Edward’s Missed Practice

Edward and Alice arrange to practise their song at lunchtime. Edward arrives with his keyboard music, but Alice’s chair stays empty. He waits ten minutes. He had wanted to rehearse the difficult ending together, and now he wonders whether she has decided that the song is not worth doing.

Edward begins packing away. Mr Cole asks if he needs anything before leaving. Edward explains that Alice has not come. Mr Cole cannot say why she is absent. They separate what they know from what Edward fears: she is not here, but they do not yet know the reason.

Edward chooses to leave one message through their school communication system. He asks whether Alice is all right and when they can discuss practice. Then he puts the device away. He can work on a short keyboard section alone or take a break. He chooses a few minutes of music.

Later, Alice finds him with Mr Cole nearby. A support appointment ran late, and she had not been able to send a message. She does not want to explain the appointment. Edward says that waiting without information was frustrating. Alice listens, and he does not press for private details.

They check another practice time with Mr Cole. They also agree on a simple plan: if someone is missing, wait for the agreed period, send one check-in and continue or leave. Neither can promise that every delay will be prevented, but the next step can be clearer.

Edward feels less uncertain. His frustration did not disappear just because Alice had a reason. They made space for both her privacy and his experience of waiting. A missed practice can be discussed without deciding that the friendship or the music project is over.