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Eileen sighs, a burst of air whistling between her teeth and ruffling her papers, the frustration on her face clearly visible in the afternoon light. She's sitting at a picnic table at the edge of a playground near her house, her textbooks, binders, and notebooks scattered around her. She knows she's supposed to be doing Math problems but every time she pauses between questions, she finds herself tapping out a beat with her pencil, then proceeding to write out possible notes and chords that go along with it. It's very distracting and she knows it, but she always hates not making music her first priority.
She bites her lip, breathing out again and casting a downward glance at the mess of numbers and lines that dot her paper. Math is easy for her, considering patterns and numbers are still things she needs to know in order to understand notes in music. But there's something about the complexity of the subject that irks her and doesn't allow her to focus.
Dropping her head into her hands, Eileen makes a conscious decision to give up (for the moment) as she tangles a finger into her bangs and tugs at a strand of hair, clearly annoyed with herself. With her free hand, she reaches for her phone and earbuds, jamming one and then the other into her ear. If she couldn't focus on Math, then she'd focus on the latest songs she downloaded onto her phone.
She stares at the screen, using her thumb to scroll through track after track before stopping on one. She hits play and cranks up the volume, bobbing her head to the music. It's one of her favourite songs, since the beat and lyrics just makes it so easy for her to really feel the emotions the singer is trying to convey. She allows herself to get lost in the melody, letting go of her bangs to shut her Math notebook with a sense of finality.
She keeps grooving to the music, her eyes looking across the park to see if there's anyone around. The playground is empty, a mom and her kids having just headed home, as the sun is starting to set. Eileen smiles to herself, reveling in the fact that she's alone. With a contented sigh, she closes her eyes, fully immersing herself into the tune that's blasting into her eardrums. She loves doing this - completely focusing on the music and nothing else. Not the Math homework that's due tomorrow. Not the piles of books that are a mess in front of her. Not the half-written notes that are scrunched up at the bottom of her backpack. Not the fact that the sun seems to have set early, as something has blocked it from hitting her eyelids...
She cracks one eye open, a human silhouette taking shape in her vision. She opens the other eye, blinking at the harsh rays of sunlight that manage to get through around the person in front of her. She raises a hand to block the sun, trying to get rid of the black spots in her vision, and pulling out her earbuds with the her other hand. She's disoriented and a small thought pops up into the back of her head: that this person could be a danger to her.
It takes a moment for her to realize the boy - yes, the boy is talking to her, asking her if she's okay and why she has so much homework scattered around her. Eileen looks up at him, his features still distorted because of the quickly-setting sun and the fact that she was jarred from her music too suddenly. She manages to respond though, saying she's okay and that she's just been slacking.
He nods at her, then takes a seat on the bench on the opposite side of the table. With the sun no longer casting a shadow on his face, Eileen finally sees that she knows him and it clicks inside her mind that the voice had been familiar - too familiar.
Hayden stares at her, dressed in a T-shirt and ripped jeans, his arms crossed on the table. He'd been out for a walk when he recognized the flaming hair of the girl seated at this picnic table; not to mention, he had seen all the school stuff on her table and decided to be nosy and ask her about it.
He and Eileen had started exchanging hello's and even managed to keep up small talk during their classes together. Hayden found her interesting, and even her embarrassment and hesitance when talking to him was a cute trait and not a peevish thing. He offers a smile, waiting for her to say something else.
"You missed me that much, huh," Eileen finally says, a chuckle escaping her lips. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't surprised to see him here. But Hayden had started popping up when she least expected it so much recently that she wasn't outright shocked. So instead of stammering with embarrassment in his presence, she chose to flirt in her usual way instead.
"Ha, you wish," Hayden replies, grinning at the way she held back that laugh. He then continues on, gesturing to the books around them and suggesting that she let him help her.
Eileen blushes at his kindness, her cheeks warm at the thought of spending more time with him, but nods. And as the sun slips lower on the horizon, and the sky is streaked with purples, oranges, pinks and blues, she decides that listening to the passion in Hayden's voice when he talks about school is just as good, if not better than the music that's often in her ears.
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