Opus One

Chapter 29: Rondo

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ryansylander/www/

“So what’s the plan for this weekend?” Emily asked, startling Richard.  She had been napping.

Richard looked up from Emily’s desk.  Sandra was also stirring.   He had imposed a mandatory nap the last few days, since sleep had been minimal.  It was appearing to work, since moods were shifting towards the positive over the past few days.

“Well…  Arlene gets here tomorrow…” Richard said vaguely.

“We know that!”

“Sorry.  My head is still in this chord analysis.”  Richard closed the book, and stretched.  “I was thinking dinner tomorrow night.”

“Are we a part of that?” Sandra asked.

“I’d like you to be.”

“Why don’t you two go out alone?” Emily suggested.  “If we all four go out, you’re going to have to tell her about us, since you’ve already been leaking info to her.”

“Yeah, I’ve thought about that.  It could be a good distraction for her, though.”

“Or when she finds out you’re playing trios, she might think of nothing else all weekend.”

“You don’t want her to be in the middle of her audition, and suddenly start  wondering about us.  We’ll hang tomorrow night, after she’s done,” Sandra agreed.

Richard sighed.  “Okay, I should focus on her before the audition.”

“Where is she staying?”

“The Marriott down the road.”

“You could have offered her your room, since you basically live here now.”

Richard laughed.  “I told you… kick me out when you get tired of me.”

“Eh… I’m too lazy to help you move all your stuff back to your room, or I would,” Emily said.

“All my stuff?  Whatever.  I just have some clothes here, a couple of books…”

“All your CDs, most of a case of champagne…” Emily said.

Richard got hit by something soft.

“Pillow,” Sandra added.

“All right, I’m getting the message.  I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Actually, you missed the message completely,” Emily said, laughing.  “You’re not just in our hair, you are… our… hair?  Okay, that didn’t work…”

Sandra giggled.  “What Emily is trying to say is that we should think about what we’re doing next year.”

“Next year?  I just figured out what I’m doing tomorrow.”

“We’re probably not going to be in the dorm.  We could, but it’s hard to get a spot as a second year.”

“Oh.  I guess you’re right,” Richard said.

“Want to rent a house together?”

Richard just looked back and forth between them.  “Oh.  So that’s what you were talking about.  I was about ready to pack up my junk.”

“Don’t be silly,” Sandra said, dismissing his words.  “All the houses nearby are starting to put up ‘For rent’ signs.  Seems like we need to be looking.”

“I haven’t noticed,” Richard said quietly.  “Or thought about it.”

“That’s why you have us,” Emily said patiently.

“If you want your own place, we won’t be offended.”

“Speak for yourself, Sandra!” Emily chided.

“Well, since I basically live here…”

“Don’t sound too excited about it,” Emily deadpanned.

“I’m kind of in shock, actually.  I mean… wow.”

“So?”

Sandra and Emily looked expectantly at him.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure you can live with a couple of girls?” Emily asked.

“Hell yeah!” Richard said.  His smile had been growing, and now he jumped up and pulled them up out of their beds.

“We’ll need a big bed,” he said.  “I’m tired of having to take sides every night, or sleep alone.”

“Mm hm.  I think we’ve convinced him,” Sandra said to Emily, as they all hugged and laughed in the middle of the room.

“Maybe we can look at a few places Sunday, after Arlene takes off,” Richard said.

“That would be fun.  A little break to look forward to.”

They smiled, and held each other tightly.

“Damn, I have to go to class,” Richard said at last. 

“Skip,” Emily said immediately.

“You know how Dobra is,” he said, his words trailing off as Emily disappeared from the hug.

“He’d understand, if he were here right now,” Sandra said, as her hand reached its target.

“I don’t know if he would, actually…  Oh, you two are bad girls.”

“Can you live with two…”  Emily did something delicious to him.  “…two very bad girls?”

“I don’t know.  Is this going to happen every time I try to leave the house?” he asked.

“Quite possibly,” Sandra answered, since Emily couldn’t speak.

“Then it’s definitely a go,” he said, grinning.

Sandra made a face.  “Hey, you will need to behave and go to class,” she warned.  “Can’t have you being kicked out of school.  We’ll need the rent money.”

Richard made a surprised face.  “I was trying to leave, but then I got trapped here by – Oh, Emily, that’s…  No, don’t stop…”

“Okay, go to class,” Emily said, standing suddenly and wiping her mouth.

“We didn’t mean to trap you.”  Sandra playfully pushed him away from them.

Richard shook his head.  “Very funny.  But not funny.”

He moved towards them, and they backed away with quick steps, looking at him with scared eyes.

“He doesn’t look very trapped,” Sandra said in a small voice.

“Not at all,” Emily agreed, as they were now huddling in the corner behind the desk.

Emily placed a finger to her pursed lips, and then moved the chair in front of them to block access to their little space.

“Do you two plan this stuff, or what?” Richard asked, seeming to be exasperated.

“What stuff?” Sandra asked innocently.  “You were the one who said you were trapped!”

“And now you have us cornered…”

“Forced us to hide in here…”

“Good thinking with the chair, Em.”

“What are you going to do with us?”

“Or are you going to go to class, like you said?”

Richard grabbed the chair and flung it around behind him.  The girls giggled, and then pretended to cower in fear as Richard rolled his eyes and stepped close to them.

“I’m going to bend you over the desk, and pound this silliness out of you both.”

“Oh, then we better keep being silly for a long time,” Emily said to Sandra.

“If he makes us miss class, though, I’m going to be pissed,” Sandra added.

Then Richard grabbed them and did as he promised. 

Richard felt slightly apprehensive as he walked the six blocks from the dorm to the Marriott.  He wondered which Arlene would make an appearance tonight.  All indications over the phone were that the bad Arlene was still on that balcony on Thirty-third Street.  But Richard was never good at judging people over the phone.

When he reached the lobby, Arlene was waiting with a big smile. 

Looks good so far, Richard thought.  Her dress was modest, and her smile was happy.

She ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

“Oh, Richard, thanks for meeting me.  It’s so good to see a familiar face, after an audition full of strangers.”

“Glad you’re here safe, Arlene.  Was the drive all right?”

“Fine.  Tiring, but no problems.”

“I won’t keep you out until three, then.”

“Oh, whatever!”

Richard smiled at her.  “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“There’s a good place about ten blocks away.  Drive, or walk?”

