The Colour Within

Chapter 4

Taylor

I get off the bus and say goodbye to Robyn, it's strange really, she looks so familiar yet I'm sure I've never seen her before- oh well.

She runs off to the school, and I walk slowly behind when someone taps on my shoulder. Before spinning on my foot, I look at the raven haired girl one more time and sigh.
"Hey Tay!" It's Alec, a tall child with a mop of golden hair. Grinning at him, I sling my arm around his shoulder and we walk, and I run slightly to keep up with his strides.

"What's new with you mate?" I ask, smacking him in the face as I laugh. He grimaces and then puts his arm around my shoulder and hits me on the nose laughing.

"Not much, you?"

"Eh, could be better, could be worse hehe."

"Who was that child you were talking to earlier?"

"Robyn," I pause to scruff up his hair. "She's a potterhead." At this, Alec squeals slightly, squishing me in the process. I wince and he lets me go, grasping my shoulders and looking directly into my eyes.

"Quick, what's her house?"

"Like hell I'm gonna know," I push him back playfully. "I've only just met her mate-" Alec's giving me a look, and a weird one at that. Shoving him again, I giggle, "Nani?"
"Oh it's just you," he grins, " you and pretty girls," he points at my now red cheeks and I punch him in the arm.
"Oof, abuse much?" He pouts and the bell rings, yelling at us to get to class. We wave farewell, and I start walking to my first lesson- music.

See music should be fun, but substitute lessons can be a bit of a drag. I sigh as the old man at the front of the class yabbers on about how we should be more respectful and all the other crap that older gens say about gen z.

Turning my chair, I plug my headphones in and start playing melody on the piano. Energy ripples through my fingers as they gracefully dance upon the piano keys. Right now, it's just me, the keyboard, and this song weaving patterns of notes in my head.

All too soon, I receive a not so light tap on the shoulder from the person next to me- Alice. I pull out one of my ear phones and she points to the board, which now has the crappy work we should of had ages ago. Groaning, I pull out my book, answering the questions as quickly as I dare. The final task says to compose a song as homework, lyrical or simply instrumental. Cool.

Into my bag I shove my workbook, yanking out my songbook instead- bold of you to assume I was just gonna write this stuff straight outta my head. I flick through the songs, the homework didn't really specify the genre and I've still got another half hour of the lesson to kill. I'm still tossing pages when this one piece catches my eye. It's not even close to finished but the lyrics seem to hold me in place:

'hold me in your frozen clutch,
Say you love me but we've both run out of luck'

With the words still fresh in my mind, I start to find a tune, a melody, a heartbeat to the verse. My fingers glide across the keyboard, hitting a stray note every now and again but still carefully plotting out how the rest of the song shall go. I write down the remaining notes in my book and smile. Now all I need is some more lyrics and this bish is done!

The bell sounds and the students seem to flood into the corridors. I take my time, slinging my bag gingerly around my shoulder before checking my timetable for whatever I have next. Oof- History...ughhhhh...

Just watch I die slowly.

The corridor swims with people laughing and smiling left, right, and center. It's kinda beautiful. Carefully, I pull out my camera, focusing it on the scene before me. Perfect.

Grinning, I spot Alec chatting with Azura and Jada, laughing about something or other. "Wazzaaaapppp?!!!" I slur, throwing a click and finger guns at them.
"Wazzaaaapppp??!!!" They reply, mimicking me before laughing.
"Not much, whatta 'bout you?" Luana asks, flicking a pen in and out of her fingers.
"Just got out of music," I pause and smack Alec on the back of his head laughing.
"Oof! What was that for?" He yelps, making to hit me back. I side step, causing him to hit Alice. She frowns and says quietly "....the fuck did I do...???"
"Nothing, but Alec was staring again," I point not-so-subtly at a red haired boy sitting across the room.
"Ooooohhh saucy!"
"Weasley....really???"
"Guys shush and stop staring before he sees us!" Alec ushers us away into the stair well while the rest of us are giggling like maniacs.

"Wtf is wrong with you guys!" I turn briefly to see Archie chuckling as he stalks over to us. Lanky child.
"We're dying!" Alec drops dramatically on his knees, "dying I tell you, dying!"

And cue another laughing fit.

It feels all too soon when the bell rings and I'm dragged into History. As I sit down, I start peeling away at reality, sketching a whole new world in my spare book. Sometimes it scares me just what a biro can do but eh, it works right?

Lines dart across the page, highlights and shadows revealing a new realm covered in blue flowers. Sapphire trees stretch the sky, framing the image. In the center of the peice is a stone arch, vines tangling around and around it, weaving a maze along it. Beams of light hold up cobalt clouds and-
"Taylor do you want to fail this class?!" My head snaps up to face a snarling Mr Tacheto.
I apologise and tuck the drawing under my book. He seems satisfied with this and continues droning on with his boring ass lesson. Internally groaning, I start writing out some of the answers and time seems to dissappear slowly.

After an eternity, it's finally lunch. We file out of the class calmly, only to break loose running to the lunch hall; not gonna lie, it's like the hunger games. Running to get into the line, to get the good stuff, that prime food: the crème de la crème. Thankfully, I bring my own lunch cause damn I would not want to be in there.

Across the battlefield, I spot Azura and drift silently over to her, careful not to step on any stray food.
"How y'a doing my guy" she says by way of greeting.
I shrug, "not too bad, just got out of history, what about you?"
"Geo, " she pauses to survey the next flood of students being released from class late, grimacing as a bit of mash potato lands dead center in her chest.
"Rip mate," I laugh while pulling out an apple from my bag. Azura frowns at me, wiping away the mash with some tissue.
"Heyyo wazzap?" Alec sits down across from me and Azura with Jada.
"Eh, not much," I reply. "Azura got Jagaimoed™."
"Lmaooooooo," says Jada whilst Alec chuckles.

As lunch carries on, I zone out, munching on my apples and staring into space. Eventually, I join back in the conversations and we have a good ol' laugh. Before we know it it's all over and we have to go to class.

You know, for a final class of the day, arts pretty good. Perfect for my brain to yeet away into the astral plain and watch time pass.

Everything else in the day passes in a colourful blur right up until I get home and flop onto my bed like the true potato I am.

Sometimes I wonder if there more to life than this but I guess I'll never know till I leave school. Yet I don't want to??? I don't know, the idea of having a stable job and still being able to muck around seems distant and almost impossible...