Illuminated Silence

1

Stellar Michaels was just an ordanairy girl. She was not long out of high school, and following a promising masters degree in Art at college. She had a part time job as a tutor for freshman students, and had her own apartment. She was also as plain looking as you could get- ratty brown hair, dull blue eyes, average height. Her body lacked shape and figure, she had no sport skills and had barely passed high school with her horrible grades, only barely scraping into university with her talent with a canvas. 

Stellar sat next to her best and only friend Josh, both at war with each other on Grand Turismo 4. He always insisted on using the same yellow Ferrari every time he played, insisting it was his lucky car. Which she supposed it was, with 7 out of the 10 wins going to him. Stellar smiled over at Josh fondly, taking in his familiarity. She'd hardly seen him these past few month's, both too busy with their own lives. Today was the first time they'd hung out for more than a few hours since her birthday in June, and now it was fast approaching Christmas, she took almost all of her spare time to dedicate to him.

Josh looked over at her weirdly. "Earth to stellar? You alright kiddo?"

"Hm? Yeah why?" She looked over at their game and saw she hadn't finished the game.

"You looked spaced out and were kind of staring at my gorgeous face. Something up? Or do you just want to get in my pants--"

"Ohmygod no! Control yourself boy,  Go have a shower!" She threw a cushion at him which led to a mini pillow fight. Their laughing and antics stopped when Josh's phone rang. Stellars heart sunk. She knew their time had come to an end, work again taking place over play. It was then she really came to appreciate how easy life was pre collegiate. She swung her legs off of josh and perched on the edge of the leather couch. Josh hung up with a guilty look on his face. She was right. "Lemme guess, Tyler?"

He scratched his neck. "Er...yeah. He wants to do one final check before we release the new album."

"Ah ok. Well go on then."

He stood up and stretched, looking at her expectantly. "Cmon Stel, why don't you come with me. It'd be way more fun than standing there half the night doing nothing." Stellar sighed. He was always trying to get her to visit him down at the studio, but she was always too chicken of what such famous people would think of the cling-on Plain Jane girl that was so close to one of the members of the hottest bands of the decade. She picked at a loose thread poking out her jeans. "Erm, nope. I actually have some projects I have to finish to turn in next week. "

"Uh huh. Well if you change your mind, just text me. At least face time me once tonight before I die of boredom."

"Mkay. See you when I see you then."

"Later Stel!" He closed the door behind him as he left. She then sat alone again in her big almost empty apartment. She didn't have much furniture; the odd side table, dining table, couch, kitchen. Her room only consisted of her queen bed and a lamp. Paintings and canvases took a large chunk of the lounge. She sighed and sat up, turned off her TV and PS4, and walked over to the litter of art that lined the corner of the room.

She didn't really have any projects to turn in, that was just another lie to cover up not going. She picked up a blank sheet and assembled her paints, ready to just let go. Josh let out his emotions in his drumming, she in her art. She saw it as more healthy than investing them in what she saw as false notions, that only ended in false hope, like she was made to do for sixteen years of her life before she escaped and became her own person.

She began painting. Throughout childhood her and Josh had had a strict religious upbringing, so strict that everything in her life was controlled down to the hair on her head. Apart from seeing Josh at church every Sunday, she'd only properly met him when they'd encountered each other at a park near both of their houses. She remembered it like yesterday. Josh had found Stellar crying under the old metal slide and had given her a big hug and some candy he'd snuck from the his teachers desk at school. She remembered how they never spoke a word to each other that first day, just comforted each other.

Somehow, it had become an unspoken agreement that they were to meet there under the old metal slide every week on the very same day. They had been best friends ever since, even through the constant battle to stay friends that their parents would present. Stellar laughed humorlessly and painted a long black stroke across her canvas as she remembered her meddling parents. Both sides constantly forcing Stellar and Josh apart because of the differing in genders, for fear that they would "be like the unholy children of the age" . Despite the disputes, they still found each other again and again, never letting each other go.

In her teens, Stellar would visit Josh down at the Instrumental shop he worked at, watching him for hours as he'd teach himself to play the drums, and she the guitar. She smiled at how with an eager look on his face and the courage of a lion, he'd run up to the most tattooed and scariest looking guys who'd come in the shop, and ask them for music recommendations. They'd smile with crooked teeth, mess his hair and give him one or tell him to beat it. Either way, he'd always buy a CD and take it home to hide and listen to, despite the countless times his mother would search his room, find them, throw them out and replace it with a more "Christian" version.

She shivered. Her own parents may not of been bad in the music category, but as soon as they found out she was an atheist and went against their religion, she was kicked out faster than Jesus went to heaven. They had disowned her and she lived on the streets for almost a year before Josh joined her when he ran away. They enjoyed the freedom from their parents and both got jobs at the local record shop.

Ring ring.

She looked down at her red iPhone four she got last Christmas. Two missed video calls, and one currently coming through from josh. She reached down and quickly swiped the lock to answer. "God Stel, I've been trying to call you for ages. Where you been?"

She wiped her hands. "Sorry Joshy, just got caught up. How's it going? You look tired. "

He dragged a hand across his face and she could see the shadow on his lower jaw. "Yeah, my arms are almost dead. Not to mention I'm bloody starving, the manager won't let us leave till we get this perfected." His phone shook and the screen changed into a blur before focusing on Tyler's face. Josh tried to wrestle the phone off of him. "Heya Stellar! Just bring me two tacos and some nachos, and bring Josh a burrito!" He yelled out the address and laughed, then hung up.

She didn't know what to say. She waited for josh to ring her back, but he didn't. She ran a hand through her hair and grabbed her keys, then swung out the door. She supposed she could just deliver the food, then run off back home. She felt bad that josh always brought her stuff, and thought she could just do him this one favour.

After all, sharing was caring.

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Hello!!! First chapter- how was it? Let me know guys 😊