Leave Me In Your Mind

Chapter 1

As I followed my friends through the halls I heard a faint sound of piano keys plunking, the melody rising up from the ground. 

"My gosh, my keychain!" Chloe stressed for the fourth time in the past five minutes. "I really hope that it's just in my locker."

After a quick sympathetic nod Vivian asked, "Are you sure you don't remember where you left it?"

"If I did, I think I would have it on my backpack right now," She sighed.

We turned the corner and then I could make out that the music I was listening to was some kind of jazz. A medley of some sort that seemed to hint at a nostalgic time. It was coming from the music room just further down that hall. 

Chloe finished clacking her high heeled boots to her locker. Vivian and I watched her fiddle around,  her mumbling synched with the turning gears of the padlock, before she disappointed herself with her loss. She crushed her short half up with her palms as she sighed, "Oh my mom is going to KILL me if she finds out about this!" she trailed off with a groan.

"It's okay! It's okay! Maybe it's one of your pockets or something?" Vivian assured quickly, reaching her arms out to her distraught friend but was rejected as she turned around. 

I watched as my friends conspire on the whereabouts of her keychain, as I merely thought about the situation rather than actually contributing to try and console her like the useless gal I am. Of course I was worried, but it didn't feel like I was in the place to say anything because my memory was even worse than anyone else that I knew. 

With Chloe discouraged, I followed the two walk back to the cafeteria from which we came. But I sank into the song, still being played, still inviting me. I felt a vitality in the rhythm and a strong sense of self that brightly shined through the color of the piece. Before my friends walked away into the staircase I called out, "Hey can we stop by the music room real quick?" They looked at each other and shrugged. They didn't oppose it I guess so the headed towards the music room with me instead of resuming our weekly tea time in our corner of our cafeteria.

I strut a little faster towards the music and the piano as I imagined a certain person sitting behind it. Coaxing his own thoughts and talent to produce such a raw emotion. Leaning into each slight accent... Jogging now, the song was clear to me that it was being played by him. Behind me my friends called after me saying that they were too unfit to run, but whatever they said after that faded out as I swept past the multiple poster projects and cork boards on the walls. The entrance came into view and I stopped and turned towards the small ebony piano. 

Glen. Of course it's him. Cozy in his little bubble he didn't notice me walk up to the railing.

"H-Hello!" I leaned in. 

No response.

I took a small step in to the big room, "H-"

But before I could finish Glen's hands hovered over the keys and smiled, "Oh hey Cynthie, didn't know that you were free right now." Like him, I was surprised that we both didn't have any classes that hour and I felt a sense of regret for not knowing. It was well into sophomore year and to think that I never asked him about his schedule made me mentally face palm myself. 

"Yeah you too," I paused for an awkward second, "Do you always come here around now?" I heard my friends catch up behind me.

As she strut into the room Chloe greeted, "Oh hey, Glen! Whatcha playin'?" and hopped on over to join him on the seat of the piano. Glen scooted aside and stood up and answered her spontaneous question.

"I don't know. I'm just playing something." 

I was always amazed at this. How could he just play something so full of life like that? In terms of listening, I've come to like songs that had just had a loose structure that took you through a whole range of moods and themes, and he always seemed to conjure up just that. The songs he'd play would paint a picture in my mind and I wondered if his mind did the same. 

I hung around awkwardly pressed against the wall as I watched Chloe hunch over the keys. She plunked a G. Going up the scale she stuttered on a couple notes before she got it. I started to applaud her for her efforts and Vivian and Glen joined. Chloe laughed as her small circle of applause faded out.

"Wow, absolutely amazing," Glen remarked humorously.

"Yeah I should be playing in Carnegie Hall right now, don't ya think?" Chloe joined in on the satire. She now started to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Wonderful as well. We applauded again. This time though, she continued to clack at the keys. 

Watching her reminded me of myself at home. Pretending to actually know how to play instruments. The difference between me and her though, was that she knew how to have fun and brush it off while I felt the need to hide my hobbies and keep them to myself. A weird feeling of judgement seeped through my eyes and I couldn't help but feel jealous for some reason. Nothing was going on. Just her playing the keys one white key apart and playing what seemed to be a coherent melody and the rest of us just watching. 

I walked up to the piano thinking of him.