Piano Boy

My neighbor, Ethan, was a piano prodigy.

Awards piled up before he even turned sixteen.

But then he met Sarah, a girl from my class. He let her sit, giggling, on his beloved Steinway while she kissed him.

For her, he ditched practice, trashed the piano, and spiraled.

So, I told his parents.

Ethan was shipped off to a music conservatory in Austria.

Years later, he became a huge success, a shining star in the entertainment industry. And me?

I landed an internship at his company, hoping to break into the music scene myself.

He barely glanced up, pointed at me, and said, “Her.”

That night, my manager got me drunk and delivered me to the hotel rooms of various investors.

Ethan stood in the doorway, a cigarette dangling from his lips, a smirk playing on his face.

“Consider this a thank you for your little tip–off all those years ago.