A Tale Of Winter Memories

Travis jumped and slid his books into the bag that he had on the back of his chair and quickly followed Loli. He caught up with her as the couple walked out. He looked around. "Music, huh. Man, makes me miss my bass..." he mumbled. He shrugged and looked down at Loli. "Hey, I'm usually either here or the music room when I'm not sleeping. And if you need any help with winter work, lemme know."

That said, Travis left behind the couple and made a beeline to his dorm to get his bass guitar. He knew the music room had amps so he didn't bother to grab his. He dropped the bag at the bottom of the bed, shoulder the gig bag with his bass in it, and headed for the music room.
 
Jiro silently followed after her, step after step. Cord asked what Guitar he would be using; the schools or his own. Since he didn't have anyone of his own he responded one of the schools. He only hoped he could play as well as he had, years ago. The teen followed her down the hall and things went quiet. But it wasn't an awkward quiet…it was a soothing…soul calming type of quiet. His heart thudded happily in his chest as she smiled to herself and turned to face him.

Cord said how she liked it this way…and it should be tame in school. He nodded.

"I may be from the city but the gangs in hung out in were fairly small so…I perfur it that way. So…I agree…I like it better in company of close friends or in silence than in a stuffy class room…"

Jiro smiled, relaxed with this stranger he barely even knew.
 
Cord stopped in front of the music room and nodded softly. She placed a gentle hand on the door knob of the music room and tilted her head a bit. Her curiosity was bubbling and she just had to ask before they hung out any longer. "So...what kinds of things do gangs do?" She asked, her voice going even quieter than usual. What a silly question, but she jut couldn't let it sit! "I mean...uh...never mind that was so stupid to ask!" She shook her head and blinked a few times before turning the knob to the music room and opening the door. "After you!" Her mind raced as she thought of how she could recover from everything foolish she had done. She wasn't always so spazzy, but people didn't always stay long enough to find that out seeing as it did take her some time to get accustomed to new people.
 
As they came to a stop in front of the music room door, Cord turned to him and asked him what gangs did. He noticed he tone lowered almost as if she were ashamed to ask the question. She then immediately shook her head and accused herself of asking a stupid question; and opening the door, ushering him in.

"Well…" he said walking through the door then turned to face her.

"A lot of stuff I'm not proud of…I got into violence and drugs…even went to some rehab center for youth for six months for my drug addiction. Even have a scar from a big fight I was in. Destroyed property and made life a living nightmare for the cops. But…I'm different now…I mean I still have the occasional cigarettes when I get stressed out but besides that….my temper has cooled down and I'm as normal as I'm ever going to be…"

He smiled a bit and turned on his heel, walking further into the Music room.
 
As he replied to her question Cord's face grew hot again. "Oh my..." She stepped into the music room and shut the door behind her. "Were you ever frightened?" She squeaked, placing her book down on a music stand nearby. "I would have been...just so..." She fidgeted and looked all over the room, anywhere but his eyes. "...frightened." Slowly she slid her gaze to his eyes and smiled weakly. As far as Cord was concerned she was digging herself into a hole and Jiro wouldn't be around long enough for her to climb out. "No. no no, don't answer that. That was silly. Ignore that, please. I'm so glad you're better now, you're strong for growing from your experiences." She raised a hand to her red cheek and smiled anxiously.
 
Lance shifted her attention from the ruffian boy to the mysterious dingy looking fellow that she had encountered before. A warm friendly smile spread across her lips. The boy appeared more nervous than when she had to be in a group for a class project. When the boy had asked for an escort to the boy dorms, Lance stomach decided to growl. The cafeteria was on the way towards the boy boy dorms. Also the ruffian boy's question finally reached her brain. Lance sat up from her spot and looked at the injured lad.
"Nah I'm not afraid of you, I just have some personal space issues is all." Lance smiled at her fellow smoker then turned her attention to the dirt riddle lad. "I can show you the way if you want. Also the cafeteria is on the way if your stomach is in agreement with mine." Lance said, trying to be slightly funny so to ease the dingy boy. "Hey um feel free to tag along if you want." Lance directed towards the ruffian lad. Sighing, she realized they were strangers in company.
"Well my manners suggest that I have been rude. My name is Vivian however please call me Lance. May I inquiry the names of the gentlemen that I have the pleasure of sharing company with?"
 
