“Where are the other two?”

“They’re not here,” Theodessa moved the paper away and returned to her musicbook, hoping Carlet got the hint to leave her to be in her own world. 

“I guess they got caught up in class,” Carlet shrugged. “We looked for you before school, but you weren’t there.”

“I slept through my alarm,” Theodessa said.

“At least you’re easy to spot.”

Theodessa looked up to meet Carlet’s black hole eyes. “Have you been spying on me?”

Carlet leans back, laughing “You’re the only person in this school brave enough to wear white.”

Theodessa, seeing that she won’t be making a new song any time soon, slams her book shut and sets it in front of her. 

Carlet inches the sign up sheet closer. Playing a game—like Theodessa was a fish she could catch by bating her with the sheet. 

“I’m not going to the competition,” Theodessa said. 

“Do you have plans or something?”

Theodessa can’t respond. She never knew what her schedule looked like. It was always her family telling her where to be and when. 

“There’s a cash prize,” Carlet said. “And it’s not small money.”

“I’ve heard it. Every year. For seven years.”

“You made Jasper so scared they ran out with their tail tucked between their legs!”

When even that didn’t make Theodessa budge, Carlet sucks on her cheeks, thinking. 

“Oh, just in time,” Carlet said. “Help me convince her to sign the form.”

Theodessa looks back and sees Deral and Lex, walking up hand in hand.

“We can’t force her to,” Deral sighed, as he sat down in front of Theodessa

“What if we make a deal?” Lex asked. 

Deral glanced up at Lex, his blue eyes glittering. He turns to Theodessa. “What if we take you wherever you want?”

“Can you afford a trip to the redwoods?”

“Where’s that?”

“In california.”

After a silence, Lex said, “The west beach state.”

Deral deflated, His head collapsing on the table. “You don’t have to compete if you don’t want to.”

Theodessa was relieved that they were off her back. Maybe they would leave her alone too. Than she looked at Deral, pouting, with half-closed eyes, as if he could fall asleep in the silence. 

Theodessa snatched the pen, grumbling, holding them accountable for her failure, as she filled out the paper. Answering the questions from memory. 

Once Deral saw, a grin spread across his face, and he bounced back as if nothing had happened to make him pout like a little kid.. 

“I’ll turn it in after school. “

“Why not right now?” Carpet asked. “The music room isn’t that far.”

Theodessa, with no intention to turn it in, reluctantly agreed. She could just not show up or ask Mr. Miller to take her application out. She repeated her reassurance in her head until it became background noise. 

When Mr. Miller took her form, he smiled. “It’s nice to see you participating this year, Ms. Hill,” he said genuinely. “I’ll be rooting for you.”

Theodessa smiled, nodding.