Resonance // Lynn Gunn Imagine

Daydreaming Artist

The mysterious girl in question isn't in the music room. And neither is anyone else - bandmates of hers or otherwise. "Aw man," you mutter, stepping a little further into the band room with hesitation - you wanted to be sure she wasn't here, but also the band room was one the the last places you ever hung out, so it felt a little weird to be in the space.

"Not here?" Jessica pokes her head in through the door.

"Nah," you sigh, before joining her back out in the hall. "I should get to class anyway though - Ms. Feller won't care, but I can't get busted out in the hall again or they'll call my mom and say I'm skipping."

"And you definitely don't want a repeat of last week," Jessica arches her eyebrows at you as she folds her arms.

"Ugh, fuck. Don't remind me," you roll your head back as the memory of your mom driving up to the front of the school in a raging panic and screaming at you for apparently dealing drugs in front of the lunchtime crowd rewrites itself back into your brain. "I fucking tried to tell her that they were just. Smarties. But she wouldn't listen. Anyway," you sigh dramatically, "Gotta stop by my locker first. Come with?"

"Only because I have a spare and I love you so much," she replies, linking her arm with yours.

"Which is why I don't understand how come you don't spend that time hanging out with me in the art room," you say as you poke your head around the corner before hurrying down the hall when no one appears to be patrolling.

"Because I have better things to do with my time than stare at you making beautiful art and feeling useless, that's why."

"Other things like...," you start to say slowly, watching out of the corner of your eye as Jessica's head cranes to stare through the open door of the cafeteria, "Perhaps staring at some other beautiful thing? Or, person?"

"Hm?" Jessica asks absently, barely turning her attention back to you.

"Just admit that you use your spare to stalk Kyle, it's okay," you tease.

"You would too if that girl from the stage was in gym class at the same time as your spare!" she says defensively.

"Mm," you hum appreciatively as you pause in the act of opening your locker. "Girls in gym shorts." You allow yourself to daydream for a moment about the girl on the stage and how she'd look in loose basketball shorts. Despite the wonders of tight, form fitting volleyball shorts, you can't deny to yourself that you have a type. And that type is definitely tomboy. As stereotypical as that likely was.

"Earth to Rae," Jessica snaps her fingers in front of your face.

"Huh? Shit! Right," you shake yourself, quickly grabbing your bag and double-checking that you have the right binders for the remaining three classes of the day.

"You're so fucking gay, Rae," she laughs at you as you slam your locker shut and twist the combo lock, resetting it precisely back to zero.

"And I don't know how you're not," you tease right back as the two of you head back down the hall towards your art class.

Jessica shrugs, "Boys." As if that explains everything. Which, in her case, it did, really.

The two of you walk the rest of the way to your art class in silence, glancing around occasionally to make sure there's no teachers or hall monitors nearby. "I'll grab you a hall pass from Feller so you can stalk your crush freely," you tell Jessica, leaving her outside the door for a moment as you slip up front to Ms. Feller's desk - thankfully you've come late enough that she's not doing any actual instructing, and is instead letting the class do their own thing. It's one of the reasons why this is your favourite class.

"Hi Ms. Feller," you say, smiling at her as she looks up at you from her desk, "Sorry I'm a little late."

"Oh, that's no problem dear," she says, tucking her auburn hair behind her ear. "You just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine."

"Thanks," you grin, then nod out towards the door where Jessica is peeping her head in, "But speaking of doing things, this one doesn't want to join us yet again - could she borrow the spare hall pass for the period?"

Ms. Feller nods with another kind smile, pulls open her drawer and hands you a slightly oversized plastic paintbrush with her name and room number - Feller, 221 - inscribed on the end. "Make sure she remembers to return it before the bell," she says, then adds, "And that she stays out of trouble!"

"I will, I will, don't worry about me," Jessica bounces in and snatches the hall pass with a grin.

"Next time, I won't just let you have that pass unless you stay and visit for a bit!" Ms. Feller scolds jokingly, wagging her finger.

"Said that last time!" Jessica says before practically charging out the door.

"And she's off to go stalk her crush," you roll your eyes, before hiking your backpack up higher on your shoulders, "I'm off to keep working on my project now though - thanks for being the coolest cat, Feller," you say - grateful that the front row of students didn't just hear you say that. Ms. Feller always seemed to bring out your inner weirdo - and it wasn't something you wanted anyone in your senior class to be aware of.

You're still inwardly rolling your eyes at yourself as you make your way to your usual spot at the back of the class. You start to drop your backpack on the table when you realize that someone is already sitting there. "Oh sorry, I didn't-" you start, then stop dead.

"Shit, sorry, was this your spot? The teacher told me to just sit anywhere - I didn't know it was already taken, no one was here..."

You know you should reply, because the poor girl is trailing off awkwardly into silence, waiting for your answer. But it's kinda hard to form sentences when your mouth is hanging open. Because sitting in your spot, barely two feet away from you, is the girl from the stage.