Chapter Text
Every now and then when I dream, I hear music in my head. My fingers shredding on my guitar, playing away what’s on my mind.
Every single time it’s loud, too loud. Sometimes it’s unintelligible, not even a proper chord being played or anything. Sometimes that might just be enough.
It’s hot as fuck in this room and my attention is a bit too focused on my breathing. The curtains kept it dark, not a single ray of light peeking in. My left hand reached out and felt something solid, the floor, my body was half-way off the couch when I finally opened my eyes. I wore nothing but my baggy pants, my shirt was halfway across the room, my necklace dangling against my sweat drenched neck. The phone on the floor was practically staring up at me, the screen too bright for me to be looking at right now, but I at least caught a glimpse of the time.
5:57 A.M
I didn’t need to be awake for another two hours, but here I was. The day before was a long one, I was anxious, and no matter how much Clive told me that there was nothing to worry about I just couldn’t stop thinking about today. It’s my first day of college, and like the dumbass I am, I had spent the entirety of yesterday working on something new.. Once I got on my feet, I paced, my mind running circles for a moment. Upside? My mind was off of the anxiety of starting up college… downside? My mind was completely occupied with music.
Sweat dripped down my bare torso but I didn’t have the thought of opening the door or cracking a window, instead going over to get a grip on my guitar. My fingers played with the strings, familiar to me, serene, safe… my eyes lingered on what little color I could see in the barely lit room. A song stayed in my head, the one I had worked on into the night. I could barely even remember falling asleep in the first place…but I remembered the start. My hands moved like they were possessed, my sweat soaked body leaning back a bit, my hair covering my eyes as I felt the music. Thinking about it now, something like this would be better fit for a piano, but the piano I owned is long gone, sold for the extra money. I continued with a few notes, a small sense of joy welling up in my chest just before I fucked up.
My hands fumbled with the notes, I hadn’t planned this far ahead last night so I played until I found what felt right. I sway a bit with these new found notes, feeling it, letting my mind occupy itself.
A wrong note, the wrong chord…
I started hearing fuck up after fuck up at a certain point, and then silence. My frustration boiled for a second before simmering down nearly immediately, I was too sweaty to be fussing about it right now. My fingers hover over the strings, looking down at the guitar and staring at it. The song I was trying to make didn’t have any meaning to it, not yet at least, so why was I already frustrated? Without a word I put the guitar back in its rightful place, stepping away from it and going to get my phone instead. As my finger tapped the screen, I recoil after forgetting how bright the screen was the first time around, quickly lowering the brightness and getting a good look at the time.
6:42 A.M
…
It’s too fucking hot in here.
I finally went over to the door and opened it, sliding the curtains open and taking the sacrifice of being flashbanged by the sun just so I could crack open the windows as well. Before anything else could distract me, I went straight to the bathroom, my stride taking me to the sink as I turned on that cool water, moving my hair a bit as I splash my face. I had a moment where I actually looked myself in the eyes. That dark brown stare looking upon my facial features, my dark skin still keeping a bit of a sheen from the sweat. My afro threatened to move over my eyes again if I didn’t keep my head tilted back a bit, and it made me realize just how long I’ve hid my eyes like that. They wandered a bit and soon landed on my chest, my necklace more specifically, the purple pendant dangling from my neck. A reminder of a sweet old lady, one of the few people I care to remember.
A trip into the shower, a change of clothes, a few moments of flexing in front of the mirror and I was ready to go. Well, relatively speaking. I made my way out of the bathroom, slipping on my comfy fabric shoes while I adjusted my tanktop a bit. Despite the need to go, I sat down for just a bit, giving myself a little time to "boot up" for the morning.
The start-up of a guitar and a sharp, “ Uh!”
My hand reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, reading the name and practically instantly picking it up.
“Did you stay up all night working on that song?” his voice came through, it was my best friend, Clive. I gave a small smile.
“Nah, I passed out at some point. Woke up a while ago to try and mess with it a little more but…no dice”.
I could hear a little chuckle from his side as I started gathering my bag and jacket, dawning my beloved band merch just before putting on the satchel.
