Chapter Nine

Wren's Point of View

We ran out of gas. She's gonna be so pissed when she wakes up. I can't wait.

I really should give Nora a break. She's been through a lot, but I know she doesn't want to go to Mrs. Davidson's yet. She's scary. What Nora needs right now is to let go. She's getting there, but I can push her a little further. Just a few little inconveniences to mess up her plans. Like me.

In the passenger seat, she stirs in her sleep. Tucked in a little ball, her braids fan out over her knees. I can hear her soft breathing. Even the sound of it makes me smile. I've been scribbling song lyrics in my journal for what feels like hours. She really is inspiring me. I hope I can inspire her too.

When she stirs again, I stick my cigarette out the car window. The sunflower field was a great idea. She looked so fucking happy. I swear it's the first time I've seen her genuinely smile. I gotta make her do that shit every day. It literally does light up a room. And I got a kiss. Bonus points. I can't get a deduction for smoking.

Hopping out of the car, I lean against the hood. It's so dark I can barely see. I hope she wakes up soon. I miss her. God, I'm so whipped. I can't believe I actually found her. The girl I've been in love with for years.

I was in eighth grade. My mom was trying something new. Since kids bullied me so badly, she switched me to a school outside of Grant Lake. That's how I met Lawson. He use to make fun of me for my lisp and eventually; I fucking lost it. I beat the crap out of him, broke his nose and everything. I should've got suspended, but my mom's powerful. The teacher didn't want to bark up that tree. Two weeks of in-school suspension was my sentence.

On the last day of my suspension, I met a girl. I remembered her big puffballs and brown eyes. We traded notes in class. She took the blame for one of her "friends" and we decided as little warriors of justice to help each other. I told her to be more assertive and stand up for herself. She told me to handle my anger better. And as for my lisp?

I'd never forget it. She looked up at me with those adorable chestnut eyes and said, "Why don't you sing?"

Been in love with her to this day, but since my mom made me switch schools the very next week, she doesn't remember me. When I saw Shae's post, I had to see if they were talking about the same Nora Campbell. I still remembered her name, but never found her on social media. I see why. She's been busy. Too busy.

I don't want to give her any reason not to go for this animation thing. Shae thinks it will be good for her, so I've got to make sure she doesn't put it off. Especially since her dad kicked her out. It's about to get hard for her. Life without your family is scary at first, and especially for someone like her.

"Hey, baby brother," Ainsley says the moment she picks up. "I didn't think you remembered my number. What? You need to use the family name to get out of a speeding ticket again?"

I roll my eyes. She always has to give me a hard time. "Ha-ha, very funny."

I look back and check on Nora. She's dead to the world. I didn't realize she was so sleepy.

"So, what do I owe this pleasure?" Ainsley asks.

"You know you're my favorite sister, right?"

She laughs. "Uh-huh."

"Can you buy me some stuff? It's not for me. It's animation equipment and it's expensive."

"Is it for a girl?" I could hear her dancing on the other line. She was in love, so she wanted everyone else to be too. "Oh, is it that girl you talked about at your show? Felix, I felt so bad for her. She looked so shocked!"

"Yeah, she gave me a hard time about it." It's the only reason I did the show. I chickened out, though. That's why I never invited her, but then she called me. I couldn't back out after that.

"Aww," she says. "I like her. At least someone's giving you a hard time after you ran away from us." Here we go. She's gonna ask about Mom and when I'm coming home. Doesn't even wait a second before she asks, "Have you talked to Mom?"

I make firework noises in her ear before pulling the phone back and shouting, "I'm going into a tunnel—"

"No you're no—"

Disconnected. Hopefully, she doesn't call me back. I try to savor my cigarette and take a big drag. As it fills my lungs, I instantly feel better. Talking to any member of my family felt like a slow death. When I go for another hit, someone snatches it from my grasp.

I smell her vanilla and peppermint scent. The sound of her voice hits my ears. "I thought you said you quit."

"I am quitting. I only have one a day. I'm getting better." I shine my cell phone flashlight upward so she can see my smile. I hear it's pretty charming, but what I get are her puppy eyes and pursed lips. And I instantly put it out. "Okay, if you're gonna look at me like that, I'll even start going to church on Sundays."

Just before I turn off the light, she laughs. "Why haven't we left yet?"

"Ran out of gas." Here it comes.

"You ran out of gas!?" She flails her arms around and walks in a mini circle. She doesn't know what to do with herself. "You didn't check before you drove out here. There's no one around. This is what I mean! You live without thinking."

It was intentional, though. "There's a gas station a half a mile up."

"A half of mile?" She says it like she's allergic to walking. But I know how she feels. I hadn't planned on breaking down so far away from the action. There were a few shops up there too. The perfect place to get lost in.

"You could've woke me up," she says.

"I didn't want to ruin your sleep. You've had a long day."

