The keys felt cold under my fingers. I stared at the sheet music, the black dots blurring into meaningless smudges. knuckles whitened as I pressed down, but the note came out sharp and brittle, like glass shattering on tile. Ms. Capri’s advice echoed uselessly in my head: Feel it, don’t force it. What did that even mean?

"Ms. Capri?" My voice sounded too loud in the sudden quiet. "Could I... stay? Just for a bit? I can’t get the phrasing right in the second movement."