XPLR | Colby Brock

~52~

Thank you all for your words of support! My messages on wattpad is like rekt, so I'm sorry that I don't respond, but I read them all!

I went through the whole day, and it felt odd. It was the same day I would live before I met Colby.

If Colby were home he'd invite me to lunch, maybe even convince me to skip class, but since he isn't home I skipped lunch, going to the practice rooms instead. If Elena didn't have classes to go through, I would invite her to go eat with me... but she always had something to do or someone to see.

I was walking to my car to go home, god it's so hot today, and I already missed Colby, when my phone rang. An unknown number, but I was curious so I answered. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey," Katrina said, I recognized her voice. "Oh, hey," I said as I turned the key in the ignition to get the air conditioner going. "Are you free today?" She asked, and I could hear her moving around in the background.

"Yeah, I think so. What's up?" I asked as I put my phone on speaker and pulled out of my parking spot. "Remember when I said we should do a song together?" She asked.

Right, at the beach. She said she wanted us to do a song together, me play piano and her sing. "You think you can come over here, spend a few hours practicing then record? It'll go up on YouTube, Instagram too."

I had nothing better to do. I'll give Elena a text telling her where I am and that I'll be home tonight, and I could do whatever I wanted from there. Elena would get freaked out just like she did when I spent the first night with Colby. Though that night I don't think was that worried, since Hayden's shirt is still in Elena's room.

Hayden. I haven't thought or even talked to Hayden in a few months. I wonder how he's doing? Last time I saw him we were both locked up in a prison cell. He'd gotten in a fight at a bar, said he was there because he was trying to drink away the pain of losing Elena.

I hope she didn't just drunkenly sleep with my IMO him. That could destroy him.

"Yeah, I'm on my way to wherever you are. What song did you choose?" I asked. "The fans want to hear "Dying in LA" by Panic! At the Disco, you heard of it?"

Who hasn't.

"I love that song, sounds perfect. Send me your address and I'll be there soon," I said. Maybe me and Katrina could become good friends. Especially over the fact that Sam and Colby are gone on tour.

She texted me her address and I drove there. In the parking lot, I quickly texted Elena, Im at Katrina's, be home tonight.

I turned off my car and got out, shoving my phone in my back pocket and looking up at her apartment building. No need to be nervous, you're already friends with her.

I knocked on her door, putting my hands in my pockets. I could feel my heart racing as I waited for her to answer the door. Colby would be happy if Katrina and I became friends.

She opened the door with a wide smile. "Hey, good to see you, Rose. I hope I'm not asking you for too much. It's just that this song is a little complicated. And plus, ever since Colby posted that video of you playing piano at Coachella the fans have wanted to see you and I collab," she said as she let me in.

I didn't know he posted a video of me playing.

Honestly, even though I'm dating Colby, I don't watch his videos anymore than I used to. Which is pretty much never.

I mean, when I met them I had no idea who they were. I didn't understand why Elena was so excited to see them. I didn't know they were so popular either. To me, Colby Brock is another random explorer.

I haven't been urban exploring in so long. Maybe I could go with Elena, or Colby when he gets home.

I miss Colby.

"With a little practice I ought to have it down," I say with a chuckle. She smiled and led me to her keyboard. She went to get the sheet music while I fiddled with the buttons.

She handed it to me and I flipped thrift the music. Shouldn't be too hard. It might be for her, but I'm half way there to being classically trained, not to sound boastful.

Nobody knows you now, when you're dying in LA.

I've heard this song a few times, and it always made me want to quit piano but also never stop practicing.

I quietly tapped the keys to the music. She watched me for a moment. "Do you need a bit of practice by yourself or do you want to go from the beginning?" She asked me. "I can keep up, just go from the beginning," I said and smiled at her.

You couldn't escape it.

Drink of paradise.

They told you put your blood on ice.

You're not gonna make it.

Just as she sang those lyrics, I felt my hands stop, but I forced them to go again. Suddenly my eyes were reading the music and my hands were reacting, obeying, but my mind was completely elsewhere.

Dying in LA. Is that what I want?

I remember the rules I made for myself when I was fourteen, right after my mother died. My father's abuse got worse and all I had was piano.

1: Never Miss practice.

I didn't and don't want to end up dying as some 9 to 5 employee, a depressed parent no one will remember in fifty years.

No, I want to be America's greatest pianist.

And I decided I would never let anyone or anything get in my way. And with this concert coming up, I could get an offer to colleges. Good colleges. But that would take a few rounds of auditions.

I glanced up at Katrina, who was singing beautifully. She's probably got a lot of recognition being Sam's girlfriend.

I looked back at the music.

I don't want my success to come from who I'm with. Who I love, in time.

2: Relationships and boys won't now nor will ever matter. Music comes first.

I guess I already broke that rule. Though, if I had to decide between never being able to play music or never being with Colby, I'd pick never being with Colby. Music has always been there for me, and guys Change. I learned that when my mother died and my father became a monster.