Strings

Chapter One

Music echoes all over the house.

We are the swords and we are the archers
We wanted more than a normal structure

"Shut it!" shouts Emma from her room. I just smile, laugh a little, and turn the volume up to tease her.

SO LIVE IT UP FOR THE ONES WHO TOLD US
TO LEAD A LIFE THAT WE NEVER WANTED

"June! I'm serious! Shut it, please!" shouts Emma to me again. This time I do lower the volume.

"Sorry! I love you!" I respond to her smiling and shouting from my room.

"Ha, ha, ha. I love you too!" she shouts once again. I laugh. It wasn't the first time Emma asked me to lower my music's volume, in fact it was the third time this day. I just love to listen to music all the time. On the shower, doing homework, falling asleep; ALL THE TIME. 

I'm kind of like a pop-punk, punk-rock addict. Not the kind that dyes it's hair with crazy colors, or the kind that pierces every centimeter of their body, but more of the kind that wears only black to not call the attention too much. I mean, my hair is plain brown and I don't even wear earrings, but I do have zero friends... well, one friend: Zack.

Zack likes the same type of music as I do. Our friendship goes a long way back when we were just 9 years old. We met when I transferred from California to New York because of my mom's work. We study in the same high school, almost finished with 10th grade (just two more years to leave for college) and we're both the same age, 16 years old. His hair is brown... ish, the kind of hair you don't really know if it's black or brown; and his eyes are light blue, mine are grey-almost-white.

I turn to see my clock: 9:37PM. I already finished my Biology essay, so I decide to call Zack. After 5 rings Zack answers. "Hi?"

"Hey Z." I say.

"Hey J, what's up?"

"I'm fine. Do you want to go to Link's tomorrow?" I ask him. We've been going to Link's record store since it opened. Sometimes we buy some CD's , maybe even vinyls, but we generally just go to relax. There's a little cafe inside Link's so we normally go eat and enjoy the atmosphere.

"No, sorry. My mom's got plans for tomorrow. A family road trip or something." Zack says.

"Urgh fine. I'll go on my own then. Tell me if she changes her mind."

"I will." he finally responds after saying something to his mom I don't quite get through the phone call. "J, gotta go."

"Kay, bye." I say.

"Bye." And then he hangs.

Now I've got to go alone, great. I say to myself. Link's is not that fun without Zack. But well, I still want to buy a Yellowcard CD with my savings from my 16th's birthday party, which was just two months ago. It's funny how time flies by. I still remember when Zack and I went to a Yellowcard's concert before they broke-up. I invited him since it was his favorite band and it was their final world tour. We screamed so much that the next day we couldn't even whisper. 

After hanging, I open my laptop (that is just at the corner of the bed) and search for Fall Out Boy interviews. I watch 3 of them and then, before clicking in a fourth one, I see on the corner of the screen an add that reads in big letters:

NYC Talent Competition 2017

I hesitate, but I finally click on the add instead of the FOB interview. It takes me to a new tab. A main image appears, it's a guitar. I scroll a little and start reading:

Dear musicians of New York City, 
This 29th of July in Central Park the NYC Talent Competition of 2017 will be hosted!
So tune the guitars, buy new drum sticks, and prepare your voices as the winner will win $1000!
Click here for more information.

I close the tab. I don't sing, I don't play any instrument, I just listen to music. Of course I would love to play the guitar or something, I just don't have the... I don't know, I just don't play. I turn off my computer and let it charging on top of my desk. I change to my pajamas, which has the sentence: Trust me I'm a JEDI written on the shirt. "Goodnight Grams! Goodnight Emma!" I shout.

"June, come here and give your Grams a night kiss!" Grams says from her room. I open the door of my room and then walk to Grams' room. 

"Goodnight, Grams." I say to her and kiss her cheek.

"Goodnight, love." she says back. I walk back to my room, close the door, turn off the lights, and fall asleep.