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Chapter One

Isaiah

Isaiah Nettles’s fingers glided across the smooth keys, and his foot worked the pedal Corand pianos at Harrison felt like perforht be rock

He pounded out the

Usually it took on a sad overtone Re him to play another of his favorites And another

Today, the piece mirrored his anxiety

He could still hear the condescending way President Jenkins’s assistant asked him, “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

Yes

No

Yes, but not like this

He’d never expected his coainst the school

Had they told hi Given the circumstances, that was precisely why they didn’t tell him The week before classes started, and he still didn’t have all the details

He quickened the te the music

If only this wasn’t the last egg in his basket If only he hadn’t focused—for two years—on this one opportunity to the exclusion of others None were as good as the Gage Scholarship, but he should have left himself options

Notes clashed around the atriu would’vewas on point, even if it didn’t alleviate his pent-up energy

He ended the song abruptly and his gaze caught on a faainst the doorfrareat Greatly annoyed, but great”

“A bit” He sa client And his steadiest

“What prosteen?”

He laughed darkly “The devil always shits on the biggest pile”

Jack’s brows shot up, waiting for him to explain

Jack was a good guy Decent, hardworking, and enviously in love with his boyfriend, Ed—but he was also a trust-fund kid, and Isaiah didn’t know he’d get it