Jessy Stone never cared much for art. She couldn't understand why anyone would waste time scribbling on paper when they could be doing something practical—like earning a paycheck. But as she walked past Ace Martins in the school library, something about the sketches in his notebook caught her eye.
"You draw weird stuff," she said bluntly, balancing her tray of books on her hip.
Ace looked up, startled. He'd been so focused on the floating music notes in his head that he hadn't noticed her approach. "Uh, thanks?"
Jessy smirked, nodding toward the page. "What's it supposed to be? Alien graffiti?"
He hesitated, his pencil hovering over the page. "Just... something I see sometimes. Not a big deal."
"Right," she said, already walking away. "Well, don't quit your day job."
Ace frowned as she disappeared around the corner, her comment hanging in the air.
//////
By the end of the day, Jessy was regretting her sarcastic tone. She sat in her last-period math class, staring at the grade on her latest test: 42%. Another fail.
"Jessy Stone," the teacher's voice snapped her out of her daze.
"Yes, ma'am?" she replied, sitting up straight.
"Your grades are in freefall," the teacher said, crossing her arms. "I know you've been working hard outside of school, but you can't let that ruin your education. I'm assigning you a tutor."
Jessy groaned inwardly. "Do I get a choice?"
"No," the teacher replied curtly. "Ace Martins will be tutoring you after school. Starting tomorrow."
Jessy's jaw dropped. "Ace? The music nerd?"
"Yes, and he's agreed to it. You'll thank me later."
//////
Ace had not agreed to it.
"Why do I have to do this again?" he grumbled as the teacher handed him a list of tutoring times.
"Because you need good words in your resume, Ace," she reminded him. "And this will show responsibility."
He sighed, stuffing the paper into his backpack. The last thing he wanted was to spend time helping someone who didn't even like him. But he couldn't argue with the teacher's logic—his college applications were already looking thin.
//////
The next day, Ace begrudgingly invited Jessy to his house after school. She showed up late, still in her work uniform, with grease stains on her sleeves.
"Nice place," she said sarcastically as she stepped into the cozy but cluttered living room.
"Yeah, sure," Ace muttered, leading her upstairs.
They settled into his room, Jessy dropping her bag onto the floor with a loud thud. She glanced around at the walls covered in band posters and sketches, raising an eyebrow.
"So, what's the deal with all this?" she asked, gesturing to the drawings.
"Just stuff I'm working on," he said quickly, trying to steer the conversation back to math.
Before they could get started, a muffled argument erupted downstairs.
"I told you I don't have time for this!"
"And I told you we can't just ignore it, James!"
Jessy looked toward the door. "What's going on down there?"
"Nothing," Ace said through gritted teeth, flipping through the textbook.
The shouting grew louder. Ace slammed the book shut and stood abruptly. "I'll be back," he said, storming out of the room.
//////
Jessy followed him, standing at the top of the stairs as she watched Ace confront his parents in the kitchen.
"Can you two just stop for five minutes?" he yelled.
His mother whirled around. "Ace, go back upstairs. This isn't about you."
"Of course it's about me!" he shouted. "Everything you're fighting about is my fault, isn't it?"
The tension in the room reached a breaking point. Jessy flinched as Ace's hands balled into fists. Then, suddenly, the world shifted.
Time froze.
Jessy blinked, looking around in confusion. The shouting had stopped. The flickering kitchen light froze mid-flicker. Even the steam from the pot on the stove hung motionless in the air.
She turned back to Ace and gasped.
Music notes were floating around him—glowing, golden notes that spiraled and danced in the air like fireflies. His eyes were wide with shock as he realized what was happening.
"Ace?" Jessy whispered, stepping closer.
He turned to her, equally stunned. "You... you're not frozen?"
"No," she said, her voice trembling. "What is this?"
Ace looked down at his hands, the music swirling faster around him. He didn't know how to explain it, didn't even understand it himself.
Jessy took a shaky breath. "Oh my goodness... what's happening to you?"
The question hung in the air as the notes began to fade, the world slowly ticking back to life.