A Boy Named Jasper {Wattpad Featured Novel}

<Callie> A Girl Who Always Looks on the Bright Side

                  

Chapter 2

<Callie Stevens>

"Callie, you idiot..." I mutter and walk out from behind the oak tree, watching sadly as the boy storms off down the train tracks.

I'd been walking home along the train tracks from an Honors Society meeting when I heard the sound of a guitar. I hadn't heard that sound since my dad quit his band. This person's playing was so raw and so full of emotion that it reminded me why I loved the guitar.

My ear then led me to this little corner of the train tracks, where they taper off into a forest by some old farmland. It's here that I saw the source of the music I'd fallen in love with. It was a boy with blond hair and a jet black guitar. He had been wearing an oversized sweatshirt and a gray beanie that made his overall persona kind of mellow.

I could only see him from the back but I could feel the happiness radiating off of him; like this was where he belonged. He played with such emotion and talent that I couldn't help, but stick around to see what else he had in store. The boy continued to play and I was transported from the train tracks for a little while. His low, raspy voice gave the song a very profound effect and brought me into his world; it almost hurt to listen to because people can't just fake the kind of painful emotion in his voice.

Then the worst happened. The music stopped and the boy turned around. I'd jumped behind the tree and mentally cursed myself for letting my allergies cause this boy to stop. He was absolutely furious at being interrupted. I could tell by the way he slammed his guitar case shut and practically stomped off down the road.

I shouldn't've hid behind the tree. This was his space, not mine; I had no right to be here, to ruin his sacred time. I should've left him alone because he deserves that little courtesy, but his music unexplainably drew me in. I don't even know him, but he captivated me nonetheless.

"I need to hear him again; I need to feel this again." I think to myself as I backtrack towards my usual route home.

My feet carry me back to my modest house a few blocks away from the high school. My mom is sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea and a home style magazine.

"Hey sweetie; how was your first day?" She smiles as I take a seat next to her.

"It went better than I thought it would..."

"That's great, Callie." My mom kisses my forehead before going back to her reading.

"I need to go do some homework..." I stand up after a few minutes of silence and step through the red front door into our small living room.

My little brother is playing with some trains on the floor by the couch and I can smell cooling cookies. I walk into the kitchen and sure enough, there are racks of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sitting out on the counter. I grab a few and walk up the stairs towards my room before my mom has time to discover who's been into her cookies. I smile to myself as I reach the landing at the top.

I open the door to my bedroom and drop my bag by the door next to a clean pile of clothes I haven't gotten around to putting away. I sink into my desk chair and take a bite of the warm cookie in my hand.

My mind wanders back to the boy I'd seen a few minutes ago and the music that now occupies my attention. I pull out my notebook and try to concentrate on the homework my senile math teacher gave me, but to no avail; the boy and his music are still at the forefront of my mind. I subconsciously hum the song he was singing as I shove my math homework to the edge of my desk.