Chapter 2 "What do you mean, academic probation?" I slammed my hands onto my hips and scowled at Mrs. Collins. She eyed me from head to toe. "You know exactly what it means, Matthew." "But she's my star student. I can't lose her." The mere thought of it was a gut punch that stole my breath. Harmony was the kind of star that every theater professor dreamed of walking onto their stage. "She's a good student. And she cares about her education. I've seen her studying during her spare time off stage." Mrs. Collins raised her hands. If the gesture was meant to be placating, it failed. She reminded me of one of those puppets being directed by sets of strings. No thoughts of her own, only protocol and statistics. Numbers. Just like his best friend and fellow professor Stephen. "I'm only the messenger. Harmony has been given plenty of time to work on her grades." She took a step back as the students on stage finished reading through their lines and slipped away behind the curtain, Harmony among them. I waved off Mrs. Collins and followed my students into the blessed coolness of backstage. Excited whispers cut through the air with the effectiveness of a razor blade. I'd heard it all before and had learned to ignore it. "What's he doing back here?" "You think he noticed how well I did today?" "I'd give anything to have him look at me. Any of the Dream Team." The nickname caused his mouth to twist in a half smile. Stephen hated that the students had degraded him because of his good looks and lumped him into the Dream Team alongside their friend Roberto. There were worse things than being handsome and having a career he loved. Did it make life complicated when some of the bolder students offered their beds? Sure. But he'd learned how to deal with it. They all had. I tempered the smile and caught up with Harmony as she gathered her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "Harmony, can I talk to you for a minute?" She checked her watch, her eyes and stance skittish. "Um. Sure. I have another class across campus." "I'll be brief." I kept the smile easy and motioned toward my office. "It's important." A few snickers sounded behind me. Leighona watched us from across the room, the long stretch of wood and curtains drawing a bit of gloom to the area. Racks of costumes stood in long lines, each character's wardrobe in full production. Leighona ran her hand over Cosette's costume, the hunger in her eyes heavy enough to stifle the air. Harmony followed me into my office. "Is something wrong?" She rubbed her throat like it ached. That was when I noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes. She'd covered them with a layer of makeup, but few things were hidden in the bright lights I insisted on having in my office. I left the door open and perched on the corner of my desk with my hands in my lap. "That depends on your version of wrong." I kept going before she misunderstood. "Mrs. Collins tells me you're having some issues." Her already pale face whitened to the point that I prepared to lunge and catch her if she went down. She stretched out a hand, placing it on the bookshelf covered in images of shows I'd produced over the years. My crowning jewel, a Broadway show of Hamlet perched within an inch of her fingertips. "What did she say?" Her voice was low, hesitant. I crossed my arms. "That you're failing two of your classes." A light wince pinched her cheeks. "I've been struggling with a couple of my classes." "Which ones?" Mrs. Collins hadn't given me that information. "Maybe I can help." "Math and Italian. Core credits. I tried to swap the classes when I started failing, but they're required." She released the shelf, but her eyes pulled that way, and she stared at the pictures. Her throat worked, a sound of dismay carving through me. Relief lowered my shoulders. I held back the urge to laugh, knowing she'd take it the wrong way. "Who are your professors?" I'd have to be incredibly lucky for her to have Roberto and Stephen, but I'd had stranger things happen. Her gaze shifted from the pictures to me. Red crept into her cheeks, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second before answering. "Professor Rossi and Professor Harding." Hallelujah. This time, I couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged my lips apart. "I know them." "No kidding." She muttered it under her breath, but my office had the unique ability to amplify sound, and it brought her beautiful voice right to my ears. Harmony tucked her blonde hair behind her ears and shifted her weight from foot to foot. She was never this hesitant on stage. Was it being here with me that caused the lines in her forehead or something else? I stopped from asking, since that question was far too personal. Students walked across the room, a few of them making more than one pass when they spotted me talking to Harmony. Nothing piqued a theater student's interest like a good story. I waved my hand at them. "Start warming up. I'll be there in a minute." They scrambled amid chattering laughter at getting caught. Harmony strangled the strap slung over her chest. It cut between her breasts, pushing them forward in a move I'd think was meant to tempt me if some of the other girls did it. Not Harmony. She'd never given any indication that she was interested in me, which suited me just fine. My