The Sound Of Silent Birds

Chapter Seven

I don't know what it was; their friendship, their humour, their looks, people just seemed to be drawn to them. We walked, chatting amongst ourselves. I had said I needed a coffee, since mine had landed in the bin, and the boys said they were going that way anyway, it only seemed appropriate to walk together. Anyway, they were easy to be around even though I had only known them ten minutes.

"So you guys all moved from Cincinnati together?" I asked, almost like I was thinking out loud. Jinx and Jake seemed immersed in a deep debate about guitar strings, while CC threw his sticks around playfully, so Andy turned to reply.

"Yeah, we needed to go somewhere easier to get noticed, I lived with Jake for quite a while since I've known him the longest, but now we all live together down at rocks creak," he sighed lightly, adding, "it was always my intension to stay in school but these guys are all in the year above, when they graduate, so will I." He seemed sad almost, but not sad enough to sound resentful. I got the feeling his 'plan to stay in school' was more to do with pleasing his parents than himself, I mean he seemed pretty intelligent yet he showed no visible signs of enjoying the school life much. I smiled,

"You should do what you want to do, what ever makes you happy should be your top priority," he smiled back warmly, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing gratefully. However, we all pushed through the cafeteria doors, everyone went silent. Some girls gawped, some guys snorted and across the tables I watched as Scout slumped onto her friend, looking almost passed out.

We made our way slowly, between the tables to where Maddie sat clearly hyperventilating. Jinx and Jake continued their discussion like no one else existed while CC rocked his sticks between his fingers. (The boys all dropped off their instruments on the way but CC had insisted that he thought better with them.) I shuffled in next to my somewhat dying friend while the others sat across from us, the cafeteria seemed to return to their usual conversations while throwing us a few glances here and there. I ignored the breathless sounds coming from my right and turned back the group of friends who had now all sat with their own coffees.

"Sorry, I should have mentioned, I'm not very popular and you'll probably get bad rep for even talking to me," I looked at my hands, half expecting them to get up and leave. What happened next, however, was completely unexpected and nearly sent my toppling off my seat. A warm hand gently guided my face up to meet his warm eyes as Andy smiled calmly.

"Hey we just met you, don't try to talk us off that easy," he then turned to the smiling faces of the boys around him, "what do you say boys, who thinks we should stick around and bug Ju around a little longer?" This was followed by a chorus of 'I's, which all sounded beautiful in their honey mellow voices.

"I'm Maddie," squeaked the no breathing girl on my right.

"Hi Maddie," they whispered in unison as the girl blushed and fell off her chair.