Intertwined Fates

Small Beginnings

It was quite an early morning, and Castor Leonhardt had been dropped off in front of the school. He was very short, even comparable to a 5th grader. He had dark brown skin and was very slim. He had brown eyes and wore curved square glasses, with a small nose that has a large bottom. His hair was dark brown to the point where you'd think it was black, and he had a normal buzzcut that many black men have, and curved, thin eyebrows. He typically wore striped shirts and normal jeans. He enjoyed anime, video games, drawing, and music.

The only thing on Castor's mind was the music festival that had been a long time coming, and what friends he was going to hang out with. He always felt conflicted about his friend group. He never really felt like he belonged, but he didn't necessarily like being alone, either. So he stuck with them. He then thought, 'What does it matter, anyway? Nobody's even here yet.' And correct he was.

While deep in thought, he was awakened by a friend of his. "Hey, Pringle." Cynthia Lynx said. Pringle was his nickname by his friends and classmates who knew him.

"Sup." Pringle said. "You're here early, I expected someone like Mya to be here first."

"Yeah, well. Life's not always what you expect." Cynthia remarked. Cynthia tended to have a degree of consistency to everything she did, so seeing her be inconsistent for once was a surprise to Pringle. "Not even the band kids are here, huh?"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that much. I mean, I hear them practicing early on my way to the orchestra room every day."

"You never struck me as a guy who would take the time to go up there every morning. You usually sit in the cafeteria and play video games or watch anime or something."

"I go up there every Monday. Life's not always what you expect, as you said."

"Haha, yeah I guess." Cynthia sighed. This ended the conversation, since there was nothing really to continue it with.

Cynthia was tall and slender, with very light skin and long, wiggly dark brown hair that reached to just below her shoulders. She had brown eyes, thick eyebrows and square curved glasses, similar to Pringle's glasses. She also had a decently sized nose. She typically wore V-neck short sleeve shirts and skinny jeans. She liked anime, art, reading and music. She seemed to be a prodigy in the arts, atleast from Pringle's point of view. She always outclassed him.

Pringle thought about her. At one point, he had a crush on her, which ended in him giving her a love note which was, frankly, rejected. She still kept it, or so she says, and brings it up in arguments, despite him wanting it erased from everyone's memories. It was an embarrassing moment, and the ridicule he received from classmates made him scared of rejection. He personally feels like a tear has been put in their friendship since then.

A few more minutes pass and one by one, people showed up. They soon were let into the orchestra room, finally finding warmth. Though, they were told to get their things ready not long after. Pringle, already having what he needed,  walked over to one of his friends, Alexander Melendez, also known as Alex, who was a fellow fan of a series named, "JoeJoe's Extraordinary Crusade" which they bonded over, along with a game called "Basenite" that they played online over weekends.

Alex was of average height, taller than Pringle but still a lot shorter than Cynthia. He had light brown skin, brown eyes and dark brown hair, like almost everyone in the area. He had a small undercut and short, direct eyebrows. He typically wore normal shirts under his grey jacket, which he would never not wear to school, along with sweatpants. He tended to put on a rash and stupid persona, which made everyone around him laugh, but he was actually very calm and intelligent. He enjoyed playing video games, watching shows, and hanging out with friends. He didn't have any social media, unlike everyone else. Pringle took a liking to him.

"What do you want?" said Alex.

"Golly, that's such a nice tone."

"Chill, I was just kidding."

"Whatever. Anyways, you know that packing your bags is a JoeJoe reference?"

"You're annoying sometimes. Actually, make that most of the time."

"I know. I get that alot."

"Don't worry, it comes with being a JoeJoe fan." Alex grinned.

Pringle makes a frowned expression, before it quickly turns into a smile because he knows he found it funny.

A few minutes later, the teacher explains everything for the lower grade students and everyone makes their way to the bus area. There, they wait for the bus. They were surprised to see that the kids from choir got on their bus, as well. Apparently, the school didn't have money for another bus, so they had to use one from another class. It didn't really matter too much since orchestra was relatively small compared to the other music classes. Pringle expressed distaste, but didn't care that much.

The bus ride wasn't too long but felt like a drag. Everyone else participated in activities such as singing "wheels on the bus" and cracking jokes, but Pringle stayed glued to his phone. He somehow got a lonely seat. He wasn't as social with others as he was with his close friends, so he mostly sat there and occasionally spoke to those who spoke to them.

"Are we there, yet?" Pringle sighed. Something must have been funny, because his question caused an eruption of laughter in an otherwise silent moment. He expressed annoyance with this as well, but he just dealt with it. He never did get an answer to his question.

Not long after, he looked up from his phone to see the parking lot. He recognized it from last year, as every music class goes to the music festival every year. He always found that funny, how beginners can suddenly just play on the same stage as an advanced. The festival did give participation rewards, which felt cheap to him. 'Why call something special if it's given to everyone? Is it even a trophy at that point?' He would always think to himself.

As everybody got out, bringing their instruments with them, Pringle looked up at the amusement park and thought, 'We're here. Finally, some fun.'

To be Continued.