Short Stories

Because of a Piano...

My hands slowly write down the agonizing physics notes my teacher writes on the whiteboard ahead me. The slow ticking of the clock is the only way to know that time is actually passing by.

It has been nearly two years since I've secretly started playing the piano. My parents never accepted music as a hobby, never mind a career. They enrolled me into a school where music class was optional, but every year my parents did my school schedule, not me.

Now I'm here, with my terrible schedule of physics, advanced algebra, calculus, and AP science. My parents want me to be a mathematician, but my dreams are of being a piano protege. But of course, thats why its called a dream, because dreams never happen.

The school bell rings, my hands quickly shut my book as I stand up. I evade all the other students in my classroom as my body swerves through the doorway and down the hall to the front office of my middle school.

Everyday I make my way down these familiar corridors, giving the receptionist a fake note excusing me from class after fifth period. I need piano in my life, a week without it is like a week without food to me.

"So Rose, what is it today?" asks the receptionist, "Isn't it a math club?"

"Yes it is." I say nonchalantly, "You know my schedule alright."

The receptionist laughs as she indicates to the door for me to leave the school. I make my way through the door, roundabout the school, and enter through the side door. From there, my feet bring me into the empty music room, I drop my bag, open it, and pull my music out.

My music lays sprawled all over the piano top as I tune the old piano. Once tuned, I start playing one key after the other to warm up my fingers. Behind me, I hear the soft creaking of the music room door and I whip my head around to see who is entering.

"Woah, Rose" my friends Victoria and Garrett say in unison as they enter.

"Sorry, I thought you were a teacher," I return, "I can't risk getting caught."

"Where did you put my dance shoes?" Garrett says as he searches the room.

I pull the top off the piano to reveal Garrett's beautiful pair of black leather dance shoes. They shine as I pick them up and I hand them over to him. Everyday, Garrett, Victoria, and I meet in the music room to secretly practise the things we love to do. I play piano and Victoria accompanies with her violin as Garrett does his ballet, it's our tradition. 

Once everybody is ready, I start to play 'Hanging Tree' as Victoria adds the violin harmony. Garrett does one turn after the other, leaps, and so on. 

We continue to do this for hours upon end, laughing whenever somebody would mess up. 

It reached around six o'clock and it was time for everybody to go home. I put Garrett's shoes back into the piano, Victoria untunes the piano, and Garrett puts Victoria's violin on a high shelf, covering it with a cloth. 

All of us proceeded to leave the school and make our ways back home. I enter my car and start up the engine, my silver Volkswagen Beetle revs to life. As I make my way down the main street to my house, I vividly imagine what my parents would say if they saw me leaving classes early for piano. 

My car pulls up to our driveway and my parents open the door to my car and pull me out. My dad demands for the keys and he locks the doors to my car and then puts my keys in his pocket. I question everything that is happening. My mom pushes me through the door to my house and I fall, she screams for me to get up. She grabs me by the ear and pulls me to the couch, she proceeds to hit me across the back of my head. Everything is happening so quickly, I can't comprehend what's going on.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" My mom belts out, hitting me again, "You idiotic child!"

"We are so disappointed in you!" My dad then says, "You need mental help, a psychologist!"

"What's going on?" I ask a bit too innocently, "I don't understand what's going on."

"PIANO!" my parents say in unison, a look of pure horror and disgust on their faces.

"It's just piano..." I add.

"No! It's not just piano you disgraceful child!" my mom screeches.

"To your room!" my dad screams.

I make my way up to my room, passing my kitchen and grabbing a snack. I enter my room, slam the door and break down in tears. 

Because of a piano my life is going to fall apart. Because of a piano, I will never be loved. Because of a piano my parents will never love me. Because of a forbidden passion, my life is going to fall apart...

A/N

I want to thank @pizzaloverdude for suggesting this. It was really fun to write and I hope you reading liked it! Feel free to suggest ideas for a story or even just a song I can base the story on, anything really! Sorry this is really short, I've been going through a crap ton of changes and haven't much time to write. Thanks for reading and have a good day/night!