Pushing my fingers down on the keyboard, I scanned the crowd watching. There were loads of them; students, teachers and parents standing with small smiles and swaying to the song. You can’t blame them really. Tyler’s voice was velvety and smooth; anyone hearing it would swoon, and they were. I sent a smile of my own towards the audience.
It was the day. West Gloves High School’s last day of existence. We were beyond the limitation of bankruptcy and the school’s Principal was relocating with her family to England anyways. For everyone, it was a sad day. I mean, how can it not be? Most teachers had been educating here for most of their teaching career and more than half of us students had been attending this school since kindergarten, which is why we’re celebrating our last day with the school open to public for the people willing to come see us perform for the last time here in WGHS.
With a quick glance, I looked at Stella. She and Tyler had been known to be love interests since summer and even though it hurts, I wished them both the best. There was nothing else to be done to allow me into Ty’s heart anyway. The guy rejected me last year for heaven’s sakes.
Tyler’s singing voice brought me back from my thought. We – me and the class, decided to perform ‘It Will Rain’ by Bruno Mars ever since we heard Ty voicing the song last month and they had convinced me to play the piano for the song. I knew I was going to kill myself playing the song for him when he was singing it to his ‘beloved’, that was why I had rejected their offer at first but then I realized, just ‘cause I was hurting doesn’t mean the whole class had to be dragged down. So I agreed at the end, which brings us back to the event at hand. Tyler and I were the only students performing music on school ground given that the others all wanted to do something else ‘special’. Attention whores.
However the other reason why I chose to perform with him was because I wanted to hear him sing for the last time. His voice was like a drug addiction on me, it was insane; the way he could bring the song to such a high level of emotion and melody. I just wished the emotion part was directed to me instead of Stella. An aching sensation rang through my chest as I let out a depressing sigh.
‘If you ever leave me, baby,
Leave some morphine at my door
'Cause it would take a whole lot of medication
To realize what we used to have,
We don't have it anymore.
There's no religion that could save me
No matter how long my knees are on the floor
So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'
To keep you by my side
To keep you from walkin' out the door.
'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby
Just like the clouds
My eyes will do the same, if you walk away
Everyday it'll rain, rain, ra-a-a-ain’
He was singing everything to a perfection of imperfects, if it makes sense. Even with the rough hitting pitches, Tyler’s voice still sung perfectly to each melodies and notes. To be frank, the mistakes he made by singing too rough was actually adding perfectly to his tones. I looked down at the school piano when I heard him singing the bridge. It was going to kill me witnessing each words coming from his mouth, shooting to Stella.
I continued strolling through the keyboard to the song while looking down. I certainly didn’t want my heart to ache on this day.
‘Oh, don't you say (don't you say) goodbye (goodbye),
Don't you say (don't you say) goodbye (goodbye)
I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding
If that'll make it right’
He was about to sing the last verse. The final piece, to someone he loved. A single tear trailed down my left cheek and fell down on my wrist.
'Cause there'll be no sunlight
If I lose you, baby’
Still, I kept playing.
‘There'll be no clear skies
If I lose you, baby
Just like the clouds’
I just wanted the song to end, so that I could finally cry out on the shoulder of my best friend and not try to hold the wail inside my chest.
‘My eyes will do the same, if you walk away
Everyday it'll rain, rain, ra-a-a-ain’
Tyler’s voice trailed off in the distance as the huge crowd cheered in delight. I rushed to erase any evidence of crying off my face and sat up, putting on a forced smile instead. Clapping, I walked around the small chair towards Tyler to hug him in congrats. Then I realized that he wasn’t there. The fake smile fell off my face. “He is probably with Stella, sharing all kinds of sweet words.” I thought. The deliberation of it sent another tear down my face, which was obviously quickly wiped by me. From the corner of my eyes, I could see my classmates looking at me in sympathy. They all knew about my unrequited love –it was that obvious. Everyone knew actually, everyone except the guy himself. Well, he was always known for being oblivious to people’s feelings. Jerk. I quickly erased any depressing thoughts on my mind and ran towards my group of friends.
The group consisted of the whole band, which had five members and a couple of students from the upper grade – all in all, there were seven of us. We were all pretty knitted together. Everyone was best friends with everyone.
I put on an assuring smile when I saw Erika, aka my best friend in the whole galaxy, glaring at me with a pitiful expression. Usually, I would be irritated seeing people pitying me, but Erika understood me more than anyone else; she would know when to actually give a proper, sorrowful gesture. Still with the face, she threw her arms around me tightly for a moment before stepping back.
