Five Minutes

Lilliana walks with me all the way to the entrance of my class, the room I was in before I heard the cello. "I'll see you at lunch," she says. I take a breath before walking into the classroom. It's been three years since I transferred to this school and yet the only people I know are Lilliana, her boyfriend Noah, and Noah's best friend Jake.

There are only a couple of people in the class and they all watch me as I walk past them and to the back corner by the window. As soon as I sit they all look away. From the moment I enrolled here all they did was stare at me. Every time I enter a room they stare. When I leave a room they stare. When I talk they stare.

The hallways part when I walk down them and they stare. I never figured out why they did that. Lilliana and Jake say it's because I'm intimidating, but I don't understand that either.

More students run to their seats as the tardy bell rings, the teacher walking in not a minute after the last student sits down. Ms. Jun was a very pretty woman. Long black hair and large green eyes. She looks like she was supposed to be a doll. Well she would if it weren't for frown always glued to her face.

"Please take your seats and get out a notebook and something to write with." We all did as she said, not to take notes, but because she had said to. Ms. Jun's class was, for the most part, independent study except for those few times she gave a lecture.

She gives me a brief look before starting her lesson. After one of my attacks the teachers decided it was best to just leave me alone. It was during class and my phone had died. I had immediately left to try and find the music room because the band had class that hour but I hadn't found it in time. Coincidentally I had broken down in front of the teachers lounge, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and kept panicking.

Lilliana who was walking to the bathroom at the time had figured it out when she saw that I didn't have my headphones on, and quickly shoved hers in my ear. It took two songs for me to calm down and she's been by my side since, with spare headphones and an extra charger in her bag at all times.

The teachers left me alone after that and surprisingly enough the other student never found out about my episode.

I don't pay attention in class instead just closing my eyes and listening to my music. I just borrowed Lil's notes since we had all the same classes, just at different times.

My eyes open just as the bell rings, it's like I have some sort of internal clock. I stand up with a huff and sling by bag over my shoulders.

I float through the next three hours the same way, until i'm sitting at a table outside with a cup of pudding in front of me, waiting for the others to get here. My music isn't too loud, quiet enough I can still hear people talk and listen to my surroundings.

Girls gossiping on the table to my left, and a group of boys playing around at the table on my right. By the time Lilliana, Noah and Jake reach the table I've finished my pudding and a small piece of banana bread.

Out of the corner of my eye I see blue ones looking at me. Not any blue eyes, no those Prussian eyes. It's the boy I met earlier. I didn't realize it earlier but they really are a pretty blue. I turn my head so I can see him fully, his eyes shift realizing he got caught staring, before flitting back over to me.

I hold his stare waiting for him to look away like everyone else does, but he doesn't. He holds mine until one of his friends grabs his attention. I turn back in my seat trying to figure out what the others were talking about. 

I move one of my earbuds as Jake says something. "Would someone explain why Damian Woods is walking this way?" I turn to see who he's talking about only to find Prussian walking towards us. He sits down next to me not even taking a breath before saying, " I, Damian Woods, would like to be your friend, Keila Drake."

"What's in it for me Woods?" His eyes widened in surprise before he says, "I want quiet and you're the quietest person I know. You want noise and my cello seemed to provide you that just fine. So, what do you say Kelia Drake, do we have a deal?"

I turn to face forward and put my bud back in my ear. "Deal."

We stuck to our deal. Everyday we met in his practice room and we had our time of silent noise. Everyday we saw each other.

 It took two minutes for us to meet. Three minutes of just sitting in each other's peace. Five minutes to find our noise and our silence that we had been chasing for so long. 

*********

I hope that everyone is able to find the silence, the noise, the love, and the hope that the are looking for. 

         - mayfloweraprilshower, A.V.M