"Obviously I'm scared of sharks who isn't?"
"Well sharks are more scared of us than we do them"
"How does that relate to all of this"
"Because even though your scared of all the hate It's probably because they fear someone like you succeeding"
"Some...
"I wanna see her again. Maybe I'll just be a friend, or a lover to lean on."
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‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣୧ - - - - - ୨˚̣̣̣୧‿︵‿︵‿︵
After everything that had happened, being back at school felt surreal. It was as if the weight of my grandmother's death had followed me, but life didn't stop. I had to catch up on assignments, classes, and everything else I'd missed. The week turned out to be stressful—one of those times where it felt like every task had its own deadline and pressure attached to it. But after days of grinding and focusing, I managed to complete everything.
As the tension finally began to lift, I found myself sitting with Aki, eating a quick meal at one of the usual spots on campus. We were both a little more relaxed than usual, just catching up and talking about life when he suddenly brought up an idea.
"So, I've been thinking about making another YouTube video," Aki said, his eyes bright with excitement.
I raised an eyebrow. "Another one already?"
"Yeah, man. After that last one went viral, I got a ton of messages, some even from studios wanting to collaborate. I think we should strike while the iron's hot."
I chewed my food thoughtfully. It wasn't surprising; Aki had become somewhat of a campus celebrity after that video. But what was surprising was that he wanted me to join in again.
"You're thinking of doing another cover?" I asked, intrigued.
"Exactly. And I want you to be part of it. We were great together last time, and I've got access to a legit studio now. We could make something really good."
I took a moment to think about it. Part of me hesitated—after everything that had happened with my grandma, my headspace wasn't exactly in the right place. But maybe this was exactly what I needed. A distraction. Something to channel my emotions into.
"I'm down," I said with a small grin. "Let's do it."
Later that day, after class, Aki and I met up at a friend's recording studio. It was different from the usual setup—this time, everything was professional. Aki, riding the wave of his viral success, had apparently been contacted by a bunch of people and now had access to a real studio to record his covers. It was impressive, seeing how quickly things were changing for him.
We walked into the studio, the sleek equipment and soundproofing giving it a polished, high-end feel. Aki's friend greeted us, showing us around and explaining the setup. I couldn't help but feel a little awed by the whole thing. Just a few weeks ago, we were recording in Aki's bedroom with makeshift equipment. Now we had a full-fledged studio at our disposal.
"So," Aki said, as we started setting up, "what song should we cover?"
We threw a few ideas back and forth, but eventually landed on "Call Me" by Rainlord and Keshi. The mix of emotional lyrics and soft instrumentals felt like a good fit for both of us. I'd play the keyboard, Aki would handle the guitar, and together, we'd make something special.
