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( March 1986 )
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CLEODORA BITTERLY EXITED THE GYMNASIUM TAKING HER SHAKO OFF OF HER HEAD WITH ONE HAND AND CLUTCHING THE METAL OF HER FLUTE WITH THE OTHER. It wasn't that she had been particularly close with Billy Hargrove, he wasn't one of the best people to everyone, but he didn't exactly make Cleo a target for his attitude. In fact, he was nicer to her than he was to his own sister.
But anyone at that pep rally would understand why Cleo had reacted the way she was at the insensitive mention of the lost ones all for a transition to talk about the meaningless championship.
Trying to bring herself down from making herself any more annoyed than she was, she finally stopped her pacing through the halls and settled for an off-white wall to slide down on. She lay her instrument across her lap while she put her shako on the floor beside her and put the heels of her hands to her eyes taking rhythmic breaths. The girl ran her tongue over the brackets on her teeth in an attempt to help but it didn't do much.
"Not feeling the school spirit, huh?" A voice brought her out of her cooling down state.
Cleo snapped her head in the direction of the voice and found herself awkwardly relieved that it wasn't a teacher. But also not relieved to find out it had been her former best friend.
"Not really," she admitted.
The boy neared, the chains dangling from his body making it almost impossible for his steps to be silent. "I wasn't feeling it either," he said while leaning against the wall parallel to the one she was at.
He always intrigued her, friend or not. How he could easily start a conversation with just about anyone, the hair, the smile, his music taste that he had stuck with after she had introduced it to him when they were younger. But that was Eddie Munson, with all his loud music and fantasy games, he was still intriguing.
"Aren't you supposed to bring the pep though? Y'know, being in the marching band and all," Eddie jested from his leaning position.
Obviously unamused, Cleo replied, "shouldn't you be off playing the music I got you into or something?"
Eddie let out a small laugh looking down at his boots and then back to the girl on the floor, "I would, but obviously I'm talking to you so..."
She pointed her index finger at him. "So you admit it."
"Admit what?"
"That you adopted your music from me."
"Obviously, I did, there's no way I would've listened to Ozzy and Dio on my own."
"Great, now repeat that exact sentence to Mike and Dustin. They don't believe it's true." She stood up with her instrument and shako, now leaning on the wall as Eddie had been.
"Oh, absolutely not," he scoffed shaking his head.
"Why not?"
"Because they rightfully don't believe it and I'd like to keep it that way. Getting my music from a band nerd? My reputation would be completely destroyed."
"Then you're a music thief," she accused like a child. "You've stolen my music and won't admit it."
"I didn't steal anything." Eddie shrugged. "I'm borrowing it."
"Permanently borrowing it." Cleo glared childishly. "It's times like these when I wish I would record my conversations," she whined getting off of the wall and dusting herself off of any germ particles that could've possibly been on it.
"And it's times like these that I'm glad I made you paranoid that someone would hear you mumbling to yourself while listening to the recording." He grinned at her while she squinted her eyes at him.
Cleo was about to counteract his comment about their childhood but was cut short by the doors of the gymnasium bursting open with students rushing out. Eddie hadn't paid any mind to them but as he was about to continue their conversation he noticed the empty spot of where Cleodora had been.
"Just like old times," he mumbled shaking his head and walking away from their spot.