“Well don’t start spiraling over it, you kind of chose a horrible time to start that one up.” he said, and to be honest I couldn’t really disagree.
“Pfft, yeah yeah, I’m not gonna spiral over it. I barely even have a name for the piece either way. As far as I know, it’s another song to cast to the side.”...I could feel Clive’s smug grin from this side of the phone. He knew I didn’t mean that.
I was making my way towards the kitchen by the time Clive continued speaking, “I don’t know bro, considering I’m your fuckin drummer? I haven’t seen a single one of your songs that we’ve just scrapped”. I shrugged to myself.
I swung open the cabinet and grabbed whatever snack was there, something to hold me over for a bit, wasn’t feeling like breakfast quite yet. Without a second thought I chucked the little morsel into my mouth and spoke a bit. “Well, you don’t gotta worry about playing this piece. It’s not meant for anything more than my guitar.”
Clive’s “hmph” instantly made me roll my eyes, I knew what he was about to say next. “So what hotshot, don’t need your loyal, talented, and fuckin’ awesome drummer anymore?”, he laughed almost immediately after.
“Alright asshat, you know that ain’t what I meant!” I said while swallowing, chucking the wrapper in the trash while I made my move for the front door.
“Either way, you don’t need to worry about it. If it starts messing with my studies, then you can come over and smack some sense into me or something.” I pitched the idea, and I could practically hear Clive smiling.
“I’m gonna hold you to that. Either way, try not to do that too often man, you’re in college now, you’ve gotta pay attention,” Clive cautioned. I sighed a bit.
“Yeah, I get it, don’t worry, I won’t ruin it for myself. I’m here for music anyways, you know I take that shit seriously.” I have to, it’s kind of my thing…
“Alright alright, just making sure. Oh and one more thing Donny, try to make friends while you’re there.” And that’s where he lost me. I didn’t really have anything to say to it, truth be told I went silent for a bit longer than intended.
“Donny… make some friends while you’re there…”, and now he was starting to sound like a parent.
With an exaggerated impression of a reluctant teen, I sighed “Okaaaaaaay DAD, I’ll try to make some friends or something. No promises though.” and before he could say anything else I gave him a quick “Oop, gottagoclassesareabouttostart!” and hung up on him.
The conversation of me having to make friends with others is always one I hate participating in. I’ve had too many “friends”in the past, and after all was said and done, Clive was pretty much the only one who gave a shit. If it were up to me, I’d prefer not to see any of those other fucks ever again… but life can play cruel jokes. I won’t place my bets on it.
Some part of me was hopeful, maybe I could find some decent people? Maybe some people would actually want to be friends with me?...
Maybe not.
I took my patient stride along the sidewalk, taking a moment to properly look around. Considering the side of town I had been on for practically all my life, this place really wasn’t bad.
Cretácea Bluff, a beautiful and rather massive town by the sea. You could walk hours in any direction and probably still be in the town, and of all places I could have been for most of my life, I was lucky enough to be in the shittiest end of it.
Despite it all, I think I turned out pretty fine… at least I think.
I took a deep breath and looked around, keeping an idle hand on my bag while letting my eyes wander. Cretácea Bluff prided itself on the mix between human and dino culture, though in my opinion, it was more dino-centered than anything else in this town.
Every person walking by me or walking the same path was a dino, all species, all sizes, all colors. From the biggest, baddest looking motherfucker to the smallest, most agile looking person out there. It was interesting to see, but for every 10 to 20 dinos I saw there were maybe 4 or 5 humans in the crowd.
I wouldn’t say it was too bad, but as far as I knew there wasn’t quite as much focus on human culture like they like to advertise…but what did I know, I was practically home schooled up till now.
I heard the loud sound of music coming from down the road and turned my head slightly to look behind myself, catching sight of a deep blue Ferrari, or something of the sort. It seemed to be a sports car, complete with a retractable roof and such.
They whizzed by and I caught a small glimpse of the person in the car. At first glance I couldn’t quite tell what type of dino he was, though his red scales clashed with the blue of his car HARD. I would like to say that I caught more but the maniac was speeding down the road with such reckless abandon that I didn’t really retain much more than that.