“Walk.  I’ve been driving all day.”

Richard nodded, and led her out to the street.  “Let’s go, then!”

“How did Curtis go yesterday?” he asked, as they started walking.

“I thought I played well.”

“Good.”

“But, I wasn’t sure about the teacher.  He kind of reminded me of Mr. Smith.”

“That’s not good.”

“It was just his looks, but for some reason it bothered me.”

“Well, then it bothered you.  That’s valid enough.  How are you feeling for tomorrow?”

“Good, I think.  I’ve been using William as a teacher this last month, like I told you.”

“Why not Mr. Schatten?”

“I don’t know,” Arlene said vaguely.

“Okay.”

“William knows more than I thought about playing piano.”

“He does.  He can’t play it like we can.  Not quite, but he knows about it well enough.”

“And my arm hasn’t acted up in weeks.  I can’t tell you what a relief it is to not be feeling that pain just under the surface.”  Arlene rubbed her arm absently.  “It was like I couldn’t relax the muscles, no matter what I did.  They were just tight all the time, no matter how I held my arm or hand.  Even staying still seemed like it was taking effort.”

“That sounds like it would suck.”

“It does.  Trust me, of you ever feel that coming on, figure it out.  A few people I’ve talked to say it doesn’t get better by playing through it.  You can actually damage your arms forever.”

“Scary.”

“Yeah.  I just hope I didn’t reach that point.”

“I sure hope not.  But you are doing better…”

“Yeah.  Anyway, let’s talk about something else.”

“Sure.  First, do you still have to leave on Sunday?  There’s a good pianist giving his recital that night.  It would be fun to go with you if you were still here.”

“Thanks, but yeah, unfortunately I need to get home for a thing, so I’ll be out of here early on Sunday.  But I’ll see you in a couple of weeks, right?  You’re still coming out to New York?”

“For sure.”

“Who’s coming out with you?”

“Um, my girlfriend… Why?”

“I saw five tickets when I was at William’s house last week.”

“Oh…  My, uh, dad might come too.”

“Oh cool!  I haven’t seen him in forever.  Where is your lady tonight, anyway?”

“Sandra?  She had to practice.”

“That’s too bad.  I wanted to meet her.”

“We’ll hang out tomorrow night.”

“Okay.  It must be nice to be able to work with someone you like, for your recital.”

“Yeah, it’s great.  She’s a really amazing singer.  Beautiful voice.”

Arlene frowned at him.

“What?” Richard asked.

“Singer?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I thought you said she played French horn.”

Richard looked at her.  “When did I say that?”

“When we were in New York.”

“You must be confused.”

Arlene laughed.  “I know I was drunk, but I swear that’s what you said.  I even pictured her, holding a horn.”

So much for focusing on her, Richard thought, sighing.

“Did you make her up, just so I would stop coming onto you?” Arlene suddenly asked, her eyes mischievous.

“No, no.”  Richard looked at her, considering.

“What?”

“I wasn’t going to say anything until tomorrow, but what the hell.  You seem pretty relaxed.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t want to distract you from your audition by having them come out with us tonight.”

Arlene raised a brow.  “Them?”

“Sandra… and Emily.”

Arlene narrowed her eyes at him.

“Emily is my girlfriend, and yes, she plays the horn,” Richard added.

“Are you telling me…?”

Richard shrugged.

“No way!”

“Yeah.  They’re both coming to New York.”

“But… How?  Why?”

“Why?  Why not?  How… is a little trickier, though.”

“You’re messing with me.”

“Nope.”

“You really are in… some weird love triangle?  You have two girlfriends?” Arlene asked, incredulous. 

Richard was glad to see some amusement in her eyes.

“I never said it was weird,” he corrected.  “But other than that, yeah.”

She shook her head.  “Wow…”  She turned to Richard with amused eyes again. “Well, let’s go get them.  The cat’s out of the bag now.  I want to meet them!”

“Um…”

“Can we swing by the school?  Then we can go on to dinner.”

Richard laughed.  “You make it sound like a freak show!”

Arlene laughed as well.  “Sorry.  But it is interesting… Is this what I missed by living at home last semester?”

Richard smiled impishly.  “Probably not.  I don’t think it’s the norm.”

“Oh.  I didn’t know if it was some musical thing, since you’re always playing in ensembles and stuff.”

“We are doing the recital together,” Richard confirmed.  “But we just met early on, and we’ve been together ever since.”

“How does that even happen?”

“You know, I’m not sure.  I don’t think any of us were thinking it would end up this way.”

“But at what point did, you know, things happen?  Did you start out with one, and then the other one came into the picture?”

“No.  They’re roommates.  Somehow I ended up meeting them, and we hung out a lot.  I liked them both.  Things just kind of progressed.”

“Do they get jealous of each other?”

“No.  They’re really close.  Once the first questions passed, it’s felt just right ever since.  It is a little different at times, but…”

Arlene shook her head, as she processed the information.  “How many people know about this?”

“We’ve hardly told anyone.  William knows; that’s why he got the five tickets.”

“You could have said they were just friends.”

“William knew already.  I told him in New York.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

Richard smiled.  “I thought about it.  That night was weird enough without bringing that into the mix.  I guess I told you she played French horn instead, but I don’t remember that.”

“Do your parents know?”

“No.  Emily came to New York for a day, and my dad met them both when he came to get me for break.  But I’ve stuck to the story that we’re all just good friends.  That pretty much goes for everyone who asks.”

“But people have to suspect…”

“Probably.  My roommate knows, so I guess most of the school knows, too.  But I think you and William are the only two people who I’ve actually told.  Actually, not true.  A woman in Australia knows, also.”

“Australia?”

Richard laughed.  “Long story…”

“Well, I’m honored to be one of the three people in the whole world who you’ve told!”

Richard smiled.  “I trust you.”

“Thanks.”

Arlene went to ask another question, and Richard held up a hand.

“Okay, no more.  We’re not going to get them now.  Tomorrow you’ll meet them, and you can ask all the questions you want.  Tonight, let’s just have a nice dinner, you and me, just like we used to.  I want to hear more about what you’ve been working on with William.  And more about what Juilliard was like, if you’re up for it.”

Arlene nodded, but ignored the restriction.  “Do they know you’re out with me?”

“Of course.  They suggested it.”

