Audition & Subtraction by Amy Fellner Dominy Page B

from the first bite and fall to the floor. We’d all laughed, the four of us.
    I felt a chill where I’d been warm a minute ago. Dad must have felt it, too, because he stiffened. “It was the first time I baked a cake for your birthday.”
    â€œRight.” He slid his hands in his back pockets.
    I grabbed the bowl with the yolk and dumped it in with the whites.
    â€œHey,” Dad asked. “Why’d you do that?”
    â€œI like them better when they’re not separated.”

    The closet seemed warmer than the rest of the house. It was more of a room than a closet—big enough for all of Dad’s camping gear to fit in one end. Even so, it was kind of creepy, off by itself, upstairs in the back of the house. But I liked it. It was the one place in my dad’s house I liked. You could shut the door and be in your own world. I brought my clarinet up here and practiced all I wanted and no one heard me but the shadows on the wall. In here, I was a famous clarinetist, renowned for my talent and beautiful hair.
    There was only one overhead light, and I’d arranged an old camp chair beneath it. I propped open my folder of music on a cooler and pulled out the duet. The thirty-second notes stared up at me—black angry slashes on the page.
    I was really starting to hate this duet.
    A famous clarinetist wouldn’t hate it. Then again, a famous clarinetist wouldn’t be playing a duet. She’d be playing a solo. Without even meaning to, I reached for my English folder and thumbed to the back. There it was.
    Clarinet Concerto by Mozart. Mr. Wayne had given me the second movement. I wondered what it would sound like and why he thought it was perfect for me. My mouth felt so dry, I ran my tongue over my lips, wishing I’d brought up a bottle of water.
    I laid the music flat and looked at it. It wouldn’t hurt to just try. The closet felt cozy with the door closed—likea cocoon. That made me smile. I was the caterpillar in my cocoon, and I could play inside as beautifully as a butterfly.
    I filled my lungs with air and started slowly. The melody flowed out, raising goose bumps along my arms. The piece was a little sad, but a lot beautiful. I lifted my shoulders, imagining myself on a stage with bright lights above and a whole audience of Dr. Halladys listening.
Da dee de dee la la lee laaaaa.
The music built around me, and in my mind I could hear the audience murmur at my amazing talent.
    I finished, listening as the last note echoed into perfect silence. Then the applause began.
Thank you. Thank you.
I bowed as the audience stood up, clapping and whistling.
    If only.
    If only I could play like I wanted to in my dreams, District Honor Band would be just the beginning. I’d try out for Wind Ensemble, and no one would imagine me not making it. Not even myself.
    I folded up the solo and stuffed it away.
    It was nice to dream about, but I couldn’t stay in the closet where I was talented and brilliant and never got nervous. I had to face reality.
    Lori and I hadn’t talked again about her duet with Michael. But I’d thought about it all day. What happened if she started to like him even more? Would she give him extra help? Secretly want him to make it instead ofme? I tried to stop myself, but the thoughts would push up like weeds, and when I yanked one out, another would shoot up. But I trusted Lori.
    My stomach clenched. I had to.
    I sank back into the shadows and went to work on the duet.

Chapter 14
    â€œSo when we get there,” I said, “we’ll pretend we’re having a really great time.” I dodged a pile of broken glass on the sidewalk and glanced over at Aaron.
    He shot me a funny look. Well, maybe it wasn’t a funny look. Maybe it was just that Aaron
looked
funny. Not
funny
, actually. Different.
    â€œWhat?” he asked.
    â€œNothing,” I said, realizing I’d been staring. It was almost seven, and the sun had just gone