i forgot the melody • 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙤𝙤𝙠

𝓲𝓯𝓽𝓶 VII

We sat there quietly. Usually, I'm not comfortable with silence but being with Jed makes up for it. I stroked my arms, trying to compose myself.

My gaze are directed to the other side of the room. I'm posing a poker face but on the insides, I'm puking rainbows and butterflies. I can't let him see that.

"Sorry."
He suddenly said, making my attention snap to him.

I tilted my head in confusion.
"For what?"

He looked at me. I envy how he can casually stare directly at me like it's nothing, while me, I'm dying.

"For letting you hear that drama."
He said with a low voice. I don't always get the chance to stare directly towards his eyes, but now that I do? I realized he's very readable. He's genuine with his emotions.

"No I understand, you can talk to me anytime about that."
He fell silent. Did I say something bad? I waved my hands on his face frantically. "I mean. That's, that's uhm if you're comfortable enough-"

"I love my band." He cut me off so I lend him my ears fully. He's very gentle with his words, like he's talking about something that is very dear to him.

"I love music, being on stage, singing. Mom said that will get me nowhere."

I gasped. I never got the chance to meet their parents. I know them by the face but since Ches and Jed lives in another house, I never got the chance to talk to them. Ches shrug them off whenever I try to ask so I respected it and never brought it up.

"She wants me to stop."
He said those words with a hiss. Like it's disgusting to say.

"She wants me to study abroad, leave everything behind."
I felt sympathy for Jed. To be forbidden to do the things you loved the most by your parents, hurts a lot. It's torturing.

"On the other side, I want to be with them." He sighed and brushed his air up. "But I don't want to live my life in regrets."

"In a few years from now, I don't know what will happen, I may be successful, I may be not. One thing's for sure, if I stay, if only I'd stay, I can look back to these memories fondly and have the strength to go on."

I teared up. So this is Jed, huh?
"W-why are you crying?"

I sniffed and roughly wiped my tears.
I'm ugly crying in front of my crush!
"Don't... Don't mind me."

He offered me a blue handkerchief. I accepted it, I bit my lip on the sudden contact of my hand to his and secretly tugged my hair.

"Is it too much information?"
He worriedly asked, his forehead etched with anxiousness.

"Is it?"

"I really just wanted to tell that."

"Then we're good."
I reassured him with a smile.

"Thank you, Lucia."
My face grew red. Can he notice? I palmed my face and looked away.

"I need to go, Jed, I'm uhh, bye!"
And as embarrassing as it gets. I ran away.

•••

A week passed. A week without Jed as well. They didn't have any scheduled gigs and we don't come across each other on the campus.

I didn't have the chance to barge in their house since the café I'm working at required me to overtime a lot these days.

It's Monday already, 8 o'clock in the morning when the speakers on the hallway announced that we should be on the gymnasium for a big announcement.

"What could it be?" I asked Chesca while we are on our way. She went into a thinking look.

"Probably an event? I don't really have an idea."

"Could it be about the finals?"

"Finals are still far, Luc."
I shrugged my shoulders.

Our gymnasium is huge. Another reason why most of athletic meets are conducted here.

"It smells like Salonpas." I commented. We are rarely in the gym. It's a new feeling to me, every time.

"There's Jeno!" She pointed towards the green bleachers. I shook my head seeing Chesca very excited. But Jeno being there means...

"Where's Jed?" Chesca asked the gang. I roamed my eyes and there's no Jed found.

"That guy's always missing, no big deal. He must be sleeping somewhere."
Luke swat the thought.

So I sat beside Finn in wonder, where could Jed be? I pouted, I thought I'm seeing him.

Suddenly Finn pinched my lips.
"You know you look like a duck when you're pouting, right?"

I glared at him and swat his hands away.
"You, alienated anime guy, how dare you?"

"Whatever you say, Daisy Duck."
My mouth parted. This Hemmington is getting on my nerves.

I was ready to fire back but the announcement started so I just sneered at him and gave him a warning gaze. He raised his hands like he's being arrested in return.

"Good morning, dear students."
There was a feint good morning, sir, greeted back by some freshmen and sophomores. Juniors and seniors couldn't care less.

"The annual field trip will be cancelled." Everyone groaned, our field trips are the best. We get to vote to wherever we want to come and not just some boring ass factories and museums. Now it's cancelled?

"Instead, we have a one-week long Summer Camp!" Camping? Some protested, some were neutral.

"It will be on the Mt. Grondi, and this won't be just any camping activity. We'd have bands, showdowns, games, and more! A week long!"

My ears perked up on the word 'bands'.

"You guys know about this?" Ches asked Jeno.

"Yep, we'd be performing every night."

Waaaaaah. GEUX every night? That's like a dream! And.. I'd get to see Jed for a week long?

"There will be different camps according to your destined color. White, Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Green. Later, you'll know your camp color plastered on the bulletin board."

"Ey man!"
I turned my gaze when I felt the familiar presence. Jed.

And if in the past, he won't even stare at me. Or even acknowledge my presence. This time..

"Hi Lucia."