Finding Everett | ✔️

Chapter Fourteen

"What if that was your destiny?" Peter finally challenged, but not in a harsh way. More like he was asking Everett to search and see if it could really be such a bad thing.

"Dad," he sighed, "I don't want to stay in this living room forever ..."

"No, that's not what I mean," Peter quickly interjected, sensing the dark path his sons thoughts were headed. "I meant, what if sitting in front of a piano and playing to people could be what you're meant for? Everett, you have such talent. Everyone can see it. And anyone who listens to your music for ten seconds finds themselves unable to focus on anything other."

Everett felt a hand rest on his should and with baited breath, listened as his father continued.

"Don't let what you assume to be a weakness drain you of your strength. You have plenty to live for, Everett. Never forget that."

And with those parting words, Peter left the room.

With his mind running fast and sending him into a whirlwind of confusion, Everett hit the play button on his movie and tried to focus on that instead.

But he couldn't.

Rather, he found himself mulling over the words his father had just left him with.

Lately, everything and everyone pointed out that life wouldn't stay as tenebrous as he thought it would. Everett felt certain his family always tried to bring it to his attention, but he never focused on the lustrous opportunities life held the hope of offering him. His mind perpetually and completely honed in on the dismal and gloomy portions of his life.

Apparently, all it took for him to open his mind to the world around him was a bubbly and enigmatic girl.

Lizzie forced Everett out of his shell and into the world, breathing in the vibrant air for once instead of forever holding his breath. He never realized how good it would feel.

The words Lizzie once spoke to him about coming back to the living rang throughout his mind and Everett brought them to the forefront, pondering on them.

Before Lizzie, Everett never realized just how 'dead' he acted. Only participating in minor activites, most of them of the one person variety, he viewed his lack of sight as something hindering.

Now, even though his sight was a hindrance, Everett tried to prevent that fact from holding him back. He let Lizzie show him how to have fun again, how to have adventures and how to live.

Everett loved it.

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"What's shakin', bro?"

Ever since his and Lizzie's graduation the Saturday before, Jesse had been bugging Everett a bit more. Feeling a tad nostalgic, he supposed. After all, they were leaving all they ever knew behind.

With a drink in one hand, Jesse meandered into the living room, leaning against the wall where his brother sat at the piano. As he waited for the reply, he watched Everett's hands move gracefully up and down the keys.

Always interested in the artistic doings of others, Jesse found it positively fascinating how well his brother could stroke the keys and create the most beautiful pieces of music.

"Nothing much," Everett tossed back at him, the melody slowing down as he paid a bit more attention to Jesse. "Did you ever hear anything back on your art project? You guys had to turn it in, right?"
 

Jesse couldn't hide the surprise that spread across his face. To hear Everett oh-so-casually bring up art into the conversation shocked him a bit; Everett always avoided subjects of that sort.

"Uh, yeah -  we got the highest score in the class and our teacher wanted to enter it into some contest. So I guess she liked it well enough," Jesse shrugged.

Jesse hoped that his brother didn't push about the art, though. The inspiration behind the art came straight from the musical mastermind sitting before him.

He wasn't exactly sure how much Everett would appreciate that.

"Oh. Well, that's pretty cool," Everett mumbled. His left hand had fallen from the piano and now, only an index finger gently traced the keys.

Biting his lip, Jesse ventured into the unknown by asking, "Something wrong, Ev?"

Silence consumed them, the clock on the other side of the room clicking as the seconds ticked by.

"I ... I sort of want to do something. It's kind of crazy, though," Everett admitted slowly.

Jesse's interest now piqued, he pulled up the ottoman and sat down next to Everett. "Spill."

Letting out an amused scoff, Everett said, "Okay, now you sound like Lizzie." The sentence hung in air before he continued, "I got an email the other day. Colleges are starting to search out applicants and ... well, a couple in particular caught my attention."

Everett sucked in a deep breath. "Several colleges offer amazing musical programs and I got a lot of them in my box, including Julliard and Berklee. Jesse, I love music. You know it's my life line. And ... I want to try. But I'm just ... scared."

The confession made Everett sag his shoulders and sigh.

Jesse could see the conflict written across his face and hesitantly put a hand on Everett's shoulder. "Bro, at the risk of sounding like some oddball, you shouldn't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Music is everything to you and I think you should go for it. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Well, for one I could get accepted," Everett snarked back at him. "Jesse, I can't function on my own. What am I supposed to do? I want to have some sort of fulfillment after high school. I want something more in my life and I feel like it's one step out of reach."

Shaking his head, Everett mumbled out, "We're graduating in just a couple of days. And I don't want to be stuck behind this piano for the rest of my life, Jesse. I can't let that happen."

With a smile, Jesse stared at his brother.

For the first time ever, he could see how Everett wanted more. For the last 10 years, all Jesse could see ghosting over Everett's face was disappointment. Hopelessness. Defeat.

But for once, Everett wanted to push forward in life; he wanted something beyond the four walls of the living room. And Jesse was not about to let him give up.

Everett came too far over the past couple of months to just give up completely.

So with a determined tone and expression, Jesse replied, "I'm not going to let that happen, Everett. I promise."

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