If Love Can Fade

Chapter 4

The walk home wasn't as long as it had been this morning, especially with Payson as company. One conversation led to the next as we continued to mess around, not a single moment of silence. When we get to my house I unlock the door and lead the way to my room with Payson following close behind me.

"I love your room," she squeals. "It's so unique."

"Yeah, I guess." I laugh as I look around my room. It's really not much, but I had a lot of free time before school had started and I needed something to entertain myself. There's not a lot of space, but it's cozy. The walls are a simple cream color, mostly because I prefer more neutral colors rather than bright, vibrant colors, but it also looks very nice and clean. My king sized bed that's shoved into the corner is covered in lavender sheets, blankets, and pillows. My dresser is a little small, but my closet has a ton of room so I don't use my dresser much anyways. It's mostly filled with candy, extra pencils and paper, and other feminine products. The very bottom drawer is filled with my bras and panties. On top of the dresser is a big mirror, my favorite star shaped lamp, and a few pictures of my mom and me. My desk is very neat and well kept, I like to keep it clean so there is no chance of harming my laptop. It took almost two years to save up for it. The remainder of my room is decorated with many band posters, magazine/newspaper article, and maps.

"I think it's very creative, it all just seems to fit together." She scans across the room a few times before her gaze lands on one of the many maps. "What are all the markings?"

"Each marking represents a place I want to travel. Different cities in the UK, US, Australia, etcetera." I point to each of the maps. "I've always wanted to travel the world, take in as much as I can. Of course I'm still young, so it will be a few more years until I actually go anywhere, but I have my whole life ahead of me."

"I think it's awesome that you have such big dreams."

"Yeah, gives me something to look forward to in the future." I smile at her.

"Well, if you need a travel buddy in the future, you know who to come to." She says, pointing at her own smiling face.

"I'll keep that in mind for future reference."

"So do you play?" She walks over and picks up my guitar from the far corner of the room before handing it to me. She turns back and begins going through my music selection, consisting of over two hundred CDs and Vinyl's. I lost track awhile back, but whenever I got the chance to buy a new album, I took it and added it to my overflowing collection.

"Yeah, for almost eight years now." I was nine, almost ten when I first started. It was originally just a distraction, something to keep my mind off things. It wasn't long before I actually fell in love with the instrument. It's not the only one I've learned to play, but it is by far my favorite.

"Do you play any other instruments?" She asks, turning over one of the albums.

"Piano, violin, flute, and cello. I also know some percussion, but not much." I explain, adjusting my guitar to playing position. I only play a few notes, due to the fact that I haven't played in a few weeks and it's a little out of tune.

"Maybe you could play me a song?"

"Rain check," I suggest. I've never played in front of another person before and the thought scares me.

"I'll hold you to that. Now let's watch a movie?" I nod at her suggestion. "Do you have ice cream and popcorn?"

"Yeah, I think so." I walk out of my room with Payson next to me. I turn the light off behind the two of us before heading down to the kitchen in search of snacks.

We both help ourselves to a big bowl of ice cream and a bag of popcorn to share, half of which Payson adds to her ice cream, before we settle in to watch a movie. This new town is nowhere close to as bad as I thought it would be. Sure it's a bit of an adjustment, but once I'm settled in I'll be able get that new start that I desperately need and always wanted. Maybe I'll even be able to make a few friends to help pass the time.