Metronome (FOB FanFic ft. Tyler Joseph)

Chapter 6

Patrick began to clap his hands slowly and I swallowed hard, unsure of how I did, unsure if this was going to be the last time I would be sitting in this classroom, at this piano, with Patrick harshly critiquing me. "I'm impressed, Evelyn. I'm really impressed."

My eyes grew wide as I dropped my hands into my lap, "Really?"

"You rushed a few times but, other than that, I really am impressed." He walked over to his desk and pulled open one of the drawers. "You really did learn all those scales."

"Y-Yeah!" I stuttered, failing to hide my surprise in his reaction. I looked back at him and watched as he pulled something out.

He closed the drawer with his hip and walked over to me, "Do you know what this is?" He showed me the device in his hands. I shook my head no. "It's a metronome," He told me, setting it down on the piano, "Do you know what a metronome does?"

"No, but I have a good feeling you're going to tell me," I grinned widely at him.

"Well now I don't know if I should," The corner of his lip curled up into a smirk.

I just stared at him, waiting for him to tell me. I knew he wanted to.

Patrick heaved a sigh, his smile fading, and pulled back the pendulum, releasing the metal rod. It began to swing side to side. "A metronome produces regular, metrical ticks and helps keep a steady tempo as you play. So can you guess what I'm going to ask you to do next?"

"Uh...play all the scales again but this time at the same tempo?"

"Oh good, you're not stupid," He jeered, "You're just deaf."

"Like you're not mean, you're just an asshole." His face dropped and I punched him playfully in the shoulder, "Lighten up, Patrick. This will be a lot more fun if you stop acting like you have a stick up your ass."

"This isn't supposed to be fun."

"But it can be..." I nudged him.

He shook his head, "Stop wasting my time and just play the scales again, would you?"

I exhaled softly in surrender and placed my hands in their designated spots, looking up at Patrick who was pacing back and forth. His steps were in sync with the ticks coming from the metronome propped up on the grand piano.

There had to be a reason - other than the band calling it quits - as to why he was so angry, why he couldn't have fun or be happy, even for a moment. There just had to be.

He turned around and faced me, his eyebrows furrowed together, "Are you going to play or just sit there, looking pretty?"

I clenched my jaw, refraining from insulting him back, and began to play the scales that had embedded themselves into my head, doing my best to stay in time with the metronome.

*****

I pressed the last key and reached up to the metronome, stopping it.

Patrick stood behind me, his arms folded over his chest, and nodded his head, "Not bad."

I glanced back up at him, "Was it good?"

"I wouldn't say that," He walked away from me, going over to his desk and writing something down on a scrap piece of paper, "You're getting better, Evelyn - I'll give you that - but you still sound like a three year old when you sit them down at a piano and let them hit the keys mindlessly."

I looked over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was time for his next class to start. I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder, just as he made his way over to the classroom door and attached the piece of paper to the window, closing the door behind him and locking it.

He spun back around, a confused look appearing on his face. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home," I replied, walking up to him and the door, "You have a class, don't you?"

"Not today," The former singer retorted, pushing me back, "Today's an...extended lesson. Yeah, let's call it that. And..." He grabbed the strap of my backpack and ripped it off my shoulder, holding the bag out before dropping it. "...no leaving until class is over. One of my rules."

"But I-"

He put his finger up to my lips, looking me directly in the eyes. "Do you want me to teach you or not?"

I swatted his finger away, glaring at him, "I already told you yes a thousand times. Why do you keep asking me?"

"I'm just making sure," He answered calmly, brushing past me and sitting down at the piano for himself, "Anyways, now that you know the major scales, it's time to learn the minor scales."

I groaned, "There's more?"

He glanced over at me, the corner of his lips curled up into a smirk.