Tenney in the Key of Friendship

Singing to the Sky

“What’s your idea?” Dad asks, and every eye turns to Tenney. She suggests moving the show outside into the shop’s parking lot, where there’s room for everyone. Mason thinks it could work, though there’s barely time to set it up, and Dad settles it: they’re doing this.

Instead of sitting backstage working through her nerves, Tenney spends the next hour hauling gear into the lot with Aubrey, Jaya, Holliday, and Logan while Dad and Zane rebuild the sound system. Holliday’s dad and Jaya’s mom hang the banner Jaya designed, MUSIC HELPS THE WORLD in scrolling letters ringed by songbirds, musical notes, and tiny globes, the whole design glittering against a background like a starry sky. Jaya admits, pleased with herself, that she was inspired.

With less than half an hour to go, the stage is ready but Tenney isn’t, sweaty faced and streaked with grass stains. Aubrey fetches Mom, who arrives with emergency supplies and hustles her into the storeroom. Mom gets her into a clean outfit packed just in case, a chambray shirt, white lace shorts, and a floppy felt hat. Ever since dressing Tenney for her Bluebird Cafe debut, Aubrey has appointed herself her personal stylist. Through the walls, the crowd rumbles, and Tenney wonders aloud how many people could be out there, her stomach flipping. Mom tells her not to worry about the number, only about giving a great show, and pulls her into a hug.

A knock means it’s time. Logan’s waiting on the other side, as nervous as Tenney feels. Guitar slung across her shoulders, she follows him down the hall and out the back door. Sunlight blinds her for a second, then the crowd comes into focus, filling the lot all the way to the stage, a mix of classmates, shop customers, and strangers. Jaya, emceeing, mouths, “Ready?” before rallying the crowd and explaining that today’s proceeds will rebuild her cousin’s school in Bangladesh, then introduces her best friend, Tenney Grant.

The moment Tenney straps on her guitar and steps up to the mic, her nerves settle. She and Logan open with “Reach the Sky,” and the crowd, some recognizing it from the Jamboree video with Portia, claps and sings along. “Good Morning, Glory” follows, and though Logan’s tempo keeps creeping ahead, a glance from Tenney reins him in. By the last songs, they trade cues purely through the music.

Logan counts off “Where You Are” next, driving hard into the beat. Partway through, Tenney finds Holliday’s face in the crowd and holds her gaze, launching into a bridge she rewrote after realizing what a good friend Holliday has been, an apology set to music. Holliday grins and claps through the final chorus.

Before the last song, a few boos ripple through the crowd. Tenney just smiles, since even Logan had assumed “Where You Are” would close the set. She tells the crowd she wrote it for her best friend, Jaya, who taught her that everything gets better when it’s shared. “Music in Me” rolls out slow and warm, and Jaya glows, listening to every word meant just for her.

The applause hits like a wave when the song ends. Backstage, Logan admits the new song wasn’t half-bad, and Tenney compliments his drumming back before fans swarm them for selfies and autographs. As Zane brings Portia out to close the show, Tenney finds her family, Holliday, and Jaya swaying to the music, and looking up at the sky, she can’t shake the feeling the whole world just got brighter.