“Do you see other people, then?”

“Hey now…”

Arlene laughed.  “What’s one more?”

Richard frowned at her.  “Where did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Nothing.  That’s exactly what William said when he found out.  You’ve been spending too much time with him, obviously.”

Arlene just shrugged and smiled.

“We don’t really see other people,” Richard continued, impishly.  “But I’ve slept with a few women, including one in a car in New York…”

Arlene put a hand over her eyes.  “God, what a night that was.  That’s when I really hit bottom.”

She suddenly turned to him.  “You didn’t tell them about that, did you?”

“Well, yeah…”

“Everything?”

Richard winced.  “Pretty much.  They like hearing about my… adventures.”

“Adventures?  Oh great!  They probably hate me, for trying to bed you!”

“No, not at all.  They were really getting into the story.”

Arlene just covered her eyes again and moaned.  “I’m so glad we didn’t go by the school!”

“Arlene, I’m not in some weird sexual triangle.  Emily and Sandra are my closest friends.  I share everything with them, and they with me.  No matter what happens, we trust each other.  We have to, or else what we have going would blow apart in a minute.  And because of that, you shouldn’t worry.  Consider them to be part of me, now.  They’re looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

Richard put an arm around her shoulder, and pointed with his free hand.

“Okay, somehow you managed to ignore me and asked a bunch more questions.”  He pointed.  “There’s the restaurant.  When we go in, let’s pretend we’re back in the city.”

Arlene sighed as she regained her calm.  “Okay.  I’d like that.”

Richard stopped walking, and turned her to him.  “Good.  Just like old times.”

He hugged her, and kissed her cheek.  Then he opened the door to the restaurant, and they stepped into that bistro in New York…

“I’m still kind of nervous about my auditions,” Richard said, as the waiter took the check with their money.  “We’re all set,” he told him.

“You’re going to knock them out,” Arlene said, as she sipped the last of her Pelegrino.

“I’ve never played for real pianists before.”

“So?  Mr. Schatten knows what he’s talking about.  And William says you’re going to have your pick of schools.”

“I know, but still.  What if I mess up?”

“Then you mess up.  You hardly ever mess up, though.”

“When I was about thirteen, I stopped and restarted my piece at the recital that year.”

“And that was the last time you messed up?” Arlene said, laughing.

“No.  But that sucked.”

“You’re going to be great.  Trust me.  I thought I’d be the one worrying tonight.”

“Are you?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe a little.  But I keep telling myself it’s just an audition.  I’m worried that I’m not worrying, actually!  You know that’s not like me.”

“What, you, get nervous?  No!”

“I know!  What is this?”  Arlene laughed.

“If you get into Juilliard… I should say, after you get into Juilliard, that’s your first choice, right?”

“Yeah.  And you’re going to Wexford… when you get in?”

“Probably.”

“Why didn’t you audition at Juilliard?”

“I don’t know.  I want to be further away from home.  You know how my dad is.  I’d have to live at home, and I need to get away.  So I didn’t even apply.”

“You should have at least tried.”

“No.  If I got in, then my dad would have made me go there.  I mean, it’s Juilliard.  He’d be proudest telling people I was studying there.  It’s the only music school he knew about, until I started applying.”

Arlene nodded.  “I could see that.  He’ll be proud no matter what, though.”

“I guess.  I’m half expecting him to announce they’re moving out to wherever I go, once I decide.”

“No, he’s established here with his work, isn’t he?”

“I know.  It’s just a joke.  But he’s probably going to be calling me every ten minutes to see if I’m practicing.”

Arlene suddenly pointed.  “Oh, look, the waiter is holding the phone out for you now.  It’s your dad.”

Arlene laughed as Richard fell for it and looked for a second, before turning back to frown at her.

“You suck.”

She grinned, and then wistfully asked about the hour.  Richard showed her his watch, hoping she would misread it.  She didn’t.

“I’m really having a good time, like always, but I guess I should think about getting home.”

“All right,” Richard said.  “I probably should too.  I’m leaving in the morning.”

“I’ll be thinking of you, Richard.”

“Likewise.  I’ll be at your place Friday evening, then?”

Arlene nodded.  “I can’t wait.  Hopefully we’ll both have done well and we can celebrate.”

Richard thought he caught a sparkle in her eye, but he wasn’t sure.  Is she suggesting something?

He helped her with her coat, and then he donned his as they walked to the door. 

They stepped out into the frigid February night.  The cacophony that was the symphony of a Manhattan street greeted them immediately.

They walked slowly in silence to the parking garage, where Arlene had left her car.  Richard wanted to take the subway back home.

“Sure you don’t want a ride?” she asked.

“No, you should get home.  I could use a little time on the train to clear my head before I go back.  My dad is freaking out about the audition even more than me.”

Arlene considered him for a moment.  Then she got close and kissed him long and hard, before pulling away to look him in the eyes. 

She put a hand to his chest and then she spoke some words that Richard carried with him for a long time.

“Arlene, just play from here.  Just go in there and play from your heart.  Forget who’s listening.  Pretend it’s me instead.  You know how much I love your playing.”

As they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, Arlene looked at him with damp eyes.  “Is that what…”

“…you said to me before I came here to audition?”  Richard smiled in answer.

“How did you remember?”                                                                      

“Those words got me through the audition.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Richard shook his head.  “When I got to your place that weekend, you were a mess after your audition.  Hardly the time to be talking about playing from the heart…  especially since I didn’t even say anything encouraging to you the night before your audition.  I’ve always regretted that I didn’t help you that night, like you helped me.  I thought you were fine.”

“But here you are now,” Arlene said emotionally.  “You’ve been so nice to me, Richard.”

“It’s the least I can do.  I still care for you…  I didn’t really know that until I saw you over break, but it’s true.  I really do hope you come to Wexford, so we can be friends and talk like we used to.”

“So you do miss me?”

“I do.  I mean, I love what I have here.  I love Sandra and Emily like… like nothing else.  But the three of us also know that we can’t be everything to everyone.  Emily spends some time with her brass friends.  But I don’t hang out with many other pianists here.  None, really, and I miss talking to someone who understands my instrument.  I feel like I’ve always been able to figure things out about playing the piano, just by talking with you.  I miss that.”

Arlene seemed overwhelmed by his words, and fought to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just kick some butt tomorrow,” Richard said simply.

