Letting You Know Read Online Free PDF Page B

my giant smile. The biggest issue I'd had with trying to
get closer to Bethany had been how little personal time I could
salvage.
    But
now, she should be able to convince her parents to let her stay late
after school to practice for the talent show. Knowing them, they'll
be all over having their daughter in the spot light.
    Everything
was going perfectly, I couldn't foresee a single problem.
    In
the true, genuine joy only hopeless teen romantics could lavish in, I
was on top of the world.
    My
last class was a study period, so I did the logical thing and slipped
out of school early. Perhaps it was reckless, but truly, I felt
invincible. My only concern was getting home and figuring out what
song Bethany and I could sign together.
    Whatever
we do has to be different, we need to stand out. Something no one
would expect from either of us.
    My
car wasn't the best, but for a new driver, I was grateful enough to
have anything. Slightly dented green paint, scuffed on the bumpers;
it was reliable, sturdy. The kind of car you needed if you wanted to
drive on the back roads of Kentucky.
    I
was planning a route of a different sort.
    The
trip to the nearest city, the only place I knew of to find a varied
music store, was a decent length. The cool wind, placid weather, it
merged with my content emotions to make the drive go by quickly.
    The
building wasn't huge, but it still would contain plenty of different
things for me to browse over. Among the racks of CD’s, I
thumbed through everything that was as far from the classical hymns
Bethany and I tended to sing together.
    What
am I going to choose, what would be perfect for this?
    I
didn't know enough about rock music, or rap for that matter, since my
father felt it was often inappropriate. Lifting a case, studying the
woman on the cover who was bent into a seductive pose, I understood
where he was coming from.
    Still,
it's not so bad. It's just a little skin.
    Unable
to handle the idea of buying something so revealing, even if my gut
said it was fine, I stuck the CD back into place hurriedly.
    Frustrated
by my lack of decision, my eyes roamed the racks, spotting an end-cap
displaying newer music.
    Sliding
my hands over the hard surface, squinting at the cover, I held the
first CD that met the balance of edgy, but not 'sexy' or similar.
    Dark,
smokey, it was an image of a tulip. The stem was melting, turning
into tar. Bits of glass stuck to it; a grim, yet artistic picture.
    Hmn,
the Killer Sons, never heard of them.
    I
knew that, just because I wasn't familiar with the band, it didn't
mean other people wouldn't be. In
fact, if this is as new as it seems, it might be exactly what I'm
looking for.
    Curious,
and hasty to make a decision and find a solution, I carried the disk
to the front counter.

    ****

    I
spent the rest of my night just listening to music. Stretched out on
my bed, headphones nuzzling my ears; I fell deep into the rough,
grinding sounds. They were strangely alluring.
    Is
this the right way to go? I
wondered if Bethany would hate the concept.
    Rolling
on my side, I lifted the CD case, reading the songs listed on it.
Nothing had struck me yet, making me nervous I had wasted my money. Worse,
my time. What will I bring tomorrow to practice with her?
    Something
hit me, slamming into my chest before bouncing to the floor; a
baseball cap from the rack by my door. Blinking, I sat up, realizing
I had company.
    “ Hey,”
Nicholas said as soon as I'd slid the headphones down, “sorry,
I was calling for you and you didn't hear me.”
    Squinting
at my brother, I scrubbed at the back of my neck, sitting up further
on my bed. “It's fine, but next time maybe just tap my shoulder
or something?”
    He
rolled his eyes, leaning on the frame of the doorway, arms folding
tight as a clam. “Whatever. Mom wanted me to come get you for
dinner.” His eyes, sharp as tacks, flicked to the CD in my
hand. “What are you listening to, anyway?”
    “ Nothing,”
I said, uncomfortable at the idea