A Tragic Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

walks away and it’s just me and my Jackson again.
    “Well, you let her have it!” I say, very pleased.
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he says blandly. “Now, back to you and Mason.”
    “What about me and Mason?” I ask with a sigh.
    “How serious is it?”
    “Very,” I say, puzzled. Where is he going with this?
    “Be careful. I’m not saying this to try to rain on your parade, but you’re both still young. If you’re positive about him, make sure he loves you more than you love him. That way, you know you can never lose alone in your relationship,” Jackson says in a somber tone.
    “I’ll be sure to remember that!”
    “And I have one more thing I want to tell you. I wanted you to be the first to know,” Jackson says with a worried look on his face.
    “W-what is it?” I ask nervously.
    “We got the deal!”
    “Th-the record deal? Jackson, that’s amazing!” I jump up, ecstatic for him. “I’m so glad you were worth rooting for,” I joke, hugging him.
    “Well, I’m glad that I could be worth it to you.” He laughs and hugs me back.
    “You’re officially a major recording artist, and I couldn’t be more proud of you!”
    I begin thinking about Peyton and his band. I remember telling him that I’d talk to my brother about it. Now that Jackson is a major recording artist, I’m more than sure he can put in a good word for Peyton and his band.
    “Hey, Jackson?” I sit next to him on the couch in the living room I’m hardly ever in.
    “Yeah, Tay?”
    “How is it on tour?”
    “It’s great! I miss home sometimes, and it can get lonely, but overall it’s good. Why?”
    “I have this friend who has a band and they’re doing a lot of gigs now, but I was hoping that you could help them out. I heard them play last month and they’re really good.”
    “Sure, I’d be more than happy to help. But first I have to hear them play. I’ll take your word for it because you know good music, but you know that as an artist, I have to actually feel what they’re putting out. Whose band is it?”
    “Mason’s cousin, Peyton.”
    “The kid with the fiery-red hair who sent that other kid to the hospital a while back?”
    “Yeah, that’s him.”
    “That’s Mason’s cousin?”
    “Yeah, I thought everyone knew that. They’re first cousins.”
    “They do kind of look alike; I guess the red hair kind of throws it off.”
    Peyton. He is a character I’m still confused about. I just can’t figure him out. He’s like a mystery that can’t be solved. I see pain in his eyes, but I can never tell how deep that pain runs or how fast it flows. His smile tells the story of beauty. It’s the kind of smile that hints of hard times surmounted. His laugh is angelic, with a note of deep sorrow. Peyton is a mystery that I’m determined to solve someday, but I’m afraid he won’t let me.
    ***
    I wake up this morning completely excited for one reason. It’s my birthday, and that means today is the day I get the surprise Mason has been bragging about since June. Now, I know I’ve said that I hate surprises and I usually do, but this surprise is coming from Mason, which makes it entirely different. As soon as I go downstairs, I see Jackson waiting for me with a gift in his hand.
    “I thought I told you I hate birthday presents,” I say with a smile.
    “Yeah, well, I felt if Mason is allowed to get you something, then so am I. I’ve known you longer.”
    “Thanks, Jackson,” I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “What is it?”
    “If you’d open it, you’d find out!”
    I hurriedly opened the gift and almost cry when I see what it is. It’s a music box that plays the melody of my favorite song by his band, Down Under. Some of the lyrics are even engraved on the inside of the lid.
    “You’ll always be the melody in my heart,
    And I pray to God we’ll never part.
    If I die before you, my heart you’ll take.
    Just know on earth you were my saving grace.”
    P.S. I’ll always be here for you whenever