career wasn't worth a roll in the sheets with a student. "Do you want me to talk to them? We're close friends." "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Everyone knows you're friends. If I suddenly go from failing to passing after this conversation, everyone's going to think you did something." She chewed the inside of her cheek again. My fingers convulsed with a sudden desire to pinch her chin so she'd stop tearing herself up. "I didn't mean I'd ask them to change your grades. Maybe they can help you with the work. Help figure out what you're not understanding." "I don't understand why I need the classes in the first place." Her arms raised, then fell to her sides with hard slaps against her thighs. "I just want to sing." "Then let me talk to them." I rooted my feet in the carpet to keep from standing and taking a step toward her. She peered at me through thick lashes, another move most girls tried to use against me but that seemed perfectly innocent when Harmony did it. "Thank you." She took a step backward, then turned. "I have to go." There was nothing I could do to stop her, and I had no more reasons to have her in my office. I nodded at her departure and walked out behind her, letting every nearby student see us leaving the office. Rumors were part of my life, and they abounded no matter how pristine my record. But we all did what we could to mitigate any allegations. I sent out a group text to Roberto and Stephen, telling them I needed to run something by them tonight at dinner. Roberto sent me a thumbs-up emoji, while Stephen answered with an Okay that made me laugh. How the three of us were friends, especially for so long that we'd moved in together, was a miracle. I walked out onto the stage and clapped. "All right. Let's get started. Who read the entire play?" Two hands shot into the air. The rest of the class shuffled and stared at the wooden floor. Dust motes danced in the spotlights aimed at the stage. I always had them on when class was going. It helped my students prepare for opening night and gave them a chance to understand what they'd be dealing with if they chose to follow this career professionally. "Anyone care to tell me why you didn't read it?" I paced back and forth in front of them. Most of my classes started out in a similar way. The new students tested me to see what they could get away with. One girl raised her hand, and I pointed at her. "Yes?" She flushed red. Her friends elbowed her, their laughter giving me a warning to what might come next. "Is it true that you're part of the group called the Dream Team?" Sighing, I set my hands on my hips and used my best professor voice. "What you say and do outside of this classroom is none of my business. I'm friends with all of the professors, and it's both unkind and unprofessional to address a group of us like that." "Sounds like a compliment to me, man." One of guys rolled his eyes. "Only someone like you would make it sound awful." Someone like me? I gave him a look that shut his mouth with an audible click. Yes, I was the most laid-back of our group, and I liked for my students to enjoy their time in my class, but I wasn't a pushover, and I had no intention of letting them think addressing me without respect was okay. "Let's get started." I directed them into groups and positioned each one on the stage. "We're going to start with the basics. Poise, posture, and precision. Then we move on to vocals." I pulled my rolled-up copy of the play from my back pocket and tapped it. "No role is guaranteed. How you perform in class, the effort you put into learning, and your ability to listen and apply criticism plays a big part in your auditions." The low hum of chatter slowed as they realized I meant every word. It wasn't unusual. At thirty-nine, most new students saw me and the theater class as an easy A. I loved proving them wrong. They'd work for their grade like any other class. "And here I thought the Dream Team were just drool-worthy older men." One of the girls in the back spoke just low enough for me to hear. I ignored her when she looked me over like she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into me. Her voice rose a bit. "I found my new steamy dream partner when I crawl into bed tonight." The way her gaze tracked me was an open invitation. I turned my back on her. "Let's go, people." My gut twisted hard, and I jogged down the steps, taking up my position in the middle of the auditorium. With the lights shining in their eyes, they wouldn't be able to see me while I had a perfect view of every facial expression and every vocal. One of the more intriguing voices in the group belonged to a young man named Damien. His voice had a wide range and power that I hoped to harness next year ... if he stuck it out. The thought brought Harmony back to mind. She'd looked devastated at possibly losing her spot in the theater program. The twisting feeling intensified. I had to help her get her grades up. Leighona had a great voice and stage presence, but Harmony's glow when she stepped on stage enraptured audiences. She was the kind of student who should've been a prodigy. A single mother returns to the city she left seven years ago after breaking up with her ex to seek treatment for her son’s leukemia. Upon learning of her return, the ex immediately searches for the lo...