*** Cafeteria
Dakota, Ayden, that red head-- whose name I still didn't know-- and I all sat together during lunch.
"Thanks for letting us sit here with you guys." Ayden comments from beside me.
"Oh, it's not a problem at all!" Dakota beams, shooting me a glance. "Riiiight, Ziek?"
I had been deep in thought since the moment we had sat down, barely focusing on what had been said. How could I after everything that has happened?
"Huh? Oh yeah, of course." I respond, giving an absentminded smile.
Dakota gives me a notable expression. I guess she could tell something was off.
"This is Rory, by the way." Ayden nudges his arm.
He had finally raised his head up after having his eyes glued to his Gameboy the entire time.
"Ah, shit-- hey, it's nice to meet you both." He smiles sheepishly, scratching his head.
It's not long before his eyes are focused back on his game, basically tuning out anything other than that. It was fairly obvious the reason for his eyebags now.
As lunch ended, I walked over to throw my trash away; bumping into Phoenix.
He gave me a mischievous smile, slapping the tray out of my hands. The food that had been left on it had gotten all over the floor.
"Dipshit." He shoves past me, giving me the middle finger.
"Asshole..." I mumbled, picking up what I could.
"What are fucking prick." Dakota states, glaring at him when he walked by.
I glanced over to Ayden-- whose hands were balled into fists. I could tell he wanted to say something to him but decided against it.
"I'll walk you to class, Ez."
*** Music class
During the next class, Mr. Erickson gave everyone time to practice their skills, giving helpful tips and techniques to help us improve.
"Try not to get discouraged or compare yourself to others. Everybody learns differently and at their own pace."
He passes out a packet of sheet music to everyone before continuing. "I want you all to look through and find a song that speaks to you. Whatever song you decide to learn will be your project for the next two months. If you do not complete this by the assigned date, you will receive a zero." He clears his throat. "That being said, the rest of the time is yours."
Looking at the packet, I flip through the pages. Unexpectedly, I hear a quiet voice coming from in front of me.
"I've heard you play before.. you're really good."
A girl with pink and black dyed hair stands in front of me with her hands inside her pockets. She had a unique style which I couldn't help but notice.
"...I-I really appreciate that, thank you." I answer bashfully.
I've never been used to compliments, so it always made me shy or embarrassed when someone did, especially at random.
"I'm Skyler." She does a quick hair flip, getting her bangs out of her eyes. "Eziekiel, right? Would you... maybe want to be friends?"
I nodded approvingly. "Totally!"
We hung out for the rest of the period and practiced. I was amazed to find out she was a drummer-- and a good one at that. Not to mention, she was also a skater, which I also found astonishing.
"You're really cool, Skyler! I know my friends would think the same." I complimented as we walked out of the classroom together.
*** Math
Ugh. My least favorite subject.
Mrs. Dobson was nice enough, but let's be real, nobody likes math-- or Phoenix-- who just so happened to be in the same period.
I made my way towards my seat, trying not to make eye contact with him. Luckily for me, his seat was far across the room. The tension, however, couldn't be avoided.
It was hard to focus on the lesson, of course, which made the hour drag on. Phoenix would glare at me from across the room from time to time, which would make me instinctively roll my eyes.
"See you all tomorrow! With completed homework, I hope!" I admired her enthusiastic attitude-- even if most of the class would probably return empty-handed.
I quickly left in hope to avoid contact with-- you know who.
*** Home
When I got home, my mom immediately started making dinner. I headed up towards my room and sprawled across my bed.
After I finished eating, I started working on my homework, which took me a good hour and a half. Once I had completed it, I had some free time to spare, so I decided to go through the sheet music packet that I previously received in class.
All of a sudden, my phone dings. I looked over to see Ayden had texted me.
A: Hey Ez, there's that new school year party at the football field on Friday night, I was wondering if you'd want to go? :)
A party? Maybe that could be fun.
E: Sure! Sounds like fun :D
*Ayden liked your message*
A:cool.
I smiled at his text and blushed a little thinking about it. Even if it was just a school party, he made things way more enjoyable.
Shortly after I decided to head to sleep.
*** Dreaming
I make my way through the crowd of people. Their faces are all a blur. I can feel my chest tightening as I struggle to breathe. I'm searching, looking, wanting-- no. Yearning. I can finally see Ayden's face, but as I try to make my way towards him, he keeps moving further and further away. A pair of burly arms wrap around my waist, holding me back.
"He doesn't want you. He never will." His voice sends a jolt through me. There's nothing I can say but, "I know.."