When the Music Ends (The Winter Rose Chronicles) by Simone Beaudelaire Page B

he’s
acquitted? He could cause trouble for her and the Potters for the rest of his
life. He could take her away at any time." She placed her hand to the
side of her swollen belly.
                "Oh
sweetie, I’m so sorry. It’s just terrible. What are you going to
do?"
                "This
is so hard, damn it."
    Ellen made a face at the curse, but didn’t protest. These were
extreme circumstances.
    "If it were me," Erin said fiercely, "I would tell
him to go to hell. Take your chances. You have a strong case. You can win. He
belongs in prison for what he did."
    "I know, and what if he does this to someone
else…" Sheridan choked, took a deep breath. "But how can I
risk my daughter this way? She didn’t ask for this. She needs to have the
best future. That won’t be with Jake or the threat of him. She needs to
live in peace with the Potters."
    "You’re not seriously considering dropping the charges?
My God, Danny."
    "It’s done." Ellen said grimly. "The charges
were dropped this afternoon. It’s over."
    "Oh no." Erin said, squeezing the other women a little
tighter. It was just so unfair. Could nothing, not even one thing, ever go
right for poor Sheridan?
    ******
    Dropping the rape charges was a terrible blow, even though Jake
decided to go to school in another town a few miles away, where he was not
quite so notorious. Seeing him in A.P. English every day would just be too
much.
    As time went on, new scandals erupted, new gossip broke out, so there
was less ugliness overall. But as the weeks went by, and Sheridan’s body continued
to swell and change, most people just didn’t know what to do with her,
and kept their distance. This meant that Sheridan relied on Erin as much as
ever, to be her friend, her confidant, her support when she was away from her
family. Erin rose to the occasion as best she could, and never told a soul how
the sight of her friend’s growing belly made her own heart ache and
filled her with such terrible jealousy.
                She
did go to her senior prom though. Sheridan insisted that there was no such
thing as a maternity prom dress, and she was already too big to fit into
anything. This bothered Erin, but there wasn’t much she could do about
it, so she saved up her orchestra pay, bought a pretty dress for herself and
just enjoyed showing off her gorgeous boyfriend for everyone to see.
                The
year ended on a high note. Along with state, there was a second music
competition of the year, called Solo and Ensemble. The regional level had long
since passed and in the late spring, just before the end of the school year, Erin performed her solo for the state Solo and Ensemble judges and received top ratings. A
few weeks later, robed in blue polyester gowns, adorned with cords for academic
honors and the National Honor Society stoles, Erin and Sheridan crossed the
little stage that had been erected in the football stadium and received their
diplomas. The Murphy parents and their son cheered loudly for both of them. The
James parents were conspicuously absent at the graduation of their only child.
    Later, after the ceremony was completed, the girls put their arms
around each other and posed, cheek to cheek, smiling hugely, so Roger Murphy could
take their picture.
                High
school was finally over and there would be a massive overnight party hosted by
the school at the country club to honor the graduates. Erin deliberately lied
to the Murphys (a deeply unpleasant experience), saying she would be there, but
to call her cell phone if there was an emergency. Then she drove to
Sean’s apartment for a private all-night celebration. Sheridan stayed
home. She had not intended to go to the party anyway, and going without Erin would have been impossible. She was so big by this point, with less than a month to
go, and even the thought of dancing, playing silly party games, and generally
being gawked at by her treacherous classmates