Maybe Someday(11)

idea how or why, since she doesn’t have any no-

ticeable redeeming qualities other than how she

looks in her Hooters uniform.

And of course, the second that thought passes

through my head, so do the words Maggie said

when she found out Bridgette was moving in

with us.

“I don’t care if she moves in. The worst thing

that could happen would be for you to cheat on

me. Then I’d have to break up with you, then

your heart would shatter, and we’d both be

miserable for life, and you would be so depressed

you’d never be able to get it up again. So make

sure if you do cheat, it’s the best sex you ever

have, because it’ll also be the last sex you ever

have.”

She doesn’t have to worry about my cheating

on her, but the scenario she painted was enough

to ensure that I don’t even look at Bridgette in

her uniform.

65/692

How in the hell did my thoughts wander this

far?

This is why I’m having writer’s block; I can’t

seem to focus on anything important lately. I go

back to my room to transfer the lyrics Sydney

sent onto paper, and I begin to work out how to

add them to the music. I want to text Sydney to

tell her what I think about them, but I don’t. I

should leave her hanging a little while longer. I

know how nerve-racking it is to send someone a

piece of yourself and then have to sit back and

wait for it to be judged. If I make her wait long

enough, maybe once I tell her how brilliant she

is, she’ll have developed a craving to send me

more.

It might be a little cruel, but she has no idea

how much I need her. Now that I’m pretty sure

I’ve found my muse, I have to work it just right

so she doesn’t slip away.

Chapter Three

Sydney

If he hated them, the least he could have done

was send a thank you. I know it shouldn’t bother

me, but it does. Especially because I never

wanted to send them to him in the first place. I

wasn’t expecting him to praise me, but the fact

that he begged so hard for them and then just ig-

nored them sort of irritates me.

And he hasn’t been outside at his usual time in

almost a week. I’ve wanted to text him about it

so many times, but if I do, then it’ll seem as if I

care what he thinks of the lyrics. I don’t want to

care. But I can tell by how disappointed I feel

that I do care. I hate that I want him to like my

lyrics. But the thought of actually having a hand

in a song is a little bit exciting.

67/692

“Food should be here in a little while. I’m go-

ing to get the clothes out of the dryer,” Tori says.

She opens the front door, and I perk up on the

couch when I hear the familiar sound of the gui-

tar from outside. She closes the door behind her,

and as much as I want to ignore it, I rush to my

room and quietly slide out onto the balcony,

books in hand. If I sink far enough into my chair,

he might not notice I’m out here.

But he’s looking straight at my balcony when I

step outside. He doesn’t acknowledge me with a

smile or even a nod of his head when I take my

seat. He just continues playing, and it makes me

curious to see if he’s just going to pretend our

conversation last week never happened. I sort of

hope so, because I’d like to pretend it never happened.

He plays the familiar songs, and it doesn’t take

me long to let go of my embarrassment over the

fact that he thought my lyrics were stupid. I tried

to warn him.

68/692

I finish up my homework while he’s still play-

ing, close my books and lean back, and close my

eyes. It’s quiet for a minute, and then he begins

playing the song I sent him lyrics for. In the

middle of the song, the guitar pauses for several

seconds, but I refuse to open my eyes. He contin-

ues playing just as my phone vibrates with an in-

coming text.

Ridge: You’re not singing.

I glance at him, and he’s staring at me with a

grin. He looks back down at his guitar and

watches his hands as he finishes the song. Then

he picks up his phone and sends another text.

Ridge: Do you want to know what I

thought of the lyrics?

Me: No, I’m pretty positive I know what

you thought. It’s been a week since I sent

them to you. No worries. I told you they

were stupid.

69/692

Ridge: Yeah, sorry about the silence. I

had to leave town for a few days. Family

emergency.

I don’t know if he’s telling the truth, but the

fact that he claims he’s been out of town eases

my fear that he hasn’t been out on his balcony

because of me.