing.”
He shrugged and continued. “Well, everything I am loves everything you are…even if you can’t be a ninja.”
This time, when she kissed him, it filled every part of her the way music always had.
A hand landed on her back, and she pulled away from Avery.
“You two,” Becks started, “are disgusting.”
Nari slid down until her feet hit the floor. “One day, Becks, you’re going to meet someone who makes you want to be a little disgusting too.”
His eyes widened, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Why would you say such blasphemy? Relationships are too much work. I see how this guy mopes when he’s not with you.” He jabbed Avery with his elbow.
Avery rubbed the point of contact on his chest. “I don’t mope. I hope you do fall head over heels and that it takes you so completely out of your comfort zone that you come crawling for advice.”
“Nothing is out of my comfort zone.”
Nari laughed. “We’ll see.”
Nicky appeared backstage and jogged toward them, a grin stretching his lips. “You guys were awesome.” He turned to Julian. “Your girlfriend is waiting for you.”
An uncharacteristic smile tilted Julian’s lips, and then it was gone. He’d started dating someone so out of the blue none of them knew what to make of it. “Catch you guys later.” He ran—yes, ran—toward the exit, his guitar slapping against his back.
Becks shrugged and slung an arm over Nicky’s shoulders.
“Ew, you’re all sweaty.” Nicky tried to escape, but Becks didn’t release his hold.
“Now, little bro—”
“I’m not your brother.”
“You basically are, so listen up. I only have one month left here, but there’s so much left to teach you.”
“You’re not dying, Becks.”
Nari snorted as she watched the exchange. Becks sometimes acted more like a big brother to Nicky than Avery did.
Becks tightened his hold. “No, but the next time you see me, I’m going to be different. Fame does that to a person. Nari and I will both be wearing oversized sunglasses. I’ll probably have a purse dog.”
Avery laughed. “You’re going to carry a purse?”
“Where else am I going to put my dog?” Becks lifted a hand as if it was a serious question. “Anyway, I just want you to know you can still call me for whatever. Just tell my people you’re my brother, and they’ll put you through.”
“We’re going to have people?” Nari asked with a laugh.
“Of course.” He sent her a ”duh” look before turning back to Nicky. “Seriously, anything. I have a feeling I’d give the best advice about dudes.”
“I’m not coming to you for relationship advice, Becks.” Nicky finally managed to shrug off his arm as they reached the exit.
“But you will come to me for some stuff, right?” For the first time, Nari sensed Becks’ sadness about leaving.
It wasn’t just about Nicky. She glanced at Wylder. What would he do without his sister and parents? They were a close family.
Nari leaned in closer to Avery, realizing just how much she’d miss hers as well.
When they stepped into the hall after all the performances ended, she stumbled back as she caught sight of her parents. They were there. They’d seen her.
Ji-a and Si-Woo Won Song rushed toward her, enveloping her in a hug. They’d spent the last three months trying to understand her love for music, wanting to be supportive.
“I love you, Bapa,” she said. “And you, Umma.”
They released her, and her mother spoke. “We will always love you, Nari. Now go, be with your friends today. We just wanted to tell you how proud we were to see you on that stage.” They didn’t comment on her hair or tight clothing. She might hear about it eventually, but they were trying their hardest to treat her as an adult.
With one final smile, she found Avery again and slid her hand into his. “What now?” she asked.
His sparkling eyes settled on hers. “Now, I get to move to Nashville with the girl I love and my best friend.” He wouldn’t live with her and Becks, but the dorms of Vanderbilt weren’t too far from where they were going to live with Becks’ cousin, Skyler. They’d be together no matter what it took.
; “What if we fail?” she asked.
His brow furrowed. “Then we fail. Both of us together. And we try again.” He bent down, his hand slipping under her chin to tip her face up. “But, Nari, what if we don’t?”
His second question was unspoken, but she saw it in his eyes. What if they got everything they dreamed of?
“Then we win.”
His eyes flicked from her lips to her eyes and back again. “I think we win either way, babe.” He kissed her then in front of everyone they knew. Parents, friends, peers.
Navery was alive and well. But they were definitely going to need a better ’ship name in Nashville.
* * *
We aren’t finished with these friends. Find out what happens with Addison and Julian next! Get it here.
One party. One accident
Six lives changed forever
Julian Callahan has a secret.
Okay, he has a few secrets.
1.His twin brother died, and he thinks he’s supposed to miss him. But how do you miss a guy who did something terrible?
2.He’s writing a kinda sorta novel. Yep, a book. How stupid is it for the loner of Twin Rivers to think anyone cares what he has to say?
3.He’s in love with a girl who will never see him the same way.
