Page 136 of The Other Side of Green

“So they asked me to play a dinner.” Brittany wiped at her face which was red and blotchy. The obnoxious young woman who’d taunted me at the library seemed to have evaporated in snot and tears.

Lyra met my eye. To apply for the Music Performance degree you needed to be grade seven or above… but just because you were that grade didn’t mean you had the right level of ability. Sometimes people could play and not grade well. Others could grade well and just perform well on the day.

Brittany sat firmly in the latter camp, and I should know because I’d had to sit through those sessions with her.

“Then what happened?” Alex was perched on the edge of Eva’s bed, his skin unusually pale. I probably shouldn’t have been in their dorm, but I was thinking there were enough witnesses to make it acceptable.

“So I started to play, and then they started to laugh.”

I winced. “Did they say anything?” I prompted. We’d need a little more than a laugh.

“Only that they didn’t think they’d be needing anything more from me. So I asked them about the tuition fees they promised me and Mr. Collins said he’d made a mistake and there wasn’t any spare tuition for lackluster musicians who didn’t know how to hold a tune.”

Alex shook his head. “I’m sorry, Brittany.”

“Brittany,” I spoke loudly so she’d look up and focus. “You do understand that they only promised you the fees so that you would agree to write that statement. Have you seen what else they have done?”

She shook her head, red-rimmed eyes wide. “No. What else?” Her cheeks stained pink, but she held her nerve and kept eye contact with me.

“They’ve photoshopped an image that looked like you are with me.” There could be no misunderstanding my emphasis on ‘with’.

“What?” Her fingers trembled as she lifted them to her mouth. “My daddy will kill me. He’s a preacher.”

I almost snorted.

“What?” Eva had no qualms asking what we all wanted to know. “How come you needed tuition fees anyway? I thought you were loaded.”

Brittany bit her lip. “I figured coming to a place like this where all the kids would be rich, it would be easier to fit in if I acted the same. It wasn’t a lie as such, just pretending to be something I’m not.”

“But you did lie on the statement you made for Jensen Collins?” Luca asked.

“Yes, yes. I just thought if they paid my tuition fees for next year then I could use the money Dad gave me to live a little better.”

“It’s called a job.” Lyra mashed her teeth together. “Brittany, we are in the biggest hole of shit and you’ve made it so much worse.”

A tear dripped down Brittany’s face. “What do you care? You’re all over the news. Even if they lied to you anyway, everyone is rooting for you. Everyone says you’re going to be famous. You’ve even been on the news. Professor Greene can’t do enough for you.”

“That’s irrelevant. The point is I’d never want to get anyone in trouble.” Lyra’s eyes met mine and I hated the shadows that lingered in the pale-blue depths.

She rubbed her face and dropped it down to her knees where she was sat against the wall. When she lifted it again she looked exhausted, like the world rested on her slender shoulders, a flower in the wind that couldn’t bend to the shape of the breeze.

“I need to think.” She didn’t meet my eyes.

Alex got up and walked for the door, squeezing her shoulder as he passed.

“I’ve got to get back to the airport, my flight is in a couple of hours,” Luca said, and I shot my attention to him. His forehead had deep frown grooves, his lips pale, as he waited for her response.

Lyra looked almost too dazed to even hear what Luca had said. “Do you need a lift, Luca?” Alex offered from the door. “I can run you there. I haven’t got a lecture for a couple of hours.”

“That would be great.” Luca got up and then squared down next to Lyra. “I’m sorry I’ve got to go. I need to go and check on…” he trailed off.

“Mom,” she finished for him, expressionless.

“If I’d known the extent of what was going on here, I would have booked to stay longer, even in that shitty motel.” He kissed her gently on the forehead, for once not fuzzing up her curls. “Talk to me more, Lyra. I’ve only got one sister, you’re my only family.” He cast a glance at me, and I stared right back.

He went to stand up, but she caught his hand. “And you’re my only brother. And you’ve got nothing in New Orleans accept one woman who has never cared for you. Maybe it’s time you made a change too.” Lyra shrugged, biting on the inside of her cheek.

Luca stretched up, but then stopped. “Shit, we still haven’t spoken to that lawyer. Can I give him your number?”