Peach (gxg)

1

Each step I take causes the guitar cases slung across my back to softly rattle. The hinges, although slightly squeaky were comforting. It reminded me of how each movement affects the world.

Cause and effect, I suppose you'd call it.

I feel a smile creep across my face as I hear he stomping of my bandmate, Varus' blocky boots. For a drummer he sure didn't have a lot of rhythm when walking. He put a hand on my head and pulled my earphone out.

"Come one man, I only have one in!" I sigh, fumbling to grab it with one hand and put it back in. He laughs at me, as usual.

"Okay fine." he says, putting one of his own earbuds in.
"Hey, why're you here so early anyways?"

"Sister came early for an art project so I may as well have taken the ride, eh?"

"Fair enough." I say, suddenly becoming distracted. He doesn't seem to notice, tapping along the beat of his song, and I give him a wave as we head our separate ways.

At my locker, I noticed a blond girl sitting on top of one of the units swaying her legs and reading some young adult novel.
I sighed, noticing it was "extraordinary means." She looked up.

Oh god, she might've heard me.

Unlike 90% of our school, she wasn't wearing headphones before classes started. I unlocked my locker and chucked in my backpack. I gave her a cheeky smile as a walked away, trying to gauge her reaction- but she had already looked back down to her book. Wow.

Varus had finally made his way to me and nodded his head up as a greeting. I danced around him and he followed me to our usual morning hangout; the basketball courts. I sat on one of the metal benches and watched my friend Ruby shoot some goals while a pink haired girl observed from the sidelines, next to a goth. They giggled and I dragged my eyes back to my guitar case.

After some fiddling with the clasps, I opened it and hour came my bass guitar. Since I was there early, I would have time to practice a bass line I was stuck in. 'Hysteria' by Muse.

"Every, single, time I try this I eff it up in some way." I say, exasperated. Ruby walks to where I was sitting and fist bumps me.

"Just let it go then, man." She mutters, clearly too early in the morning to deal with me. A girl of few words, Ruby was the stereotypical 'strong silent type.' I nod, considering her advice when I see a less than desired figure heading towards us. A lanky pale guy with a loose tie and beanie on, Tyler. I rolled my eyes and greeted him as he plopped himself down next to us.

"Hey there ladies. What are we doing this morning?"

"Being easily pissed off," I say with a passive aggressive tone. He laughs at me and brushes it off. He turned his attention to Ruby, who was now stretching her calves.

"Rubes.. Anything happening with you?" He slyly remarks, a smirk growing on his mouth.

"No actually." She says stubbornly, focusing on her stretches. He nods, expecting her to respond like that.

"Sure, sure." he pauses. "Hey, you never ended up relying to my text on Friday..."

Ruby stands up straight now and grabs her water bottle from the side of her small backpack.

"I'm sure you can understand why, Ty." She smiles, taking a sip. He looked shocked and then his face calmed and he shrugged in agreement. She patted him on the shoulder and started walking off. Tyler sighed a little and relaxed into the seat. By this point I had already put my bass back in the case and started to stand up. He looked up and we made eye contact.

"Why doesn't she just give me a chance?" He asks me before I leave, only sounding partly upset.

"Man, you don't know the half of it." I reply, turning and walking away.

"What does that mean?" he yells after me, more confused than upset.

"Maybe she's just not into you!" I retort, a knowing smile flourishing across my face.