As The World Falls Down

Can I make you a playlist too?

Robbe didn't see Sander anywhere at all the next day. In the afternoon, he got a message from him. It was a playlist with a caption: Tell me how you like it later. He was hanging out with the boys in the skatepark, they were talking about girls they saw in the last party that he didn't go to. Moyo was teasing Aaron about Amber that he was obsessing over with, hadn't been able to talk to in one complete, normal sentence. Smiling, Robbe hurriedly put on his headphones and started to listen to the first song: Moonage Daydream, the electronic guitar chords rolled into his ears. Hm, interesting lyric, felt multilayered. He wondered if it would look weird to ask where he was during school yesterday, probably. This sounded like someone's fantasy of sciencefiction, of space slash se— Robbe blushed, because his head was suddenly filled with thoughts that was inappropiate at daylight in the middle of a park, where you are sitting with your friends. Is this intentional? Robbe shook away the hilarity of that thought, because really, Sander? Definitely no. Jesus, why am I reading too much into it? What a dirty mind you have Robbe IJzermans. He ran his hands over his face, rubbing away his private embarrassment. Robbe wanted to get back home so that he could listen peacefully in his room.

He stood up, "I gotta go, guys."

"What? Something happen?" Jens asked.

"No, no, nothing. Got to, eh, finish the essay for english."

"Shit, is it due tomorrow?" Aaron asked, wide-eyes panic.

"Well, Thursday I think." Robbe answered.

"Oh." Aaron exhaled in relief, even though it was only two days from now.

"Very studious of you, huh, Robbe?" Jens asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

Robbe just gave a sarcastic 'haha' in his attempt to evade the topic. He grabbed his skateboard and did their usual bro handshakes.

"Hey, how about that idea for our vlog?" Moyo shout when he was walking away.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay with whatever, just tell me when." Robbe shout without looking back. He was already listening to the next song: Sound and Vision.

*

The next day after school when he was walking through the yard, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Robbe turned around and a smile split his face spontaneously.

"Hey." Sander grinned.

"Hey. Where have you been?"

"Here and there," Sander said offhandedly.

"Hiding from the fans, huh?" Robbe smiled teasingly, probing for less vague answer.

Smirking, Sander replied, "Does that include you?"

Robbe's cheeks redden. Sander laughed, then he winced, "Yeah, I am trying to lay low."

Robbe giggled, "You are doing a bad job at that." How he thought someone as striking as him, with that hair, that clothes could avoid attention was beyond him.

Laughing, he asked, "Where do you eat? You have an invisibility cloak or something?"

Sander grinned, "Maybe I am a vampire who doesn't need food."

"A vampire who ate sandwich like he had never eaten one before." Robbe mimed an exaggerated reproduction of Sander's way of eating ravenously.

Sander was of course too cool for such a thing as embarrasment, he laughed aloud. "You know there are other places here right? I don't have to eat in the canteen, too noisy."

What a funny remark from someone who listens to rock songs.

"Like where?"

Sander gave him an amused smile, but he didn't answer.