Amidst The Dissonance

Invitations and New Faces

It was more or less a simple question. A simple invitation. No secret meaning, no hidden message behind it. Shuichi had received invitations from his friends countless times before, and if he tried to count the total number of times, he'd have to retrieve a notebook to make tally marks.

...

Kaede🎵: How about my house on Wednesday?

Shuichi: Ah! That works!

...

So, what was it about this invitation that was so nerve-wracking? Why did it make him so nervous? It wasn't even for anything necessarily informal, such as a slumber party or a movie night. It was to work on the basis of the Creative Writing Project due in two and a half weeks.

Was it because Kaede was a girl? No, that would've been ridiculous. Even if he was at the age where that kind of thing would lead to a few rumors, he wasn't the type to invest himself in it.

He buttoned up his white shirt slowly, his fingers dancing meticulously over the buttons. His eyes grazed over the navy blue interior walls of his room, before wandering to the silver clock that sat above his closet.

"Seven thirty-six." he furrowed his brows and sucked in a breath, his cheeks inflated slightly. "If I don't hurry up I'm going to be late."

He finished the third button on his shirt with a bit of difficulty as his mind began to slowly wander. His hands snaked down to the gaping hole below the third button as words left his lips and echoed his thoughts. Using his left hand, he pinched the tip of his thumb and middle finger together. His right hand delicately brought the slit towards the right button. Muttering to himself, he pushed the button forward and let it roll through the small slit. He released his thumb and middle finger and gave the plastic cylinder one last push with his index finger.

Four buttons down, one more to go.

He mumbled to himself offhandedly as he fiddled with the last button; the words left his lips quietly, each sentence reflecting his thoughts on the stress of the school week so far. His lashes brushed against the brim of his eye bags as he pushed the final button through the slit. His green eyes squinted slightly as he did his best to focus.

The button locked into place.

"There we go..." he let out a sigh of relief as the feeling of satisfaction greeted him. "How much time do I have...?" his eyes landed on the clock and felt his stomach slowly sink. "Goddammit, of course it's seven forty-two."

He grabbed his jacket hurriedly and slipped his right arm through its designated sleeve. His eyes darted around the room again in an attempt to find his hat. The dresser. No luck. His bed. No luck. The floor near the closet. No dice. The small nightstand. Nope.

He frowned, slipping his left arm through its proper sleeve. Using both hands, he slowly adjusted the black clothing into a more comfortable position. He slowly made his way towards the entrance of his room, one hand reaching out for the doorknob while another curled its fingers around the first button. He lightly fastened his collar.

Shuichi sighed. He needed to invest in zippers sometime soon. Using his left hand, he twisted the doorknob to the left and pulled back. As quickly as it clicked, the door opened; its loud whines filled the early-morning atmosphere and alerted his presence.

He started out the door, his socks slipping against the wooden floor. He leaned out into the hallway and glanced to the left, down at the path that led to the stairs. The sun's rays danced across the large portraits and glass vases. They sat delicately, false roses and sunflowers and daisies poking out of the small gaps as they stood on the white shelves. Though Shuichi wasn't a fan of the french beige hallways that led to his room and the storage closet, he admired the vases on the shelves. Apparently the third one, a small red vase with a singular pink daisy, was a gift his mother had brought to him when he was merely three years old. Whether this was true or not, he didn't know, but he certainly did not want to dwell on it.