XPLR | Colby Brock

~112~

I looked around the group of musicians sitting before me, all with violins under their arms and cellos in their laps.

I was looking for one set of eyes that sat at the back of the room, and I met them. They were a girl's. She leaned back on her arms, since her piano bench lacked a back rest. Her hair was long and beautiful, and it rained down her shoulders in flawless lines. Her skin was tanned, and her eyes were a shade of brown that nearly took your breath away. She was staring at me, hard.

I gave her a quick smile, before Mr. Dawson led me to the podium. "How long are you in town, Rose?" he asked. "Eleven days, counting today," I said. He smiled gleefully. "Then you promise to come back and visit us again? Would you like to stay for the whole period?" he asked. I chuckled. "That's what I had planned to do."

There's no service this deep into the school, so that meant no surprise calls from Colby or Logan. Which, albeit a little selfish, was comforting.

I stood next to the podium with him, watching as he flipped through his scores. "Let's go with... the... Bach piece," he said. They had just been warming up.

He handed me the score to look through while the orchestra got ready. In the back, the girl at the piano was still staring wistfully at me, and I only offered her a glance every now and then.

When the class ended, Mr. Dawson turned to me. "Our concert is in ten days, would you like to do something in it?" He asked. I shrugged. "I could, if you have room. I won't be getting much practice in these next few days without it."

He smiled. "Well, is there any choice pieces you want to perform?"

I thought for a moment. I've played Rachmaninov, but maybe this time I shouldn't do a solo. I mean, isn't it kind of flashy to bring an almost twenty-year-old in to perform on her own? If I were a violinist, I could play with the orchestra... but you don't see a solo piano backed by an entire orchestra very often.

"Maybe I should do a duet. Who's the pianist in the back?" I asked. I would play with a violin, but then again, what's the point of having a professional be your accompanist?

"Her name's Paisley. She's sixteen," he said. "She's pretty good for a sixteen-year-old. Has she left yet?" I asked, looking around. He scanned the group at the back of the class, waiting for the bell to ring for a few seconds. "There she is. Paisley!" He called, motioning her over. She must've been nervous, seeing it on her face. She probably thought we were going to criticize her, and that's why when she stepped close enough to talk to us I gave her the best smile I could muster.

"You're Rose Romano," she said, smiling at me. She still seemed shy. She held out her hand, which I took and shook. "I am Rose Romano," I said.

"I saw you perform in the showcase at UCLA. You played a Rachmaninov! It was amazing," she said, chuckling nervously as she started to become more comfortable. I smiled, nodding. I'm not used to this kind of attention.

But I guess I should get used to it.

"What would you think of doing a duet with me?" I asked, placing my hands in my pockets. She looked up at me, only a few inches shorter, and smiled gleefully. "Of course!"

"Paisley, right?" I asked. She nodded, and looked to Mr. Dawson. "What duet?" She asked.

I thought back for a moment. I hadn't thought this far back yet. "Waltz from Masquerade. Khachaturian."

"I don't know if we have that one on file," Mr. Dawson said.

"We do. Unless you got rid of it," I say and shrug. A long time ago, I helped him go through music. I had always wanted to duet with someone, but, In the least narcissistic way possible, no once could compare to me when it comes to piano.

"I haven't gone through music in years," he said, and he walked through Paisley and I and headed towards his office. After a few minutes, he returned with the original score for Waltz from Masquerade.

I smiled at Paisley. "I'll see you after class for our first rehearsal. We've only got ten days to master this," I said. She stopped. "We're playing at the concert..?"

I nodded. "If it's good," Mr. Dawson said. I just grinned at him then Paisley.

"It will be."