The teen listened to her soft voice ask if he was ever frightened to be in the gang as she closed the door. His body tensed as he nodded a bit to himself. He could hear her shuffling around as he went over to the wall to select a guitar. Jiro picked one and turned around in timeto meet her gaze. She smiled weakly and it hurt him inside a little. He knew she would have been…everyone was afraid of the small but dangerous gang. He thenrecognized the flush on her face, as she said not to answer the question. He figured it was out of embarrassment more than anything.

Jiro smiled a bit but it quickly slid from his face as memories of his past life in a gang rushed back to him. It hadn't been that long ago actually. He looked down at the ground as he walked over to a seat near where she had set her book down. Mostly because he didn't want her to have to see the pain in his deep brown eyes by remembering his gang life. He pushed it away after a few moments and then looked back up at her; swinging the shoulder strap of the instrument over his head. Her hand was on her cheek and she smiled anxiously. The strap settled on his shoulder comfortably as he opened his mouth to speak.

"One night, the boss attacked this young married couple; he killed the man and left the woman in a bloody heap; she barely survived, but at the cost of a miscarriage I found out later on the news. After that…I didn't want in anymore. It really made me realize that the man could have easily been me, but they threatened me and my family so I stayed. There was no reason to get my family dragged into my issue just because I was afraid..."<o:p></o:p>

Jiro chuckled a bit nervously and he tensed a little, his gaze falling to the floor.The pain in his eyes slowly was seeping back in no matter how hard he tried tokeep it out. The teen continued to speak.

"One night I did something unknowingly to piss off the leader and he beat me pretty bad. Luckily the Cops showed up and took me to the hospital, arrested the leader and his sidekick. Once I was well enough…took my statement and helped me out of there. I wouldn't go back to that life even if this one kills me. It's too much grief for me and my family..."

He looked back up at her and briefly smiled sadly before placing his fingers in familiar positions on the guitar. <o:p></o:p>
briefly smiled sadly beforeplacing his fingers in familiar positions on the guitar.
 
Cord tensed up every time he did and winced a bit, looking down at her feet. "I'm glad you...came to your senses." She whispered honestly before looking back up at him and taking a step towards him. "You don't need to go back to anything like that ever again." Her voice was more confident as she spoke and she gave him a firm nod. As a smile grew on her face she lifted her hand and adjusted his hand on the guitar, correcting his finger placement. She hadn't meant to, it just came out, and now she was anxious that she looked rude. She took a quick step back and placed her hand on her cheek again. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have touched you without permission." Her voice squeaked out as if she was trying really hard to form words. "Please do play me something." A smile and a small head tilt so her head was sort of leaning on her hand was her little sign that she was ready to stop making a fool of herself and was ready to hear some music!
 
Ruin blinked in surprise at how pleasant the girl was being and smiled a little, trying to make sure his stomache didn't make any noise. "No thanks on the cafeteria thing, not really hungry. But I'm Ruin. Thank you for helping Lance." Knowing that they would probably have to go outside he quickly pulled on his hoody to hide his clearly visible ribs and bruising, hoping that they weren't going to ask questions. But Lance seemed nice enough, she didn't have that cold look that the street walkers and adults had when they looked at him. Maybe.... he was making a friend?
At the thought of that he smiled a little to himself. Not some inanimate object he'd drawn a face on. A real person. He felt giddy inside and had to fight the urge to giggle. Just relax and play it cool, don't want to freak her out already... Then it hit him. His room number had been on the map and he hadn't memorized it yet!
He bit his lip. How would he know where his room is? He didn't want to annoy her by having her escort him everywhere like he was a baby. But by the looks of her, he felt a little like a child. Maybe it was her smooth confidence. He hadbeen like that coming on the grounds, but now he was a sputtering idiot. What was wrong with him?
He began to tug on a lock of his bangs roughly with a frown. He had to keep up that indifference like Gerared had said. It didn't get you hurt.... although getting indifferent to Gerared nearly got him killed... He shook his head and paused. He was still standing in front of Lance and that boy! He probably loked insane... Great.
 
