"You can't breathe, you find that your throat has closed on you and you're gasping for air. But...behind all of this, you feel panic, fear. Fear of not having the opportunity to allow air through your lungs. If you were to dig deeper into your fear you find the source of this all, you find pain. Pain in your heart, the pain only a person can cause. Pain is everywhere, it lives within us. It comes before despair and before fear. You may ask, how do you rid yourself of it, or ask how to destroy it? My answer is simple, you can't, humans were built and put together with pain, we are meant to take it, give it and live it. The only other solution is to fall in love with it." -Ivy Hester
"Your father and I will be gone overseas to finish up deals with our companies. We won't be back until later next week so I expect you already know what I am to say next." She says over the phone and I reply.
"Yes, I will make sure to only focus on my purpose here," I say and my mother on the other end of the line laughs, but not one that's sweet and rich but the complete opposite.
"Good, do make your father proud, he is still disappointed in you for your last fail." She says and I stiffly say yes before she hangs up. I frown at the phone staring at my mother's contact. I had that feeling again, I wanted to call her and tell her things like I'll miss her or I love her, but I don't. That wasn't professional. I put my phone away and look up to see my roommate, Lexi staring at me. I place a smile on my face.
"Did you say something?" I ask and she giggles.
"I was wondering if you wanted to join me and my friends at the principles conference and lunch?" She asks and I remember what my mother had told me so many times. Stay close to the people you need and leave the people you don't need. Was, Lexi someone I needed? I needed to understand this school and she seems to be the only person I've found who has been here for two years. I laugh and nod my head.
"I'd love to," I say and she smiles. She walks off into the bathroom and the smile fades from my face. I pull at the collar of my uniform and take a deep breath and when the door reopens I place that perfect smile on and keep it when her friends come and the entire time we walk to the school's conference room.
I hear the sound of chatter over Lexi's voice when she looks at me and I frown when she points to someone a few seats behind us. I follow her finger to see a familiar dark-haired boy and something about the way he sat with his arms crossed and messy arrange of clothes reminded me of someone. I looked around to see so many other girls looking in his direction but he just stared straight ahead, then I remembered. The boy from the music room.
"Nickolas," I say to myself, I feel a tap on my shoulder from Lexi again. I look at her as she points to another person and I frown when I see them, Neal. The boy of this school. I hear the chatter quiet down as the principal makes his appearance.
"Hello students, I know that some of you have already heard this same speech as the years go on but this year we have many new pupils that have come from all over to make it into this school." He says and I feel as though everyone's eyes have turned to me, I continue to look at the principal as he continues.
"So, I will start with the important rules of this school. At the end of this month, we will be having a test. It is simple, pass the test you continue here but if you fail...I'm afraid you will be removed from this school." He said and everyone around me goes quiet. I could feel the tension building up between the students and I pull at the collar of my shirt.
"But aside from that I also want to announce that your clubs should be chosen by the end of this week and those of you who picked a sport should have already joined because tryouts are beginning early this year." After he continues his announcement and soon enough it's over. I hear one of Lexi's friends sigh.
"Finally that's over, I'll make it anyways that's why I signed up for Miss Beaulieu as my homeroom teacher." She says and Lexi frowns.
"Ava, are you talking about the new teacher?" She asks and the girl that I guess was Ava nods.
"Yeah, she's from England, like you Ivy! Did you pick her?" Ava says and I shake my head.
"Aw, you should, I had her as a tutor over the summer, unlike everyone else she is nice to her students, she looks young and pretty. Now that I think about it you kinda look like her Ivy, you just need brown hair. Anyways you can switch to her, she gives great study guides." Ava recommends and I smile and nod, that would be helpful, it was good to stick with Lexi's friends.
"Best switch before the end of the week though." She says and Lexi's other friend stands up.
"Guys he's leaving for lunch let go! We might get to talk to him." She says pointing to someone and I turn around to see, Nickolas leaving the room.
"I'm sure that's not going to happen, you will just watch him the entire time, Mia," Lexi says and Ava laughs. Mia frowns and then looks at me.
"You eating lunch with us?" She asks and Lexi goes to nod her head but I cut in.
"Actually now that you mention it I want to go see if I can change my teacher before I forget," I look at Lexi, "Maybe next time?" I ask and she nods.
"Sure, it's alright." She says and then we walk out and head our separate ways.
I make it to the office in the front of the school, not many kids are around nor are there any teachers. I look around the office from the counter and jump when I hear a door close behind me. I turn around to see a pretty lady with her hair pulled into a half up half down she wore a vintage style dress.
"Do you need something?" She asks and I could hear her voice sounded like mine proper and British.
"I was looking to change teachers for my homeroom I realized I picked the wrong one," I say and from hearing my same accent she smiles.
"Oh, good thing you came to change it, I'll put it in for you, Mrs. Linzy said for me to take over for her anyways." She says making her way around the counter onto the other side to face me. She smiled and I saw it, we did look similar. The way her nose shape was very similar to mine. I smiled back. She began typing on the computer and looked back at me.
"Please give your name." She asks,
"Ivy Hester," I say and she smiles and looks back down.