“Let’s all go get food shall we?” Erika suggested with a big grin as she turned around to look at the others.
Axel – a lovable and hilarious guy with an extraordinarily lofty height of over 6'1 smiled enthusiastically at sound of food.
“Can we just go without Ty? That guy ditched us first anyways,” Axel grumbled in clear annoyance.
We all shook our heads but nodded anyways. A bubbly feeling rose in my stomach as I realized the guys did it on purpose to avoid me watching the lovebirds getting lovey-dovey. I smiled gently and stepped up to hug my best-male-friend in gratitude. I was interrupted when a pair of warm, toned arms made their way around my waist. From the way the owner did it as if it was a daily routine – I can pretty much bet on my life that it belongs to no one else other than Tyler Woodson. Ignoring the flutters his gesture caused my heart, I smacked his arms away and turned around to face him.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Stella?” I asked with intentions of mocking, though it sounded more forced and sarcastic, but Tyler being Tyler didn’t notice it, fortunately.
“Aw, are you jealous?” Tyler teased with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and smacked his arms again.
“Damn it woman, will you stop this domestic violence already?” He yelped, and held his arms in pain.
Smiling in glory that I could still make an overgrown boy groan in pain; I rolled my eyes again.
“For it to be domestic, I’d have to be married to you first, which as you can see unless you’re blind, I am not,” I responded with a tilted head, “and I don’t plan on ever stopping,” I added with a smug smile.
Tyler was the one who rolled his eyes this time. He wrapped his arms around my shoulder and tugged me into his chest, muffling any sounds of protests from me.
“Stella had to go back home,” he answered my previous question, “and I came here in time to catch my dear friends planning to go without me.”
“Can you blame us?” I said with just a pinch of annoyance.
“Yeah, and who ditched us first anyways?” Added Axel, his repetition of words evidently showed how irritated he was. He turned his back to Tyler with one hand stuck out and said, “You’re welcome to talk to my hand though.”
Lily – a dainty but mouthy little bitch giggled deafeningly and went to hug Axel from behind.
“Oh baby, you are so funny!” she said with her high-pitched voice. With that, she giggled some more, oblivious to the fact that Ax was groaning as if he was a man in extensive pain. He turned towards us and begged pleadingly with his eyes.
Erika giggled and whispered to Ax, “You did this to yourself.”
I tried to hold my laughter by holding my fist to my mouth. Tried being the keyword seen as the amount of visionary daggers I was receiving from Lily was piling up and Axel was plainly glaring at me.
I shrugged nonchalantly at both of them and walked towards Drew, the only guy in the group who was from a different class. I had to ignore the meager pull in my chest as I stepped away from Tyler. It was getting kind of depressing how much I was in love with him.
“Damn, what have you been eating girl?! You’ve lost so much weight,” commented Drew with a big smile. However, the little sparkle in his eyes told me he was just in a teasing mode.
So I rolled my eyes and hugged him. “I missed you too Drewie.”
He guffawed and hugged me back tightly, “you know I missed you too Rosie.”
“Okay okay, enough you two lovers.” Hailey exclaimed which caused a grin to spread on Drew’s face.
I rolled my eyes – I really have to stop doing that, and mockingly said, “you sure you’re not just jealous Hail?”
Hailey blushed. My eyes widen and so did Drew’s.
“Why would I be jealous? What are you on about? Have you gone mental Rose?” She laughed breathily, looking at anything but me and Drew.
I shared a look with Drew and then sadly smiled. “Seems like I’m going to be the only one left single here huh?”
“Yeah, I don’t think we can spend much time together anymore Rosie,” Drew followed up with the same sad smile. “Hail will be jealous.”
“Okay! Cut it out both of you!” Hailey bellowed, cutting in between Drew and I. “I’m hungry! Let’s go eat!”
With that she took Drew’s hand and walked out the gates, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
After we all sobered up, everyone walked out through the school’s gates, everyone excluding me.
Looking around the school buildings, memories rushed back to me; my first day of school, getting bullied by Tyler. Meeting friends that I never imagined in a million years I would, falling in love. It all happened here.
“I’ll miss you,” I sighed, and after a deep breath, I stepped out of West Gloves High.
| 
Email this Novel
| 
Add to reading list