Travis walked right into the music room and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ah, I am sorry to interrupt!" he said with a nervous smile as he looked at the couple in the music room. He recognized them easily as the couple from the library. So this is where they were headed... "I'll just take my bass elsewhere then... Enjoy yourselves!"
 
Cord lifted her head from her hand and turned to the boy who had just come in. "Oh no! Please do come in if you want!" She took a step closer to Jiro as if to make more room for the new guy in the huge music room. "If you don't mind playing around others it shouldn't be an issue." She turned back to Jiro and smiled, hoping he would be ok with someone else in the room. She turned so her back was to Jiro when the boy at the door mentioned he played bass. "Bass? That's so cool! I-" She caught herself before she could say she played guitar because not too long ago she was telling Jiro she didn't play anything. "I've always wanted to learn bass." Another turn and she was facing Jiro again. "Jiro was just going to show me his mad guitar skills." She joked, smiling and giving Jiro a friendly elbow to the side. She was shaking a bit from nervousness. She just felt so terrible for lying to Jiro now.
 
Travis grinned and moved over to a chair, unzipping the case.

"What songs do you know, Jiro? Maybe we can compliment each other," Travis said as he fingered the strings to check the tuning by ear. He finished the tuning and started to play a couple of scales to get warmed up. "And, I could easily teach you the bass, miss...?"
 

Hoisting his feet out of the water, Christoph quickly put his socks back on his feet and had moved to the boots almost before anyone could notice what he was doing. He was in no mood to stay in the room alone, with everyone rushing through it, and he was feeling restless, anyway. Christoph decided that he would head instead to the art rooms, hoping that some inspiration might take him.

"I have no interest in... tagging along." He said abruptly, standing up now that his boots were on his feet and fully laced. He would not be the stay tagalong for their little pair and he was determined that no one would take any pity on him. That would only serve to make him positively furious. He was not going to be the one that someone pitied.

Grabbing his jacket up from the ground, Christoph made his way to the door without even looking back at the other two, making his intentions clear. Out of politeness, though, when he reached the door, he stopped. Turning his head slightly sothat the profile of his face was visible, he answered the girl.

"My name is Christoph."
​
 
He watched carefully as she corrected his hand placement and fingers on the neck of the guitar. When he looked up Cord had her hand to her cheek again. She squeaked an apology but he chuckled a bit and smiled. Telling her that it was fine and that he didn't mind it. In fact her touching him made him catch his breath a bit in his throat. Not in a bad way…It kind of felt nice in fact. Last time he had been touched by a girl was an accusing slap across his face that he did not deserve. For apparently doing something he never even did. He snapped back to attention as she asked him to play her something. He nodded and began to think of a song to play as a small smile crept across her lips and she tilted her head a bit. It looked as if she were ready to hear him. But he wasn't so sure of it now. He didn't want to Screw up in front of her and look like an idiot.

Suddenly a boy appeared in the door way, saying he could play bass Guitar. Cord let him in and stepped closer to him. He didn't Mind it at all but the music room was huge…she didn't need to make room for the new guy. It was a kind gesture of her though. She turned to him and smiled, it automatically made him smile and he nodded. If she wanted him to play in front of this guy then he was going to…sing even. Jiro learned that the guy played bass and apparently Cord was very happy about this. She started to stay something but caught herself. A small grin started to spread across his lips. Cord had almost slipped that she played guitar. Now he couldn't wait to pull it out of her that she did and hear her play again. The boy came over and asked him what music he knew. Jiro bit his lip in thought for a min and nodded. He smiled to himself happily.

"I can play just about anything…You start and I will join in…"
 
Elena felt very, very confused and very, very cold.

For one thing, the doors to the middle school were firmly locked. All six of them. This meant that she had had to retire in the Upper School dormitory for the night, and while the prospect had been exciting, the thrill had worn off a bit when she discovered that the school was essentially a maze of hallways with door handles that were kinda high for her to reach. After taking a few turns and climbing a few stairs, she was completely and utterly lost. Her cell phone was back at her dormitory, but she wasn't acquainted with any of the high schoolers well enough to call them for help, anyway.

