Singing with Eliza that afternoon was incredibly dull. Much like the past two years, her classes boiled down to an unfulfilling choir practise. We warm up, she gives us a lyric sheet, we stand around the piano and sing, she gets mad when we don't nail the harmonies that she hasn't actually taught us yet... Per usual, I left that lesson feeling exhausted and deflated, grateful that I wouldn't have to suffer through that again until next week. Don't get me wrong, I adore singing, but those lessons always seemed pointless.
As I left the building that afternoon I was greeted by heavy rain, and not too enthusiastic to get drenched on the forty-minute walk home, I made a beeline for the college library. Quinn had made a run for it and caught the bus home, and my house mate Harley was on a trip with her work, so I was once again alone. Not that I minded too much, in fact I quite enjoyed being left to my own devices. Besides, I had my sketchbook, my laptop, my headphones; what more could a guy need to entertain himself until the rain stopped? I occupied my usual corner by the shelf of plays and settled down to get some work done.
A couple, quiet hours passed, and I'd gone through my 'Stuff' script at least a dozen times, now secure on all my lines. Having grown tired of my disjointed monologue about pandas and their lack of willingness to mate, I had turned instead to my sketchbook. What with it being the first day back I didn't have any coursework to get on with, so I allowed myself to relax a little, shuffling my chilled-out playlist and doodling aimlessly. I'll say it now, loud and clear, I am not an artist... I've always loved drawing and would give my left kidney to be good at it, but it was certainly not a natural talent of mine. I couldn't draw hands, or feet, or eyes, or mouths, or hair, but that didn't stop me from creating endless sketches of characters and scenes, dodgy proportions and all. There were just always so many ideas buzzing around in my head, and I couldn't always express them through writing or acting or singing. Words were always my strong suit, but sometimes my thoughts required shape and colour to make any sense.
When I zoned back into myself, having drifted slightly as I thought about how messy my mind always was, my hands were still moving, a wobbly outline of a lanky elf taking shape on the paper before me. It was James. I'd been writing a fantasy novel for a while, and James was the charming main character. A spritely, young wood elf who always had his nose in a good book. An adventurer at heart, but also sensible and smart. The unofficial right-hand man to the leader of his village, and reluctant babysitter of his best friend Teo, he was an intensely lovable character, and I never tired of drawing him.
The college library closed at five and the rain was still pouring outside. I was politely kicked out as the staff were more than ready to go home, and so I perched beneath the overhanging roof across from the campus café. The next bus home wouldn't run for another half hour, and I certainly wasn't prepared to walk in this weather, so I curled up against a pillar and just sat watching the rain fall. Once again, I was completely zoned out in a matter of minutes, and it wasn't until I heard my name called that I snapped back to reality. I looked up to see Ethan heading my way, his hoodie soaked through.
"What're you doing still here, I thought you finished at 3?" He asked, jogging a little and sitting next to me, grateful for some shelter from the rain.
"I didn't want to walk home in this weather, and the next bus isn't for a while. I got kicked out of the library at closing so uh, here I am." I rambled quietly, taken aback by his sudden appearance.
"Okay, that does make sense." He chuckled, a bright smile on his face.
"I can go though. I know the college is mostly closed by now and I probably look like a troublesome youth about to cause some property damage or something, I just kinda zoned out and-"
"Hey, easy there." He interrupted my panicked babbling. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like, but if you'd rather go home, that's your prerogative."
"Yeah, that's probably a good plan." I pulled my phone out, looking at the bus timetable and frowned when I saw that the buses were cancelled for the rest of the day. Something about flood warnings and the old buses not being up to that much strain. "Well, buses are cancelled so I guess I'm walking."
"I'm about to start walking home too, which way are you heading?" Ethan chimed.
"I live up hill, near the Imp pub on the Ermine."
"No way!" His eyes lit up. "I live four houses down from that bar!"
"Really?" I was amazed. I knew someone had moved in recently as I'd been friends with the people who lived there before, but it was one hell of a coincidence that my new tutor would be moving so close. "Me and my housemate live in one of the new houses down from the Imp."
"In that case, I propose we walk home together!" Ethan stood up swiftly, offering a hand to me which I gladly accepted.
"Sounds good to me!"
YOU ARE READING
Meet Me In The Wings ~ Ethan Nestor
Fanfiction19-year-old Jamie is preparing for his third year of studying Performing Arts at college in a small English city, when he discovers that his favourite tutor won't be returning for the year. Instead a new one pops into his life - a hyperactive acting...
