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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍
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As soon as the bell dismissing class rang, Lexi grabbed her backpack and raced out into the halls. She wove through passing students while avoiding the eyes of a certain brown-eyed boy until she found Flynn. The two best friends did their secret handshake and made their way to find their third Musketeer. When they saw the curly-haired girl with the faded red hat, the raven-haired girl grabbed Lexi's hand before dragging her toward Julie.
"Hey, underachiever," Flynn and Lexi greeted Julie as she took a book out of her locker before turning to face them.
"Hey, disappointment," Julie smiled before turning her attention to Lexi, "scaredy-cat."
"Okay, I know you don't want me to ask you this, but have you figured out what you're gonna do today?" Flynn asked the girl in plaid.
"I'll know in the moment."
"Really, Jules? That's all you're giving us?" Lexi said, causing both girls' eyes to land on her, "Mrs. Harrison said this is your last chance."
"I know. I was there," the curly-haired girl sighed just as the person they all hated's voice filled the air, causing them to turn to see Carrie handing out flyers to passing students.
"What is she handing out?" Flynn scoffed just as the Wilson girl's eyes landed on the trio.
"Desperation?" the ginger-haired girl suggested before she turned her eyes away from the girl walking over to them and back to her two best friends, trying to avoid speaking to the strawberry-blonde girl.
"Here you go. My group's performing at the spirit rally tomorrow," Carrie said as she handed them flyers for Dirty Candy, "I'm sure you guys have nothing better to do."
"Oh my gosh, Carrie. Thanks!" Flynn mocked while Julie gave the girl a fake smile and Lexi continued to avoid any eye contact.
"Oh my gosh, Flynn! Don't bother coming," the girl in pink retaliated before sending the three girls one last fake smile and walking away to pass out more flyers.
While Flynn crumpled up the paper that was handed to her by the lead singer of Dirty Candy, Julie's smile turned genuine while she stared at the blonde boy on his phone near the trio. As soon as Flynn and Lexi realized what their friend was glazing at, they exchanged a look before they turned their attention back to the girl in plaid.
"Nick? Still?" Lexi questioned, drawing Julie's attention away from the boy and back to her two friends, "you know he and Carrie are gonna get married someday and have a bunch of unholy babies."
After Julie rolled her eyes at her ginger friend, a smile formed on her face once again before she turned her attention back to the blonde boy who Lexi couldn't stand.
"Nick's a sweetheart," she defended, making Flynn and Lexi scoff before the two of them exchanged an unconvinced look.
"You'd actually have to talk to him to know that," Flynn said as she and Lexi turned their eyes back to Julie, whose facial expression showed that she agreed with them, "and only one of them has to be a demon to make a demon baby."
Once Flynn was done with her rant, she turned her attention back to Carrie, who was still handing out flyers, before a smirk formed on her face. "Demon!" As the Wilson girl turned to face them, Julie, Flynn, and Lexi quickly turned toward the lockers to avoid her gaze before they all began to laugh. When they were certain that Carrie's attention was elsewhere, they turned to face each other once again with smiles on their faces.
"There's that smile!" Flynn exclaimed when she saw the look on Julie's face.
"Now, let's go prove everybody wrong," Lexi told her curly-haired friend before the latter closed her locker. As soon as it was closed, the three girls interlocked their arms before making their way through the halls and toward their class.
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Throughout their music class, the three girls listened to their peers one by one as they went to the front of the class and performed their projects. After watching numerous students play the bass, play the piano, or simply sing, all eyes landed on Nick confidently walking up onto the small stage to perform his guitar solo. Once he played the last note on his instrument, the whole class broke into applause as a smug look formed on Carrie's face while Nick's teammates got to their feet and cheered for the blonde boy.
"Nice job, Nick. Almost as impressive as your game against Glendale," Mrs. Harrison praised as the guitarist sent everyone one of his signature smirks while laughs filled the air, "okay, we have one last performance. Julie?"
At the sound of her name, the curly-haired girl slowly looked up at her music teacher as all eyes fell on her. Julie sat there for a moment, not wanting to move from her seat, before Mrs. Harris held her hand out to the girl. Lexi sent her friend a reassuring smile as Julie let out a shaky breath before taking off her hat and getting to her feet. After sending one last look Flynn and Lexi's way, Julie made her way to the piano, passing a smiling Nick as he made his way back to his seat next to Carrie.
Flynn and Lexi sat up straighter in their seats with small smiles on their faces as they watched their best friend open his songbook before slowly sitting down in front of the grand piano. While Julie shakily opened the piano, Flynn and Lexi exchanged a worried look before turning toward their friend once again to see a look of terror flash across Julie's face. Another moment of pure silence passed before Julie slowly stood up. She looked up at Mrs. Harrison while Flynn and Lexi got to their feet with concerned looks on their faces.
"Is this when we clap?" Carrie mocked with a confident smirk on her face before Julie rolled her eyes at the comment then grabbed her songbook and ran out of the room.
"Watch it, Carrie," Flynn hissed before she and Lexi sprinted after their friend.
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When the last bell rang, Lexi said her goodbyes to her two friends before making her way through the halls and toward the classroom where she'd be meeting her brother. As soon as the redhead reached her destination, she slowly opened the door to see her older brother talking with Cami Evanson, his bandmate and girlfriend, as well as Mrs. Harrison. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she made her way toward the smiling three smiling before taking a seat in the chair next to her brother.
