Falling Hard || The Music Freaks || Lander

Chapter Four: Falling In Love

There was a time when Zander had felt lost. Lost and broken. He felt like a piece of paper - getting crumpled up and tossed around by others. And when a piece of paper gets damaged so much, it rips.

"What a nerd!"

"I know, right! Who listens to Mozart these days!"

Laughter filled Zander's ears. He tried to close them out by covering his ears, but it didn't do anything to prevent the stabbing thoughts in his mind.

Idiot.

Weirdo.

Geek.

Dweeb.

"Honestly, who would want to be friends with the freak?" he heard someone giggle.

Freak.... Freak... Freak...

The word echoed in his head. Why did they hate him so much? Just for liking music...

"HEY!" A voice behind him made the kids surrounding him jump. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Zander turned to see Luke. He looked furious, with his tightly clenched fists and bared teeth. A shadow fell over his face.

"Leave him alone. and Don't. Touch. Him. Again."

Zander was surprised to see how low his voice went for such a young boy. It carried more anger than he ever thought it could. And something about his smile seemed a bit unsettling...

The other kids must've thought the same thing, because they squealed and fled from the two. The shadow disappeared from Luke's face, and his regular bright smile was back.

"Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?" He asked, kneeling beside Zander.

"No... they just threw insults... called me names... that sort of stuff," Zander mumbled. "Thanks for helping me."

"Anything for a friend," said Luke. He frowned at Zander's face. "What's on your mind?"

"Why do they hate me so much?" Zander cried. The words tumbled out like a waterfall. "Just because I like music... They like music too! I've seen them with their earbuds, listening to some sort of pop!"

"They're just idiots who can't appreciate actual music," said Luke. "The songs you play are ten times better than whatever they listen to."

"Pieces," Zander corrected him, smiling.

Luke laughed. "Right. Pieces."

It was only lucky Luke had been there for him. His piece of paper seemed to suddenly smooth out and glue itself back together.

Zander couldn't explain the feeling when he was around him. The rainiest of days seemed to brighten whenever he walked in the room. He was so easy to talk to, and his smile seemed to light up the whole world.

If only Luke were here this time. The clock ticked slowly on the west wall, an open window on the other side. The hospital smell was everywhere. Zander, held Luke's left hand in both of his own, feeling as if his paper today was beyond repair.

Seeing Luke lying on the bed, cold and unmoving... lt felt so alien. Zander was looking out the window to avoid staring at the still figure on the hospital bed. His eyes were closed, looking peaceful as if he were sleeping.

"Zander? Are you done? Mum says we have to go in five minutes," Hailey poked her head in the room.

"Already?" he cried.