Arlene nodded, and then laughed a little.  “I don’t really play in a kick butt style.”

Richard smiled.  “You do, in your own way.  Come on, I’ll walk you back.  A good night’s sleep, breakfast, killer audition… and then we’ll hang out.”

“I can’t wait to be done, tomorrow evening.  It’s going to be a long day, with all the theory and history tests.  I wish my audition was earlier, but that’s how it worked out.”

“I’ll come down to the hotel and have breakfast with you, if you want?”

“Hmm.  No, you must have things to do.  You’ve done enough.  Besides, I think I need to have the day for myself, so I can focus.  Come find me at five.”

“Five, then, in the lobby at Wexford.  We’ll be there, ready to celebrate.”

Arlene smiled.  “I really hope so, Richard.”

The girls were feisty when he returned to the room after dropping Arlene off at the Marriott. 

“What’s the occasion?” Richard asked, as a glass of red bubbling liquid was thrust into his hand by a naked Emily.  Sandra, who had opened the door in a towel, had it off as soon as the door had closed.

“We’re celebrating that we remembered we had champagne.”

Richard looked at them dubiously, and then at his glass.  “Did you cut yourself  opening the bottle?”

“Kir royale,” Emily explained.  “We went down to the store, too.”

“Ah.”

“We’re ready.”

They were sitting next to each other on the bed, legs crossed and flutes in hand as they watched him expectantly. 

Emily just happened to spill a little of her drink on her chest. 

“Oops…”

Sandra took care of it before it ran down too far.

“You could have waited a few more seconds,” Emily said, disappointed at where Sandra’s tongue had ended up.

Sandra giggled.  “Later!”

“You’re ready for what?” Richard asked.

“We’re ready to hear all about your date, of course!  What was on your dirty mind?”

Richard laughed.  “My date…  Okay.  You want some popcorn?”

“Ooh, another good one!” Emily said, giggling at Sandra.

He told them in two sentences what had happened.

“That’s it?”

They seemed sorely disappointed that the night had not been nearly as exciting as the last encounter.

“You two are weird,” Richard said.  He settled down on the edge of the other bed, across from them.  “It’s like you want people flirting and attacking me.”

“It’s funny to hear you tell the stories,” Emily said.

“And, it’s a little exciting, knowing other people want you, but we have you.”

“Okay.  I’ll start hitting the clubs tomorrow for you.”

The girls laughed.

“What did you two do while I was gone, besides get drunk?” Richard asked. 

The girls shot him a glare, but didn’t contest the accusation.

“Napped.”

“Napped?” Richard said, surprised.  He had struggled to convince them to take the first few naps.  Now they were like babies, sleeping every day.

“The nap thing makes us feel energetic,” Emily said.

“Yeah.  And sometimes it makes us horny,” Sandra said, her face apologetic.

Sandra kissed Emily, unable to resist.  It was clearly not the first or fifth kiss of the night for them.

A few minutes later, he was looking down at their naked bottoms as they lay on the bed.  He was kneeling in front of them, and they were taking turns playing with him.

He reached out and rubbed their backs, enjoying the feel of their smooth skin.

“I think I like the nap thing too,” Richard said.

“You don’t nap.”

“You know I can’t.  After I nap, I’m low energy for hours.  It just doesn’t agree with me.  Your naps agree with me, though.”

Words turned into giggles for a while as Richard went silent. 

He felt like things were starting to work out.  Their hard hours of practicing the details of their pieces were starting to pay off.  Their rehearsals were focusing more and more on the music rather than the technique, and the details were becoming second nature. 

Things were still intense, but the intensity was focused differently now, and it was having a positive effect on their relationship, as the playfulness he so loved about his friends seemed to have been found anew.

Sandra had turned around to lie on her back, and Richard looked down at her.  She smiled sultrily, and then pulled him close.

“Last time you did that, you got drenched,” Richard said.

“Mm hm.”

Richard closed his eyes, remembering the scene.  That, and Sandra’s delicate ministrations quickly brought him close to the edge.

Sandra’s hands suddenly reached around his butt and pulled on him sharply.

Richard cried out as he stiffened and resisted her pull.

“Argh!  Don’t do that!”

Sandra let him out to speak.  “Why not?”

“It looks like it hurts!”

“Doesn’t.”

“I don’t know…  You sing.  I don’t want to be responsible for…  hurting anything.”

Emily laughed.  “Sandrine d’Arcy – A promising vocal career tragically ruined by a blowjob.”

Sandra just hummed something incomprehensible as she grabbed Richard around his butt again.  Richard groaned in protest, but didn’t try to stop her this time.

“Damn, Sandra,” Emily said, after a moment.

Richard shuddered as Emily kissed Sandra’s arched neck, and he actually felt her lips.

Very soon, it was too much.  He let out a warning grunt, and then a second.  Oh fuck, she’s not going to let me go…

With Emily kissing Sandra’s chin, it looked they were both swallowing him.  He was glad for Sandra’s sake that he wasn’t coming off an hour of arousal. 

Still…

“Oh… man…” he managed, as he held onto the bed for support.

Sandra let him go when he was finished.  Richard fell back, watching her closely.  She turned over and smiled at him with satisfied eyes. 

Richard just shook his head as he rolled back to sit on the rug.  “You’re crazy.”

“Oh, like you didn’t like that,” she said.

“I did,” he admitted.

“I know.  So did I.”

“It scares me,” he said.

“Didn’t seem to stop you,” she said simply, licking her lips.

Emily watched the interchange with an amused look.  “No, it didn’t.”

Sandra turned to Emily with seductive eyes.  “I want you now.”

Emily smiled.  “I’d like that.”

Richard watched as they kissed and caressed each other.

Definitely liking the nap thing, he agreed with himself.

Perhaps it was their way of reminding Richard he was theirs, or perhaps it was really just the naps, but the girls kept Richard occupied on Saturday afternoon as well. 

Their practice that morning had been excellent, despite the struggle of finding a room amidst the sea of auditioning musicians that had descended on the building.

Richard could see the awe and hope in their faces, mixed with nervousness and apprehension.  He wondered if he looked like that when he first walked through the unfamiliar halls full of snippets of music.

Now it felt like home.

