Lost in the Rhythm

Willow Commits Several Traffic Violations

When the band was dismissed, Luz made her way to her locker. Even as she put her horn away, she could still feel Amity's fiery gaze smoldering on her skin.

"Hey, Glandus. So what was all that about?"

Zipping her case shut, Luz shoved the instrument into the locker she'd be assigned that morning and turned to see who'd spoken. Standing behind her were two of the kids who had soloed. She recognized Willow the clarinetist and Gus the percussionist. She remembered their solos- neither of them had been half bad.

Willow pushed her round glasses up her nose as she waited for Luz's reply. She was a stocky, athletic-looking girl with a shock of short black hair and a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Gus was tiny- Luz guessed he was a  freshman or a sophomore- and he clicked his drumsticks together as the silence dragged on.

She shook herself out of her stupor. She hadn't expected anyone to approach her with such relative friendliness, but she supposed her standards weren't very high. "What was what all about?"

"Amity. You two were bickering like an old married couple just then." Willow chuckled.

"You should have seen her glaring at you during your solo," Gus added.

"If looks could kill, you'd have been dead in first period."

"I'd have been dead before first period." Luz's mind drifted back to the Student Services office that morning. "I asked her to show me to the band room this morning. Shame you couldn't have seen it. She was about to totally blow up."

Willow shrugged. "Nah, everyone gets struck with the Ami-mosity every once in a while. I've never seen anyone get on her bad side so quickly, though. You must be special."

Ami-mosity? She flushed. "Yeah. Special."

A spark lit in Willow's dark gaze. "Oh, so it's like that," she said slyly. "I see how this is."

"I just met you," Luz said defensively. "You're not allowed to tease me yet."

Willow held out her hand. "Okay, then. Let's declare this an allyship, shall we? You hang out with us and keep us company, and we'll help you get your dream girl. Fair trade, I'd say."

"Amity is not my dream girl. She is literally the last person I would ever date."

"Who ever said I was talking about Amity?"

Luz stared at her, slack-jawed. Gus giggled. "Good one, Willow," he cackled.

Luz huffed and looked away. She'd never admit in a million years, but... the thought of dating Amity had crossed her mind today, but only a couple times. It was stupid, anyway, since they'd only known each other for a day. One could say that... from certain angles... Amity was pretty, but that's about all she had going for her. Luz hated her snarky attitude, and what a good musician she was, and the way she revealed her especially-sharp canines when she smirked... 

Willow snapped her fingers in front of Luz's face. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone home?"

Squawking, Luz dragged herself out of her thoughts. "Yes!"

"Gus and I had an idea," she said. A grin spread across her face. "Are you free this afternoon?"

"You mean like, right now?"

"Yes, right now. Are you free? You want to fuck with Amity, I've got an excellent way for you to fuck with Amity. You won't regret it- I promise."

It would be easy to lie. Luz wasn't very sure she wanted to be roped into whatever Willow and Gus were planning, but... did she really want to spend the rest of alone at her apartment? Her mom wouldn't be home until after dinner, anyway.