The Boy Band Who Adopted Me!

Chapter 16 - Falling

The day, and the weeks, passed by without incident. For a week and a half, Maisy did nothing but glare at me when I passed, but after that she simply ignored me. Maybe I was finally getting the upper hand.

The boys, however, were having no such luck. They'd get paper balls thrown at them during classes, notes shoved into their lockers, and purposely bumped into during class changes. On one occasion, one of Roland's friends even 'tripped' and spilled his lunch all over our table. Jamie had to hold Gavin down to keep him from confronting Roland as he walked away, laughing, with his friends.

Despite this, and my constant worrying about everyone's safety, we managed to get through it all. The Hearts for Sharks concert was coming up, and the boys were as excited to play it as I was to watch. One night in Wonderland, after a session, Cody flopped over onto Jamie's lap on the couch.

"I'm so excited!" he exclaimed into his hands.

"Our show is actually fully booked," Will stated. "This is going to be our most crowded show ever, guys." The rest of the guys looked very proud of themselves. Gavin seemed to be literally glowing with pride.

"I feel so lucky to have a VIP pass to to the best show in the state," I grinned, looking from face to face. All the boys seemed happy to hear me say it, and until we left, all we talked about was their big plans for Hearts for Sharks' future as the biggest rock band on the scene.

By free period the next day, the mere notion of the concert - and Halloween! - coming up seemed to give me a jolt of energy and confidence. Despite onslaught from Roland and his jocks, I was feeling closer to the guys than ever. The chilly weather had me bundled up in a big BOTDF hoodie and thick skull-printed leggings, with my favorite cat-toed converse on my feet. I was wearing the warmest fuzzy socks I had, and a pair of black fluffy earmuffs to keep me warm. I loved cold weather because I got to dress in layers, snuggled up like a panda. 

The greenhouse maintained a neutral temperature, however, and I had to take off my earmuffs and hoodie to stay cool when I walked inside. Gavin was already sitting there, with his own acoustic guitar in his lap. He was playing an acoustic version of MCR's Helena.

"Good song," I smiled, taking a seat next to him. He nodded as he played, clearly concentrated on the chords. I hummed just slightly to the song.

"Come on, I know you've got more in you than that," Gavin said with his signature smirk. I avoided looking at his smile, but I felt confident in myself somehow. Maybe it was Gavin's friendship, or my middle finger to Maisy, but whatever it was, it prompted me to open my mouth wide and sing the chorus to Helena. I gave it my all.

It took me a second to realize Gavin had stopped playing. He was staring at me open-mouthed. I blushed and looked away.

"Your voice is even more beautiful in person." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I hope you've been thinking about my offer."

Truthfully, I had. Hearts for Sharks had some of the best music I'd ever heard, and to participate in the songwriting process, let alone to sing for them, would be an honor. I loved their music, but I still felt a little shy.

"Well..."

"Well?" Gavin began strumming a song I knew - It was Hearts for Sharks' prettiest love song, the first of their songs I ever heard, and the same one I'd sung in the shower. Admittedly, I knew all the lyrics. Gavin knew what he was doing.

I dared to turn my head and look at him as he began to play the first notes. His hazel eyes were burning right into me. There was a passion for something in them - the song? The band?

He began singing the words, but at a slightly lower octave than the normal melody. He motioned with his head for me to join in.

I surprised even myself when I actually began to sing along with him.

His smile widened with every note, and I felt myself smiling back at him The harmony of our voices was perfect. I wasn't that confident in my voice, but backed by his, I felt like I could sing the hardest songs at the loudest volumes.

It was also the first time I had actually looked right at his face, smile and everything. It seemed like the pain I felt every time I saw his smile was starting to ebb away. Now, looking at him was beginning to feel like happiness.

As we came to the bridge, I could see in his eyes that he'd known about my shyness all along, because he seemed genuinely happy that I was really looking at him; it was as if he'd been waiting for me to really see him for the first time.

This was too much for me, and I looked away to concentrate on the highest note in the song. I was still smiling, and I'm sure he was, too.

As he loosed the final notes from the strings, I felt liberated somehow. It was like a weight had left me. When I finally turned back to Gavin, I found that he'd been looking at me. He was still smiling, and ran a hand through his jet hair. His eyes reflected the earthy tones of the greenhouse perfectly, and my cheeks felt so hot that I buried my face in my hands.

"Agh, I can't believe I did that!"

I peeked through my fingers. Gavin was just staring, like he had been before.

"Please join, Alex. I don't mean to make it sound creepy, but your voice is perfect for this band." His tone was sincere.

I put my hands in my lap and looked at the ground by Gavin's shoes. I smiled slightly.

"I'll do one song live, okay? Just one. We'll see where it goes."

He seemed ecstatic. He immediately flew up from his chair and fist-pumped the air.

"Yes! Yes!" He spun in a circle, knocking into a plant with his guitar- "Oops." I laughed.

I don't know why I had been trying so hard to avoid Gavin all this time when he made me feel so at home.