It shouldn’t have been a surprise when Michael didn’t show up to band practice the next day. He also stopped answering his phone once again. I tried not to worry about it, but it was bothering me. Stuart was now being cold to me at both practices and looking for any reason to chastise me. Christy, on the other hand, was my new biggest fan. She brought us both lunch to practice and even asked me if I wanted to have a sleepover with her. I politely declined but decided I liked her.
I got to sleep in a little the next day, letting my tired body refuel some. When I got to band practice, I wasn’t expecting to see Michael. Things started to look up, though, because Christy began introducing me to even more of the upperclassman.
When I came pedaling up my driveway after practice, Michael was
