Chapter 347 Hotel California
Before Noah could say anything, Kurt jumped in, "Mr. Vasquez, are we really gonna listen to his excuse at this point?"
"This guy ditched work without a heads-up and got into a fight. Just fire him already! What's there to explain?"
"Yeah, Mr. Vasquez, just let him go. Why waste time with all this talk?" Audrey added, her eyes mocking Noah.
"I'm the boss here, and I make the calls," Francis said, his voice carrying a quiet authority that made Kurt and the others shut up immediately.
"Noah, I'm giving you one last chance. Are you sure you don't want to explain yourself?" Francis asked, looking directly at Noah. "Kurt told me about your situation. You're new in town, renting a place, and I get that money's tight. If you can give me a good reason, I might let you keep your job."
"There's nothing to explain. Just do what you want," Noah replied calmly. "I just want to make my position clear. Genevieve is my student. She was being bullied, and I have a duty to protect her."
Francis's eyes flickered slightly at Noah's words. "I get where you're coming from. Even though you broke the rules by getting into a fight, it didn't cause any major harm. I think you deserve another shot. I'll let you stay and observe for a while."
"Mr. Vasquez, how can you allow this?" Kurt's face turned red with anger. "Noah broke the rules. If you don't fire him, how will you keep order?"
"I make the decisions here. If you're unhappy, you can leave," Francis said coldly, giving Kurt a stern look. He was already fed up with Kurt's arrogance and disdain for outsiders.
"I..." Kurt stammered, knowing he couldn't afford to show dissatisfaction and risk losing his job.
Audrey sighed, realizing that with Mr. Vasquez backing Noah, he wouldn't be fired today.
"Mr. Vasquez, I just remembered something," Kurt said, his eyes lighting up. "You're right, Noah did break the rules, but it was to protect a student, and it didn't cause much trouble. However," his tone shifted, "Noah doesn't have a guitar certification. He's not qualified to be a guitar teacher!"
Francis turned to Noah. "Noah, is it true that you don't have a guitar certification?"
"It's true." Noah shrugged.
Francis's expression darkened as he looked at Audrey. "Ms. Carroll, you're in charge of hiring. How did you let Noah become a teacher without a certification?"
"Mr. Vasquez, it was like this: Noah played 'Romance' for me, and I thought he had the skills of a level six guitarist, so I signed him," Audrey explained, pushing her glasses up in embarrassment. "But I didn't know he didn't have a certification. I estimate his actual skill level is only around three or four. 'Romance' is just his best piece. It was my mistake to hire him."
Francis's face grew even darker. If Noah's guitar skills were insufficient, he wasn't qualified to teach. If parents found out and complained, it would be a big problem for the music school.
"Mr. Vasquez, for the reputation of our school, we have to fire Noah!" Kurt seized the opportunity. "This is about our future!"
Determined to get Noah fired, Kurt was willing to do whatever it took.
"Yeah, what if Noah messes up the students? He needs to be fired right now!" Audrey and the other female teachers chimed in, having long been displeased with Noah.
"Noah, I'm sorry, but without a guitar certification, we can't keep you here. Please go to the finance office to settle your pay for the past few days," Francis finally said after a moment of silence, deciding to let Noah go.
Kurt was thrilled, turning to Noah with excitement. "Noah, get out of here! You think you can be a teacher just because you can play 'Romance'? You're just faking it!"
"You probably spent years practicing that one piece, right?" Kurt sneered.
"I learned 'Romance' in an hour," Noah said calmly. "And as for your claim that it's the only piece I can play, that's nonsense. 'Romance' is one of the simpler pieces I know."
"One of the simpler pieces?" Kurt, Audrey, and Francis were all stunned. 'Romance' was a level six piece, and Noah claimed it was simple?
"Noah, are you kidding me? You don't even have a certification, and you say 'Romance' is simple?" Kurt scoffed.
"Are you serious, Noah? If you were really that good, you'd have a certification," Audrey said disdainfully.
"He's just trying to save face," one of the female teachers remarked, recalling how Noah had spent $60,000 on a meal just to show off.
Noah shook his head, picked up an electric guitar leaning against the wall, and plugged it in.
"What are you doing, Noah? Are you going to play to prove yourself?" Kurt laughed. "With your skills, don't embarrass yourself in front of me. I'm a level seven guitarist!"
"And Mr. Vasquez here is a level nine guitarist. Playing in front of him is just showing off," Kurt added.
Noah cradled the guitar, and Francis watched curiously, not saying a word.
"Noah, can you just leave without making a scene? You're embarrassing yourself," Audrey said impatiently, her eyes full of disdain. "And your electric guitar is connected to the amp. If you play, all the students in the school will hear it. You'll embarrass the entire Punk Guitar School!"
Noah didn't respond, focusing instead. His fingers began to play, and the haunting melody of the guitar filled the school.
The music was melancholic, eerie, and a bit wild, stirring emotions in everyone who heard it.
"That's 'Hotel California,' a level ten piece!" Francis's eyes widened in shock. 'Hotel California' was a famous song by the Eagles, a legendary rock band from the 1970s. Playing it required immense skill.
Even Francis, a level nine guitarist, found 'Hotel California' challenging.
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