Chloe's Guardian (The Nephilim Redemption Series Book 1) Read Online Free

she’d make time to talk to Todd. That was all that mattered.
     
    ***
     
    The girls had the length of the Allegro con brio from a Schubert quartet another group was playing before they were on. The four of them waited in the wings behind a velour leg curtain, each holding her instrument and bow.
    They wore tight sequined dresses that Tricia assured them would make an impression on the judges. Chloe and Tricia had argued for three days about them. Chloe didn’t want to wear a miniskirt while playing the cello. But in the end, she gave in and let Tricia win. She only did because Kaitlyn begged her to. She couldn’t say no when Kaitlyn turned those hopeful eyes to her, saying how all the sparkles made her think of stars and she would feel like a golden fairy twinkling like that. It turned out they all actually looked pretty hot in the dresses. Tricia looked great in her sapphire dress, her long Chinese hair swaying past her tiny waist. And Jessie had a figure to die for. The clingy scarlet dress showed off how curvaceous she was. Chloe would never have the nerve to wear the dress at home where her dad might see her and blow his you’re-not-leaving-the-house-in- that fuse. But she had to admit the emerald dress made her feel special once it was on.
    She hoped Todd would like it. That’s what mattered. But she hadn’t seen him since their orchestra performance that afternoon. Todd didn't play on their last piece. Chloe searched backstage after the final bow, but he wasn’t anywhere. Jessie and Tricia lost patience with her and demanded they all go eat. They went to a vegan place so Kaitlyn could find some food. When they passed the burger restaurant everyone else went to, Chloe couldn’t see him anywhere.
    Chloe adjusted the strap on one of her stilettos. Barefoot would have been so much better . I better not trip and fall on my face. What would Todd think?
    “They’re almost done. Ready?” Tricia whispered.
    They all nodded.
    Maybe we’ll be able to go out for coffee after and finally talk .
    Kaitlyn rubbed Chloe’s arm and smiled. Kaitlyn’s understanding and support were great. It almost seemed like the other two weren’t happy she was with Todd. They always complained about him, saying he took advantage of her. They just so don’t understand him.
    “Chloe,” Tricia said. “Chloe? Are you ready? The stage is clear. They’re waiting.”
    Chloe nodded, took a deep breath, and followed the other three onto the stage.
     
    ***
     
    When they returned to the wings, Jessie was huffing and Tricia’s glare could have melted her rosin.
    “What’d you do that for?” Tricia said.
    “I don’t think it was noticeable,” Kaitlyn said.
    “Like do you think Todd had anything to do with that ?” Jessie asked Tricia. “Pozorski is so like going to kill you,” she told Chloe.
    “What’d I do?”
    The next quartet, a Korean group dressed in concert black with their noses in the air, squeezed past them to go out onto the stage. The crowd applauded, died down, and muffled Mozart floated backstage.
    Chloe tried to remember her performance. She might have missed an entrance, but she was too busy trying to balance her cello between her half-bent knees. You try playing a cello in a mini-skirt . Maybe it wasn’t her absolute best, but it didn’t feel that bad.
    “You so blew that for us, Chloe,” Tricia snarled.
    “Did you like count even one measure?” Jessie said.
    “You shouldn’t have made me wear that skirt,” Chloe snapped. Their attack was so unjustified. Maybe they were nervous. They were over-thinking, being too harsh. It wasn’t really so awful. They still could win. Todd will think it was good. He will be proud of me.
    Chloe followed the others to the dressing room. They packed up their instruments in a friable silence and stowed them in lockers. Chloe trailed behind them out the door again, with Kaitlyn right behind her. They filed through the echoing stage tunnels to the hallway that took them to