Unlikely Harmonization

End of the Road

Sean's P.O.V.

I slam my fist into the guy's head. I force him to tell me where Byron is.

"He ran up the holler! I swear on the Bible! Get on offa me!" He screams. I bang his head off of the wall one last time, for good measure. I dash out of the house, barely making it out with my shoes. I need to find Byron.

Derek said he was up the holler. I repeat until I can't even recognize the words. My legs pound against the dirt road. The sun is beginning to set. My eyes begin to sting with tears.

"Now, Sean, the boy you'll be sharing a room with isn't exactly the best at communicating. If he seems a bit off, just give him time. He knows pain, like you. I think that having you as a friend will really help both of you." Mr. Christopher's words replay. I feel tears building up; my throat constricting around nothing.

My legs begin to shake. My heart begins to race. My hands begin to close and open without my thought. My lungs burn. The trees, stars, and the rays of setting sun that dance through the leaves,they all become a whirlwind of beauty. My eyes burn. Everything burns. My mind races. I fall over, losing consciousness.

Byron's P.O.V.

I jump, but not soon enough. The front of the truck hits me. I lose all feeling immediately. Nothing hurts. Nothing matters. All is well. My mind is free of all the stress. The truck slows, allowing my broken body to fall off of the grill. I feel the small bits of gravel under my back. The pain is starting to come. The jocks run up behind the truck driver, who is desperately trying to get signal on her iPhone.

I smile at the driver; a genuine smile. The jocks feign concern. They pretend to care about me. They panic as dramatically as they can manage. One even manages to fall over. I close my eyes, thinking of the final symphony that I was arranging. A simple one, really. A violin, a cello, and a drumset. I now imagined Sean on the drumset, getting as lost as me in the music. The cello disappeared. It was only me and him. Maybe that's really all we needed to harmonize; a good beat. I realize that the bass is playing the same beat as my dying heart. Sean smiles at me. I smile back. The bass drum stops.