Beyond The Music

Chapter Six - Mika

"Mika, admit it. I know you have feelings for Steven. You've spent everyday with him in the music room for the last four months and I've seen the way you are at the end of each lesson, you're always happy afterwards. You sang at breakfast this morning. Which by the way is something you've never done before so just admit it so I can bathe in the glory of knowing that I am right once again," Keira and I were sitting in the gym during cheer leading practice. Keira was bouncing around on the bleachers as she tried to convince me that I liked Steven. Just because he can speak Spanish, play the guitar and play piano doesn't mean that I like him in that way. Does it? No!

"Keira. I won't admit it because it's not true, and I didn't sing at breakfast this morning. I was humming, there's a big difference. Now can we stop talking about this?" I turned towards Keira and smiled.

"Nope sorry, I'm not going to drop it this time. I've dropped it for the last four months and now's the time to talk about it," Keira grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me gently. "I know you like him, now admit it. If not to me then to yourself."

"No because there's nothing to admit."

"Oh come on. Stop denying it because if you don't admit it to yourself you'll miss the chance and then you'll get all mad, flip out and then break someone or something."

"How could I miss my chance when I never had one to begin with," I looked away from Keira when she let go of my shoulders.

"I've seen the way he looks at you when you're playing music together and that look isn't one that means you have no chance. It means that you're the only one who has a chance. Don't you understand Mika! He likes you a lot! I know boys, so I know what it means when he looks at you like that. Anyone can see that, when I go to the Councillor's office every week, Mr Darity and I talk about problems at home and other things as well. One time I brought up that you were spending a lot of time with him and I know that you don't like me telling people about your business but everything that is said in that office stays in that office so I told him that you were teaching him to play the piano, which he took as a complete surprise and laughed at the idea of it but then he started talking about how he quit playing altogether and how he refused to even touch a guitar of any kind but then he said that after school on the first day back, he played for the first time in almost a year. We both think that he started playing again because he met someone that changed his thoughts about it."

"So? People change their minds all the time."

"What I'm saying is that...he started playing again because he met you. Mr Darity said that he has somehow changed in the time that he's been here. Why do you think that is?" I repeated her words through my head a couple of times before finally looking at her again.

"You know what, fine. I do like him but it doesn't matter. Hearing rumors about myself is one thing but him not liking me because he believes them is another. I can't handle that," I lowered my voice to a whisper as another cheerleader walked past.

"Okay look, if he believes them then he's an idiot but what if he doesn't and you're overreacting. What if Caitlyn doesn't spread rumors around about you, what if she's happy for you? Okay maybe she won't be happy but she won't hate you," Keira grabbed one of my hands and squeezed it lightly before she dropped it and smiled.

"What if you're wrong about all of this? What if you're wrong about him playing because he met me? There are a whole lot of different possibilities that could explain why he started playing again and none of them could be because of me," I watched the cheerleaders as they chatted amongst each other on the court.

"Mika, listen to me. It doesn't matter why he started playing again, it only matters that he's playing now. He's learning to play the piano so he could spend time with you Mika. How could you not see that he's only there to spend time with you, why do you think that he asked to take lessons everyday?"