Out of Step

four || original

Music is a moral law.

It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination,

and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

Plato

"Dammit," Alana groaned, attracting the eyes of her two best friends.

"Whassup?" Laila asked around the mouthful of food she was attempting to stuff in her face. In the process, she managed to spray some Oreo crumbs in Eli's direction. Eli gave her a disgusted look.

"Brand new gloves," Alana responded, holding up a hand. On it were gloves she had opened just a few minutes after getting off the bus. They looked perfectly fine until she turned her hand and suddenly there was a huge gash down the thumb and another on the palm. "Plus there's this!"

She switched hands, holding her instrument with the hand she had been showing them and held up her other hand, where the tip of her gloved finger was missing.

"Well you can't really perform like that," Eli said.

"Well I know that," she answered, biting her lip. She chewed on it for a few minutes before stopping, her eyes brightening up. "Maybe someone's got an extra pair?"

"Yeah, but if they did they probably left them on the bus," Eli said. She pointed to the empty lot, which, not even ten minutes ago, had held seven yellow buses.

Alana groaned covering her face with one ripped glove clad hand. With a sigh, she brought it away. "I'm gonna go tell one of the directors. Can, um, you watch my instrument Eli?"

Eli nodded and Alana reluctantly handed her the long awkward thing before turning on her heel. She began to make her way through the crowd, searching for any sign of a director, when she saw them; well she saw one of the assistant directors. Which was good enough for her.

"Hey, my gloves kinda ripped when I put them on," she said as she bounced from foot to foot. She held her left hand up so he could see the main tare in it. "Do you happen to have any extras?"

"Kind of ripped? I'd say they most definitely did rip," he said, "Well let's see if anyone has any extra ones, okay? You start asking students and I'll ask the directors."

She nodded and started off, asking random students as she came across them. She felt like she had gone through half the band when she came across a group of teens milling around and she tapped the shoulder of the one closest to her.

"Evening lovely people of Earth," she said giving a half grin of boredom. The person slowly turned around to show Owen, who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Evening other lovely person of Earth," he said in response, giving a half grin. "What brings you out here tonight?"

"This," Alana said holding up a hand in annoyance and showing the ripped glove. "None of you happen to somehow have an extra pair of gloves, do you?"

She was addressing the whole group, which included her brother and Ian. They all shook their head, as expected, and she sighed, shifting her gaze back to Owen.

"Gonna assume you don't have an extra pair either, huh?" She said pushing a strand of hair that had fallen from her braid away from her face and turning to leave.

"Hey wait," he said and now it was her turn to quirk an eyebrow as she turned slowly back around.

"Wassup?"