Bruises - JATP Fanfic (Luke x OC)

Chapter 8

"Brielle, you look dead." Flynn, being the blunt woman she is, points out, sitting next to Brielle. They both have this unspoken silence between them, missing Julie's presence.

"Just couldn't really come up with ideas for the song, so I was up really late last night." Late being code for one hour of sleep.

"Well, you better be alive enough to perform a song." Flynn says, reminding her of her commitment to the music program. Brielle nods, yawning as the first person goes up to perform for the class. Another six performances later, Mrs. Harrison finally calls on Brielle, who is now much more awake, although she will probably be half asleep for dance class. Walking to the piano, Brielle braces herself for the powerful song she wrote at four in the morning.

"Trying to tie my hands behind my back

Trying to say the things you knew would deny the fact

You always manage to hide the truth

But it always leaves me feeling blue

If you try to stop me from being me

Then maybe that's the thing

I'll have to pay to be free

There's nothing else stopping me

From being the best I can be

I should try to break these walls

I should try to show them all

What I'm made of

If you try to stop me from being me

Then maybe that's the thing

I'll have to pay to be free

There's nothing else stopping me

From being the best I can be

If you try to stop me from being me

From being the best me I can be

I'd rather be free" Brielle plays the final chord and lets it ring, before the class applauds her performance. Even Carrie, who has hated her guts for years, claps a bit, whereas her boyfriend is cheering. Everyone in that class is happy to hear Brielle's performances, because usually each person has to perform bi-weekly, or weekly if you really wanted to, and with her beautiful performances and rarity of playing compared to everyone else, it's like hearing an angel sing every month.

"That was beautiful, Brielle. Time for the spirit assembly, everyone." Mrs. Harrison dismisses everyone to go to the gym to watch Carrie and her group, Dirty Candy, perform. Flynn, on the other hand, has other ideas, choosing to mope in the music room because she isn't feeling "very spirity", so Brielle keeps her company, not caring whether she goes to the spirit assembly or not.

Not even two minutes later, Julie finds Brielle and Flynn, bored out of their minds. Flynn is blowing into a trumpet, just playing a series of discordant notes, still upset that Julie didn't get back in the music program.

"What are you doing? And where is everyone?" Julie asks the two of them.

"Spirit assembly. I was kinda blowing it off cause I wasn't feeling very spirity." Flynn puts down the obnoxious trumpet Brielle has had to listen to for the last few minutes.

"You okay?" Brielle wonders, noticing Julie's immediate reaction to Flynn's response.

"Not really. I had this new plan to play for Mrs. Harrison in hopes she'd let me back into the program, but I guess I missed my chance."