Infinite

I'm Getting Used to It

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And I hate to admit that
I'm getting used to it
With a little eye contact and a wave
My heart beats a little faster
Until the spell is broken
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Walking into the market, Carrie and Julie couldn't believe they had run into each other. It was nearly Halloween and, aside from a few texts and phone calls, they hadn't seen each other since before school started. The whole reason they went to Boston together had dissolved. They, obviously, had made friends, but it was different with new people than each other. Carrie and Julie knew each other's secrets and what made each other tick and, best of all, they weren't secretly trying to break each other down to get the top spot in their classes.

"I can't believe you're here. How has school been going?" Julie asked, her smile warming Carrie up. Boston had already gotten cold and the two of them had been adding layer after layer to combat it. The temperatures were nothing like Los Angeles, already sinking to forty degrees before the sun set some days.

"I think it's going as good as it can. There's a lot of projects and all that, but I like the classes and the assignments are really fun." Carrie's smile warmed Julie up from the inside out as well, though it could've also been the warmed cider she got before running into her best friend.

"Same here. I think my professors are all just a little bit crazy because they think, somehow, we're the only class they have." Carrie felt that, too. "So, I sometimes use modified versions of assignments for other classes because I don't have the time to make all these new compositions. But, the feeling when the music is done is bliss."

"I bet. Can you send me the new songs you've made? I am craving some new stuff and most songs aren't up to par." Julie understood that completely. She didn't like a lot of the songs that were released by artists she typically liked. She'd found a few new ones, though, that she was in the process of deconstructing and was sure Carrie would like them.

"I'll send those and a few new artists I've found for one of my classes. They're stellar and their music is off the charts." Carrie didn't mind that idea.

"Sure. I could use some inspiration. With how basic the beats are, I can't really connect to it. It's like artists don't understand the function of a piano or guitar or any instrument that can play notes," Carrie started to rant, "It's driving me crazy."

"Thank you. I knew I couldn't be the only one that felt that way." Julie was grateful to have someone that valued music as much as she did. "I have to get a few things for my Halloween costume. There's a party at a nearby off-campus house I was invited to."

"I have to get some food for my roommates. It's my week. But, we should go see the BSO when we have some free time." Carrie suggested. She'd seen an ad saying they have reduced prices for students and she wanted to take advantage of that.

"Yes. I think I can get a couple for like ten bucks apiece from Berklee. I'd just have to check the dates. I'll text you." Carrie nodded, feeling like her pretty good week just turned into a pretty great one.

"And I'll remind you when you don't." Although Julie could keep her father's head on his neck, she was as prone to forgetting things as he was now that she lived away from home. Carrie wanted to say goodbye, but Julie had already walked away to find some things for her costume.

Although MassArt had a lot of off-campus housing and a decent party life, she didn't care about parties. They just sounded like the clubs her father used to go to before her mother shut down that side of his career. She was sure his publicist or manager loved the fact that she could rein him in so easily. And that he would listen to everything she said.

By the time she died, he rarely ever had the impulse to do anything dumb, but he'd lost focus of what was important. Carrie and keeping the dream his friends wanted alive were what was important, yet it all fell down the drain. She knew he was getting back to what he wanted to do, which was to show the world that music could change people, but there had only been a couple phone calls back and forth to confirm that he was doing okay. Carrie didn't like letting go of him completely, but she also knew he needed to find his own reason to get out of bed in the morning. Only she and God knew how many days he'd spent in bed, moping around.

But, he did deserve at least a text to see how he was doing. And she wanted to see what the plans were for Thanksgiving. Carrie wasn't completely sure what her plans were, but she didn't need to go back home. Her dad responded quickly, saying he wanted to spend Thanksgiving with her. He was even willing to spend the weekend in Boston with her. That sounded like a good idea to Carrie. She was sure she'd have projects to do, but he could come for Turkey Day and Black Friday, then she could focus on those for the remainder of the five-day weekend.

She headed back to her dorm, thankful none of her roommates were there so she could groan on and on about her undying crush on Julie and how it wasn't fair that she was the only one that had to deal with the feelings that constantly plagued her. Maybe it was a good thing Julie believed her when she reneged after accidentally confessing her crush. Maybe she could use that for a project. Then again, it'd probably be a while before she could use anything like that to fuel her work.

"Carrie? You good?" Karter popped his head inside her room, where she was still muttering her thoughts about being a complete idiot in front of her best friend. "Nevermind, that does not sound good."

"I'm an idiot." Carrie didn't want to tell him. She already felt dumb about all this.

"I can tell. But you can fix the problem or you can lay face-down on your bed and wallow in your shame." She looked at her pillow in embarrassment. "Why aren't you trying to fix the problem?"

"It's complicated. I kind of did fix the problem, but at the same time screwed up everything." That summed up that problem. Most of her issues with life were a lot more complicated—like how her father managed to ruin his career and her social life with one sentence—but this one managed to trump all of those because she was the one that caused it. Usually, it was her father that screwed up her life, not her.

"Ouch. Do you want to talk about it?" Karter wondered. Carrie liked that he was so nice. "Don't worry, I don't plan on asking you on a date." How could he have known that was what she was thinking? Because she didn't want to go on a date with him, though she would've said yes to a friendly dinner with him (with a heavy emphasis on the friendly part).

"I mean, I am a catch," Carrie pointed out with a laugh escaping her lips.

"You are, if you were a different gender." She didn't peg him as gay, but now that she thought about it, his frosted blue tips and inability to sit correctly in a chair should've told her something.

"Well, the same goes for you. I texted my best friend that I liked her as more than a friend, then proceeded to tell her I was trying to text it to someone else." He winced at the idea of that.

"I can see why you said it was complicated." Yeah, and she couldn't explain that she just wasn't ready at the time and it was a mistake to send it then. Julie would probably laugh in her face as it was. Carrie knew Julie liked guys. She'd liked guys since Carrie could remember. "But, being honest with her is better than a lie."

"She doesn't like girls." Carrie couldn't even look at his face because she knew it would be one of pity.

"Yeah, that—keep lying. Maybe you'll find someone else here that you like. Plus, you guys went to high school together and high school relationships never last." Karter pointed out, grabbing a pint of Brownie Xplosion ice cream. "But, until you do get over it, do you want to eat way too much chocolate ice cream and watch trashy Netflix? I just got rejected, too." She felt bad for him because he was great. If she liked guys at all, she probably would've at least attempted to date him. But, since she wasn't, trashy Netflix and chocolate ice cream would have to do instead.

"I have the perfect movie." Carrie plopped on the couch with her spoon in hand and grabbed the remote. "It's called Back to the Woods. It's like a rip-off of Into the Woods and I have been saving it for when I need to remind myself that I'm doing better than some people."

"That sounds fantastic." Karter laughed and they started watching the movie.

Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter. I'll keep this short since I'm at work. Vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.