Ethan Wong, an ex-prodigy violinist, thinks it's not meant to be.
After his latest mental breakdown at his last violin competition, where he placed tenth out of ten contestants, he's not sure why his music professor appointed him the soloist for th...
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I stared at the indention in the bed covers Cameron left on the bed for a few pensive moments, the sound of the shower running, as memories circled back into my mind. From prom to baseball games and to those little moments we shared in the halls, moments with Cameron had been nothing but positive. I couldn't remember having a bad experience with him around.
I couldn't imagine everything was positive from Cameron's perspective, especially in the end. What had I ever done for him besides dragging him down?
The fact that he'd cling to those happy memories of us at prom made other memories resurface.
Even showering couldn't wipe away the memories he had dug up earlier. I spent longer than normal, letting the warm water cascade down my back, mindlessly staring into the bathroom mirror, hoping answers to nonexistent questions formed in my head. I didn't have anything to ask, nor did I really know what I needed, aside from the obvious luck of getting through tomorrow and the rest of the weekend with Cameron.
As I set my old clothes into a corner of my suitcase, I looked over to see Cameron engrossed in his phone, not so subtly trying to avoid looking at me. I pulled back the covers and turned off the lamp beside me, slipping into the cool sheets, hoping sleep would pull me under quickly to avoid further embarrassment.
I knew it was futile just as Cameron set his phone on the table between us.
"How're you feeling about tomorrow?" he said in the dark, fluffing the pillows behind him. "Nervous?"
"Less nervous and more guilty."
I imagined his face scrunching up. "Guilty?"
I gulped. "I think there are way more talented classmates that deserve to perform the solo piece. I don't think Alan should've given me this part just because it's my last year."
"Don't say that," he said, pulling the duvet to his chin like a child would. "What piece?"
"Dvořák's Romance in f minor. It's a relatively short piece, but I'm sure our first chair could play this way better. Kelly's super talented."
"So are you."
I huffed. "I don't know. My playing's been off for a while. It's been hard to focus, and it can be exhausting practicing daily."
When Cameron didn't say anything, I tried to lighten the mood. "Practicing baseball must be exhausting too. But you've always been way more athletic than me."
He hummed. "I won't say the drills are easy, but our team has been super lucky this season. Only a couple of losses and a few errors, but I think it's mainly because our lineup is all close. We've done team bonding things, and there's not as much drama as when we were in high school."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Why?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "Just figured a bunch of college kids have much more freedom to get into trouble, drink alcohol, party, date around, etc."
