CHAPTER 3

"Music is the universal language of mankind"

—

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

♪

Autumn never needed a reason to burst out a River Crowns song. She sang his music in the shower and while she walked to class on days when she managed to leave her dorm on time.

As she gathered her stuff, she sang her version of his song, Enchanted.

Amber used to call this Autumn's twist because Autumn could sing songs in a completely different melody without making it sound flat or off-key.

The echo of the empty room caused the sound to surround her as it bounced off the walls. It filled her ears and she lifted her voice.

She got out of her seat and hung Lyrae and her book bag on her shoulder.

She made it to the door as she reached the end of the song.

Autumn sighed as she said goodbye to her happy place.

Time to head back into all the ruckus and chaos.

The 21-year-old turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. She turned her neck to shut the door and then she took a step forward.

She paused.

Around her were students of Genre. They were whispering and had their phones up– making videos.

A second passed before she understood why.

Her idol stood in front of her. Leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and all.

Autumn couldn't breathe. Her body froze in shock and refused to take in any more oxygen.

River Crowns was breathing the same air she was.

River Crowns was standing in front of her.

River Crowns was examining her.

River Crowns was here.

In Genre.

In front of her.

RIVERFREAKINGCROWNS!

"Was that you singing?" her idol asked.

"Yes," Autumn cleared her throat to speak again. That had come out as a squeak. "I mean, yes."

Did he hate what she had done to his song?

Please no.

Anything but that.

"I'm so sorry," Autumn blurted. She could feel her palms sweating. Her idol was here. He smelled like everything she seemed to imagine and so much more. She wished she could bottle up the scent so she could take a whiff of it every single day. "I didn't mean to–"

River's chuckle cut her off. The sound as smooth as his singing voice. "No, no, I liked it."

Autumn let out a breath she didn't know she was holding though it didn't stop her heart from pounding.

She was sure everyone in the room could hear the organ.

She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. "T-thank you. That means so much."

"What's your name?"

"Autumn."

"Autumn."

Ohmygosh! RiverCrownsknewherfudgingname!

"Yeah."

"Well, Autumn," the name rolled off his tongue. She could listen to him say it all day. "You wanna be a musician, right?"

Autumn bobbed her head up and down. She couldn't risk speaking and ruining this.

"How about some professional help?"

Autumn's jaw dropped. "From you?" she croaked.

"Well, yeah," River nodded. "That's the reason I'm here anyway so why not? What do you say, Autumn?"

Everyone in the hall went silent as they waited for Autumn's reply.

"Well, I–"

Lyrae slipped off her shoulder. The popstar stepped forward and caught it in his palms.

He took it from her and he held it.

"Well?" He questioned.

"Thank you, but I've got it."

A collective gasp was heard. Whispers filled the air. The audience couldn't believe their ears.

"No, no," Autumn shook her head as she collected her instrument from her idol. "I'm talking about my guitar."

"And what about my offer?"

"Yes," Autumn nodded frantically. "Of course it's a yes."

River smiled and Autumn's knees almost buckled. "I'm looking forward to working with you. I'll find you."

River gave her one last glance and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He turned.

"It would mean a lot to me if you signed Ly–" Autumn stopped herself. "–my guitar."

River smiled again and his eyes held a questionable glint in them. "Of course."

Autumn rummaged through her book bag for a marker. She finally found a black one and handed it over to the popstar.

She watched as he scribbled his autograph onto her guitar. It was his first name inside of a crown.

Lyrae had just become worth a couple of hundred dollars.

♬

Autumn walked back to her dorm with a bounce in her step.

To her, the sun was brighter, the air was warmer and the grasses were a bit greener. She wanted to squeal and twirl around so much that she'd lose her voice and be dizzy for days.

She pulled out her phone to share her good news with the one person who she knew would share her excitement.

Amber Archer answered on the third ring.

"Hey, A! What's up?"

"Nothing much," Autumn shrugged with a small splayed on her lips. "What time is it over there?"

"A bit over 11 am. I just got home from my psychology class. You?"

"Past one. Just got home too. Well, I'm almost there. Hey, Amby, guess what?"

"What?"

"I met River Crowns!"

Amby squealed. "No freaking way! How? When? Why? A, I need details! Spill!"

Autumn stepped into her dorm. Dani who sat on the couch lifted her head from her laptop when she stepped in.

Dani's lips moved to speak but she closed them as she realized her roommate was on a phone call.

"Okay, okay," Autumn smiled as she took of Lyrae and her bookbag, placed them down, and settled beside Dani on the couch.

"So picture this. I was leaving one of my classes late because I stayed behind after everyone else to write a song and as I got out of the classroom, River Crowns stood there along with half of Genre's population!"

"Shut up! No way!"

"Yes, way!"

