A boy named Malik offered to manage sound.

A girl named Priya made posters with handwritten lettering and refused Noah’s suggestion to include a giant photograph of the guitar.

“It’s a concert,” she said.

“Not a museum exhibit about your decision-making.”

Noah grinned. “Fair.”

They practiced twice a week.

Some rehearsals went smoothly.

Others ended with arguments over tempos, missing cables or whether the school piano was hopelessly out of tune.