People Can You Hear Me? [A Brian May Story]

[6]

Brian stood in the shop confused and hurt, giving him a sense of dèja'Vu.  Gently folding the letter up and putting it into his pocket, he left the shop, his mind clouded with regret.

If I had just accepted the apology instead of being the moral police, he thought, kicking himself.

He simply couldn't help it though. Brian hated other people being abusive to their bodies. He hated watching Roger and Freddie smoke cigarettes daily, reminding him of how his father won't quit no matter how hard Brian hints it to him. To see this young woman, Genevieve, trying this drug that has little research about it or known side effects worried Brian.

What if she overdosed? What if they got caught and she would have to go back to the States? Brian didn't want this to happen. The essay he had dug out of the trash from Imperial was witty, smart and well-stocked with facts and concrete details. She was obviously very intellectual and sharp-witted. Brian simply didn't want her to throw her education away by hanging out with the newspaper staff.

Brian wasn't stupid; he knew Noah's true motives for wanting information on Genevieve. And Noah was best friends with Todd, who had a different girl on his arm every time Brian saw him. They could be easily taking advantage of the fact she can't speak. But just from an icy glance of hers, Brian knew she had the capacity to take care of herself. He just couldn't help but worry.

"Hey! What did you do?" Roger asked as Brian exited the building.

"I-I messed up," Brian admitted.

"She was crying," Veronica said. "What happened?"

Freddie stepped forward. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to get going to make it to the pub on time. We must get this gig!"

"We can talk about it on the way there," Roger suggested.

Brian nodded in agreement, internally sighing in relief from the shift of attention.

||||||||

"So, he told you to stop taking it?" Noah asked me, setting the paper I had typed up for him down.

I sighed and nodded, leaning back in my chair.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, scooting his chair closer to mine. "I could've told you Brian was a boffin."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and cocked my head. Noah smiled bashfully, "Oh, I'm sorry. A boffin is someone who is obsessed with science or a rather large umm... nerd."

I nodded. Brian seemed so shy and timid around me. I had no clue what to make of him. He was just simply too good at masking his true thoughts. And I haven't spent enough time with him to really try and get a feel for how Brian ticked. Roger was pretty easy; a charming womanizer with a surprisingly strong work ethic and a drive to be successful.

Reading people was easy. Once they got comfortable around me, they release the walls they had around themselves. In middle school, everyone told me their secrets and gossip because well... I couldn't accidentally tell anyone, I couldn't tell anyone at all! But that all changed after middle school, when I moved from small-town Rockport to Boston for my father's job.

"Genevieve, would you like to come with me to go to Kim's flat tonight?" Noah asked, hope apparent in his face. "She's having the staff over for a little get together and you're more than welcome to come."

How far away is Kim's house? I typed out.

Noah pondered it for a moment. "About ten minutes out from Imperial."

Okay, so she hopefully she wasn't too far from my apartment. I did need to do some homework but Noah was so sweet, listening to me, letting me cry... it couldn't hurt to get to know the others better in a non-induced state.