Lilly slumped in her chair, trying to make herself as small as possible. She hated days like this, when the teacher asked them to share their thoughts on the latest assignment. She knew what was coming.
As soon as she opened her mouth the giggles started.
" fatty wants to talk" someone whispered. The class erupted with laughters.
Lilly felt ashamed of herself and found herself stammering on the answer. "I…I think the…."
"Ooh let me guess what she's about to say. Is it about about how to eat a whole pizza by yourself?" Ethan the class heartthrob, interrupted, his voice full of sarcasm.
The class roared with laughter. Lilly's eyes stung as she shrank back into her seat. Why did they always have to make fun of her weight? Couldn't they see beyond her appearance?
The teacher tried to intervene but it was of no use. The damage was done already.
As the class continued, Lilly retreated to her own world, her mind wandering to her secret passion Song writing.
She wrote lyrics in her head, imagining a world where she was accepted and loved for who she was and a world where Ethan would love her as she also had a crush on him like the other girls in skyline high school.
The class ended for the day. Lilly packed her bags and headed home, her mind still reeling from the events of the class. She got pressed and decided to make use of the toilet before going home.
Then she saw Ethan and his friends making jest of her. She had once written a love letter to Ethan as she was crushing on him but he rejected her but she was not really thinking he could use that to make jest of her with his friends. She got so hurt. She turned back heading home. As she walked away, Lilly felt hot tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She couldn't believe Ethan would stoop so low as to make fun of her with his friends. And to use her old love letter against her? It was a cruel blow.
She quickened her pace, anxious to escape the humiliation.
As she walked home, Lilly's thoughts turned to her music. She had always found solace in songwriting, and today was no exception. She hummed a tune to herself, letting the melody distract her from the pain of Ethan's words.
When she arrived home, Lily headed straight to her room, dropping her bags on the floor. She flopped onto her bed, exhausted from the day's events. But as she lay there, she got a tune which made her jump aggressively from her bed to the floor, rushing to the desk.
She took her music note and started jotting down lyrics for hours which made her extremely happy.
Lily woke up with a spring in her step, feeling accomplished and relieved. She had finished writing her new song, and it was already winging its way to skyline high school band, her online alias.
She had been selling her songs with the name lyricalDreamer under this pseudonym for a while now, and it had become a source of comfort and income for her.
She knew that the skyline high school band, led by Ethan, had been using her songs for their performances. In fact, they had been their go-to choice for every major gig. Lilly had seen videos of their performances online, and it was surreal to see her lyrics comes to life on stage.
Despite this, Lilly kept her identity as LyricalDreamer a secret.
Not long after, a message popped up on her phone.It was a strange number which got her a bit confused. The only number she has was her mum and dad's number as she was the only child of her parents.
" Good day lyricalDreamer. Am Ethan. Am the band leader of skyline high school band who you sell your music to. Am overwhelmed with your songs. Have always been glad to sing your songs do you mind if we could meet?
Lilly's eyes widened as she read the message. Ethan, the lead singer of the Skyline High School band, was messaging her? She had always known that her songs were being used by the band, but she had never expected to hear from him directly.
She felt a mix of emotions, surprise, excitement, and a hint of nervousness. Why did Ethan want to meet her? And how did he get her number?
Lilly hesitated for a moment before typing out a response.
"Hi Ethan, I'm surprised to hear from you. I'd love to meet up and discuss with you. Let's meet up at Angelo's tonight by 7pm. Tonight you will know who I really am".
She hit send and waited anxiously for his response. A few minutes later, her phone buzzed again.
"Hey LyricalDreamer, let's meet by 7pm then. I'd love to talk about your songs and maybe even collaborate on some new ones."
Lilly's heart raced as she read the message. Collaborate on new songs? This was an opportunity she couldn't miss!
As she put down her phone, Lilly couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nervousness. What would this meeting bring? Would she be able to forgive Ethan?
Lilly decided to dress up and get ready for the meeting, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. She arrived at Angelo's Cafe and sat down at a table, waiting for Ethan to arrive.
A few minutes later, she saw him walking into the cafe, looking around until his eyes landed on a young, beautiful lady sitting alone. Lilly's heart sank as Ethan walked towards the girl, a smile on his face.
"Are you LyricalDreamer?" he asked the girl, who looked up at him in awe.
"No, I'm not," the girl replied, "but I'm a huge fan of your music, Ethan!"
Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. Who was this girl, and why was Ethan talking to her?
Feeling a surge of courage, Lily got up from her seat and walked over to Ethan.
"Ethan!" she called out, her voice firm but nervous.
Ethan looked up, startled, and his eyes landed on Lily. For a moment, he looked displeased, and then his expression changed to one of surprise.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.
"I'm LyricalDreamer," Lily said, her voice steady.
Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're...you're LyricalDreamer?" he stuttered.