Share Your Song

Two

Getting through the day was hard. Nick was on my mind and he didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. Not that I was complaining.
To make things worse, we had Spanish together. To think I used to be normal around him. Say "Hi" every morning without stuttering or slurring a word. I used to listen to him play guitar and not have butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I thought back to the time it all changed. The moment I thought I fell in love with him..

**

I was sitting there in the bedroom by myself. Everyone in the house was out in the field playing football, one of my least favourite games. I could always try and enjoy it but it's just mind numbingly boring.

So I slouched on the bed, leaning against the wall, playing arcade games on my phone. In walks Nick, sweating from sprinting up and down the field.

"You have a drink?" He panted.

I lifted my arm and pointed to the isotonic on the cabinet in the bedroom. He took a long swig from it and slammed it back on the unit.

"Why aren't you outside?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Not all that into sport"

He furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips.

"You know we don't have to play football" he said. "Come on I'll get my guitar and we'll all just chill out the back"

He started tugging me from the bunk beds, laughing. I complained and of course, fought back.

"I'm comfy!" I protested

"I'm not letting you sit in here like a loner" he laughed. "Stop being difficult!" He smiled, tickling me dragging me off the edge.

I gave in and went with him, but not without whining the whole way. On the way out, he went into his room and grabbed his guitar.

"Suits him" I thought to myself.

We went outside and sat against the wall, facing the field everyone was playing on. In total there were twelve boys, six in each room. Out of all twelve, I was the only one who wouldn't play sport.

Nick positioned his guitar correctly on his lap and dug out a plectrum from his back pocket.

"Nick what are ya doin' with Chris!? We need a goal keeper, leave him!" Ryan shouted.

You'd think comments like that would irritate me but I was used to it. Anytime sport was involved I could expect an insult to be thrown.

"No, I'm talking to him" He replied. "Besides, now it's even teams!"

He turned and smiled at me as he started strumming his guitar.

"So you ever play?" He asked.

I wanted to say something but I couldn't. It felt like something lodged itself in my throat and wouldn't budge. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried force out the words.

"Guitar, not football" he said. Probably thought I was confused. Lucky for me.

"No" I gasped "I tried a few times but I couldn't get the hang of it"

He laughed and looked at me like he was about to scold me.

"It's easy. Here take this" he handed me his guitar.

"Just put one finger here, here and there". He placed my fingers ondifferent strings whilst laughing at me.

"It's easy just keep trying."

We stayed like that for an hour. Laughing, joking and talking to each other. It stayed like that for a week. Until the trip was over. We had to go back home. We'd only see each other in the mornings and rarely throughout the school day. Sometimes he'd take me out to talk to his friends, others he'd just smile at me and walk by. From that point on I started making a fool out of myself, trying to impress him, until one day I just gave up. I distanced myself and after a while, we stopped talking.

**

"You're staring again"

I felt a nudge in my side as I was brought back to reality. I turned to the left and saw Cara staring at me with her face dropped.

"You know it's tiring work keeping you from outing yourself. You make it so obvious" she said.

"I'm surprised no ones copped on. Thanks, by the way"

She smiled at me and turned her attention to the board.

"So, a Narco Corrido is a song, in Spanish of course, written about a drug lord." Ms O'Neill said.

"Now go use your iPads to find a Corrido, you have a project on Narcos Culturas so get to it!"

I slumped in my seat and started scrolling through YouTube.

"Sorry Chris" I heard. I looked up to see Nick standing there with his iPad and charger in hand, making his way to the plug.

"Oh Nick, ehm, sorry" I stuttered whilst thinking to myself; idiot, idiot, idiot.

He squeezed by my chair and plopped down beside me. Cara rested her head on my shoulder as she waited for a video to load. Nick turned to me and with the next four words he said, my body tensed up...

"What's the WiFi password?"

Cara got off me as I told him.

"Why is your body so tense?" Cara whispered.

I slightly turned my head to her and whispered:

"He talked to me!"

She sighed at my obsessiveness and rolled her eyes.

"Creep" she said.

"Sorry, it's who I am" I chuckled.

The bell rang for lunch and we all got up to head to our lockers. I walked with Cara, annoying her about my encounter with Nick, until we met up with the rest of our friends. After putting our bags in the locker, we all headed to the notice board to see if there's any new clubs to join or something.

There was a crowd blocking the view so I stepped back and waited for it to clear. They all signed up for Film Studies.

"Chris will I put your name down?" Lauren asked. She looked at me with a serious, yet welcoming face.

"I don't know what you do in it!"

"You just make videos and stuff" she said.

There was only two spots left so I glanced at the names.

Bianca, Glenda, Jordan, Shawn, Cara, Lauren, Nick...

"Put me down." I said. Maybe this is how I become friends with him... Again.