ShadowSong [Book 1 & 2: Complete] [NaNoWriMo16/17]

Chapter 64 - What We Play For, Part II

Jason didn't make it halfway through the first piece before he made his first mistake.

He forgot a note.

The mistake jarred through his whole body. He knew it was wrong as soon as it left his violin and ruined the tempo. He tried to recover, but the annoyance of it all forced him to lift the violin's bow off its strings a few bars later. It was a key note, supposed to start the ascent of the song into its climax, yet he'd blatantly forgotten about it. Given, he was playing without sheet music, but it wasn't an excuse his mother would accept.

Jason closed his eyes and exhaled, allowing himself three breaths before he started again.

He didn't forget that note on his second attempt, but this time, he failed to keep the rhythm of a complicated pattern. Instead of it being smooth and seamless, the notes felt alone and bare as he struggled through them.

From there, his limited window of practice dissolved into nothing but mistake after mistake, each one pulling the knot in his stomach tighter and tighter like a noose around his neck.

Somewhere on his third attempt of the second piece, Jason pulled off his headset and tossed it on the table in front of him. Violin and bow still in hand, he pressed his knuckles into the sides of his head hard enough to wake himself up. Maybe he didn't deserve the violin anymore if he couldn't even perfect basic techniques like these. Maybe it'd be better for everyone involved if he just handed it over to his mother when she walked in, if he just--

"Hey, Frostsong, how you going over here?"

Jason lowered his hands and glanced back over his shoulder to find Olivia standing behind him, her notebook and Liaiser still in hand. In all honesty, he'd forgotten she was there after the first few minutes. He was suddenly glad he'd had the headset attuned so she hadn't been forced to listen to his playing.

I wish he'd play it for me.

Jason instead straightened his shoulders, his gaze on the table beside his headset. "It appears I'm out of practice."

"After hearing you yesterday, I don't think that's too likely," said Olivia. She paused for a moment. "It's okay to be nervous, y'no."

"I have nothing to be nervous about."

"Well, no," said Olivia. "But nerves have this annoying habit of showing up even when they aren't needed."

Jason's stomach squeezed. "I'm not nervous, Olivia."

"My mistake then," she said. She walked a little further around in front of him before she took a step back behind. "Huh. I only just noticed how long your hair is getting."

"I expect I'll be required to cut it soon."

"Required to cut it?" said Olivia. "By who?"

"My mother prefers a certain level of presentation," said Jason.

She puffed out a cheek in thought before she spoke. "Well, what about you?"

"What do you mean, 'what about me'?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you like it shorter or longer?"

"I've... never considered it, if I'm honest."

"Do you have any objections to long hair?"

"No?"

Olivia bounded forward, placing her notebook and Liaiser on the table beside his headset. With her hands free, she tugged at her ponytail and darted behind him. When Jason turned to follow her, he felt her hand on the back of his shoulder, nudging him back forwards.