She drops her head. I want to say something, but she grabs my hand and I forget how to speak. She's never done that before. Her hand feels so small in mine as she grips tighter. Is she scared? Angry? Or does she just really want to hold my hand? I think the darkness is making her braver. As we walk down the long stretch, I fight the urge to kiss her again. The darkness is making me crazy.

"What's the best thing about music?" she suddenly asks. I like how she tries to get to know me through music. It shows not only does she care, but she gets it. A little peek into someone's playlist can show you everything you need to know about them.

"Memories," I answer.

She raises a brow and looks at me. "I'm listening."

"Music. You can't see it. You can't touch it, but it can define an entire era of your life. That's why I love this time of year. Songs can literally sound like summer. Music becomes the soundtrack to our lives. Sometimes it even makes the memories better. I don't want to be famous, I just want to make music and because all music, good or not, is timeless to someone."

She's quiet, and I imagine her smiling. It's not as good as the real thing, but it'll do. I can hear it in her voice when she whispers, "You're kinda amazing." Before I can say anything, she speaks up. "In our lifetime, what do you think was the best year of music?"

I guess I have to pretend I didn't hear that, but I love making her blush. "2016. The year I left home. Hotline Bling came on the other day, and I lost my mind. It brought back so many memories."

"Songs from 2010 were—oh! Is this?" She stops in her tracks and points to a bar. Damn. We got here fast. The Token Bar had great reviews online, but I wasn't sure they'd let us in.

The shady street light brightens her face. She looks back at me. "Can we go in? It's where my parents met?"

Well, I can't say no to that. "You think they'll let us in?"

"Can we at least try? I've always wanted to see it."

She pulls my hand into her chest and begs. If she asked me to walk on fire at this point, I would. I'm starting to look at her the way Da-Bin looks at Valentina.

The door chimes when we enter. It's packed. The tables are arranged with little intention and we weave our way to a booth. It's sticky and filled with crumbs. She looks disgusted, and grabs a rag off another table to clean it.

"Songbird, you don't work here."

She laughs. "I can't stand anything being messy. I'll clean an entire building if it's too dirty. I can't think in mess."

I can never take her to my place.

When she's finished, the owner walks over. He looks at us, then takes the rag from her. A sigh leaves his mouth, "No alcohol. Burger and fries?"

We nod. When he walks away, I start my own form of questioning. If she uses music to get to know me, I use her family. "How'd your parents meet?"

"My mother fell head over heels for my father her freshman year. She spotted him at this bar two years later and finally worked up the nerve to speak to him. Only she couldn't get his attention. So, she sat beside him, took a napkin, and started a game of tic-tac-toe." She traces the game on a napkin.

"So, what? He was so impressed by her skills, he asked her out?"

"No." She giggled at my reaction. Her dad wasn't the man I thought he was. He just let her go.

"Rookie mistake," I say. A rowdy group across from us gets into a heated discussion about Heath Ledger, and I slide into her side of the booth. "How did they end up together?"

As I drape my arm over the back of the booth, she leans in a bit. "They kept coming back. Passing notes to get to know each other. He'd just lost his parents, and he wasn't happy in college. Always wanted something more, but never had the guts to tell anyone. I guess not knowing her, and never having to say the words out loud, he could be honest about his feelings. And she liked him, even more, when he allowed her to do the same. After about a month or so, he asked her out."

"Nice." They do have a happy ending...well a happy-for-now, it seems.

"And she turned him down."

"What?" These Campbell women are so hard to understand.

"She said she knew too much about him and he knew she liked him, meaning he wouldn't try hard enough to court her."

"So, he did just that."

"Of course," she nods. I like when she talks about her mom. I wish I could've met her.

"I've always wanted to write and receive love letters because of them," she whispers.

Another dream has been unlocked. I'm starting to feel like they're treasures and every time I get a little deeper, learn a little more, I uncover one.

When our food arrives, she digs in. I take a napkin and pose a question. What would you write you couldn't say out loud?

She drops the burger instantly and twirls the pen in her hand. You first.

Of course. I'm afraid when summer ends, you'll go back to your tower and forget all about me. All I'll have is a bunch of songs to remember you by.

I won't do that. I've decided I like having you around.

I laugh. Touché. Okay, your turn.

She drums her fingers onto the table and I take a bite of my burger. It's the best kind of greasy. Just enough pink to taste the sweetness as it slides down your throat. I take another bite, and I push the napkin to her. "Come on, Songbird."

I'm afraid I won't like who I am outside my family. And I've been given no choice but to finally meet that person.

Well, I've met her, and she's pretty amazing.

She looks up at me like I just told her a secret she couldn't believe. "You have?"

"They're moments. When you're not paying attention, I can see who you really are. Trust me, you're going to love her. You just have to give yourself a chance."

She smiles and scribbles down another question. What are you really afraid of?

I've been had. She knew I didn't answer truthfully, and I should've. I'm getting her to tell me all these things about her and her life, and I should be doing the same. I'm afraid I'm nothing. And all the people who looked down on me were right.