"So, are you from England as well as me?" She asks and I feel something in my stomach when she looks at me for a quick second. It wasn't a bad feeling it felt nice. I felt at home.
"Yes," I reply and she laughs before looking back at me.
"What teacher do you plan to switch to?" She asks and I feel a funny giggle build up in me.
"Miss Beaulieu actually." I say and she pretends to gasp and put her hand over her heart.
"I'm so honored, I would have lost it if I didn't have a Valentine in my class." She says and laughs as I giggle with her. "There you go! All set." She says and I feel something else in me...disappointment?
"Oh, thank you," I say and she smiles.
"Of course." I take in her features and the way she smiled as I leave and as I walk out I realize something funny. We had the same eye color.
I feel my spirit lift and before I know where I'm going I find myself down the quiet hallway and in front of the beautiful music room. I walk in and the first thing my eyes land on was the piano. I walk into the silent room that had a nice glow from the sun shining in. I walk over to the window and open it letting in a sweet breeze. I sat on the seat in front of the piano and placed my fingers on the keys. I start simply closing my eyes and feeling each key my finger lands on, I begin to play the first song that comes to mind. Yiruma "River Flows In You". I liked this song because it wasn't something I played much, I was taught to play classics but this one made me feel warm. I smile as I feel the breeze come in from the window and I play each key slow at afraid for it to end, I feel my happiness grow and my pace begins to pick up. I remember that lady's eyes, so similar to mine, she seemed familiar even when I had never seen her in my life. Once I finish the piece I sigh allowing the music to fade and flow out into the air.
"So you really came back, huh?" I hear a voice say behind me and I felt a pull in my stomach. I feel a smile form on my lips and before I turn around I already know who it is.
"Nice of you to join me...Nickolas." I say facing him. I take in his appearance, he leaned up against the door frame with a guitar case slung over his shoulder. He shakes his dark messy hair out of his eyes and his clothes look the same as the last time I saw him. His tie hanging from his neck loosely and the top buttons of his shirt undone. He looked at me and I looked back at him reflecting the same amusement he had.
"Nice of you to welcome me." He says in his mocking fake British accent. He walks in and sits in a chair across from me. "You know I didn't think you would come back." He says opening his guitar case.
"I told you I would, I already picked it as my club," I say with a mocking tone remembering when he had told me to leave the last time I was here. He hears my tone and looks up at me.
"I guess I thought you would be smarter." He says flashing a quick sinister smile before giving me a cold stare. The smile from my face disappears just as fast as he did and I cross my legs.
"Pardon me?" I ask, I wasn't stupid. If anything I was smart and above him. He raises an eyebrow.
"Well when most people come to a new school they like to stay out of sight, but you? You're already the big talk, the pretty girl from England, has money, was the top of all her schools she ever went to, plans to become something in law, I got too bored of it all I forgot sorry, Her parents are practically known everywhere, you live the life." He says,
"What did that have to do with my intelligence?" I ask keeping composed, Mother taught me, never allow someone to know they beat you.
"It had nothing to do with how smart you are, I was just having a little fun and provoking you." He says placing his guitar on his lap testing each string. He laughs softly. "Was it funny?" He asks again mocking me. I smile.
"Hilarious," I say and he looks up from his instrument locking eye contact with me.
"You like playing dangerously don't you?" He asks and I uncross my legs and face the piano again.
"I have no idea to what you mean," I say and place my hands on the piano keys once again. I hear him snort and I begin to push on the keys of the piano. I close my eyes and as I continue to play even he fades into the background. I play off the feeling turning in my stomach, a mix now, I feel both cool and warm, I feel a chill on the back of my neck and smile, I could feel his eyes on me. I find what I wish to play and I begin, "Yann Tiersen Comptine d'un autre été". I felt the breeze on my face and I fell into the music my fingers danced on the keys as my hand moved gracefully back and forth. I finished that one and moved into the next, "Ludovico Einaudi Nuvole Bianche", I play the keys and another feeling fills me, a cold empty feeling, I let my hand's slow dance and I lift my face up feeling everything around me. I begin to play faster and the feeling I get moving in me spin faster as well. I felt eyes on me and I open them to find Nickolas staring at me, but not with amusement, he felt it too, just as I did. Pain. We could hear the sadness and pain. I smile sadly and close my eyes once again and I fall back into the darkness of the music. I understood the pain of this song, I don't know from what or where but I knew its touch. I bring the song to the end and reopen my eyes to still see Nickolas staring at me.
"What was that one called?" He asks and I look out the window.
"It's by Ludovico Einaudi, it's called Nuvole Bianche. Nice piece isn't it?" I ask.
"Yeah." We go silent for a moment before he breaks it asking something I never thought he would from someone like me.
"Ivy," He says my name in a way I can't say makes me feel, "Can you play that again?"
She does, in that moment they sheared something, not just the song but something a little deeper, he knows her as someone that is different and she knows him as the boy who makes something in her move like the piano. Neither of them could see it but the red string of fate was beginning to twine around both their fingers and lead to something impeccable.