I Pull My Hat Down Low (OC Ver.)

A New Form Of New

A pioneer who cast himself into his destiny—5 

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Say, Eric. Do you remember how we met?

You used to make fun of me when I would call it destiny, but that really is what it was, you know? Everything that happened afterwards was all us, but you have to admit. 

That first meeting, that first chance—that was truly a miracle.

It was December.

Jesse's train screeched to a stop at the platform too early in the morning for his bleary, sleep-heavy eyes. The sun was still dipped beneath the horizon, the crisp cold of the morning frost on tree leaves were shaken to the ground by the weight of chirping birds, the people in his small town beginning to stir in their beds and peek out the window to study the sky and glance at the few cars on the streets.

Jesse had only drifted off to sleep a few hours ago, unable to sleep due to his excitement, but he had asked Barry to remind Jun to remind Sean to give him a wake-up video call, and—RING!!— as promised, Jesse was jolted awake at precisely unholy o'clock, his whole body suddenly jerking out of bed and onto the floor before Sean had even finished bellowing, "Get up, you sloth!"

A loud thud.

A painful smack as Jesse collided with the door frame.

The telling "fshhh" of running water.

Soon followed by a cry of dismay as he found it ice cold.

When Sean checked in again a good half hour later, he was—albeit reluctantly and not without much struggle—washed and dressed, but had promptly become a puddle of nervous sweat, pacing furiously about his room whilst practicing his NYC accent.

"New York isn't a foreign country," Sean piped up, seemingly amused at the fact that Jesse was having a mini-meltdown. "You don't need to speak with an accent, you mouse. And please don't tell me you're planning on dressing as an animal on your first day."

Jesse tugged apprehensively at his leopard print tank top, blinking owlishly at his laptop camera. "But I thought it looked kinda cool?"

Sean shot him a look that told him all he needed to know and, sighing in defeat, Jesse began to pull the shirt over his head.

"That's better," Sean nodded, after Jesse had changed into a significantly more rational choice of clothing. "Geez, you're still such a child." Looking away from the camera, he mumbled, almost to himself: "So cute."

Fireworks exploded in Jesse's chest at the faint compliment. He bit at the side of his thumb bashfully, a bad habit he had developed that helped hide his grinning face when he was too delighted to show it.

"Wait until I get to New York, Sean," he promised earnestly. "I've grown up a ton, you'll see."

There wasn't much to say about Jesse Scarlette at nineteen years old, or at least, nothing that wasn't obvious at first glance. He was clumsy, lanky, and jumpy. He dragged around this big guitar case that kept smacking into tables and getting caught in doors of all kinds and he couldn't help but fawn over stray cats that wanted nothing to do with him. His friends called him a wide-open book. The kind with tons of pictures. 

Those friends worried for him.

Jesse had dreamt of moving to New York for so long, fantasizing about Barry, Jun, and Sean, the people he loved the most, being there to send him off with sad smiles and high hopes. Unfortunately, the real thing didn't quite live up to his imagination. The 3 having left for the big city a year ago, promises of being together again soon on their lips, Jesse was once again left alone and anxious, accompanied only by rushed texts wishing him good luck and the occasional video call from Sean or Barry in between breaks.

So, that left him with his loving grandma, who pushed his hair from his eyes and wiped his face before he had to be ushered onto the train. She fretfully patted at his clothes, tugging them this way and that as if he were a child about to start his first day of 2nd grade, leaving Jesse to fidget under her fussing. "Worry about the important things, dear," she reminded him sternly. "The big cities will tear up small town boys like you. Don't assume that all people are as kind as you are."

"Big city or not, people are still people, grandma" Jesse said, laugh-sobbing a bit as she handed him a large bag of his favorite bagels for the trip. "New York isn't a foreign country," he soothed, echoing what Sean had commented before, "I'll need to catch up with the guys as quickly as I can, you know?" His grandma smiled at this, nodding her understanding.

"Love you, grandma," Jesse said, slowly backing towards the train as people began to file on. She smiled tearfully and waved in return, calling to him, "Make sure to toughen up that big, softie heart of yours, okay? Now shoo, you'll miss your train."

Maybe the reason Jesse was so eager to get to NYC was because he felt nothing much tying him to his little hometown anymore, now that his best friends had left. "New York, New York" had been the song on Jesse's lips since Sean first left for NYC, breaking up their tightly-knit group of four, taking Jesse's heart with him.

When Barry and Jun left not long after for NYU (you know, he never really understood how his friends got all the functioning brain cells), he could hardly hold himself back from moving there with them just so he wouldn't be alone. But soon enough, he found a way there himself. Almost three years, four jobs, and a 360p virtual audition later, he was accepted by a small entertainment agency as a band trainee. His audition left the critical panel of judges staring in disbelief, first at his unruly clothes, then, more appreciatively, at his singing.

After that, it was only a matter of getting a one-way ticket to New York; all his things had been packed away and best friend-approved a long time ago.

"Be safe, Eric!"

Turning his head towards the voice, Jesse spotted another young man that was being bid farewell by what looked like his sister. He wore the most casual and relaxed expression on his face, reminding Jesse so much of a lounging cat that he didn't notice as the stranger—Eric—turned his head towards him and caught his eye.

Suddenly, a quick smile was being flashed in Jesse's direction and all he could do was flounder. Just as quickly, though, before Jesse could so much as lift his hand to wave, Eric diverted his gaze. Pulling his hat down low, he took a sudden interest in a mystery crack on his phone and Jesse reddened to the neck in mortification. He hurriedly stumbled onto the train, shaking off the strange moment as he inhaled deeply with renewed confidence and hyped himself up.

He was finally going to New York.

He was finally going to follow his dreams.