“You were great,” I told her. And stunning, I thought to myself, now that I was closer and could see her perfectly smooth caramel skin and oval face that was shiny with sweat from working the drums. She looked to be sixteen or seventeen.

“Where did you learn to play?” I asked.

“Parents taught me,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. “What do you play?”

“Piano since the age of ten, and I sing in the shower, too,” I joked, feeling shy and unsure. These guys were talented, and I wasn’t anything special at all.

“Oh? Well, Teddy here’s a great piano player. I guess that’s why Leo said we needed you,” she said, smirking at me. I wrinkled my brow. What did she mean?

“And this is Teddy,” Leo said, interrupting my confusion at Vixen’s statement and guiding me to stand next to the baby grand where the young man sat. He had curly brown hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed, and his plaid shirt was buttoned up wrong. My fingers itched to fix him.

“He doesn’t read music, but plays by ear. But what’s cool is once he hears a song, he can play it back,” Leo said looking at Teddy. I detected pride in his voice.

“You’re a fortunate person,” I said to Teddy. “And great song choice. Death Cab for Cutie is a favorite band of mine.”

Teddy rocked back and forth on his seat, his head tilted awkwardly.

I glanced back at Leo, uncertain how to take Teddy’s unusual demeanor. Maybe he was super bashful?

“Say thank you to Nora,” Leo told Teddy matter-of-factly, like he’d said those words before. “She’s the one who’s going to teach you new songs.”

I managed to sputter out, “P-Pfftttt, yeah.” What did he mean?

“Thank you, Nora,” Teddy piped up loudly in a sing-song voice, his eyes darting around the room but never connecting with mine. “Playing piano is fun. Bob Seger’s song ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’ is the best. It’s in the movie Risky Business with Tom Cruise where he slides on the floor in his underwear. What’s your favorite song, Nora?”

“I . . . I’ve been listening to Alicia Keyes’ song, ‘Girl on Fire’ lately. It’s not her latest release, but I like it,” I said tentatively, not quite sure what was wrong with Teddy. Something was definitely off.

Leo grinned at Teddy and squeezed his shoulder. “He likes to talk about music.”

Teddy said, “Nora, Nora! I love music. Do you?”

I nodded, my eyes going from Teddy to Leo, trying to get the connection because I sensed a kinship between them.

As if he couldn’t sit still, Teddy rubbed his hands up and down on his jeans, still not meeting my eyes. “That song you said, ‘Girl on Fire.’ Show me how to play it? Please?” he asked.

Whatever strangeness was up with Teddy, I liked him. I couldn’t put my finger on it or define it right then, but sometimes you just know when you’ve met a friend. Something about him reminded me of myself. Maybe it was the unsure set of his thin shoulders as he waited for me to answer his question. Maybe it was the fact that I was a little strange, too.

“Yeah, sure thing. I’d love to. We’ll have to buy the sheet music but that’s not a big deal.” I nodded at his camera. “What’s with the camera around your neck?”

Teddy looked up and focused his eyes at my forehead. “Can’t breathe without my camera.”

Ah. There it was. “I know exactly what you mean,” I said.

Leo led me away from the band and over to a long couch where no one could hear us. “Teddy’s autistic,” he said. “And a musical savant.”

“Oh. Where did you find him?” I said, sneaking a look at Teddy, wondering what it was like for him to have a label. He was different, like me. I didn’t have autism, but I definitely wasn’t normal.

“We checked with local music stores and found Vixen. But Teddy? Kinda stumbled across him at a piano bar downtown that his sister owns.” He looked back at Teddy with a grin. “The night I saw him play he blew me away, playing old songs, new songs, pretty much anything the crowd wanted. He never used one piece of sheet music. So, I ended up staying until the bar closed and talked to him and his sister. Invited him to be part of our group.”

“Doesn’t he slow you down with his disability?”

Leo’s entire face tightened. “He’s considered high functioning and smarter than you think. He’s a person, just like you or me. He’s not an idiot,” he retorted.

“Of course not, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. It’s just not every day you see an autistic guy in a band. You obviously care about him, and I can see why. He’s like a child,” I said quickly, wanting him to know that I wasn’t judging Teddy. “I’m just surprised that you chose him for your band. I’m sure he’s worth all the extra work.”

“He is. Not everyone’s perfect, you know,” he said, giving me as assessing look, like maybe he knew something I didn’t. “And, I wanted Sebastian to be around people who don’t have everything handed to them.”

“I’m not perfect. People think I am, but I’m not,” I admitted, needing him to know that I wasn’t the rich, spoiled girl he’d called me last night. In my life, things are never as they appeared.

He studied me. “Maybe I wouldn’t like you so much if you were,” he said, staring at my mouth. I licked my lips and stared right back, thrilled by the heat I thought I could see there. Did he feel the same connection I did, like we’d known each other our entire lives?

I nodded. “So, about Teddy. Is that what you meant by paying you back?” I said.

“Yeah, I remembered from the open house brochure that you were a pianist. I want you to work with him, help him learn some new music for the band.”

Me? Helping someone when I could barely survive myself? I shook my head. “I don’t know. I have a lot going on with school and debate. Wouldn’t it be easier just to let me write you a check for the damage? You’d never have to see me again,” I added.

“That won’t work for me. Teddy needs extra help. And I know you’re busy, but music heals. It helped me deal with my parents’ murder,” he said. “Maybe you need this. Maybe it’s better than therapy.”