hurried inside. Michele noticed something new decorating the walls: posters advertising the theme and location of the Autumn Ball. She’d learned from Caissie that the Berkshire tradition was for the planning committee to keep these details secret until the last minute, which usually resulted in a mass exodus to the shops on Fifth Avenue the day before the dance.
Dress in your finest threads for a true Gilded Age Autumn Ball! The words seemed to leap off the poster as Michele glanced at it. An illustration of a gown-clad Gibson Girl dancing with a dapper-suited gentleman filled the center, while underneath was emblazoned: The Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. November 19, 8 p.m .
Michele couldn’t help chuckling as she looked at the poster. The theme was too ironic. They might as well have been promoting the 1910 Halloween Ball where she had first met Philip.
“I have to say, our school is probably the only one pretentious enough to go with Old Money as the theme,” she heard a male voice say jokingly behind her.
Michele turned around to see a grinning Ben Archer.
“Yeah, it’s not going to be a rager,” she agreed. “Hopefully you know how to waltz. If this really is an old-school ball, I can tell you on good authority that there won’t be much rock or hip-hop.”
“Don’t worry. I always impress on the dance floor,” Ben said with a wink.
But Michele’s smile froze on her face when she saw Kaya and Philip swing through the doors together into the hallway.
“Come on, you guys. We should get to class,” said Caissie, following her gaze.
Ben fell into step with them and they had no choice but to face Philip and Kaya, who were approaching the same classroom from the opposite end of the hall. Philip met Michele’s eyes, and Ben chose that moment to snake his arm around her shoulder. Philip looked away, but not before furrowing his brow at the sight of Ben’s arm around her.
What if I’m the only one who ever remembers?
For the third straight lunch in a row, Michele had the misfortune of watching the Philip & Kaya Show. It was enough to dull all other emotions, even her fear of Rebecca and the battle that she knew lay ahead of her.
What if it’s just me who feels the missing touch, hears the sound of laughter long gone, and sees the two of us in a forgotten New York?
Philip seemed to look through Michele, his expression unfazed and innocent, and it was that ambivalence that seemed to mock her. Could he be playing a role … or did he actually forget me?
She couldn’t look away. Philip’s blue eyes sparkled as he and Kaya shared a joke. He broke into his signature smile, and for the first time, Michele found it heartbreaking. But then, isn’t that always the case with a smile—when you know it’s not meant for you?
She wished she could stop this speeding train of jealousy, but she couldn’t help it. To have him back, just as he’d promised, but not remember what they once had? It was as though Time was playing a particularly cruel trick.
And then his glance met hers. She’d been caught staring, but she held her gaze. So did Philip. She noticed Kaya touching his arm, trying to regain his focus, but he looked at Michele a moment longer than he should have before turning back to his lunch date.
It was a small victory, but she savored it. He couldn’t have forgotten her completely.
As Michele walked to study hall that afternoon, she was stopped by a lilting melody echoing off the school walls. The piano keys sounded like they were flying, dancing, and then wailing in a breathtaking blur of music. Michele knew of just one person who could play like that.
She turned around, breaking into a run as she followed the noise through the hallway. As the piano playing grew more frenzied, she reached the door to a room she hadn’t seen before. Gingerly stepping inside, she found herself in some sort of choir room, filled with music stands and band equipment. In the corner of the room,
Dress in your finest threads for a true Gilded Age Autumn Ball! The words seemed to leap off the poster as Michele glanced at it. An illustration of a gown-clad Gibson Girl dancing with a dapper-suited gentleman filled the center, while underneath was emblazoned: The Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. November 19, 8 p.m .
Michele couldn’t help chuckling as she looked at the poster. The theme was too ironic. They might as well have been promoting the 1910 Halloween Ball where she had first met Philip.
“I have to say, our school is probably the only one pretentious enough to go with Old Money as the theme,” she heard a male voice say jokingly behind her.
Michele turned around to see a grinning Ben Archer.
“Yeah, it’s not going to be a rager,” she agreed. “Hopefully you know how to waltz. If this really is an old-school ball, I can tell you on good authority that there won’t be much rock or hip-hop.”
“Don’t worry. I always impress on the dance floor,” Ben said with a wink.
But Michele’s smile froze on her face when she saw Kaya and Philip swing through the doors together into the hallway.
“Come on, you guys. We should get to class,” said Caissie, following her gaze.
Ben fell into step with them and they had no choice but to face Philip and Kaya, who were approaching the same classroom from the opposite end of the hall. Philip met Michele’s eyes, and Ben chose that moment to snake his arm around her shoulder. Philip looked away, but not before furrowing his brow at the sight of Ben’s arm around her.
What if I’m the only one who ever remembers?
For the third straight lunch in a row, Michele had the misfortune of watching the Philip & Kaya Show. It was enough to dull all other emotions, even her fear of Rebecca and the battle that she knew lay ahead of her.
What if it’s just me who feels the missing touch, hears the sound of laughter long gone, and sees the two of us in a forgotten New York?
Philip seemed to look through Michele, his expression unfazed and innocent, and it was that ambivalence that seemed to mock her. Could he be playing a role … or did he actually forget me?
She couldn’t look away. Philip’s blue eyes sparkled as he and Kaya shared a joke. He broke into his signature smile, and for the first time, Michele found it heartbreaking. But then, isn’t that always the case with a smile—when you know it’s not meant for you?
She wished she could stop this speeding train of jealousy, but she couldn’t help it. To have him back, just as he’d promised, but not remember what they once had? It was as though Time was playing a particularly cruel trick.
And then his glance met hers. She’d been caught staring, but she held her gaze. So did Philip. She noticed Kaya touching his arm, trying to regain his focus, but he looked at Michele a moment longer than he should have before turning back to his lunch date.
It was a small victory, but she savored it. He couldn’t have forgotten her completely.
As Michele walked to study hall that afternoon, she was stopped by a lilting melody echoing off the school walls. The piano keys sounded like they were flying, dancing, and then wailing in a breathtaking blur of music. Michele knew of just one person who could play like that.
She turned around, breaking into a run as she followed the noise through the hallway. As the piano playing grew more frenzied, she reached the door to a room she hadn’t seen before. Gingerly stepping inside, she found herself in some sort of choir room, filled with music stands and band equipment. In the corner of the room,
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