A little before five, the trio prepared to go back to the conservatory to meet Arlene.  The girls had considered wearing their shortest dresses sans panties in her honor, but Richard had immediately squashed the idea, despite laughing about it.  Besides, the weather was too cold for bare legs.  Different jeans and shirts were settled on, and then the girls changed.

“What was wrong with the jeans that you had on?” Richard asked, looking down at his clothing.  He was wearing the same thing he had on at breakfast.                           

“Those aren’t going out jeans,” Emily said.

“Oh.  And the shirt?”

“Doesn’t match the jeans now.”

“The jeans were both blue,” he observed.

He was subsequently ignored.

Sandra had just pulled on her shirt when the phone rang.  She answered it.

“Hello?”

“Sandra?  Hey, it’s Billy.”

“Hi, sweetie!  How are you?”

“Doing all right.  Getting through the semester, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Sandra laughed.

“Anyway, it looks like we’re definitely gonna come up for your show next month.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah.  Kyle’s gonna come here the night before and crash in my dorm, and then we’ll head up there the day of the show.”

“That’s awesome!  Can you stay a few days?”

“Naw.  I got some tests later that week, so we’re gonna have to bust out of there real quick the next day.”

“Are you sure you can take the time?”

“Oh yeah, for sure.  I really would like to see you sing, Sandra.  I can study in the car while Kyle drives.”

“Okay.  Don’t get in trouble with your exams, though.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.  It will be great to see you.”

“Yeah, it will.”

“You’re probably gonna be busy that night, huh…?”

“We’re all going over to Richard’s piano teacher’s house.  You can come.  You have to come!  Otherwise, I’ll be mad…”

Billy laughed.  “All right, if you put it that way.”

“Where are you going to stay?” Sandra asked.

“I called your Pa and he said we could stay with them in their hotel room for that night.”

“Perfect.”

“I wish I could talk more, but I have to go.”

“A little early to be heading to a party, isn’t it?” Sandra joked.

“Naw…  Actually I kind of just started seeing a lady and we’re gonna go eat somewhere.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s sweet… but nothing like you.”

“Aw, Billy…”

“Well, it’s the truth.  But, like you said over break, I gotta start trying to move on.”

“I’m happy for you.  I hope it works out.”

“I hope so too.  Well…  I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Thanks for calling, Billy.  And it will be great to see you next month.”

“Definitely.  Take care.”

“Bye.”

Sandra turned to Emily and Richard.

“Billy’s definitely coming,” she announced.

“Cool,” Richard said.

“Kyle too…  Emily…” she added pointedly, when Emily didn’t react.

“We had our affair,” Emily dismissed airily.  “It’s over between us.”

“Whatever.  He’ll be happy to see you, at least.”

Emily nodded.  “At some point those two boys are going to put, well… two and one together and figure out what’s going on between us three.”

Sandra shrugged.  “Maybe.”

“Shall we head over?” Richard asked.

“Hmm…  I’m not sure I like this shirt…”

Once they finally went to the conservatory, they ventured into the noisy front lobby.  There were still a myriad of people carrying their instruments.  Some milled about between others who were talking.  There was a general sense of relief in the air that was missing earlier in the day.  Still, he saw several people with drawn faces staring at the floor, and a few people even crying.

Richard saw a bright orange violin case and looked up at its owner, wondering who would make such a statement.  A young woman with black hair and pretty eyes smiled at him as if she had drawn his gaze by force.

Richard found himself smiling back, before his movement put people between them again.

He wondered who she was.  If she was auditioning, she didn’t look like she was worried about how she did.

I’ll probably never know, he thought.

The image of the vibrant violinist was swept to a far corner of his mind as Arlene materialized in front of them.

Richard immediately felt immense relief when he looked into her eyes.

Arlene rushed over to Richard and hugged him, laughing.

“That well, huh?” Richard said.  “Emily, Sandra: this is Arlene Who-looks-like-she-had-a-good-audition Palmer.”

She pulled apart from him, and hugged his two friends as well out of excitement.

“It’s really nice to meet you,” she bubbled.  “I’d say that Richard told me all about you, but he didn’t really let me ask any questions last night.”

Emily grinned.  “He was trying to keep us a secret from you, then?”

Arlene laughed.  “Oh no, not at all.”

“So your audition went well?” Sandra asked.

“Yeah.  I think I did really well.  Mr. Auber came up to me after, and he was already talking about repertoire he wants me to work on.”

“You did more than great, then,” Richard said, grinning.

“I thought about what you said, and I just played.”

“What you said,” Richard corrected gently.

“That’s cool.  Looks like you’ll be coming to Wexford next year, then?” Sandra asked.

Arlene shrugged, surprised at the enthusiasm she heard in Sandra’s voice.  I would have expected disappointment, or…

“If the rest of my application works out, I think so.  I mean, you know, I need to wait for the official word, but…”

“Sounds like you’re in, if your teacher is making plans,” Richard said.

“That’s great, Arlene,” Emily said.  “We know you’ve been through some rough times at Juilliard.”

How much did Richard tell them?  He said everything… but for some reason I’m suddenly not ashamed, if they know…

“Yeah.  I’m just glad it’s over.  It was a long couple of months this winter.”

Sandra smiled knowingly.  “Well, now that you’re done for the day, we should celebrate.”

“That would be wonderful…”

The quartet found themselves at a small Italian place they had never eaten at before.  Richard had thought of trying a more upscale place further up the same road, but when they passed the open doorway of Maria’s, they stopped and grinned at each other.

“This is just what I want,” Arlene said, breathing in the enticing aromas.

That was all they needed to hear, and soon they were seated in a dim corner.

An older woman came up, and Arlene watched as Richard and Sandra struck up a conversation in Italian with Maria.

“They do this all the time,” Emily said to Arlene, with an exaggeratedly dramatic voice.

“We don’t!” Sandra protested.

“Talking about me when they don’t want me to know what they’re saying.”

Sandra shot her a disapproving look.

“You and I should learn Russian or something,” Arlene said to Emily.  “Then we can do the same to them.”

Emily sat back and laughed.  “I like that thinking, Arlene.”

Over the course of dinner, Arlene realized that Richard had not exaggerated.  The three of them shared everything, from food to their most intimate thoughts.  The latter was not voiced at the table, but Arlene could read it in their eyes.  There was little between them that wasn’t shared. 

It was an overwhelming realization.  Richard was firmly entrenched in a loving triangle with these two women.

