Five Foot Four ((Zach Abels Fanfic))

Chapter Twenty-Two

    The experiment had begun and Kassie had started to pair the art and music students up, until there was only ten students left of both groups. She looked carefully at the people and started writing down on her paper.

    I looked to Luce, who had been partnered up with a seriously tall guy in a beanie hat and hoodie. Lucy looked back at me and to the remaining students I stood with and shrugged her shoulders, unsure what she was supposed to do. 

    Sid stood with Kassie and started to whisper to her. She stopped her noting and stared up to him, confused but won over.

    "Rainey, you go with..." Sid stared at the paper, in search for names. "Isaac. You both seem to get along so that should be easier."

    I nodded my head and made my way over to Isaac, who was smiling.

    "Your room is M443." Kassie called over to us.

    - - - 

    In the spacious room, there was a piano in the centre, along with other musical equipment. There was no way we would have this huge room to ourselves... There had to be another pair, or two...

    Isaac took a seat on the piano stool and his fingers lay on top of the keys lightly. He felt the keys for a couple of seconds, as if he was about to play, but didn't start.

    I reached into my bag and pulled out my sketch book and a pencil, ready.

    The music suddenly flooded the room all at once and I was taken back with this soft lullaby. It was beyond anything I had ever heard! All the hairs on my body stood up and a layer of goosebumps coated my skin. 

    I stared at his fingers as they danced around the keys, playing so peacefully and full of emotion. 

    I had always admired pianos and had briefly been able to play since I was very young. I never got lessons but I had always played by ear when it came to showing off my skills... The ones that looked like a pile of dust compared to Isaacs.

    My eyes trailed to the blank page on my lap and I felt paralysed. I had no idea what to put on here and even if I did get my pencil on, it wouldn't move. The plain paper seemed to show the music on it's own. It was so simple yet so satisfying. 

    A strange feeling hit me and my wrist started to swirl at the bottom right corner on the page. It was as if the music had my body in its control and I was being sculpted, like clay, by the notes.

    When the music had came to a sudden halt, so did my hand.

    I lifted it up to see the small writing at the bottom.

    Flawless

    My mouth fell open and my heart started to race again, as if Zach was with me. 

    Isaac turned to me and I lifted my eyes to his. He had the slightest smile on his face but it wasn't the cocky kind, it was more of a 'was that okay' smile.

    With a quick motion, I shut the sketchbook to then reopen it on a new page.

    "Again?" Isaac spoke.

    I shrugged my shoulders, worried about what would happen next. The strange feeling of music could envelope me in the emotions I was left with when Zach went and I didn't want to be hit with all of that again. 

    "Is something up?" He said.

    "Not at all." I managed.

    "Did I do something wrong?" He spoke, still curious.

    "No, of course not." 

    "Okay." He said, still not satisfied.

    "Again." I nodded.

    He turned to face to piano again and put his fingers on the keys, ready to play again but then stopped and pulled his hands back to his sides.

    "Where would you go, if you could go anywhere?" His eyes watched his piano but his attention was on me.

    I was taken back from the question. "Huh?"

    "You said you wouldn't stay here." He continued.

    A little part of me thought he wouldn't drop that but the rest of me assumed he was like most of the other guys I'd ever spoken to and would just not bother. 

    "Yeah..." 

    "Where would you go, if you could go anywhere?" 

    I slouched down in my chair and let out a breath. 

    "America." I said.

    "Where in America."

    "You're full of questions."

    He laughed and pivoted around to face me completely.

    "California." I said, so he wouldn't ask again.

    "It's nice there." He offered me a gentle smile.

    "Have you been?"

    "Yeah, I go there almost every year!" 

    My eyes opened wider and I stared at him as if he was bearing the news I'd been waiting for for a long time.

    "I'm guessing you've never been?" He said. "You should, my family own a house out there and we visit a lot..." 

    "How come you don't go there for college then?" I asked.

    "I don't really know..." He shrugged, turning around the piano, again. "Again?"

    "I'm ready." I said with my pencil ready.