Sun Poisoned (The Sunshine Series) Read Free Page B

              Then Boo starts clapping and chanting, “So-phie, So-phie.” Trei joins in too, shrugging and smiling at me. Of course it’s not long before the crowd joins them, their chants getting faster and faster until I take my mic out of the stand in front of the piano and stand next to Boo at the front of the stage.
    The audience bursts into cheers and I wave at my family in the third row and toss some glitter from my dress pocket at the crowd. Boo strokes a few strings of the acoustic guitar as he waits for the noise to die down. I take this time to spy up at the balcony, where Myles is still standing in the same spot, next to a bunch of people in varying degrees of drunkenness that I don't recognize. He smiles back at me, nodding.
    I take Boo’s top hat from his head and he barely protests.
    “ For anyone who's interested,” I say, my voice sounding weird and low in the booming mic. “Boo can't afford a shirt, so we're taking donations.”
    The crowd laughs in response as I hand the upside-down hat to the first person I see in the audience, and Boo and Trei laugh too. I crack a smile, embarrassment forgotten.
    Boo starts the first few chords. Trei comes in with beautiful, long notes, weaving in and out as Boo's guitar gets stronger. She twirls around on stage, the red and white lights around the edge twinkle in the fabric of her skirt.
    I close my eyes. Start to feel it; really feel it. And I start to sing.
    Two headed boy, all floating in glass. When I open my eyes and glance up at Myles, he's completely absorbed, his eyes closed. Exactly the way he was the first time he heard us play this song.
    It’s almost too much for me to believe I’m causing that serene look on his face. As soon as his eyes open, I close mine. But not before giving him a quick grin. The sun, it has passed, now it's blacker than black. I can hear as you tap on your jar. I am listening to hear where you are.
    I open my eyes again and Trei is smiling at me before she closes her s. Boo is rocking back and forth, his head thrown back. Everyone is feeling it, feeling what I do every time I play.
    The last song we play is my newest finished one, Color Blind. Boo and Trei follow my lead despite the fact that we’ve only played it a few times together.
    It's a fairly slow song, but unlike when I gave it to Myles for Christmas, it has actual lyrics now.
    I don’t want your flowers, no.
    No violets, reds, or blues.
    You could name a million colors.
    All I want is you.
    I purposely don’t look at Myles. I don’t want him to throw me off.
    I want a world of black
    And white.
    A snowflake.
    Your face.
    All.
    Black
    And White .
    Trei leans over the piano as I play the slow, complicated middle notes and slightly faster deep ones. Then suddenly, all three of us jump into a minute-long improvised instrumental solo. When I nod, we go back to the song like we’re coming up for air.
    Can we take a photo?
    Can we save this time?
    Make it all
    Black and
    White.
     
    Then it's over. The stage lights go out, the house lights come on along with some muffled house music. Boo throws the last of his glitter as well as his drumsticks into the crowd as he, Trei, and I step behind the curtain once more, only to walk down the back entrance to join the audience.
    My makeup is running down my face, my chest and throat are raw, and my heart is pounding in the best possible way. A few people come up to us as I'm looking for my family.
    The general feedback from these strangers is that we did a good job; some people literally pat me on the back.
    I finally reach Stevie, Laura, and Jade, and I hug them all simultaneously from behind.
    “ You guys were so amazing,” Jade asks, flipping his hair out of his face. His Mohawk has grown back into a dirty blonde mop, and it makes his head sweaty so when he hugs me again, my cheek is left slightly damp. Not that I’m exactly perspiration-free anyway.
    Stevie plants a kiss on my cheek, his thick curls brushing