Buzzed Hearts

02: king on the field

"YOU'LL LOVE HIM," Jeremy says, as he chews on his onion rings.

    Elle scoffs and opens another packet of ketchup.

    "I don't know," Camila says.

    They're sitting outside a fast food joint, debating on whether they'd be friends with a guy on Jeremy's soccer team or not. There are burgers sitting in front of both Elle and Jeremy, but Camila brought her own veggie wrap.

    "Also, he's hot," he adds.

    "No inter-group mingling, though," Elle says, as she casts a look over at Camila.

    "Oh screw off, you two," she replies. "I wouldn't mingle with either of you."

    "But you have before..." they both comment.

    They're not wrong. Elle was her First French Kiss and Jeremy dated her for a while before he realized he didn't want to date anybody. Thus, what became was this ragtag trio, all the way to senior year.

    "Do you think Ms. Sutton's pregnant?" Elle asks.

    "Mr. Gould hittin' it good," Jeremy remarks, making Camila choke on her lemonade.

    "Is this why she keeps eating during class?" she asks.

    "Probably," Elle replies.

    "Guys, it's all speculation," Camila reminds them.

    "Shut up, you hypocrite. The other day you were spreading rumors about our principal," Jeremy says.

    "But there are news articles on the scandal," she defends herself.

    "Scandal?" Elle asks.

    "Mrs. Gavin used to principal at a school where this teacher screwed another student," Jeremy replies.

    Elle grimaces. "That's gross. Imagine this beer gut hitting your back each time—"

    "I believe the teacher was female? Low chance of a beer gut, if you ask me. Statutory rape at its finest," he cuts in.

    "I think the guy was over eighteen though," Camila says.

    Before Elle could speak up, Jeremy hushes them both and cups a hand over his mouth, shouting a name at someone across the street. Camila turns around in her seat to see a guy hanging by the school gate, trying to get a taxi. All she sees is a quick wave and a head of golden hair disappear into the cab.

    "He had his bag." Elle frowns. "Didn't know the captain of the soccer team was a ditcher."

    "Eh. Doesn't matter. He's Laurent King. King on the field but a dedicated slacker," he says. When he gives a quick glance to Camila, he adds, "I don't know if he's a king in bed."

    She scowls. "I wasn't wondering."

    Jeremy tips his chair back, tips the soda he has in his hand towards her, and says, "Oh, but you were."

    "The only Laurent I wonder about is Saint," Camila says, gives Elle a high five, and throws out their tables trash.

    It's only a Thursday, and Elle has class last period so Camila goes to the music shop with Jeremy. The one interest that brought them together in the first place was their adoration for music. It was a newfound joy, for thirteen-year-old Camila Bean to find another living person her age to breathe it the way that she did. Especially when he was as cute as Jeremy Yang. Their interests in their interest, was however, different but they overlapped on good days.

    "I need a new set," he says as he goes through the drumsticks. "My sister's dog keeps chewing on them."

    "Isn't Bucky also your dog? Like, your family dog?"

    "I don't recognize things that destroy my property, Camila."

    "It's okay. He can be my dog."

    "Whatever," Jeremy says, and beats out a rhythm on her back as she looks at some scales books.

    The music shop downtown is her favorite, but it exclusively sells thick volumes of all her preferred composers and Jeremy would never set foot there so she goes alone once a month on Saturdays. It takes her approximately three weeks to blow through twenty-one nocturnes, and four weeks to polish off seven sonatas. And she remembers all the songs she's ever played.

    Camila especially can't forget the ones she's played at thirteen. Especially Beethoven's Sonata No. 8, or Chopin's Nocturne No. 13. Or Debussy's Plus que lente. They've become crowd-pleasers, and the only melodies her fingers have committed to their graves.

    "Do you think Roma's pretty?" Camila asks.

    "Whoa. What a loaded question," Jeremy says.

    "She is, though. Alternate name for goddess of prosperity."

    "I wonder what it's like to like everybody around you," Jeremy says.

    "It's beautiful. You're beautiful. For, I mean, you."

    "Thanks," he rolls his eyes as he buys his drumsticks.

    They head over to the supermarket after, so that she can buy food for her rabbit, and then she drops off Jeremy at the school gates so he can go to his soccer practice.

    Just as he signs in, he asks, "You don't want to come watch?"

    "I need to go to the conservatory today," Camila replies. "Also, practice is boring."

    "Whatever."