Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

chapter 10

Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life

-Jean Paul

I didn't know what I expected to happen when I walked into school on Monday morning, but what I found was far beyond anything I ever could have imagined. Students were milling around the halls talking about the "totally awesome band" that had played the formal. On top of that, I saw a few posters, featuring pictures people had taken during the dance, hung up around the school and in students' lockers. Even more crazy was the fact that there were students that had somehow printed a photo of the band onto their T-shirts.

It was unreal.

I walked through the hallways in a state of awe. For the entirety of the weekend I had been moving in a daze, overcome with the feeling of accomplishment that had come with playing a great show at the dance but this. This was something else. I'd never imagined that I could feel so accepted without people even knowing my name.

I stopped in front of one of the posters, just staring at the image that had been printed. Whoever had taken it had a definite eye for photography because the shot was just amazing. Spencer was standing by the microphone, his fingers expertly strumming his guitar as he leaned back slightly, just away from the microphone during a break in the song. Zeke and I were flanking him, one of us on either side, staring out at the crowd with large smiles on our faces as we played our own parts on our respective instruments. My hair stood out under the bright lights. The normally dark red shade was brighter, as if lit on fire as I flounced across the stage. Charlie, to the left of Zeke, was a little more reserved in his playing style, smirking out at the crowd with a more subdued aura about him. And then there was Miles. Seated at the drum kit behind the rest of us, Miles was clearly visible by the way his arms, his fingers clasping his drumsticks, were thrown up in the air with a defining grin settled exuberantly on his face.

At the top of the poster, centred above all of our heads were the words Imagine Reality. Whoever had designed the poster needed, without a fraction of a doubt, to do into some sort of design career as the logo they had turned our name into was nothing shy of beautiful. The font they had chosen was elegant yet edgy. They'd incorporated clouds, almost like billowing dream clouds, with a lightning bolt running diagonally across the cloud.

It was perfect.

I smiled crookedly as I stared at the poster, not noticing when I felt a presence at my shoulder.

"Is that us?"

"Cool."

"No way!"

I tossed a glance over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the guys who had appeared simultaneously behind me. Spencer moved so that he was standing beside, his mouth gaping as he stared at the poster. I reached down and grasped his wrist, giving it a tight squeeze.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" I asked him.

He nodded mutely. "It sure is."

Had it been possible, I doubt that I would have moved from that spot all day. But, as the warning bell rang throughout the hall, I knew that I should rush to class. Still, even as I began to back away slowly from the poster, I couldn't help but toss another final look over my shoulder, just to see it one more time.

Then, smiling like an idiot, I walked away to class.

All throughout my first class, Taylor was staring at me insistently, trying to get me to turn and look at her. It was then that I had a certain gut-wrenching feeling that she knew I had been a part of Imagine Reality. The moment the bell rang, I jumped from my seat, dashing out into the hallway before she had the chance to stop me.