Cello

Two

*A/N: each chapter will rotate between Antonio's perspective and Valerie's perspective. I will let you know if that changes.*

She's still holding my hand when we reach the Starbucks, I doubt she even realizes. I look down at her, and she's laughing at something that either Ellen or Makiko said. The three of them are practically inseparable, I mean, since I've known them they've almost always been together. I look back at Zoe and Epona, they're talking as well, they both have their phones out, and they're showing each other something. They've probably taken pictures of us on the way.
"So... Antonio, what do you want?" Valerie asks as she looks up at me.
"Hm?"
I'm pretty sure she just realized that she was still holding my hand because she shuddered "T-to drink?" She pulls her hand away, I look down at her face which is now tinted a light pink. A beautiful pink. "Antonio?"
"Oh, um... just whatever you got..."
"Ok." She smiles at me.
Once we're out of line Zoe pulls me to the side. "So?" She looks at me intently.
"So, what?"
"Are you going to talk to her? Or are you just going to continue to drool over her?"
"I am not drooling over her, I'm admiring her from afar."
She laughs "just talk to her, I promise you, she's not going to bite you." Then she mumbles "unless she's into that."
"Sh... she'll hear you..."
"Who'll hear what?"
I turn around quickly, almost knocking the drinks out of her small hands. "N-no one." I say louder that I had intended.
She laughs, "ok then, well here's the drink." She holds out one of the drinks to me.
I take it from her, "what is it?"
She fixes her sleeves to wear they cover her hands, and holds her cup with both hands. "Just try it. Trust me, it's good."
I take a small sip of the drink, surprisingly it wasnt a really sweet drink, it tastes like it's supposed to be bitter. I look at her surprised.
"What?"
I shrug, "I just thought you'd be the kind of girl who would like those sweet drinks."
"Well, I like sweet... but too much sweet makes me sick." I nod quietly.
"But she loves chocolate! She absolutely loves it!" Makiko says from over her should.
"Makiko!" She squeals, "I don't like it that much!"
Ellen interjects "yes you do! It's like your only weakness!-"
"Well, that and tickles!" Makiko adds.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"Oh yeah! She's really ticklish!" Ellen states loudly.
Val sets her drink down. "No I am not!"
"Yes you are!" Ellen starts to walk towards her.
"Don't you dare."
"I must!"
"No!" Almost immediately both Ellen and Makiko begin tickling her, and she starts laughing.
After a little bit we head back to the school building, and then after that we go our separate ways to 6th period.
Then later that night, we all head back to the school for tonight's concert.
I walk through the front doors with my instrument strapped to my back, and I head back towards the music room. I hear someone playing the piece we're going to play tonight. So, I slowly look into a practice room, and there she is. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she's playing her instrument. The gems on her dress sparkle in the light as she moves.
I hesitate before tapping on the window with my finger. She looks up, shocked. "Do you mind if I join you?" She shakes her head, and I nod.
I quickly walk into the music room to get my instrument out of its case, and hurry back to the practice room.
I open the door slowly, "hey, why're you here so early?" It's only 4:40 and we don't have to be here until 6:30.
She shrugs, "I didn't feel like going home. What about you? Why are you here so early?"
I shrug, "I just had a feeling like I should be here."
"Cool."
"Yeah." I quickly tune, and we start to play through the 'St Paul's Suite Mo.3' I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've heard her play one on one. She's doing really well, until we get towards the end, a little after practice number 8 when she messes up.
She gets pretty upset. "Merde." She sighs.
I look at her quickly try and work out the proper fingerings. "How long have you been practicing?" I ask suspiciously.
"I don't know. Since around three maybe..." she looks at me "why?"
"I think you need a break..."
"No, what I need is to get this right." She begins working on the fingerings again. I put my instrument down, and stand up slowly. I walk behind the stand and close her music binder. She sighs "fine... what do you have in mind?"
"Come on." She slowly puts her instrument down, I reach out my hand, and she hesitantly places her hand in mine.
We walk out of the practice room and start down the hall. There's some people talking about something but I don't care enough to figure out what, but when I look down at Val she looks confused, so I start to listen as well.
"Look, I'm not giving you shit until you show me proof."
"Look, I have proof..." there's a shuffling noise before I hear another voice. A familiar voice.
"Quinn, stop. Don't you dare."
"Why not?"
The girls voice sighs, "fine, but if you show this to anyone, you're so dead." The girl laughs.
There's another shuffling noise before "see. Now where's my money."
"Damn, here."  There's more shuffling.
I turn to Val, but there are tears in her eyes, and she starts walking towards the voices before I can stop her.
She rounds the corner and immediately I can tell that this had something to do with her.
"Quinn!"
"Oh shit," one of the guys voices echoes through the empty hall, "I gotta go."
"Z! Don't leave me alone with her!"
"Quinn! What the hell?!"
"Look, I made this bet before I even got to know you."
"I don't give a shit! How much was I worth? Huh?"
"Vi..."
"Answer me! Twenty? Huh? How much?"
"Fifty, but-"
"So, I'm only worth fifty bucks to you?!"
"No! Of-"
"Save it for someone who actually cares." I slowly make my way around the corner in just enough time to see her rip a necklace from her neck and throw it in the trash.
"Vi..."
"Don't!"
"Vi..." he grabs her arm and pushes her against the wall, "this doesn't change anything."
"It changes everything Quinn!"
"No it doesn't! It doesn't change the fact that you enjoyed it..." he says and then kisses her neck.
"Stop Quinn!" He does it again, "no!"
I can't just sit here...