To String Together ( Huaze Lei )

Memory

*A picture of me 🙈 My parents gave me a cello for Christmas 🥺🥰*

Faye Calinao

The sound of my violin made my heart swoon at the particular part I was playing. I've been rehearsing this solo piece for weeks now and the difference from the first day I rehearsed to now was magnificent. I smiled slightly to myself as I continued to play. There was my bow hold; I felt a comfortable balance between the strings and my movement. My left hand held my violin and my fingers hovered against the strings playing each note gracefully. My eyes closed as I played the passage I have worked weeks on to memorize.

It was the disruption of the classroom door opening, my connection to the piece disconnected and I fluttering my eyes open. I stopped playing and brought my violin down. Coming through the door I was thinking it was Ximen coming here from his last class. Instead, I saw his best friend... Daoming Si. My heart escalated and the usual fear of the sight of him made me take a step back.

"D-Daoming S-si," I spoke quietly. He smirked and let out a look of satisfaction. That I continued to stutter. He always made remarks on my stuttering. I've always felt uncomfortable and intimidated by what he will do. Today, he found me in the music room, alone. He closed the door behind him and pressed my lips together tightly hoping today's humiliation isn't bad. Once he turned around he smiled at me and I shudder feeling my bow hand begin to shake in fear. My fear was already coursed through me.

"I could hear your awful playing from down the hall," He retorted. "How does Ximen ever stand you practicing? You're terrible at it. My friend Lei can play way better than you." My eyes lowered. Today I attempted to make conversation with Lei. He did not seem to be in a very good mood with me, because I accidently knocked the music off the stand while we were doing a dress rehearsal where our teacher was examining us. I had to scramble to the ground to pick the pieces up and put it to the current place we were performing. After that performance I tried to apologize, but he stood from his seat and walked away from me after he had snached the music off the stands. "I heard you messed up Lei's solo earlier at rehearsal," Daoming Si laughed. "How could you ever be his stand partner? You're not even good. You should be demoted for ruining his performance. Imagine if you had done that at the concert."

"I-I d-did not m-mean to," I spoke lightly. "It w-was an accident." Daoming Si walked towards me and I backed up immediately until I hit the piano. I flinched at the sharp pain of the edge striking my back.

"No one messes with my friends even if it was an accident," He said coldly and he grabbed my violin out of my hand. My eyes widened and I felt my heart beating feeling as if any moment it will pop out. Not my violin. Please not this one.

"Daoming Si," I pleaded, afraid of what he could do with the one thing my mom gifted me from a very young age. "P-please be careful," I spoke and tried to take a step towards him and he backed away taking a look at the violin.

"You weren't so careful earlier during Lei's solo." He caressed the violin for a moment before raising my violin above his head. I gasped taking a step towards him and he aggressively pushed me making me fall onto my side, crushing my bow in the process. A gasp escaped from my lips from the hard impact and I whipped my head to look at Daoming Si who was glaring. I sat up and noticed the wooden part of my bow was split.

Holding the violin above his head, I did not dare to try and take my violin away. It all happened so suddenly once he let go and I watched as my violin dropped and crashed onto the ground. My heart ached and raced all at once as it became hard to breathe. The sound I never wanted to hear, I heard as the violin made this clattering should. The bridge collapsed and the strings violently made a disruptive sound.