Arlene found herself more and more intrigued… no, infatuated with them as the night went on.  Emily and Sandra were a part of Richard, as he had promised.  He saw things in the women that she associated with him, and she also discovered where some of Richard’s new ideas and mannerisms came from.

The wine flowed freely.  The peak dinner crowd came and filled the place, and then the background noise faded again.  As the four of them shared stories about their teachers and fellow students, Arlene slowly felt the regret she felt about Juilliard being replaced by an optimism about Wexford.  She realized she’d be getting a second chance at her music.

And even though Richard was taken, she’d still have a second chance at his friendship, at least.

As they walked back to the dorm, they passed through a park.  Arlene heard a fountain behind the bushes that lined a nearby garden. 

She noticed the two girls start laughing about something they had both silently thought of.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Richard said quickly.

“Okay.  Inside joke.  I won’t pry,” Arlene said, feeling a little left out for the first time that night.  Get a grip, Arlene… They don’t need to share everything with you…

“We have this friend in Australia – ”

“Sandra…” Richard warned, before looking at Arlene.  “Don’t worry, we were just remembering something that happened here.  Nothing about you.  When these two start drinking, things can get wild,” he added, gesturing at the girls. 

They laughed wildly.

“Wild is okay,” Arlene said, feeling her insides jump at the thought.  Wild? And what happened with this Australian woman that keeps coming up?

“See?” Emily said.  “She doesn’t mind.”

“Emily…” Richard warned again.

Arlene laughed as Richard tried to maintain control of Emily with his look.  Emily pouted back at him.

Arlene realized she was feeling the wine herself.  She decided to side with the girls.

“So, how did you three get together?  Richard said some vague things last night, but…”

“Richard just kept coming up to our room all the time, pestering us.  Finally we took some pity on him.”

Arlene laughed, both at Sandra’s statement and Richard’s resigned look.

“I’m having total déjà vu!” Emily said to Sandra, who smiled back with wide eyes.

“I know!”

Sandra turned back to Arlene, grinning.

“He would take me out, and then take out Emily at other times when I didn’t know.  We’d always be talking about our guys to each other.  Then we found out it was the same guy one day!”

“We were pissed!  But, in the end, we liked him enough to keep him,” Emily added.

“That’s not how it went at all, Arlene,” Richard said, rolling his eyes.

Arlene just laughed. 

“What really happened is…  I don’t know, actually.  It just happened,” Emily said.

“That’s exactly what Richard said last night,” Arlene agreed.

Sandra at last took charge of the story.  “We both liked Richard.  We met him during orientation.  We started hanging out, just the three of us.  Pretty soon it was obvious that we all liked each other.  There was a little bit of… weirdness when things started happening, but that’s just because none of us knew what we were doing.”

“Did you talk about it first?”

“No, I just kissed him one night,” Emily said boldly.

“Yeah, I thought these two were giving me a nice head massage,” Sandra said, picking up on Emily’s forwardness, “and here they were macking right behind me!”

“Macking?  It was one kiss!  Besides, you were practically taking off your top when Richard was massaging you!”

“Was not!”  Sandra gave Emily a horrified look, but Arlene could hear the amusement in her voice.  “Anyway, the next day I kind of saw Emily kissing Richard in the hallway before they came in the room.”

“No, I thought you kissed him in the room first.”

“No, you came in after kissing him in the hall.  Then you tried to leave, remember?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!  Sandra was thinking about Richard in naughty ways, right before we came in, heh heh.”

“Emily!”

“What?  You were!”

“You didn’t have to tell her that part!”

“Why not?  A few minutes ago you were just going to tell her about how you kissed Allison!”

“No, I was going to tell her about you and Richard doing it by the fountain…!  Oops…”

“What the fuck?” Richard blurted out, as he threw his arms in the air and spun around.   “You two… bad girls!  I can’t take you anywhere!”

Emily and Sandra started laughing as they fell into each other’s arms.

“Nice one, Sandra,” Emily said.

“You too, Em.”

Arlene also laughed, especially at Richard.  She was glad it was dark, though, so they couldn’t see her face reddening slightly.

“You have your hands full, it looks like,” she said to him.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“So what happened next?” Arlene asked the girls, looking apologetically at Richard.

“Great.  Next year’s going to be interesting,” he moaned.

Arlene gave him a consoling hug, before she joined the girls as they started walking again.  They hooked their arms in hers and strolled down the path as Richard followed.

He was smiling, just a little, Arlene noticed.

Back at the dorm, Richard silently pulled the door to the building open, and let the three girls in.  Arlene noticed several people look up from the television as they passed through the dorm lobby and headed for the stairs.

I wonder what they all think of these three.  And now I’m walking with them…

When they reached the second floor, Richard paused with his hand on the door.

“I need to go to the bathroom.  Is it safe for me to leave you three alone?”

“Of course.  We’ll be in the room.  We’ll save you some champagne.”

Richard just grunted in amusement, and then continued up the steps.

Arlene followed them into their room.  As hinted, champagne was soon opened.  Arlene started to wonder if she should stop.  I do have to get up early and drive tomorrow…

“You want some?”

“Um…  Sure.”

The three of them soon clinked glasses.

“Congrats,” Emily and Sandra said.  “On a good audition.”

“Thanks.”

They drank, and then Arlene found them smiling at her. 

She could see why Richard liked them.  She imagined they would be fun on their own, but together, they were a force.  A natural pair. 

“We hope you come here next year,” Emily said.

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Richard does too.  He cares about you a lot, and he also likes talking with you about piano stuff.”

Arlene shrugged.  “He has you two to talk with.”

“I don’t know anything about piano.  And Sandra can play, but not like you or Richard can.”

“He seems really happy with you.”

“We take care of him,” Sandra said simply. 

Arlene knew she meant that in many ways, and she felt her face heat up slightly.  She took another sip from her glass. 

“I’m probably going to go to the hotel soon,” she said.  “I need to get up early and drive back to New Jersey.”

“Whatever you need to do.  You can hang out here as long as you want.”

Arlene looked around the room for a second, and then sat on the bed.

“Thanks for taking me out tonight.  I know he… probably told you about what I did in New York.”

Sandra and Emily looked at each other for a moment, and then they moved to sit to either side of her.

“He did.”

Arlene suddenly felt nervous, but she went on.

