Read When the Music Ends (The Winter Rose Chronicles) for Free Online Page B

for her beauty and her
soul. That was the truth. The more time he spent with Erin, the more drawn he
was to her. He couldn’t imagine ever wanting it to end. He hoped they
could find a way to maintain their relationship while she pursued her dreams,
after graduation.
    For now, however,
they would simply enjoy each moment together, starting with this simple meal.

***Chapter 5***
     
                On
Monday, Sheridan returned to school. This was going to be hard. Erin was terribly concerned about her friend, because gossip of the ugliest kind was
swirling around her situation. To help her friend, she had rearranged her
schedule, dropping advanced placement chemistry in favor of regular so that she
and Sheridan could have the same lunch period. It wasn’t a big deal. She
hated chemistry anyway, and had plenty of A.P. credits. Now the girls had several
classes together, which Erin hoped would help.
    Erin was glad to have spent a lovely weekend with
her boyfriend, as that helped balance what was sure to be a terrible week. Sean
had been so wonderful, and she was no longer sore, so their lovemaking had been
even better. Oh, but they didn’t just spend the whole time in bed. He had
talked to her and really listened. She had poured out her worries about the
future: her auditions and college choices, and what she wanted to do with the
future. It was the first time that she had felt comfortable to talk about this
with anyone other than her best friend.
     For his part, Sean was learning to run a construction business
and told her about the problems he was having. She was glad to listen, even
though she had very little advice to give. Being in love felt absolutely
amazing, although the word had not been mentioned between them, yet. She
wasn’t quite sure when her crush had ripened into something so
meaningful, but it had, and very quickly too. Not to mention that Sean was her
anchor, and with him to steady her life, both her studies and her practice had
been more productive than ever before.
                Now
it was time for English class. Erin firmly put thoughts of Sean out of her mind
until later and concentrated on taking notes over Macbeth . Since it was
an A.P. class, the teacher didn’t care where they sat, so she and
Sheridan had chosen seats next to each other at the beginning of the year and
never moved. She glanced at her friend. Sheridan looked pale and strained, but
was trying hard to pay attention. The horrible bruise on her face was fading to
a sickening yellow, although the cut was still livid. Sheridan had told her,
finally, that Jake had punched her, and the cut was from his class ring. It was
horrendous.
                The
bell rang, and the girls headed down the hall to government. This was one of Erin’s least favorite classes. The teacher was deeply boring, and so was the content,
at least to a young musician. She knew it would be futile to attempt the exam
in this subject.
                "Bitch,"
a feminine voice hissed at them.
    Erin turned and glared at Lindsey Jones. "Shut
up."
                Sheridan looked from Erin to Lindsey, puzzled.
                "What?"
                "It’s
nothing, Danny. Ignore her."
                Sheridan addressed Lindsey directly. "What did I do?"
                "You
put Jake in jail. Now there’s no way our football team can make the
playoffs. He’s going to miss his senior year because of you."
                Sheridan didn’t say anything. She just looked confused, so Lindsey continued.
                "It’s
your fault, you know. If you weren’t such a prude, this wouldn’t
have happened."
                Erin interjected. "Shut up! It’s her choice, stupid. If she didn’t want
to, it’s over. Plus it’s none of your business. Come on, Danny.
Lindsey’s just a slut."
                She
took her friend’s arm and led her away towards the