You're The Judge

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     My feet sloshed in the puddles as I walked down the sidewalk. The smell of wet asphalt still lingered even though it stopped raining at least half an hour ago. Sometimes rain is nice, on that particular day it was just setting a gloomy tone and it made my day even worse. School was like hell, as always, but then I basically failed my test, because I didn't study. And to top it off, I forgot my ear buds, so now I'm walking home in silence. I only live about 15 minutes away but I hate not being able to listen to anything because the silence is unsettling and awkward and music would be a great way to calm myself down, especially on a day like this. 

Mom is gonna kill me if i failed this test, I think. I'm about 98% sure I did fail it and she's probably going to ground me again. It's not like I mean to fail, I know most of the material and I'm not stupid I'm just horrible with procrastinating so I never get studying done.

Fuck school

I just wanted to punch the ground and get the anger out of my system. Why do I do this to myself? Why can't  I just pay attention or study or something?

I was only 4 minutes away and walking through my tiny pathetic neighborhood right next to the school when I heard something really quiet one house over. I would say I was too angry to care but as I got closer the sound became easier to hear and my curiosity got the best of me.

I stood outside the house listening. Someone was playing a ukulele and singing along to a song I'd never heard, maybe they'd wrote the song themselves. The song was gentle and serene but so soft that I could barely hear. I wasn't sure if they wanted anyone to hear, but the window was about a quarter of a way open, making it just loud enough to enjoy. I stood their for awhile, just listening. It was nice and calming and so I just enjoyed it. After sitting there for a little while I decided that it was creepy for me to sit and listen to someone I didn't know and I headed home, surprisingly in a better mood than I was.                                                           

- - - - 

   I walked home from school the next day, thankful my parents hadn't forced me to ride the bus. I just needed to think, and the bustle of the bus would not help me relax my nerves after getting out of school. My ear buds were blaring Muse and I just continued to walk and think until I realized where I was. 

 I was about 4 minutes away from my house, on the street of the ukulele playing person. I turned back after realizing I'd just passed the house and decided to check if they were playing again today.

I pulled out my ear buds and walked back to the house. I listened and looked up at the window on the side of the house. I stood for a few seconds, waiting to see if they would start playing but it stayed silent so I decided to go home. Just as I was about to play my music I heard it. The person had began playing the ukulele. I walked back in front of the house and sat listening. It was a different song from the one that was played yesterday, and I could actually understand the lyrics this time. The lyrics were so sad, but painfully realistic as the person sang about the world. I stood and enjoyed it until the playing stopped. I turned and looked at the window to see someone approaching it, and ducked so I hopefully couldn't be seen snooping.

"Crap, I left the window open again" I heard, and so I peaked to see who it was and almost dropped my iPod.

 Phil Lester? The kid that everyone avoided? I'd heard so much shit about him. I'm not exaggerating when I say everyone avoided him, because no one talked to him,only about him behind his back. They said all kinds of stuff about how he has never talked before and crazy and outrageous shit too. Half of it I didn't believe, but long story short, he had no friends and no one approached him. He was a year ahead of me, and I'd only seen him a few times just in the hallways when people pointed him out if I asked. I couldn't believe that this guy I'd heard of was the same person that sang such sad and wonderful songs.

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