Headphones | An Original Story

0.2 - Centuries

{Ronan} (played by Reed Deming; see media)

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Blasting the volume, I played the song off of my phone through my Bluetooth speaker.

"Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold, but you will remember me...."

I sang along as I changed out of my pajamas and into normal clothes. Black and white shirt, black jeans, dog tag necklace, white Converse.

I fluffed out my hair, swiping it out of my face.

The morning was normal. Ate breakfast, kissed Mom goodbye, slung my black Jansport on my back, walked out the door.

I stood at the bus stop and pulled out my phone to pass the time. I clicked it on and noticed that the cover for the American Beauty/American Psycho album was still paused on my screen.

The bus pulled up and I piled in, along with a few other kids who had been waiting with me. I climbed toward the back of the bus and squeezed into the very last seat, next to Hugo.

Hugo was cool, but he was a little shy. The only word to describe him is 'sweet.' He was my best guy friend; I had been super close to him since we were in third grade, despite our differences.

I noticed a notebook in Hugo's hands.

"Are you drawing something?" I ask him.

"Yeah," he half-whispers.

"Oh, cool!" I tell him. "Gotta show me now, man."

"I'm not done, though," he says, laughing. He starts to continue his drawing, but the bus hits a bump and his pencil slides across the entire paper.

Hugo curses under his breath and pushes up his glasses as he rips the paper out of his notebook.

My eyes widen. I'd never heard him swear before. But then again, I never had a reason to. I let it slide.

The bus slowed down as it rounded the bend into our school parking lot. I looked out the window at Calix's house and saw her close the door behind her, just beginning her short trek to the high school.

I smiled at her Fall Out Boy shirt, thinking back to earlier in the morning when I heard Centuries while getting dressed.

The bus pulls up to the front of the school and all the kids hop out, me and Hugo being last. Hugo throws out his messed-up drawing in a trash can as we pass by.

"Re-draw it," I tell him, slinging a comforting arm around his shoulder. "I wanna see it when it's done."

He smiles and hides his face in his hands.

Hugo walks into the school, and I follow. I grab a few books out of my locker and hang out in the hallways, popping in some earbuds to make it seem like I was busy.

I really just didn't feel like talking to anyone.

After minutes have passed, I check the clock on my phone. 7:59. One minute to get to English.

I wasn't worried; my English class was just around the corner, and my teacher was always late.

I start walking through the hallways, slowly removing my earbuds and shaking my hair out again.

Calix, Stella, and Hugo were already there. A group of boys were hanging out, surrounding each other, talking about who-knows-what at someone's desk.