Vibrato

Chapter 3

“Well this is quite the interesting turn of events,” Aras grins wickedly, resting his hands behind his head.  Gemma, finally shaken from her previous stupor, nods in agreement.  I stare daggers at both of them.  They’re not helping the awkwardness of the situation.

“Ruby Mitchell?”

I look up to see Macy furiously studying the schedule that’s appeared in her hands.  I nod and try not to grimace as Macy rolls her eyes for a microsecond.

“Well, let’s get the introductions over with,” Macy sighs as she ushers me into our dorm room.  After entering, I look back to see Aras and Gemma squeezing in before the door closes.

Nosy Brits, I huff internally.

I take a seat at the edge of my bed and Gemma quickly joins me, giving me an encouraging smile.

“So… What instrument do you play?” I ask Macy, who’s situated herself at the foot of her own bed.  Aras is still stationed by the door with his lips slightly upturned in a smirk.

“Violin,” She replies while studying her nails.  I sigh inwardly.  We’ll most likely have the same classes, as she’s a string instrument like me.

“And you?” Aras looks slightly startled as I turn the conversation towards him.  He leans against door next to him, regaining his composure.

“Piano,” His lips quirk up as I gape at him and Gemma.  They must know each other well since they’re playing the same instrument.  From how I’ve seen them interact, they don’t seem to hold any grudges towards each other.  Maybe prodigious music students aren’t as viciously competitive as they’re rumored to be?  I hope this is true.  Studying abroad is hard enough as it is without all the competitive drama.

After trading our schedules around, I confirm that, aside from my individual musical sessions, Macy and I share the same classes. I even share my entire core, non-musical classes with Aras.  I can tell by the shark-like grin on his face that he will not make my adjusting to my third year easy.

Wonderful.

***

“You have no sense of direction,” Gemma concludes as she plops down on one of the benches in the cafeteria.

“No.  The architect of this school just had no sense of rhyme or reason,” I defend myself as I cross my arms.  Gemma has taken the task of giving me a grand tour of the school upon herself and, after hours of aimlessly walking, I still have no clue where anything is.

“Maybe I can draw you a map,” I almost laugh before realizing that Gemma is being completely serious.  “Or maybe buy you a compass.”  At this, she breaks into a grin.  I can’t help but smile back at her.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat and then head back to your dorm.  You can’t ignore your new roommate forever.” I ignore Gemma’s whining and haul her to the a la carte line.

***

 “Gemma, this isn’t a joke.  I really have no idea where I’m going.” I whine as my head swims from spinning in circles for too long.  Ever since I suggested returning to her dorm, Gemma has sworn silence, even keeping her mouth shut as I nearly ran into a pillar.  I still have no clue as to how to get back to our dorms.  The halls are nearly empty, as most of the students have somehow found their way back to their rooms already.

“You’re no fun, Ruby,” Gemma huffs as she grabs my arm to guide us back to our rooms.  I try to take careful note of our route for future reference.  “Here we are.”