XPLR | Colby Brock

~11~

I hug myself in my hoodie. Elena grinned at me as Elton and Colby had a conversation in the front while I plugged my ear buds in. I clicked my music on and looked out the window. It played for about a minute before Elena elbowed me in my ribs hard. I looked up at her and grabbed my side. "Ow!" I said a loud without thinking.

I looked up at Colby, who was looking back with me. I took one headphone out. "What?" I asked. "What are you listening to?" he asked. I immediately became embarrassed that I hadn't heard him the first time. "I... uh.." I stuttered, frozen from my fluster. Elena picked up my phone and looked at what I was listening to. "Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto... no 1?" Elena looked at me. "Number 1," I squeaked out.

"Isn't that classical?" Elton asked. "Yeah it is."

"What an interesting playlist," Colby said honestly. Elena pulled on ear bud out of my ear and put it in hers. "Is this the song you're always playing in your room?" 

"Yeah..." I say softly as I looked back out the window. "You sound just like the recording does!" she smiled wide and moved closer to me to listen. I smiled at that, "Don't sugar coat it, I have a lot to go."

"You play piano?" Colby asked. "Since I was young," I shrugged, "I'm trying to play professionally."

"That's really cool," he said as he turned around to face the front. "Thank you, there are cops everywhere down this road," Elton said. "Which is why I turned around."

"So why did you guys invite us?" Elena asked. Elton looked at me in the rear view mirror. "What do you mean?"

"Well usually exploring videos are shot with Sam and Corey, sometimes with Amanda too," she said. Elton shrugged. "Well, Corey refused, and Sam was busy. So Colby here insisted we shoot it today and bring both of you along."

Elena smiled wide. "You guys are too sweet," she said. "No, Colby is. I wouldn't figure you guys would want to come, so I wouldn't have asked."

"Why's that?" I chimed in. "This place is full of rats, and bugs, and-"

"Murderers," Colby laughed at his own joke. "That too, probably," Elton said nonchalantly.

"Well isn't this place like- super haunted?"

"You could say so. There's nothing confirmed though," Elton said, "I still brought the Ouija Board." He smirked at me through the rear view mirror.

"I'm still kind of surprised that you played," Elena said. "Really? Why?" I asked softly as I turned to her. "I didn't think you'd ever go through with it," she chuckled. "Well I did. And I don't regret it. One more thing off my bucket list," I laugh softly.

"If you hadn't played with me, no one would've," Elton said from the front seat, "I guess the guys seeing you play made them less nervous. Or it made them want to look brave in front of you," Elton grinned at Colby and Colby punched his arm. I laughed a little and put my ear bud in.

I don't think that was the reason Colby played.

Either way, I kept my eyes out the window as the "asylum" came into view.