"Adopted By" Oneshots!

Valerie The Little Flute Prodigy

Book: Adopted by Be More Chill
Val's Age: 13
(Thanks to SIXSQUIPSIMP for giving me some ideas for this chapter and letting me use her OC Malinda!)

My birthday had just passed, and my girlfriend had gotten me the Be More Chill sheet music for my flute. I mean, I appreciated the present, but when George saw it, he kept asking when he could hear me play. And every time he asked me that question, I've said nothing.

My entire family was over at my apartment and everyone was talking in the kitchen. I had locked myself in my room and thought this was the perfect opportunity to practice my flute without anyone noticing, as the flute is not the loudest instrument in the world. I was kneeling on my bed and unpacking the flute case, listening to make sure no one in my family was coming towards my room.

The coast was clear, so I finished putting together my flute, adjusted my music stand, raised the flute to my lips, and let the music come to me. From hearing the songs of Be More Chill about a thousand times and then some, the songs seem as familiar to me as the ABCs. It feels safe to me, it feels like home.

If only I had the confidence to play them in front of my family.

Little did I know, I was not playing for an empty room. In the middle of the song, I took my eyes off the sheet music for a split second and saw Lauren standing at the door. I paused for a bit and put the flute down on my bed, and Lauren took this as her cue to applaud.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying not to seem too annoyed. I knew Lauren meant well, but it was an unspoken rule in my family to not go in my room if flute music was playing. Lauren smiled and said, "You're good at playing flute."

"What happened to 'give Valerie some privacy?'"

"I-"

"No. Get out of here, I don't want to talk to you." I said, slamming my bedroom door in Lauren's face and angrily packing my flute up. I heard Lauren sigh from behind the door and I felt bad. I hated disappointing people in my family.

After a few minutes, someone knocked on my bedroom door.

"Valerie?"

"No."

"Val, it's Malinda, please just let me come in?"

"Fine."

My cousin came into my room and sat on my bed. "So, Lauren told me what happened."

"I shouldn't have gotten mad at her, Lindi." I said. Malinda put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Hey, it wasn't your fault. I know how insecure you are about playing your flute in front of others." I started crying a little and my cousin smiled at me.

"I have a little surprise for you." Malinda said. She walked out of the room for a few seconds and came back with her guitar. She smiled at me and started strumming her guitar.

"You and I both know that I don't know a lick of Italian, but...maybe this will make up for that."

Malinda started singing a song in Spanish. It was slow, and like songs in Italian, I couldn't get most of the words, just the basics. But that's what calmed me about it. Not being able to pay any attention to the words helped a bit.

Eventually, I calmed down, and I put my flute back where it went, under my bed.

"I have one more surprise for you." Malinda said.

"What is it?"

"Your daddy made you banana bread."