Chapter 24 What the hell was that? I pried my thoughts away from Harmony and back to what was happening on stage. Leighona palmed her throat, opened her mouth, and unleashed an ear-rending sound that made me want to clap my hands over my ears. "Sorry." She took a step out of the spotlight trained on her and picked up a bottle of water from the stool next to the blackout curtain. "I don't know what's wrong." She was botching the musical, that was what was wrong. I stood from the seat in the rear of the theater where I'd been watching the minutiae of my students' movements across the stage. I'd chosen Leighona as Cosette because she'd presented as a powerhouse in her audition. That powerhouse was going down in a blaze of glory. "Hold on." I jumped onto the stage and approached Leighona. Harmony, Damien, and a few others who'd been working through their lines together looked over. Harmony ducked her head on her way to the rear of the stage, but a darting glance shot my way. I had my hands in my pockets, but I wiggled my pinkie finger out and waved it at her. A grin appeared. She covered it an instant later and turned to talk to Damien. "Start at the beginning. The lower register." I tapped my throat. "Then work up the scale. Stop when it becomes too much." "I can do it." Leighona crossed her arms. "I'm just tired. I was up late studying for an exam. I'm always a little hoarse when I don't get enough sleep." Then she must not have been sleeping well for days. Ever since the rehearsals went from light to grueling, she'd been struggling. "This isn't the first time you've had a strained voice. It happened two days ago." Her scowl deepened. "I can do it." "Show me." I took a step back, motioning for her to begin. Grumbling, Leighona took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She winced before the first note emerged, and by the time she hit the middle of the scale, her pitch wavered. The tone peaked, then dropped. "Stop." I held up a hand, my eyes closed as I worked through the problem. "You know what this is." She jutted her chin out and refused to answer. "These are warning signs. Voice cracks, the strain. It's all telling you to take a break. I put off saying anything, hoping it would resolve. Since it hasn't, I don't have any choice. You need to take a break." The words landed in a sudden, intense silence that stretched across the entire theater. Leighona gasped. "You can't do that." "Yes. I can." I tried to show some remorse, but there was a part of me that was thrilled at what happened next. "Harmony, I want you to take the lead role of Cosette for a few days." I pointed at Leighona. "You. Rest your voice." "No." Leighona wrapped a hand around her throat. "You can't take this away from me." "I'm not taking it away." God, these kids always took everything to heart. "I need you to rest. If you can do that, there's a very good chance you'll be ready for opening night." That seemed to help calm her down. She snatched the bottle of water tight and guzzled half of it down. "Okay." Even that simple word rasped worse than a thirty-year chain smoker. "Okay." I nodded and held out my hand, turning it palm up and motioning Harmony over with a curl of my fingers. I'd solved the problem for now. Harmony had the range and depth to cover the show. I wouldn't mind if she took the lead from here on out. "Start from the top." Harmony approached Leighona. The two stared each other down to the point I halfway expected Leighona to storm out in a fury. Instead, she put on a giant fake smile and moved to sit on the stool, hooking her heels over the bottom rung. Harmony glanced my way, but the look didn't linger. It didn't have to. I read her uncertainty, and I forced myself off the stage and into a seat to keep from rushing over to reassure her. From the moment she opened her mouth, Harmony became Cosette. Every movement, every rise and fall of song and dialogue cut to the bone, the perfection so evident that all her classmates stood stunned as she belted out the final notes. The theater held its breath. The whole world would bow at her feet. Broadway was only the beginning. She could go anywhere with a voice like that. "Excellent." I stood and clapped. She deserved the praise. I'd done the same for every leading role that excelled in this room. Damien and the others clapped along with me. A few of them whistled. Damien rushed across the stage and grabbed Harmony around the waist. He whirled her around and around, laughing with every spin. Harmony threw her head back and laughed along with him, then slapped his shoulders. "Put me down, I'm getting dizzy." Damien lowered her to the stage, and it was all I could do not to take his place. "Great job, everyone. Rest up, we'll start over again tomorrow." I turned to head into my office. A tingle of awareness burned the back of my neck. I didn't understand it, but I followed it, turning to take in the students on the stage. Leighona had sat on the stool the entire practice, but she stood and stalked toward Harmony. Her smile looked pleasant enough, but the hardness in her eyes was a harsh contradiction. "Wow, Harmony. I didn't know you had all that in you." Harmony