Our 999th Symphony

Play-doh

Breathe in, breathe out. Alright. I got this.

Was what I thought before going live with my band, hearing the cheers and screams from the students of our school. Most weren't even directed at me since I'm the bassist, but I was still proud of it.

Now I use it just to go into the new school. It's such a big school, but I know nobody. A stark contrast from my old middle school life.

I entered the class in which I was assigned to, and sat at the back of the class. It was a fresh start for everybody, yet I already saw people hitting it off. They were already forming friend groups, and as for me? I was left behind. That was my intention from the start, anyway.

The same exact scenario would play everyday, I wake up, get ready, then go to school, then back home. I repeated that for an entire year. I was now finally branded as the "loner". Then in our 2nd year, there was a new transfer student.

The student beside me transferred schools, and there was immediately another to replace them. I had my earphones on and didn't even listen to her introduction. It seemed like she was definitely an extrovert, though, with her vibe and demeanor to the other students and teachers, with light-brown skin and hazelnut brown hair. Later at lunch, I was eating by the stairs again, hunched over to eat properly.

Then, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I took my earphones off and was greeted by a worried, yet endearing smile. It was the new transfer student in our class.

"Hey, aren't you the guy sitting next to me?" She asked while sitting beside me on the stairs, still keeping a respectable distance.

I just nodded, I was too detached from the classroom society that I didn't even know how to talk anymore.

"My name's Audrey. You?" She extended a hand for me to shake.

I looked away, sulking just a bit when I put my lunchbox away.

"That's...a pretty formal way to introduce yourself. I'm Erik," I said, letting out a soft chuckle through my teeth.

She chuckled as she played with her hair "Sorry, sorry," She kept an apologetic smile on her face.

I waved it off and smiled softly. "No, you're fine, you're fine."

"So. . ." She kept it silent for a while, until-
"What're you doing, eating alone?"

It sounded forced, but I appreciated the sentiment. I kept eating and then said "I don't like crowded places."

She seemed genuinely confused for a second. "Oh, why, though?" She looked at me with those big, brown eyes.

"...They're all stuffy and noisy. I'd rather stay at home," I looked away from those pretty eyes of hers.

"Whaaat? Aw, c'mon! They're not all that bad. Alright, let me..." She grabbed my arm and led me away from the stairs.

"Hey! What're you?-" She cut me off before I even asked anything yet.
"Don't worry about it, mkay?"

She was a strange girl.

Speaking of strange, it's kind of just weird to be standing in front of 4 women at once while all of them are giving you the stink-eye.

"So, these are my friends, say hi to them, Erik!" Audrey said, standing in between of us.

I can already tell they were disgusted with Audrey for bringing me here, I could hear their whispers between each other. "Why is he here?", the girl with the black hair whispered to the blondie. "I don't know..."