Alone [IkariShipping/Paul x Dawn]

The Boys

~•Paul's POV•~

I walked alone through the hallway, pondering over what I really needed to study for my Spanish exam, taking in the atmosphere of the trashy hallways, bumbling people, and yellow, drab lighting when I heard a familiar voice inch closer. Almost immediately, my heart quickened its pace. She smiled with a simple "Hey!" Dawn looked cute. She wore her dark blue locks in a high ponytail, and her skin shone, especially around the cheek areas. Her ocean eyes were as bright as ever, and she was wearing black jeans with a light pink top to pair.

"Hey," I responded, smirking slightly. Things have been a little awkward since I confessed, but she wouldn't be talking to me if she was bothered by the fact. So I was internally grateful for this. I thought for a second as we walked side by side. "Oh! Do you want to hang out after school today? Me and the guys are getting together for rehearsal, and you're welcome to come." I flicked some of the long strands of my hair away, trying to keep the conversation afloat.

"Sure," the blunette hummed. But then she abruptly added, "As long as I'm not intruding on anything!" She then laughed a little embarrassed, clearly worried that she would be overstepping her boundaries.

"You're fine," I pleaded, playfully elbowing her.

She quickly reciprocated the motion, and said softly, "Well, I've got to get to class. I'll see you soon."

~X~

"Dawnie! Baby!" Gary exclaimed, wrapping his arm around the girl as soon as she entered the door. Her face was tinted completely red, though she was in the room for much less than a minute. I laughed at Gary's joking bluntness.

Drew sat in the reddish sofa we had gotten for band rehearsals. We spent most of our time rehearsing here, and it was nice to have some say in the customization of the space. His green hair was ever shiny and ever smooth. He laughed slightly and stood up to greet Dawn as we walked over to the farther side of the room. He held out his hand, "Drew Hayden."

Dawn shyly accepted the gesture and said, "Hi, I'm Dawn Berlitz." She smiled, and looked at me as if nodding in approval of my friends. I wasn't sure of what exactly she meant by this, but I did know that they were pretty great guys. I simply nodded as well as Gary led the poor girl over to where our instruments lay.

I grabbed my electric guitar, and Gary slung his bass around his shoulder, lightly plucking out a few notes. Drew sat down and said, "Dawn, you're welcome to stay and listen. There's snacks upstairs and stuff."

The girl nodded and plopped down on the scarlet sofa, bouncing slightly from the impact. She smiled and looked up expectantly, waiting patiently for us to start. My stomach fluttered a bit, but luckily I wasn't singing the songs we chose to work on.

As we finished the first song, Dawn politely asked, "Can I make just one suggestion?"

We all nodded and replied with a version of 'of course.' She smiled and stood up, I snickered thinking about how in depth this could get. "I just think that when Drew is singing 'Now you've got the best of me,' maybe..." She paused, sighing. "Who is more tenor? Paul or Gary?" We both opened our mouths to respond, but the girl quickly answered her own inquiry. "Gary, can you add a higher third as a harmony?" The boy nodded, slightly intimidated.

Dawn sat back down. Her advice was really good, but I was shocked that she even spoke up. The blunette then added, "And Paul? Can you add a slide after that line? It could sound really cool and teen, if you have slight 'imperfections' every now and again. Show the fangirls you're human." The boys laughed at her humor. We rarely ever played live shows, and when we did, I was always the girls' last choice.

We took it from the beginning, and when we approached the lines she had critiqued, they immediately sounded better. It was kind of insane how the girl could even hear these things.

Drew stood up, dropping his drumsticks like a microphone, a crashing sound heard from the cymbals. Gary gave a victory screech.

We laughed and chatted for awhile, until Gary interrupted us. "Dawn?"

The girl looked mildly shocked, taken away from the comfortable atmosphere just formed. "Huh?"

"As our guest of honor, is there anything you would want to play, or sing?"

The girl's eyes traced up, thinking of what she could possibly want to do. "Um, do you guys know 'What the Hell' by Avril Lavigne?" She giggled at the nostalgic choice.

I replied, "No, but we can figure it out."

And we did. Dawn jumped around, excitedly to the song. It was clearly something she wanted to scream out, especially the chorus. And it was cute. Hair flipping around, her attitude in the atmosphere. She had near perfect vocals. I'm so glad that I invited her to this, and I think the guys were too.

When we reached the end, all four of us cheered and group hugged as it was almost time for me to go. Gary led Dawn up the stairs for some snacks, both laughing hysterically in the process. Drew approached me, saying in an urgent whisper, "Dude, you need to marry this girl. I approve one hundred percent." He then winked.

"Thanks, I'm trying."

~X~

"You guys are amazing," Dawn mused. "I wish my band was like that." We were currently walking to Dawn's place, the sun setting and the cool air rustling through the trees as we roamed on the sidewalk.

"You're in a band?" I questioned, shocked.

"Used to be," the girl corrected. "I got kicked out." She raised her eyebrows, rolling her eyes. Okay, now I was extremely curious for the story.

"Why?" My own eyebrows furrowed.

"I wasn't good enough to be with them, so they kicked me out."

I jumped, hopefully unnoticeably. I didn't mean to show so much emotion, but the statement had really startled me. "Wha-?"

"It's okay though. The songs they wrote sounded like they could be on a Nickelodeon show."

"Interesting observation."

"I only speak truth," the girl shrugged.

When we finally approached the girl's door, I sighed, nodding, "Well, today was really fun. Thanks for being there."

"No problem. I had so much fun. I love your friends."

I nodded, chuckling a bit, "Yeah, they're pretty great." I paused, cold metal gray meeting those ocean orbs again. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

Dawn almost smiled, lightly. It almost seemed like she said the word yeah, but it was inaudible. Our eyes were transfixed. We couldn't stop gazing at the other. My heart beat grew faster and faster, and she hadn't  even reached for the door handle yet. I bent down slightly, while she started on her tiptoes. I was feeling pulled to the girl.

And we met in the center. Our lips meeting each other's, hers soft and of berry chapstick, both of us smiling through it. I held her cheek with my right hand, and we stood there perfectly, our passions finally showing their true selves. As we finally broke apart, my stomach fluttered, facing the eyes I had come to love so much. I knew I couldn't fix the girl, but at least now she wouldn't be all alone.