shifted her weight, half turning to face Leighona. "Thanks. It's all because of you. And I really hope you don't think I'm trying to replace you. I would never." The hand she put over her heart didn't shake and neither did her voice. Unlike Leighona, she meant every word. "I appreciate that." Leighona chuckled darkly. "Otherwise, I might think you were sleeping with Professor Bellington." "What?" Harmony's voice shot up a full octave. "Oh, come on." Leighona rolled her eyes. "I'm just kidding. I mean, sleeping with Professor Bellington might get you the lead role, but it won't get you onto Broadway. You have to have actual talent for that." "Harmony has talent." Damien planted his hands on his hips. He stood behind Harmony, but he moved beside her in a single stride. Thank God for the kid making a move before I did. If I stepped up on that stage, I'd be more likely to make things worse. "I know she does." Leighona tried to scoff, but her voice failed her. "But sleeping with the professor is a good way to take the show away from me." "That's enough," I barked out the order, and the room went silent. I climbed the steps one by one, taking my time and forcing them to wait. "That is not something to joke about. It's the kind of lackadaisical remark that starts rumors and gets people fired. Is that what you want? Do you want me fired and Harmony kicked out of college because your feelings are hurt?" Too far. I'd taken it too far. Then again, I would say the same thing if it was anyone else being accused. This wasn't the first time someone had joked about sleeping with me. Stephen, Roberto, and I all had our fair share of rumors. Thank fuck the dean always saw through them. This time, however, the truth was too close to the surface, too close to being uncovered. I did my best to react the way I would for any other student. Leighona raised her chin, that stubborn defiance on full display. "I didn't mean anything by it." "I'm sure you didn't. But you need to understand that actions have consequences. Not only have you hurt Harmony, but you've hurt the trust between all of us." I let that sink in. Maybe they were smart enough to understand. Maybe not. But I had to try and diffuse the situation while also making it clear that they needed to keep their mouths shut. "Accusations are to be taken to the dean. If you have a complaint about me giving you a break so you can rest your voice, you can lodge that complaint with me and the dean. But you will not, even jokingly, accuse any student of gaining favors through sex." I pointed at each and every student, even Harmony. "That goes for all of you." Harmony's eyes glazed, but no tears fell. She shifted between staring at Leighona and me. "Dude, way to crush it." Damien held out a fist toward me. "That's the most epic speech ever." I ignored the fist bump. "Does anyone have any questions?" I locked eyes with Harmony, hoping to comfort her. The urge to step into her space and take her in my arms sent my hands into my pockets before I did something foolish. No touching. If I touched her, I'd lose control. Then it wouldn't be a joke. They'd all know the truth. "No." The chorus of denials rang out, and I dismissed them once more with a wave. Harmony lingered an instant longer than the others. "Are you okay?" I pitched my voice low while staying well away from her. She nodded once, the movement jerky. "I'm fine." With that, she bolted from the room. An empty feeling settled in my stomach. I tried to ignore it, but the push and pull of anger and fear refused to budge. I backtracked to my office and closed the door. I'd have to tell Stephen and Roberto what happened. Even though Leighona claimed she was joking, I didn't care for the way she'd looked at Harmony. The two were sorority sisters, and it was natural for there to be some jealousy since Harmony was Leighona's understudy. How much of what happened was jealousy, and how far was Leighona willing to take her animosity? She could report us to the dean, but no one had any proof of Leighona's claims. I strode across the room to my wall of pictures. They marched in an odd stack of lines that showcased my entire career. Years and years of memories stared back at me, all the way back to the time when I attended college with Stephen and Roberto. I'd been the studious nerd who loved Broadway and show tunes. I'd been the one dragging them to plays and musicals and trying to show them culture as I knew it. It was a miracle we'd gone from college roommates to friends. We were all so different that it made no sense we'd remain so close after all these years. I did not want to lose that. I also did not want to lose Harmony. God, it was all such a mess. I rubbed my thumb across my forehead, easing the ache. Harmony had every reason to run away from us. We were a huge risk to her scholarship, to her career. I wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to any of us again. Did I try to change her mind if she made that decision, or did I let her go because it was what she wanted? Even though I loved her, could I let her go? I would have to ... because I loved her. 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...