Secondly, not only had she left her cell in the dorm, but she had also left the huge grey hoodie, lovingly packed by her parents (who had a bit of a taste for neutral-colored clothing), lost in those depths. She was stuck here, in a strange environment, wearing her long white nightie, which, although comfortable, did little to protect her from the cold seeping in the building.

Goosebumps flared across her pale skin, and she shivered involuntarily. She really wished she had worn her slippers; her bare feet, it seemed, were suffering the most on the cold tile.

Now, where were those bathrooms?
 
Travis nodded and racked his brain.

"How about Falling Down by Atreyu? It's not too hard, but not easy either. Do you know that one? Because guitar starts it out," Travis said as a reminder. He turned to Cord. "Do you know the song? I'm sure you have a good judging ear that you'll be able to tell us how close we get to the actual song."
 
Cord smiled at both of the boys. "My name is Cordelia." She said to the new boy who had asked. "What's yours?" She looked at Jiro before taking a seat between the two of them. The idea of being taught bass was nice, but she was quite loyal to her guitar. "Oh that's fine, I would probably be no good." She waved her hand softly and shrugged.

Once a song was suggested Cord nodded. "I know that song well." She said, relaxing in her seat a bit. "I'll do my best to judge if you're on point, but I can't promise anything!" Perhaps she would sing along a bit? She quite liked the band Atreyu.
 
"Alright then well see you around then Christoph." Lance said as Christoph retreated from sight. She put her hands in her pockets and sighed to herself. She reverted her attention back to the boy named Ruin. "Well it seems like I forgot my wallet back at my dorm sadly though I have no problem escorting you to the boys dorm however I can only go so far. Rules state that girls can't be in the boy dorms."Lance informed with a slight smile. She really was hungry and knew the lunch ladies would give her free meals but Lance always dislike taking advantage of their kindness. With her hands tucked in her pockets, she took the lead.

Lance lead Ruin through what seemed like a maze of halls. Doors to classrooms lined the wall as well as gray colored lockers. For the most part Lance was quite except when she pointed out points of interests. They passed computer lab whose door was closed. As they passed the corner that would lead to the hall with the cafeteria , Lance set sight on w little girl who looked lost and cold. Lance took off her hoodie, forgetting Ruin was in her company, and approached the little girl with blue eyes. "Here, it may be a bit big on you but at least it is something to keep you warm." Lance said with a smile while offering her the hoodie that had concealed the black shirt that Lance was wearing. She realize she wasn't alone and turn her attention back to Ruin. "I'm sorry Ruin but would you mind if I take care of this little girl? I will make it up to you. Go down this hall and go past the cafeteria then there should be a set of double doors. Go through them and walk a little bit bit outside then you should come to a building with Male Dormitory written on it."
 
Elena smiled shyly at this stranger.

"Thank you," she said politely, accepting the hoodie. It actually resembled her own, although this one smelled of cigarettes and was a bit larger than she was accustomed to. Nevertheless, she slipped it on, giggling when it nearly reached her knees.

"Thank you so much," she said again, lifting her head to get a better look at her savior. The girl was definitely a high-schooler, and, it seemed, one of the nice ones. Elena was briefly enraptured by the girl's short black hair - it was styled in such an interesting way -, before her eyes flickered to the other one. The boy, Ruin.

Her little heart fluttered. He was handsome! She wondered how he'd grown his hair out so long, it was so pretty. He looked like the perfect combination of refined and rugged - and Elena definitely had a bit of a crush on him.

Not that she would admit that to anyone.

Smiling even more shyly, she quickly returned her gaze to the girl.

"Um, I think I'm lost," she said quietly. Then, her cheeks turning a bit pink: "Do you know where the bathrooms are?"
 
After hearing the little girl's question, Lance couldn't help but to chuckled. It was a breath of fresh air to have such a cute little girl around. Then again from first impressions, it would be hard to gather that someone as distant as Lance liked children. Tapping her chin, Lance pretended she was in deep thought.
"Well the nearest bathroom in this wing of the school would probably be near the library. If you want I can take you there or do you rather fancy yourself as a big girl? If you want I can lead you there or give you directions." said Lance bending her knees so her and the little girl were close to equal height. "Oh and keep the hoodie as long as you need; I have more back at my dorm room."Lance offered with a friendly smile.
 
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