Chapter Ten
When I got home, thehouse felt too quiet and it only made everything sound louder.The soft click of my keys hitting the counter, the hum of the refrigerator, the muted tick of the clock on the wall.
I went straight upstairs to my music studio, needing to do something to help quiet all the noise in my head.Music had always done that for me.I sat at my piano and traced the white keys gently, feeling their coldness against my fingertips.
I started with a few soft chords, minor, stretched too long.The melody that came with them was uneven, hesitant, but it matched the way my chest felt.I scribbled a few lyrics in my notebook, not ready to transfer them to sheet music yet.I ended up crossing out half of them as soon as they hit the page.
“You said someday we’d find our light again,
But the sun keeps changing sides.
Every truth feels half-forgotten now,
And I’m running out of skies to hide.”
The words felt messy and uncertain.I didn’t know if it’d become a song or if it was just another string of thoughts trying to sound like one.But it was the first thing that made sense all day.
My phone buzzed, the sound startling me.The group chat notification lit up the screen.
Bryan:Seth’s.Game night.Get over here.
Toby:Mario Kart and snacks.We saved you a spot.
Justin:I’m already losing, so you’ll have my spot.
I smiled despite myself.
Cadence:Be there soon.
I quickly grabbed my things, ready to forget the lyrics that made no sense and yet perfect sense to me.By the time I reached Seth’s front door, the sound of laughter and shouting filtered through.
Inside, the warmth hit me first.Then the chaos.Bryan was yelling about someone cheating, Toby defending himself around a mouthful of chips.
“Candy!”Toby called out, chip crumbs shooting out of his mouth.
Seth looked up from the couch, controller in hand, a small grin tugging at his lips.“There you are,” he said.“We were about to send Bebe to drag you here.”
Bebe was curled on his dog bed, tail thumping lazily as he stared at me.
I laughed.“He’d win.I was working on a song.”
