A Bittersweet Love || The Music Freaks || Jailey

Chapter Two

Hailey took a bite of her sandwich and flipped the page of the book she was reading. She was sitting on the ledge of a window where the glass curved into a sort of sitting place. Sunlight shone through, landing on the pages of the book, creating the perfect lighting for reading. 

Hailey checked her watch.

12:19. Only a few more minutes until practice.

Lunch began at noon, and students had an hour until they resumed lessons. Using this time, Hailey and the Music Club normally hung out and ate lunch in the club room before starting practice at 12:30. She normally talked with Zander and Luke, but she didn't mind this time. Her nose was busy buried in a book called Boy With Bad Luck, and reading seemed to take the loneliness away.

A sudden knock at the door sounded and was pushed open by a girl with light hair. Hailey immediately recognized her as Daisy, who was head girl and part of the student council.

"Uhm, hello?" Daisy's eyes wandered the room as if looking for something. "Is... Jake here?"

"Oh, hi, Daisy!" Hailey was surprised to see that it was Sean who answered. Daisy's face lit up.

"Hey, Sean! I was wondering if practice has started!"

"Sorry, Daisy, we start at 12:30. Only a few more minutes," Sean replied. Daisy's face fell, and was about to turn away when he added, "You could hang out with us until Jake arrives. I'd love to have some company!" he looked at Hailey, and she nodded.

"Oh, I'd love to! Thank you, Sean!" said Daisy, a smile on her face.

She stepped inside and joined Sean and Milly, and the three of them broke into conversation at once. 

Hailey eyed them enviously. She wished she was Daisy - any girl would. She was the literal definition of perfect - with gorgeous periwinkle eyes, a kind smile, and a personality that helped her make friends with almost everyone she met.

Moments passed, and when the clock ticked to 12:30, Milly grabbed her guitar, Luke positioned himself on the drums, and Zander on the piano. They began warming up with basic chords when Jake burst into the room, panting.

"Made... it!" he gasped. Zander rolled his eyes.

Daisy, who was looking over Sean's shoulder as he was editing some audio, glanced up.

"Jake! You made it!"

Jake froze, and he failed to grasp at words. "D... Daisy?!" And if Hailey wasn't mistaken, a steady blush was spreading across his face. She frowned.

"I... didn't know you would be here!" said Jake at last.

"Well I did say I'd swing by! I can't wait to hear you sing!"

Hailey wasn't sure what Daisy was expecting, but it was probably better than what Jake had performed that afternoon.

As Milly and Luke practiced their instrumental lines, Jake was rehearsing the song with Zander like he had for the past few days. Hailey planned to sing along with him later on, but she had to make sure that Jake was comfortable with singing along with the others.

He normally sang very well, and there wasn't much for Hailey to criticize - but today, he seemed more flustered than usual. 

He was stumbling over his lines, claiming he forgot verses, and had to restart on countless occasions. Daisy watched him with an encouraging smile, and told him he was doing great, but Hailey knew what she really thought.

"Jake come on, that's the fourth time you missed the beat," said Hailey after a while. 

Zander had given up working with Jake, simply sitting back with his arms crossed and glaring at him as the singer dropped the microphone.

"S- Sorry Hailey. I'll remember next time, hold on let me restart -" he stammered.

"That's what you said barely a minute ago," said Zander irritably. "What's gotten into you today?"

"It's - nothing! I'm sure I won't mess up again," said Jake firmly, scratching the back of his neck.

After another fifteen disastrous minutes, even Luke and Milly had stopped practicing to watch Jake stutter and stumble over his singing. Hailey knew that Jake knew perfectly well that he was singing out of key, making his high notes fall flat, and falling out of time. 

When Jake dropped the music sheet for the fifth time, she finally decided to step in.

"Jake, can I talk to you outside for a moment? We need to talk," said Hailey.

Jake sighed, looking down. Hailey thought she saw something that looked like guilt in his eyes. "Right, I'll be there."

The two walked out of the room and into the hallway, Hailey closing the door behind them.

"This isn't like you!" Hailey blurted out. "You know the song by heart, and you've been performing great, lately! It's only five days away from the competition - what's happening, Jake?!"

"Nothing's wrong! I'm just... not feeling too well today," he turned his gaze away from her.

Hailey knew he was lying. "It's Daisy, isn't it?" she felt a lump at the back of her throat. How had she not noticed earlier? She had caught him blushing constantly around Daisy, and the sudden presence of her seemed to make Jake incredibly tense.

"What?" Jake suddenly looked up, and for a moment, the two exchanged eye contact. He looked away again. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine. You wouldn't understand, anyway," he added under his breath.
"What was that?" Hailey asked sharply.

"Nothing, nothing!" said Jake. "Look, I know I've been screwing up, but you don't need to get involved. Just... give me some space for now, okay?"

With that, he walked off, leaving Hailey shocked, confused, and deep down, hurt.