Unbroken Hearts

Chapter 3- Her

Grayson's Perspective

The day kicked off like any other, with the sun doing its thing, waking up the town and all. I dragged myself out of bed, feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. Coffee was my savior, brewing away in the kitchen like it always did, ready to jolt me awake.

The aroma of the coffee mixed with the chirping of birds outside, gave me a moment of peace before the chaos of the day began. 

Audition day. The day we'd find our new guitarist. I tried not to let the nerves get to me as I made my way through town, but change wasn't exactly my favorite thing. I spotted Skyler on the way to school. His grin was infectious, but it didn't do much to calm my nerves.

"Hey, Skyler," I greeted him, trying to keep the sarcasm in check. 

"What's the deal for today?" He chuckled, like he always did, completely unfazed by my less-than-enthusiastic greeting.

 "Hey, Grayson," he said, that cheeky grin never leaving his face. "You ready for the big day?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I muttered, trying not to let my doubts show.

Skyler just laughed, like he didn't have a care in the world. "Oh, you know me," he said, that smirk still in place. "Always ready for whatever life throws my way."

I rolled my eyes, trying not to let his carefree attitude get under my skin. But deep down, I couldn't help but envy him a little. His optimism was like a breath of fresh air in a world that seemed determined to drag me down.

I dragged my sorry ass to school, hoping to make it through the day without falling asleep in class. 

I spotted this girl in the hallway, and damn, she was smoking hot. I couldn't place her face, but something about her rang a bell. I figured she was new or something. I didn't pay it much mind, though. Too busy trying not to trip over my own feet.

Then, in class, I saw the teacher call her out for zoning out. She had this bored look on her face, like she couldn't care less about being there. Not gonna lie, I kind of admired her nonchalant attitude. But still, her face nagged at me like a half-remembered dream.

The bell rang and I got myself to the auditions, some people started playing and they were absolute shit, i mean how can someone be that bad!!

Then she came in, the girl who i had seen in the corridor, holy shit, it finally hit me. That girl in the hallway, the one the teacher called out? It was Ava. Fuck. The same Ava I used to bully back in the day. She looked different now, though. Gone was the nerdy girl with her nose in a book. Now she rocked this style that had me doing a double take.

Seeing her again brought back a flood of memories, none of them particularly flattering. But despite everything, I couldn't help but notice how she'd changed. I couldn't even deny the spark of attraction that flared up in my chest.

But she was Ava, my rival. The last person on earth I should be checking out. So I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the auditions, pretending like seeing her again hadn't thrown me for a loop.

As the audition got underway, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ava. Of all the people to show up, it had to be her. My childhood rival, my eternal pain in the ass.

Despite all the history between us, I couldn't deny her talent. And maybe, just maybe, having her in the band wouldn't be the end of the world.

As the day came to a close and Ava became the newest member of Midnight Echoes, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot more interesting. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, only time would tell.