"Now, this is the last time we're doing this in private, Lexi," the music teacher told her before she exchanged a look with the two older teens then her eyes landed back on the younger girl, "you're going to have to learn to sing in front of everyone like you used to. You're amazing at what you do."
"I understand. Thank you, Mrs. Harrison," Lexi responded before sending Ryder and Cami and making her way over to the piano Julie sat at barely an hour ago. Her hands grazed over the keys as another shaky breath escaped her before she began to play the starting notes to the song she spent three weeks writing.
"Early in the morning I still get a little bit nervous. Fighting my anxiety constantly I try to control it," the Daniels girl sang as her fingers moved like they had a mind of their own while her brother watched her with a proud smile on his face, "Even when I know it's been forever I can still feel the spin. Hurts when I remember and I never wanna feel it again."
Unknown to the redhead, the boy she'd been avoiding for a year stood near the opened door of the classroom, listening to his ex-girlfriend sing like she didn't have a care in the world. "Don't know if you get it 'cause I can't express how thankful I am. That you were always with me when it hurts, I know that you understand." As she played the instrumental between the lyrics, his fist clenched until they turned a ghostly white before he stormed away from the classroom in search of his younger sister.
"I don't wanna lose control. Nothing I can do anymore. Trying every day when I hold my breath. Spinning out in space pressing on my chest. I don't wanna lose control," Lexi continued belting out the lyrics before opening her eyes to see Ryder watching his sister as he leaned back in his chair with a proud smile on his face. She smiled back at the boy as her fingers flew over the keys just as her veins began to flood with the happiness she'd been lacking. "Sometimes I still think it's coming but I know it's not. Trying to breathe in and then out but the air gets caught. 'Cause even though I'm older now and I know how to shake off the past. I wouldn't have made it if I didn't have you holding my hand."
Her brother's smile grew before Lexi turned her gaze to the curly-haired girl next to him, who had been by Lexi's side through her recent ups and downs and taught her almost everything she knew about the piano. "I don't wanna lose control. Nothing I can do anymore. Trying every day when I hold my breath. Spinning out in space pressing on my chest. I don't wanna lose control."
While the redhead's fingers continued to fly, Lexi's attention was drawn to two people entering the classroom. The ginger-haired girl looked over to the door to see her two best friends leaning on the door frame with the biggest grins on their faces as they watched Lexi in her natural element. "I need you to know I would never be this strong without you. You've seen how I've grown you took all my doubt. 'Cause you were home."
As she returned to the instrumental section of her song, a small breath escaped Lexi's lips as she closed her eyes once again to listen to the notes fill the air around her. "I don't wanna lose control. There's nothing I can do anymore. I don't wanna lose control, oh. Nothing I can do anymore, anymore. Trying every day when I hold my breath. Spinning out in space pressing on my chest. I don't wanna lose control."
While her fingers began to play the ending of her song, her eyes slowly opened to look at her music teacher, who sent her a small smile before writing down Lexi's grade on the clipboard in her hands.
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Once she got home from school, Lexi raced up to her room before throwing her back on her bed and making her way to the bay window. A few hours passed of the redhead writing the song she started earlier in her songwriting class before she realized how dark it was getting outside. Just as she closed her songbook to start her homework, a knocking on her door filled the air around her before she called for whoever was on the other side to come in. Lexi sat down on her bed with her backpack in her lap while the door opened to reveal Ryder, who had the same proud smile on his face from earlier.
"Hey, Ryder, what's up?" the redhead greeted her older brother as she moved over a bit so that he could sit next to her on the bed.
"That song you sang earlier was amazing. You were amazing. Everyone loved it. Especially Mrs. Harrison," he told his younger sister as he sat down with her before his smile faded slightly and he let out a sigh, "but she also said that if you don't perform in front of the class soon, she can't keep holding the spot for you in the music class. Which means you wouldn't be able to go to Loz Feliz anymore."
"I'm trying, Ry. I really am. It's just hard with Carrie and her followers in that class. Anytime I even try to sing in front of her, Carter, or their minions I freeze up."
"You can't let what the Wilsons and their little candy group did to you stop you from living your dreams, Lexa." As soon as he finished his words, Ryder looked back at his sister to see an emotionless look on her face. He studied her for a long moment before the older boy pulled Lexi closer to him, causing her to rest her head on his shoulders as she waited for him to continue. "You're an amazing singer and musician. You just need to get your confidence back."
Before another word could leave either of their mouths, Lexi's phone went off, alerting her of a new message from either Julie or Flynn based on the tone. The redhead sent a small smile her brother's way before pulling away from him to pick up the device from her nightstand. As soon as her phone was in her hands, Lexi unlocked her phone to see an urgent text from Julie. Confusion made its way onto the redhead's face before she looked away from her phone and up at her brother.
"Julie just sent Flynn and me a '911' text. I should probably head over there before she actually calls the cops," she told Ryder, causing a smirk to form on his face before a laugh escaped his lips at his sister's lame attempt at a joke.
"I'll let Mom and Dad know when they get home," the older boy responded as they got to his feet. The two of them exited Lexi's room together before they raced down the stairs and stopped at the front door. While Lexi was grabbing her jacket, Ryder leaned on the door frame and watched his younger sister with a hint of hope in his eyes. When his sister turned to face him, his hopeful smile turned into a playful smirk before he ruffled her hair a bit.
"Have fun, Lexa. And don't get into too much trouble."
A smile formed on Lexi's lips before she gently shoved her older brother and exited the house before making her way across the street to Julie's.
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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆
Control by Zoe Wees
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