Read Music in the Night for Free Online Page A

she cried, her mouth twisted and distorted.
"What's going on here?" Mr. Rosner demanded, his hands on his hips. He looked from Brad to Robert and then at the others.
"Just a silly joke, Mr. Rosner," Adam said, smoothly cutting in front of him. "It's nothing. We're all cool."
Mr. Rosner studied everyone and although he wasn't satisfied, nodded.
"I don't want to see any roughhousing," he warned. "You won't," Adam said. "I guarantee it, sir. As class president, I'll take full responsibility."
"I'm sure you will, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Rosner said. When his eyes fixed on me, he calmed down. "You all look very nice," he said, "and up until now, this has been a very nice affair. I hope you'll continue to make us proud of you."
"Thank you, Mr. Rosner," Lorraine said sweetly. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he turned and started away.
"That was close," Adam said, glaring at Robert. "It wasn't his fault," I said.
"No, that's for sure," Betty said. "Actually, we all feel sorry for him."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Robert demanded. "Robert, come on," I pleaded, desperate to get Robert away before they could elaborate on their ugly rumors. "No, what's it supposed to mean?" he pursued.
"Why don't you go, out and ask her brother?" Janet quipped and they all started to smile.
"Shall we dance?" Adam asked Marsha, holding out his hand.
"Anything to get away from this incestuous atmosphere," she said and they all laughed as they broke up to go their separate ways and leave us standing alone.
"Spoiled, rich--"
"It's all right, Robert. Let's not pay attention to them." He nodded and then looked at me.
"Do you think Grant was telling the truth? Do you think Cary's hanging around out there?"
"I hope not," I said. "I'm sure he made it up just to hurt us."
Robert forced a smile.
"If you want to go for that ride now," he said finally, "it's fine with me. The air is getting stale in here."
"Yes, I would," I answered him in what I hoped was a cheery tone of voice.
His mood softened.
"Great. I want to be sure to get you home before twelve," he said. "I wouldn't want your father mad at me."
"Most of the time, Daddy's growl is worse than his bite," I said.
"I'm not worried about being bitten; I'm worried about being forbidden," Robert said, slipping his hand into mine, "forbidden to see you."
Our eyes met and I felt a warm glow travel from my stomach to my heart. Was it possible to want to be with anyone more than I wanted to be with Robert? I didn't think so. Surely, this was what love was, and it had happened to me so soon after we had set our eyes on each other, it must be true love. Did that mean it was written in the stars like it had been for Romeo and Juliet? That was fine, as long as we didn't have the same destiny, I thought.
We started out of the gymnasium, gazing back only once to see Betty and Adam looking our way and laughing. It filled me with dread because it was as if they knew something I didn't.
There were some students huddled in the shadows and smoking outside, but I didn't see Cary anywhere. I released the breath I had held in my lungs and walked quickly across the front of the school toward the parking lot. We got into Robert's car and glanced at each other, both of us feeling nervous and excited. Robert took a deep breath and started the car. Then he turned to me.
"You all right with this?" he asked softly.
"Yes, Robert." I slid over to be closer to him and he smiled.
We drove out of the parking lot slowly. I looked back once and thought I saw a shadow scurrying away from a car. In a moment, the shadow disappeared in the darkness and was lost.
"You see something?"
"No," I said, shaking my head and turning back.
We drove quietly for a while, following the road out to the Point.
"I know the artist who lives down that road," I said, when we passed a beach road. "His name's Kenneth Childs. He's Judge Childs's son?'
"I've heard of him," Robert said. "In fact, I think we have one of his paintings in the hotel. It was there when we