Bleed Me A Melody

His Daughter

Chapter 1: His Daughter

This is a pain… He sighed as he climbed up the concrete stairs of his school.

It was the very first day of his 11th grade life and he didn’t feel good about it. When he entered the big doors of the school, everyone stopped and turned towards him. He walked down the idle aisle as if he was a superstar waiting to sign his fans’ autographs. He could hear the whispers, murmurs, and giggles and distorted sounds of the cicadas hiding in the trees.

Standing in front of the lists, he searched for his name and proceeded towards the second floor, not even minding the girls who were begging for his attention. Wherever he went, he could feel hundreds of eyes burning at his back as he walked but he just looked at them standoffishly and continued towards the room at the end of the hallway.

He went to a seat near the window and dumped his bag on the table. This spot was the best place for him. The wind can touch his face and he can look outside whenever he wanted to. He closed his eyes and dreamt of playing the guitar again when he gets home and to smell the sweet aroma of his mother’s butter cookies.

“Hey Ivan,” a girl poked him from behind, “how’s summer? Have you gone to some place new?” She smiled and he noticed the way she bats her eyelashes at him in a flirtatious way.

“Nope, I was with my girlfriend the entire summer and we’ve been playing music together.” He said coldly. Ha! Take that, flirt!

The girl looked shocked about what he said that she turns around and huddles with her friends in a corner, telling them that their ‘Famous Rock Star In School’ had a girlfriend. But it was obviously a lie. He doesn’t want girls to flock at him the way that girl did. He wanted someone who is more than that.

He watched the people he knew from last year chatter with their friends and talk about the places they travelled during summer. As for his summer, he locked himself in his room all day, his electric guitar always plugged to the amp and played until his fingers chipped and bled.

This year, he will eventually form a band and join competitions and tournaments. Then he will finally reach his dream which is The Rocksmith 2023. This is an event that is held every three years where amateur musicians from all over America will rock out until dawn and compete. They will play rock songs, alternative, pop, ballad or whatever genre they want to play and show the world that music is their medium of expression. When a particular band wins, they will get a lifetime contract from a certain music company and will travel around the world to share and inspire people with their music.

What a life.

His musings were interrupted when a tall woman in blue uniform arrived. "Good morning, class! I am your adviser for this school year. My name is Ms. Eva Kennedy." She smiled at them, walked to the center of the room where a table is found and grabbed the attendance chart. "Say 'present' when both your body and soul are in this room." They all giggled and she winked at them.

She called each one from the list and complimented them with a great sense of humor. Some laugh, some teased and yell names and some just stayed quiet. Finally, it was now his turn.

"Mr. John Ivan Tyrell," she said and gazed across the room then he stood up. "I'm present, ma'am." He said with a low tone of his voice.

His teacher looked at him, her expression unreadable and it felt like forever by just standing there. Then finally she spoke up, "Ah, you’re the guitar prodigy in this school right? I envy you. I was practicing the guitar back when I was younger but it seems the guitar doesn’t like me,” She smiled, “continue living your dream, John.”

He smiled then took his seat and looked at the window again. Sometimes, he would drum his fingers on the desk or do the strumming on the edge of his seat out of boredom while name after name was called. Finally, it was her turn.

"Ms. Janine Elizabeth Scott," Ms. Kennedy announced and a girl with deep black eyes and auburn straight hair stood.

"Present, ma'am."

"Are you the daughter of Allen Scott, the band member of Drop of The Advancing Soul?" The teacher said wide-eyed, looking alternately at the chart then to her again as if seeing a ghost while the other students whispered and murmured making the room noisy.

The girl sighed and her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, "Yes. I am his daughter."

All of them gasped and some said 'Wow' or 'That is so cool!' and the room became even noisier when they bombarded her with questions and she just shrugged for an answer. Ivan could see her calm expression turn into vexation when all of them kept talking about her dad and how popular he is.

"Everyone, please be quiet!" Ms. Kennedy said and turned to the girl, "I never knew the popular Allen Scott's daughter decided to study here. So please, feel at home here in Southside High School, Ms. Scott. We are happy that you chose this school for you to study and learn."

The girl smiled, more like it was forced and took her seat and the girl next to her, asked her about her dad's next tour and she just brushed her off with a polite smile. Ivan looked at her, observing how she doesn't answer any questions with a shrug or a one-word reply. He could see the frustration in her eyes but she tried her best to hide it but no one seems to see but only him.

The entire day there were talking about the history of their school, the facilities, the rules and regulations, and most of all to get to know each other. Ivan just sat there waiting impatiently for the clock to chime the fifth hour of the afternoon.

When the bell rang signaling for dismissal, they all said their goodbyes to end the day. He picked up his bag and some of his folders and went outside. His best friend, Nathan, was already waiting for him at the door carrying a pair of drumsticks while listening to music from his phone connected to a red Skullcandy headphone.

When Nathan saw him, he waved at him and runs towards him while putting his headphones to his neck. "Yo, how's first day?" he asked with a smile.

"Nothing really happened."

"Ah, I heard there was a girl who is daughter to the guitar prodigy, Allen Scott," he said and glanced at the back, "Oh look, there she is right there." Ivan turned and there he saw the girl surrounded by a group of students. The frustration and annoyance was back in her face and she's trying to escape from the crowd but she couldn't.

"Instant celebrity, huh?" Nathan said beside him and poked him on the ribs, "Looks like you've got a rival."

He didn't reply to what Nathan said but instead he continued looking at her. He watched her tell those students that she should go home so she can rest but the crowd continued to ask her questions, asking her where she lived and how many strands of hair does he father have.

"Come now, guys. Just give her some space, will you? She wants to go home. Can't you just listen to what she's saying rather than inundate her with your stupid questions." Ivan said coldly which made the students look at him in silence.

The crowd stepped back, giving the girl some space to walk down the hall. When she was almost to Ivan she mouthed a 'thank you' to which he nodded in return.

He watched her back until she disappeared from his sight.