The day's following that lesson, Kyle had refrained from involving himself in every aspect of my life - which was weird. I hadn't realised that at some point, I had become used to seeing him and his absence was strange, to say the least.
However, we did still have to work on our piece for music. The teacher had allowed everyone in the class free time to essentially go outside and work on their songs. Even sitting out on a hot day, I could feel the cold shoulder the two boys were giving each other.
I cleared my throat and looked between James and Kyle. "So, any new ideas since our last lesson?"
James shyly smiled and shook his head. Kyle simply shrugged and looked off into the distance. He was very clearly not present in the conversation, and it was at that point I fully grasped how much of a sore point Vancouver was for him.
I didn't understand it though, Kyle was the one who suggested we write about love and a city, Kyle was the one who went out of his way to make James uncomfortable, yet Kyle had the audacity to sulk when it came to his own experiences?
I understood that heartbreak can be extremely devastating and I had seen how Kyle reacted the first time I questioned him about his lyrics, but he spoke on vulnerability and being willing to share with people you are writing with, so why couldn't he do that for me?
"I had my first kiss at a school camp in Georgia." I spoke. The two boys looked at me, unsure of where I was going with the story, but I had peaked their interest.
"I must have been about 9? He had the floppiest blond hair and these bright green eyes that seemed to hold the universe. I think his name was Jesse, I'm not entirely sure - but I do remember feeling as though no moment would ever be as great as that."
There was silence, then Kyle scoffed at me and for the first time in a while, a boyish amused smile graced his face. I tried to contain a smile, but the corners of my lips slowly moved upwards.
"The kiss must have been pretty shit - you don't even remember his name or how old you were."
James seemed to have an internal battle with himself, but after a few seconds, he let out a small laugh. He looked to Kyle and instantly Kyle began laughing with him. It was as though I had witnessed a moment of silent forgiveness between the two of them and I couldn't help but smile contently.
"It was not!" I retorted and they both laughed more.
"If it makes you feel any better, I had my first kiss when I was 15 and she broke my heart." Kyle spoke. There was a palpable shift in the atmosphere. James moved around a bit uncomfortably. With hesitation I looked into Kyle's eyes.
"Vancouver?"
"Vancouver."
~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't learn any information about Vancouver, and honestly, I didn't really want to. I knew that if Kyle really wanted to tell me, he would have and maybe eventually we would get to it. What did bother me, was the fact that this had happened not too long ago. We were in our final year of high school, so 15 was just a few years before.
I looked down and smiled at what we had come up with.
In another world
You and I are dancing in the kitchen
Singing out our favourite songs
Oh how much I wish that
You would look at me like I'm everything
I'd tell you 'I love you'
And you would say it back
No hesitation
"Not bad, Carter." Kyle smirked.
"Yeah, this sounds amazing so far." James smiled and wrapped around me. I sunk further into his arms and just enjoyed the moment.
"Hey guys, back inside now." Scott interrupted the moment.
We quickly walked back into our music class, confident with the direction in which our project was going. It was weird not working with Jay, but it was also extremely refreshing having a new perspective. Although it pains me to admit it, Crash and Burn were incredibly successful, so of course the boys knew what they were doing. But the thing that really got me was, despite having all of this experience and knowledge, they gave me space to provide input. They had confidence in me and trusted that I knew what I was doing.
"So," Scott acknowledged the entire class,
"Seeing as the showcase is in about a month, I expect that you are all pretty far ahead with your work. Which means, next weeks lesson will be everyone performing what they have so far and receiving feedback from the rest of the class."
The bell rang as soon as he finished his sentence, and just like that, he had lost the entire classes attention.
A/N: This is a little shorter than usual, sorry!
I am in no way a song writer, so please pretend those lyrics were alright lol
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Stay safe out there!