She grabs my hand. Second time tonight. I want to joke about her affection but her eyes are so pure I lose my train of thought.

"You inspire so many people, Wren. I know I've only seen you perform once, but I can just tell. You've inspired me every day since I met you. All those people who looked down on you were wrong. You're much more powerful than you realize."

I kiss her. I have to. No one's ever said that to me and actually meant it. She sees something in me that isn't there. She sees Wren Wade. Rock God. Legend. God's gift to earth...okay, maybe not that much. She sees what most people see. But if she knew the real me, if she knew Felix, she wouldn't be saying this. She'd be telling me to aim smaller. Dream quieter. But hearing her say those words makes me feel like I can be more. I just wish I was strong enough to show her I could.

She pulls away to hide her flush face. She mentions the pinball machine in the back. I jump out of the booth and we head straight for it.

When she puts a few quarters into the machine, she waits for it to start. I come up behind her, placing my hands on either side of her. Her smell floods my nostrils and a melody dances in my head. She pulls her hair into a pony and I freeze. She does that when she's anxious. Maybe I should stand beside her instead. Be cool, Wren. Don't scare her.

Before I can pull away, she drags her finger across my rose tattoo. "I've always wanted one," she says. She's gonna have to stop touching me like that.

"Why haven't you got one?" I tease. "Scared?" I whisper in her ear. She begins to play and let's just say she should stick to animation.

"Why am I so bad at this?"

"I don't know," I laugh. "It's pinball. There's not much to it."

"Okay, well," she turns around, but I never left my spot. She's so close, I can hear when her breath hitches. I take a step back and she folds her arms. "I want one of those fluffy dolphins."

She nods to the huge claw machine, filled to the brim with stuffed animals. Challenge accepted. "Alright, let's make a bet," I say.

"Okay."

"If I win, you gotta get a tattoo."

I can see the shiver run down her spine, but she nods. She doesn't think I can beat it.

"Okay, and if you don't...you've got to do that." She points to the TV hanging on the wall. 10 Things I Hate About You is playing. Heath Ledger's iconic rendition of Can't Take My Eye Off of You captures everyone's attention.

"I'd do that right now for free," I boast.

She smiles. She thinks she's got me, but she doesn't know how good I am at the claw machine. Taking a step closer, she whispers, "You're on."

It takes about three tries before I get the dolphin out of the machine and into her hands. The look on her face is priceless. She's got to get a tattoo, and she's gonna find every excuse in the book to get out of it.

As we head to the door, I stop by the jukebox. "Wait. You're still going to do it," she asks.

"Yup."

"Well...can I pick another song?" She pushes my hand away and gives me one of her breathtaking smiles.

"What if I don't know it?"

"It's another great cover to an amazing song, and if you don't know it, I don't think we can be friends."

"Good thing I'm not trying to be your friend."

She blushes and hands me the mic. I sit at an empty table and wait for the song she's chosen.

And then it starts. The opening melody gets everyone's attention. I can practically hear Whitney Houston's ad-libs in the melody. I can't believe she chose this song. In this crowd? If I didn't sing it well, they might kick me out.

I'm not gonna even try to hit these notes. I'll croak the whole way through. "Whatever you want. Whatever you need. Anything you want done, baby..."

"Okay, white boy. Sing to yo woman," the three ladies in the corner give me courage, and I stand up. In the back, a group of guys hop to their feet, and when the beat drops, they begin to dance. Before I know it, everyone's dancing, and Nora's smile is so huge I almost lose it.

There's no way I'm half-assing this. "I'm every woman!" I belt.

The owner shakes his head from the bar. "This ain't a karaoke bar."

But, literally, no one cares. The entire room's singing. I grab Nora by the waist and make her dance with me. She starts singing too. Take that, Heath Ledger.

The three ladies beside me split into harmony, singing, "I'm every woman. I'm every woman."

"Chaka Khan!" someone shouts as a series of rhythmic claps bounce off the walls.

I drop the mic and the bar screams for more. I blow kisses their way and we walk out. Nora laughs so loud, it echoes.

"I'll be right back." She runs into another store down the road and comes back with a bouquet of roses. "For you."

"You got me flowers?" I love this cheesy shit.

"I just wanted to say thank you. You made me laugh and made sure I wasn't alone. And I just—thank you, seriously."

This time, she kisses me. Everything about her is wonderful. Her smile. Her face. Her vibe. Even the sound of her footsteps makes me excited. I'm glad I was the one smart enough to fall for her. She's got so much to offer and doesn't even realize. I'd gladly give up another summer for her because although what I'm doing is slightly mad, she's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

🌻Full playlist?

Just type in "Smelling Roses" in Spotify.

Author Note: I get so nervous writing from another point of view because I'm afraid I can't capture their voice, but I loved writing this chapter. It was so fun and I loved getting a little more insight on Wren.

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