But online, he gets to be someone else, someone without the baggage weighing him down. When he meets a girl through an online app, all she wants to talk about is books, letting him forget about the rest of the town who want him gone.
As he falls harder for a girl he barely knows, his secrets don’t seem to matter anymore. But an anonymous online friend can’t help him write the ending to his story. For that, he needs the girl behind the screen name.
Head cheerleader and ‘It Girl’ of Twin Rivers high, Addison Parker has her finger on the pulse of all things social. But Addie craves a quiet life.
Or she used to. Before the night Cooper Callahan--the boy of her dreams--died in an accident that changed her life forever. Since then, Addie has pushed her friends away and surrounded herself with new friends and constant activity. It’s safer not to think about the events of that night that had nothing to do with the car accident.
Benched from cheerleading after an injury leaves her on crutches, Addie struggles to fend for herself. Suddenly, she has way too much time on her hands. Time to think about things she’d rather forget.
An unlikely and anonymous online friend becomes her lifeline back to herself. He doesn’t expect anything from her and best of all, he has no idea she’s a broken mess inside. To him, she is just LitGirl, a quiet girl obsessed with books.
But what will BookBoy say when he discovers who she really is?
Want a free book? Download The K Word: Cameron here!
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The K Word: Cameron
Can one simple kiss change everything?
Cameron Tucker has only ever had one person he could count on: his best friend Peyton. She’s been everything to him. Friend. Family. Confident. He needs her more than he needs his dream of becoming an Olympic runner or his desire to make his demanding father proud.
A Christmas Eve party could ruin everything when a cruel joke crushes Peyton. And the only way to make Peyton see just how beautiful she is might be to reveal the feelings Cam has tried so hard to hide.
About Michelle
Michelle MacQueen is a USA Today bestselling author of love. Yes, love. Whether it be YA romance, NA romance, or fantasy romance (Under M. Lynn), she loves to make readers swoon.
The great loves of her life to this point are two tiny blond creatures who call her “aunt” and proclaim her books to be “boring books” for their lack of pictures. Yet, somehow, she still manages to love them more than chocolate.
When she’s not sharing her inexhaustible wisdom with her niece and nephew, Michelle is usually lounging in her ridiculously large bean bag chair creating worlds and characters that remind her to smile every day - even when a feisty five-year-old is telling her just how much she doesn’t know.
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www.michellelynnauthor.com
Also by Michelle
Redefining Me:
The F Word
The N Word
The C Word
The Invincible Series:
We Thought We Were Invincible
We Thought We Knew It All
The New Beginnings series
Choices
Promises
Dreams
Confessions
Fantasy and Fairytales (Written as M. Lynn)
Golden Curse
Golden Chains
Golden Crown
Glass Kingdom
Glass Princess
Noble Thief
Cursed Beauty
Legends of the Tri-Gard (Written as M. Lynn)
Prophecy of Darkness
Legacy of Light
Mastery of Earth
About Ann Maree
Ann Maree Craven is an Amazon bestselling author of Young Adult Contemporary Fiction and YA Fantasy (her Fantasy fans will know her as Melissa A. Craven). Her books focus on strong female protagonists who aren’t always perfect, but they find their inner strength along the way. Ann Maree’s novels will appeal to audiences of all ages and fans of almost any genre. She believes in stories that make you think and she loves playing with foreshadowing, leaving clues and hints for the careful reader.
Ann Maree draws inspiration from her background in architecture and interior design to help her with the small details in world building and scene settings. (Her degree in fine art also comes in handy.) She is a diehard introvert with a wicked sense of humor and a tendency for hermit-like behavior. (Seriously, she gets cranky if she has to put on anything other than yoga pants and t-shirts!)
Ann Maree enjoys editing almost as much as she enjoys writing, which makes her an absolute weirdo among her peers. Her favorite pastime is sitting on her porch when the weather is nice with her two dogs, Fynlee and Nahla, reading from her massive TBR pile and dreaming up new stories.
Visit me at Melissaacraven.com for more information about the series and discover exclusive content.
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Also By Ann Maree Craven
Redefining Me:
The F Word
The N Word
The C Word
Emerge Series (Written as Melissa A. Craven):
Emerge: The Awakening (Book 1)
Emerge: The Edge (Book 1.5)
Emerge: The Scholar (Illustrated Character Journal)
Emerge: The Volunteer (An Emerge Short Story)
Emerge: The Judgment (Book 2)
Emerge: The Catalyst (An Emerge Short Story)
Emerge: The Captive (Book 3)
Emerge: The Assignment (An Emerge Novella)
Emerge: The Heir (Book 4)
Emerge: The Betrayal
The N Word: Redefining Me (Book 2) Page 22