Tenney Shares the Stage

Secret Plans

Tenney is so happy to be friends with Logan again, and so thrilled by the idea of playing together at the hospital, that she practically floats back to the truck with Mason. Worry catches up with her on the drive home: what if Mom and Dad won’t let her perform with him? Mason scoffs that it’s for a good cause, but Tenney reminds him that Dad already refused to let her play with Logan once. When Mason asks whether she still believes in Logan, Tenney answers without hesitation, and the two agree they need a plan.

That night at dinner, Mason tells Mom and Dad that a friend of a friend asked Tenney to perform, which is technically true, since Alice is Logan’s friend, even though it leaves Logan out entirely. Tenney squirms through the half-truth, digging into barbecued ribs and corn while she describes the show as low-key, just thirty or so minutes of music. Mason volunteers to tag along and help set up the sound equipment, throwing Tenney a wink as he earns himself a spot at the gig. “Sounds good,” Dad says, then asks how she landed it. Her stomach clenches, but Mason smooths over the answer before she has to say a word.

Then Aubrey asks if she can play, too. Mason shoots Tenney a warning glance, but Dad speaks first, deciding it would be good experience for Aubrey, as long as Tenney is comfortable with it. Tenney hesitates, torn between not wanting to complicate the secret and not wanting to hurt Aubrey’s feelings, and finally offers her the last song of the set. Aubrey squeals and pulls her into a hug, promising she won’t regret it. Tenney says she hopes not, though her mind is already elsewhere, tangled up in everything still ahead.

With that settled, Tenney moves on to the rest of the plan. She emails Zane, Ellie, and Portia to invite them to the show, asks Belle Starr to come as a way of apologizing for canceling their opening slot at Riff’s, and tells Jaya and Holliday about the concert after school, swearing them to secrecy about Logan. Every night after dinner, she and Aubrey rehearse their song together, and afterward Tenney heads upstairs to video-chat with Logan and hammer out their set list.

One afternoon, while Dad is out running deliveries and Mason mans the store, Tenney and Logan sneak in a real, face-to-face rehearsal. They climb up onto the store’s low stage and work through the whole set list, talking each song over as they go, trading off who plays guitar and who sings lead. Maybe it’s because they haven’t played together in a while, but Tenney has never had an easier rehearsal with him. They’re perfectly in tune, musically and otherwise, and without the pressure of writing new songs or polishing a big showcase, the two of them relax into the music until Tenney’s face aches from laughing so hard. Logan seems happier than she has seen him in ages. But when he hangs up his guitar afterward, a shadow crosses his face like a cloud passing over the sun, and he admits he’d forgotten how much fun playing could be. Sympathy wells up in Tenney for everything he’s missing.

Tenney still hasn’t told Logan that Zane, Ellie, and Portia will be in the crowd, or that by the time she gets him to the Gathering Place, he’ll realize he can’t leave music, or her, behind. When Logan asks her what’s wrong, she covers it and forces a smile. She thinks they’re going to have a great show.

Tenney sounds confident enough, but sleep doesn’t come easily that night. She’s nervous, wired, and guiltier than ever, knowing that by tomorrow, nearly everyone close to her will learn she’s been keeping a secret. Portia once told Logan and Tenney that at the end of the day, you have to do what’s right for your music. That’s exactly what Tenney is doing, and she can only hope everyone will understand.