Blood, Sweat, and Schradieck

Chapter Three - Will

Three hours pass without Will even noticing.

After he finished his lesson, he had gone straight to his practice room. He took out the piece he and Halt had been working on, and got straight to work. The new fingering Halt gave him worked wonders, and he made so much progress he lost track of time.

When he comes back to reality, he figures it's been awhile because one of his feet is asleep. But he doesn't figure out how long he's really been there until he checks his phone.

He makes a face. It's nearly six-thirty, and past his dinnertime. His stomach reminds him. And then his brain reminds him that he was supposed to meet Alyss at six, and he winces guiltily.

Before he begins to pack his things, he sends a quick text to his girlfriend. He and Alyss are both so busy with preparing for Nationals, they hardly ever get a chance to see each other, so they make a point to eat dinner together at least every other day.

Sorry, I lost track of time while practicing. Still up for dinner?

She hadn't checked in with him, so odds are she also lost track of time. He hopes.

He sets his phone down on the piano bench to wait for a reply and takes his music score and metronome off the piano, sliding them into his backpack. His phone buzzes with an incoming text message, and he grabs it, hoping it's Alyss.

It's Gilan.

Hey Will, quick question. What's your favorite food?

Will rolls his eye before he replies. 

Chocolate. Why?

Gilan's reply comes back almost immediately. Working on my composition.

Will has to laugh. What does my favorite food have to do with your composition?

Gilan texts back quickly, and Will smiles again. Quit laughing at me, Gilan writes. I know you are. It's just, I feel like I write my best music when I really know the musicians who will be performing it.

You already know me pretty well, Will points out. We were best friends, last I checked.

Yeah, but I didn't know your favorite food! Now I do. And quit texting me, I'm trying to work.

Will shakes his head in mock exasperation. Sometimes Gilan can be downright ridiculous, but Halt's right. Gilan is an amazing composer. Will has no doubts that Gilan's piece will win Nationals. Even if it does involve chocolate - although, if Will's honest, he doesn't see how that would be a disadvantage.

He's halfway down the hallway with his backpack slung over one shoulder before he realizes that Alyss hasn't texted back. He frowns. That's not like her at all. She usually keeps her phone on vibrate, even if she's practicing, and she's not in class or anything at this time of the day. And she always answers his texts.

He sends her another. Alyss? You there?

Will finds a bench in the main hallway to sit on while he waits. Five minutes pass without a text from Alyss. Pushing down his apprehension, Will dials her number.

It rings a few times before going directly to her voicemail. Will hangs up without leaving a message. He's definitely worried now. After the events of the previous month, right before the schoolwide Junior National auditions, when someone locked Alyss in a cold, dark storage closet for nearly ten hours the day before her audition, Will has always been uncomfortable when he can't find Alyss quickly.

He shakes himself mentally. Alyss can take care of herself, he thinks. She probably forgot to turn her phone on after orchestra rehearsal or something. She has seemed absentminded lately. Not that he blames her. He knows he always has ten million things running through his mind, and he doesn't have to worry about being concertmaster on top of his competition prep, like Alyss does.