CHAPTER ONE On the corner of Whatever Street and I Wish I Didn’t Live Here Lane stands Terence Kato He leans against a stop sign and watches as a school bus rolls by brakes two blocks up and lets on five kids the boy doesn’t know To be honest Terence has no interest in ever knowing them By all rights he ought to be on that bus though He should be seated next to some snot-covered public-school kid who probably wouldn’t know the circle of fifths if it rolled him over But he’s not Of course it’s also true that Terence’s dad should be awake in time to drive his son to his first day at Franklin Middle School But that’s not happening either So instead Terence pushes off the stop sign hitches his bass guitar onto his shoulder and heads around the back of
his new house to fetch his bike Later Dad Terence says to the drab little rent-a home as he rolls away With every bump stop and practically every pedal the bass guitar bounces hard against his back like some sort of punishment But he has to bring it First of all he preregistered for the after-school band program and couldn’t show up to the first day without an instrument Second wearing a gig bag attracts attention the kind of attention he’ll need if he has any hope of starting a band at Franklin like the band he had back at Hart Arts and entering the battle of the youth bands in the spring As Terence pulls up to the bike rack which is full he hears a school bell ring He quickly chains his bike to a No Parking sign and runs inside The halls are quiet Empty He’s late Inside the school’s front office a man behind the counter stares at a computer screen and speaks quietly into a headset Excuse me Terence says The man doesn’t look up Terence adjusts the strap on his gig bag and notices a
surly-looking girl slouching in the metal chair behind him She has dark skin short hair and a suspicious golden piercing in her nose He’s pretty sure she’s staring at him probably plotting when to knock him over the head and take his phone and wallet That’s what they do in public schools they beat you up and steal your stuff Um excuse me Terence repeats trying to get the man’s attention by waving his schedule around noisily It’s my first day and I’m late I don’t know where I’m supposed to be He won’t help you says a voice behind him Terence doesn’t turn around but he knows it’s the scowling girl All day every day he’s on that phone doing who knows what ignoring every student that walks in here Terence still doesn’t turn around Did I ask you he mutters under his breath No the girl says But I’m a very generous person so I’m helping you anyway How are you helping me right now Terence asks and he finally turns around to find the girl standing right