"Damn, Autumn! This is huge! Like huge!"

"I know but wait, I haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

"There's more? How could it possibly get any better?"

"Turns out that he heard me singing one of my 'Autumn's twists' and he loved it, Amby."

Amber gasped. "What'd he say?"

"You wouldn't believe it, Amby."

"Try me."

"He offered to help with my music career!"

"OHMYGOSH! I'm so happy for you. I mean, finally. I thought you were going to have to work from the ground up but this great!"

"I know–"

Autumn stopped talking as she began to hear shuffling through the phone.

"Amby?"

"I'm on the phone with my sister."

Amber wasn't talking to her so Autumn waited patiently for her to be done.

Amber's sigh was heard through the phone. "I'm sorry, Autumn. I've gotta go."

"Oh," Autumn's excitement vanished. "It's okay. Talk later."

"I'll call you back in a bit. Promise."

"Yeah, sure."

Autumn put her phone down after her sister hung up and slumped into the couch.

Her excitement had just dropped down a notch.

"That went downhill pretty quickly," Dani noted.

Autumn let out a small groan in reply.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"What? No! Amby and I are fine."

"Really?" Dani asked, her tone dubious. "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the first time you're speaking with her this month and she hangs up on you without so much as an explanation and promises to call back but doesn't?"

"Stop it. She's busy. Didn't you see how happy she was for me?"

"I did," Dani agreed as she typed away on her laptop.

"So what are you saying?"

"Nothing really," Dani shrugged and a strand of long black hair escaped from her bun and hung off the side of her face. "Just pointing out that your relationship with your sister is beginning to get strained."

Okay. Pause.

Danielle Lee wasn't a judgemental person but she was a blunt as they came.

She said things the way she saw things and dared anyone to say otherwise.

"I don't want to talk about this."

The girls both heard and ignored the sound of Fredrick's car pulling into the driveway.

"Neither do I," Dani said before she folded her laptop, pulled off her reading glasses, and turned to her favorite roommate/ closest friend. "I heard."

"Well. You were right here when I narrated the whole thing to Amby."

Dani rolled her eyes. "I didn't hear your story now. It's everywhere, Autumn."

Autumn turned to her roommate, speculated. "What do you mean everywhere?"

Before Dani could reply, Kendra Williams burst in through the door, rushed to the caramel-haired girl, and engulfed her in a warm hug.

Fredrick walked in and shut the door behind him.

"God! Autumn, I'm so happy for you!" Kendra squealed as she pulled back to examine her friend to see if her newly found popularity had begun affecting her already.

Nope. It hadn't. Autumn still looked like her usual clumsy and quirky self.

"What's going on?" Autumn asked confusion all over her features.

"It's all over the web, A," Fredrick Harrison answered as he pulled off his jacket. "You met River Crowns and he offered to help with your career."

Beside Autumn, Dani had unfolded her laptop and was typing away. Without looking up from the screen, she spoke, "No one says web anymore, Freddie."

"I'm too happy for Autumn, Dani," Fredrick said. "So not even you can't bring me down."

"Wasn't trying to, french fry," Dani said with an eye-roll.

"Umm, hel-lo!" Kendra drew out incredulously as she flipped her long, wavy blonde hair behind her. "We're trying to be happy for Autumn here. She finally met her River Crowns."

"He's not my River Crowns," Autumn corrected.

"You should tell that to Google then," Fredrick said with a teasing tone. "Cause right now, both your names are in the same sentences everywhere."

"And this is proof," Dani said as she placed her laptop in Autumn's lap.

Kendra stared at the laptop for a second before she ran a manicured finger across the side of the device. "Is this new?"

"Yup," Dani replied in the usual clipped tone she used when questions concerning her wealth was brought up. "It arrived after you and Freddie left. Dad had the whole thing set up for me."

"This doesn't come out for couple more months."

"You know my dad," Dani shrugged. Those four words always gave complete and perfect answers. "Can we talk about A now?"

"Yes!" Kendra smiled and clapped her palms together frantically. "We should go out to celebrate!"

"Bad idea, babe," Fredrick said as he settled beside Dani on the couch.

Kendra pouted. "How exactly?"

"Everyone's gonna be all over Autumn now. It's not safe for her."

Autumn watched the video of herself from earlier today silently. She watched as comments came in with every passing second.

'Lucky bitch'-@gurlwithdmic

'River's so hot'-@stacy456

'For a second there I thought she was dumb enough to say no to fu*king RIVER CROWNS'-@WillTheSecond

'Who the hell is she?'-@enchantress101

'That's Ashlyn. Oh, wait, it's Autumn. She sat behind me in class today. Was breathing like crazy'-@MacyReed3

Heck.

Things were going to get a lot more different than she thought.