“I didn’t know he was with you, really.  Or I wouldn’t have.  And I was going through some tough times.”  Arlene felt suddenly foolish.

“You don’t have to apologize.  It’s not your job to draw the line.”

“What?”

“We trust him.  He stopped when he needed to.”

“Nothing happened, though!” Arlene said quickly.

“No, something did happen,” Sandra answered, quietly.

Arlene’s heart jumped.  “You mean when I tried to kiss him?  He didn’t kiss back.  I didn’t even –”

Sandra put a quieting hand on Arlene’s cheek.

“Shh…  It’s not about that, Arlene.  You and he reconnected.”

Arlene just looked at her dumbly.

“Richard said things didn’t end all that well with you, when you dated,” Emily said.

“And now you might be coming to Wexford,” Sandra added.  “Things are working out for you two, in the end.”

Arlene just looked back and forth between them, unsure what she was hearing.

“But…  I don’t understand.  You two are with him.  I can see the love you have for each other.”

“Love has many forms, Arlene,” Emily said.

“We have this idea that there are a small number of people that we are intertwined with.  Things happen for reasons, usually because of these people.”

“And you think I am one of them?  You hardly know me…”

“No, but we know Richard.  We can tell he thinks of you as more than just an old piano buddy.”

“And you don’t always need months to tell.  Sometimes you just know when you meet these people.  You feel like you’ve known them for a long time, and that you’re just picking up where you left off.”

Arlene was quiet for a few moments.  “I guess I know what you mean.  Last night, I felt like I was with him in New York again.  And the two of you… you’re so friendly.  It is like I’ve known you before.  Like I’ve just been away for a while.”

“Now you’re coming back.”

Arlene shook her head.  “I should have auditioned here last year,” she said at last.

The girls laughed quietly.  “Things happen for a reason.  It will be great to have you here next year.”

Arlene hugged them.  “Thank you…  You don’t know how much that means to me.  I’ve been worried about what it really will be like to come here, with Richard being here a year already.  I knew he’d be established in his own things…  And I wasn’t sure what you would be like…  I kept imagining that somehow you’d never let me see him…  That was even before I found out there were two of you!”

They shared a laugh.

“Well, Richard does kind of hang out with us all the time.  But we’ve never done anything to keep him from seeing other people.”

“If I was him, I wouldn’t hang out with anyone else either,” Arlene said sincerely.

Sandra and Emily smiled at her words.

Sandra suddenly looked at the door.  “Where is he anyway?”

“Probably eavesdropping,” Emily said, going to the peephole.  She turned around and shrugged.  “He’ll come down when he’s done.”

“He’s probably hoping we’re telling you about all our adventures.”

“Really?  He seemed like he wasn’t really wanting you to even tell how you got together.”

The girls laughed.  “He was just pretending to.  He has this thing lately where he’s acting all protective of us.”

“It’s because of the recital,” Emily explained.  “We’ve been working basically nonstop since the semester started on the recital and classes.  February was insane.”

“Then he was getting worried, so he started making us nap and stuff.”

“It’s pretty funny,” Emily said, grinning.  “He still thinks we nap.”

“Do you?”

“Well, every now and then… But sometimes we just say we did, so that he stays relaxed and will have fun with us.  Otherwise he starts trying to tell us we need to rest.  Go to bed early, and stuff.”

Arlene laughed.  “So things are better now?”

“Yeah.  We’ll make it to April in one piece,” Sandra said.

“I really would like to come out for it,” Arlene suddenly said.

“Well, of course!  Hasn’t Richard invited you?”

“No, not really.”

They looked at each other.  “We’ve got to get on him about inviting people to come to the concert!  We have way more people in our sections of the audience so far,” Emily said.

Sandra laughed.  “Yeah, you have like five, and I have six.”

Emily shrugged.  “Still more than he has.”

“Since you invited me, I guess I’m in your column now,” Arlene said.

The girls smiled at her, pleased with her announcement.

“Yes, I’d say you’re right, Arlene…  It’s a long way to come for a recital, though.”

“I’m not doing much right now.  Besides, I like it out here.”

“You can stay with us in here, if you like.  As long as you want.”

“Thanks,” Arlene said, feeling warm at the invitation.

“We have friend from Australia who is coming,” Emily said.

“Yeah, who is she?  Richard said ‘long story.’  And, I thought you said Sandra… kissed her?  Or I misheard…”

They laughed.  “No, you heard right.  We snuck that in there for Richard’s benefit.  It was fun to see him pretend to get all angry.”

“Allison was visiting in the area for work, and we ran into her at a music festival.  Somehow – ”

A knock interrupted Emily.  She rose and went to the door, and peeked out.  She turned and grinned at the girls, and then opened the door a crack.

“Hey.  We’re busy.  Come back in twenty minutes.”

She closed the door, and turned around, grinning wickedly.

The second knock came immediately.

Emily opened the door again.

“We were just telling the Allison story.  I seem to remember you not wanting to hear it, so…”

Richard tried to enter, and a pushing struggle ensued.  Emily turned and looked at the girls as she shrieked.  In an instant Arlene and Sandra were helping.  Giggles and cries sounded down the hallway as Richard almost got in.  Then the girls gained leverage, and three bodies finally beat one.  The door latched shut, and the girls cheered wildly at the victory.

“I have a key,” Richard said calmly from the other side.

“Ooooh…”  Emily smiled mischievously, and then threw the inner deadbolt.  She peered out the peephole.

“All right, I get the message.  You’ve stolen Arlene for the rest of the night,” he said, looking up and down the hallway.  “Just save me some… apple juice.”

“Should we let him in?” Arlene whispered.

Emily shook her head as she continued to look at Richard.  Richard was making a funny face at her, and she started laughing.  Sandra and Arlene looked out as well.

“I’ll be up in my room,” Richard finally called.  “Have fun.  Call me, if for some odd reason you think I should come down and see my friend.”

Emily waited until he finally turned to go, and then she unlatched the deadbolt.  Confirming that the noise had made him turn back, she looked at Sandra and Arlene.

“Hide, quick,” she whispered to them, as she unlocked the lower lock as well.  Arlene piled into one closet behind Sandra, and Emily slipped into hers.  Laughter ensued as they struggled to close the doors and slipped on shoes and boxes. 

Arlene found herself squeezed against Sandra in the tight confines.

