Incomplete

Incomplete chapter 3

Incomplete: Three.

     For a while, the only sound was the typing of the keyboard. Eventually, though, Lyssa seemed to crack under the silence.

     "So, i'm going to be able to read this, right?" She blurted.

     I paused and looked from her, to the sceen, and back at her. Then my face flushed, and i hid it behind the screen where i knew she couldn't see me.

     "Umm...probably not?" I suggested, chuckling ever so slightly.

     She gave me a disapproving tch but didn't actually say anything.

     Things were quiet again, before she blurted out, "Seriously, just listen to this music! It's awesome!"

     I shook my head and smiled wider. "I told you, i don't need inspiration from music right now." I glanced at her over the screen, then hid myself once more before mumbling, "You're all the inspiration i need."

     "Well, let's say it wasn't really for inspiration..." she trailed off. When she knew she had caught my attention by the hesitation in my fingers, she continued, "I just want you to listen to it. Just to see what you think!"

     "Why? Are you in a band or something?" I stopped typing altogether and just looked at her.

     She momentarily shyed away from the sudden attention, and then nodded. "Yeah, kinda...wanna hear?"

     I broke out into a smile. "Yeah, totally! I'd be psyched!"

     "Awesome!" Lyssa stood up and walked over to me, taking her own iPod out of her pocket. She unravelled the cord for the earplugs and handed them to me. "Better quality this way," she told me. I took them from her and placed them in my ears while she scrolled through the many songs i imagined she must have.

     At first, i heard a faint buzzing. Then there were piano cords, very gentle and smooth. I couldn't quite pinpoint what was the melody and what was the harmony, but there were definitely two separate rhythms.

     And then i jumped at the obnoxious guitar entrance, and the scream that sounded more like someone was throwing up over an extremely long period of time.

     I noticed that Lyssa had giggled when i had jumped, and i smiled warmly at her.

     The piano was still going on in the background, and for some reason i couldn't avert my attention from it. The rhythms were practically unnoticeable, completely covered up by the guitar, bass, and the drums that seemed to fade in and out.

     When the chorus came on, it was obvious. The lyrics went from screaming to just singing - and the boy, whoever it was, had an amazing voice. The guitar went from explosive, to just a few background chords. The bass? That was probably shifting between two or three notes, just to keep the foundation solid. The drums were at a constant rhythm, instead of the erratic patterns from before.

     And the piano was all that i could focus on. It was powerful, building and then falling, just to rise back up again. The rhythm was so complex, i almost couldn't follow it.

     My heart skipped a beat when i saw Lyssa smiling at me. The moment the second chorus came on, i had looked at her. She seemed to notice something, and she just smiled. It touched her eyes with this spark i hadn't seen yet on her.

     When the song ended, i paused the iPod and just sat there.

     "...So? What'd you think?" She looked eager for my feedback.

     "Wow." It's insanely cliche, but that was honestly the only word that came to mind.

     "So we were good?" Was that relief i saw?

     "Who was on the keyboard?" It was all i could think about.

     She blushed a second before correcting me, "It's a grand piano. Kind of lame, but it's all we have. And...uhh, i play the piano."

     I suddenly couldn't help but look at her in a new light. Especially her hands, which i now realized had slim, bony fingers, that seemed agile in every kind of movement she made.

     "I always wanted to play the piano," I chuckled. "Look at these fingers, they're so ugly." I held up my calloused fingertips from the years i spent on the guitar.

     "What do you play? Guitar?" She asked, examining them.

     "Acoustic guitar, yeah. We could never really afford to indulge in music," I smiled a little sadly, bringing my fingers back to me and just staring at them. "I wanted an electric guitar SO badly, but...my brother," I hesitated, "My little brother, he was super spoiled." I gave her this knowing look. Surely she would understand? Or was that just my family? "He wanted a laptop the same year i asked for that guitar for Christmas, and it's not like my family's made of money, you know? So my dad sat me down afterwords, when i was all upset, and he told me, 'A guitar is temporary, and unpractical. This is just a musical phase, i'm sure. But a laptop has many uses. It's no waste of money. I'm sorry, but we only have so much money on our hands.' What a joke..." I sneered a little.

     "So what happened with the laptop?" She asked, genuinely wanting to know.

     "You're looking at it," I pointed to the Mac. "This happened like just last Christmas." I shrugged, and hunched back over the keys.

     "Well, why doesn't your brother have it? Did he get bored with it? Is it a famly laptop?" Lyssa kept pressing me to answer her.

     "My brother doesn't need it...and before you ask why, it's really none of your business." I snapped a little at the end. I knew i was being a jerk. After all, i was the one who had offered the story up. But it was such a touchy subject for me, and she managed to step right on a landmine.

     She leaned back in her chair, and then mumbled, "Auden..."

     "What?"

     "Are you mad at me now, Auden?"

     I shuddered a little. She hadn't said my name in a bit. I'd forgotten already what that felt like.

     "I'm not mad at you, Lyssa."

     "Do you still want me here, Auden?"

     "Yeah, Lyssa, you should stay here."

     "Did i say something wrong, Auden?"

     "No, Lyssa, it's just me being sensitive."

     "...Did something happen to your little brother, Auden?"

     I stopped typing.

     "...Something happened to my little brother, Lyssa."