Take a Bow - Softcover

That first day, I walked into the cafeteria like a prisoner being sent to death row. I'd been dreading going to the cafeteria by myself since Sophie and I realized we had different lunch periods. To make matters worse, I hadn't made a single friend all morning.

The cafeteria was filled with students already settled into their groups, laughing and enjoying themselves.

I looked over and saw a boy from music composition eating a sandwich by himself. I didn't know his name, but Mr. North had said he was the only person who hadn't had to re-audition to get in. I headed over to him, knowing that I needed to make an effort to get to know people.

"Hey, I'm Emme," I said. He looked up at me, mid-bite. His black hair was cut extremely short, almost a buzz cut, and it couldn't hide his ruddy cheeks. Also, he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans that were both about four sizes too big. "Um, we're in music composition together?" I didn't know why I'd made that sound like a question. "Um, can I join you?" My voice went up an octave higher than normal.

He nodded. Then, after he finished swallowing his food, he finally spoke. "I'm Ethan."