Poor Richard…

Richard tried the door, expecting it to lock on his touch.  He was mildly surprised to feel the handle turn, given the wild laughter coming from the room.

“Is it safe now?” he called in through the slightly open door.

No answer.  Things had quieted.

Richard went into the room.  He sniggered when he saw that they had chosen to hide.  The options were few.  He doubted they’d be on the dusty floor under the beds, so there was only one choice.

He tried to change his smile into a patronizing look, and then he reached to open Emily’s closet.  His hand stopped as it touched the handle.

I’m outnumbered.  Hmm…

A mischievous grin crossed his lips.

The closets can’t be very comfortable…

He turned, and went to the desk.  He hummed a random melody as he sat and put his feet up, and then picked up the phone.  After a few moments, he spoke.

“Hey, man.  It’s Richard.”

“Oh, nothing much.  Arlene auditioned today.”

“I’d let her tell you how it went, but she’s not here.”

“I don’t know.  Out with Sandra and Emily.”

“Yeah, that came out pretty quick.”

“Well, she obviously has no problem with it.  They’ve found somewhere secluded to go without me.”

“Yes, I’m serious!”

“How would I know what they’re doing?  I’m talking to you.”

Richard laughed richly.  “Sadly, not the case.”

“I’m feeling outnumbered, I guess.”

“I’ll buy you a plane ticket.”

Richard laughed again.  “You know, I think I’ve figured one thing out, sitting here all alone.  When you get women together, they don’t add.  They multiply.”

“Well, when you have one, obviously you have one.”

Richard sniffed.  “Well, that’s a different issue, but…”

“Then you have two, but is really like you have two times two.  Which is still manageable, I’ve found, heh heh.  Now, suddenly I’m dealing with three, and it’s like there’s nine of them!”

Richard listened for a while, and then burst out laughing.

“Exactly!  It’s like a giant sleepover party or something.”

“True, there are worse positions to be in.”

“Oh wait, they’re actually in the closets.  I had no idea,” he said loudly towards the doors.  “Someone gave away their hiding spot by laughing.”

“No, I haven’t heard any moans.  Yet.”

“Nope, haven’t heard that either.”

Richard made a show of laughing very hard.  “I doubt the closet is big enough for that.”

Richard grinned as the girls suddenly struggled to exit the closets.

“Who is it?” Emily asked.

“No one.  He’s faking a phone call,” Sandra said, frowning at him.

Richard shook his head in reply. 

“Uh oh, here they come.  All nine of them.  If I get cut off suddenly, call 911.  I think – ”

Emily, having extricated herself first, grabbed the phone from his hands.  Richard didn’t put up a fight.

She can talk to him…

“Hello?”  After a moment, she turned to Sandra with a knowing look.  “You were right.  We have a faker.”

Richard started laughing.  “Fucking brilliant, William!” he called out towards the phone between chortles.

Emily whirled towards him.  “Whatever!”

Richard reached for the phone, grinning.  Emily instead put the phone to her ear again and listened for a few more seconds.  Then she hung up.

“Well, that was rude!  You just hung up on William.”

“You’re funny, Richard.  I’ll give you that much.”

Emily had crawled onto him and was kissing him heatedly, when she remembered the situation.

“Sorry,” she said, as she straightened.  Arlene was laughing, and Sandra was still trying to untangle a wire hanger from her hair.

They think they have the upper hand…

Then the phone rang. 

Richard’s smile was a mile wide as Emily answered it.

“Hello?”

She turned to Richard, her eyes exploding in mirth and chagrin as she scrunched her face up at him.  She listened for a moment, and then passed the phone to Richard with a grimace.

“Fucker!” she whispered.  “How does he even have our number?”

“I live here, remember?” Richard said.  He turned around grandly in the chair as he put the phone to his ear.  “Hey.  Sorry about that.  I told you, though…”

Richard laughed loudly, and turned to look at them.

“What’s so funny?” Emily asked, her arms folded on her chest.

Richard frowned at her and put his finger to his lips as he listened.

“No, all in the same closet.”

“They’re big.  What can I say?”

Richard examined the girls.  “I don’t know, but they’re all flushed and breathing hard.”

“Richard!”

The Nine advanced towards him.  Richard stood and held the phone high.

“I’m trying to have a phone conversation here!”

It was a useless warning.  Fairly soon the phone was being wrested from his hands.  The fight moved to the rug, where they fell to the floor in a writhing clump of laughter.

Richard at last tickled himself out of the pile.  Emily suddenly had the phone uncontested.

She put the phone to her ear.

“Hello…?  He’s gone.”

Richard held up the phone cord, which had been yanked out of the wall jack in the struggle.

“Oh…”

Everyone seemed to take a collective breath at once.

“Nine of us?” Sandra asked, suddenly.

Richard grinned, but said nothing.

“I’m sure William thought that was hilarious,” Arlene said evenly.

“He did, and he had another formula.”

“And what was that?” Emily said, rounding on him.

Her look almost made Richard hold his tongue.

Almost.

“He said the number multiplies, and the age divides.”

The girls looked at the phone, but William was not there.  They turned their disapproving faces to Richard instead.

“What?  It was his idea…!”

“We’ll see how funny he thinks that is when we get to New York,” Emily said with a sniff.

The girls pretended to ignore him as they fixed their hair, but Richard soon interrupted their small talk.

“Were the closets comfy?” he asked them, as he got the phone working again and dialed William.  “I didn’t think so, but since you didn’t want me bothering you, I just left you alone.”

“Oh, funny!” Sandra said.

“The hanger was a nice look, though…”

Sandra just scrunched her face up at him.  “You’re lucky Arlene is leaving.  Revenge will have to wait until the fall.”

“She’s here now,” Emily said, raising a brow at Arlene.

Richard grinned as they suddenly advanced on him again.

I’m ready…

“Hello?”

Arlene struggled to open her eyes as the alarm clock stabbed her again and again.  At last she found the off button, and she rolled over with a groan.  For a few minutes, she tried to clear her head.  She finally got up and made her way to the bathroom.  She splashed water on her tired face.

Was last night real?

It had to be.  She was coming to Wexford next year.  She knew it, now.

She knew it wouldn’t be all fun and games like the previous night had been, but she already had three friends waiting for her. 

Suddenly, she stood up, feeling the evening’s toxins draining from her.  

She knew.

I’m coming to Wexford…

Forward to Chapter 30

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