Out of Tune: The Original 2015 Draft

chapter 16

I think wherever you go, when people hear good music, they will react to it.

-Wiz Khalifa

The moment my eyes locked on the boy in front of me, I felt a rush of emotion shoot through my system. I hadn't seen him in years but he hadn't changed much. His blonde hair was still floppy and his eyes were still bright green. He'd gained more muscle and lost some of the pudginess he'd had but he looked virtually the same.

I plastered a smile on my face. "Josh. Hi."

Josh, my ex boyfriend who I hadn't seen since I left New York after my father's death, grinned, oblivious to my awkwardness. He took a few carefree steps towards me and stopped when he was a foot away. His eyes traced me over before flashing to my face in appreciation. "Aileen, you look great."

"Thanks," I replied meekly. I had no idea what to say to him. "You look good too."

Josh's grin softened to a smile. "Uh, how are you? How's Nebraska?"

"I actually live in LA now," I told him. "I moved there a few months ago. It's nice. Warm."

"Bet you don't miss the cold," he joked.

I shook my head. "Not one bit."

Josh took a small step towards me. "I saw you up on stage. Your band is really good."

A red flush ran up the back of my neck and flooded my cheeks with colour. "Thanks," I mumbled. "I didn't know you were watching."

"I'm Phil's new bartender," he answered.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not twenty-one. You can't legally serve liquor."

Josh grinned and sent me a wink. "I know and so does Phil. I'm only filling in temporarily until Ray gets back on his feet. He was in a car crash about a month ago. Broke his leg in three spots. He can hardly walk. Once he's back I'm headed back to DJ duty."

"Oh my god," I whispered. I'd known Ray—he'd been the bartender at The Vault for as long as I could remember. There wasn't a time I could think of where I hadn't seen him behind the bar. "I hope he's okay."

The blonde haired boy across from me shrugged. "He'll be fine. Ray's always been a stubborn old fool. He'll be back on his feet before we know it."

I nodded in relief. "Well, if you see him tell him that I hope he feels better."

Josh smiled. "I will."

There was a moment of silence where we stared at each other wordlessly. I didn't know what to say to him. He'd been my first real boyfriend but now it felt like I'd never known him. He looked nearly the same and the way he spoke was no different than what I remembered. He hadn't changed, I realized, but I had. I was not the same girl I'd been then. I'd experienced loss, sadness, anger, and now I was finally healing. With music. With the band. I wouldn't ever be the girl I'd been when I'd lived in New York.

And I was completely okay with that.

"Look," I said, "I better head back to my hotel before my chaperons realize that I'm gone." Even though I was certain I wouldn't, I finished with, "I'll see you around."

Then I left, walking back down the street with quick, sure steps as I headed back to my hotel. By the time I got there, my cheeks and nose were numb from the cold February air and I was trying my hardest to suppress shivers. As I crept through the hotel, wary of the teachers I knew could be mingling in the lounges and on the upper floors, I couldn't help but feel a little...rebellious. I'd never done anything like this before and as I was planning on doing the same tomorrow, I couldn't help but feel on top of the world, like no one could touch me.