The walk from where I lived to the campus wasn’t quite as long as I had thought it would be, passing by people, trying my best not to bump into anyone who was walking in the opposite direction. Few more steps, a walk through the crosswalk and I eventually got to the front of the campus, a path surrounded by some rather good looking trees leading towards a set of stairs.
I could feel my hand shaking slightly, gripping onto the strap of the satchel harder to try and hide it. It wasn’t my first time at a large gathering that’s for sure, but it was my first time actually going to a legitimate school. Was what I knew even going to be enough? Fuck, I thought working on that song was going to help me out.
My mind started racing a bit, thinking about the professors I’d meet, the people I’d have to deal with, the classes in between.
…
Oh fuck, the classes. Remembering that I had to do literally anything other than music already made me want to dive head first into concrete.
Why couldn’t they have just let me study music only…
While I was thinking of all of this, my ears were filled with the constant noise of people around me, and the more I started to notice that, the more my current thoughts started to slip away, my worries of my classes melting into focusing on the world around me.
People were grouped together, what I could only assume was probably a mix of different things. Friends, classmates, people meeting each other again for the Spring semester or people probably meeting for the first time.
There were all sorts of different emotions, mostly smiles, rather positive but it highlighted something for me.
I was just standing there in the middle of the path, people walking by me to and from campus. Unconsciously, I had stopped in my tracks, looking around rather slowly and taking in the community around here.
There was a strange feeling in my chest, a tightness, one that made me scrunch my nose very slightly. I’ve felt it before, many times, and whether it was a longing or even a wish for something… I’ve yet to find out. It made me smile slightly.
…
I hate this place already.
“Ayo, Tipo!” someone called out, their voice was smooth as butter, and their accent sounded familiar… Italian maybe?
I felt a bit more confused than anything, more wondering who owned that voice. My hair waved a bit as I looked around, my eyes wandering about underneath my afro until I finally laid eyes on that same blue ferrari I had seen just a few moments ago.
Sitting on the hood of the car was that same red dino, a Gigantspinosaurus if I had to guess, though not a super tall one… taller than me though. A solid 5’8” maybe, those blaring red scales that grabbed your attention, his hair flowing slightly down his neck before being pulled back towards what I could only assume was a tie or something.
His fashion game was on point, wearing a black jacket with a faded pink undershirt, leaving a few buttons undone for the extra style points. His jeans fit him well, and the shoes, well that shit was designer if I’d ever seen it, Dinace if I had to guess. This guy definitely had to have some serious cash on him to pull this look, and the rings and necklace he had on him sure didn’t look like they were fake either.
Even his shades were unique, the rose gold tinted lens in a completely circular, nearly goggle-like frame, the nose portion in a strange slanted design that reached from the top of the left to the bottom of the right lens. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed, though I already reasoned with myself on why the fuck a guy like him would even be calling out to me… though that reasoning was almost instantly dashed.
His claw grasped at his shades a bit, tilting them down and eyeing me up with that piercing gaze, a smile spread on his lips as he checked me out from top to bottom. “I like the style! Can always appreciate a fresh look on the first day,” he said, giving an approving nod.
I lifted an eyebrow before looking at my outfit. Not something I would necessarily call “fresh” but that might just be because I was so used to wearing this outfit. I looked back at him, not quite sure if he was being real about that or if he was trying to make fun of it, but hey, fuck it, I’ll let it roll off.
“Hey, thanks man, appreciate it!” I called back to him. My smile was one that I had practiced quite a bit, and as far as I could tell, it worked quite well on quite a few people. My hair covered my eyes so that only left my mouth for expression, giving the red Gigantspino an award winning smile right back. It did feel good to get potentially complimented on my outfit, but I wasn’t sure either way.
Resetting his shades on his face, the fashionable dino gave a small, weird looking salute before starting to hop off his car…and I wasn’t quite sure if he was just heading to class or if he was trying to approach me.
I really didn’t care to find out.
I was already turning back and walking away, taking brisk steps towards the stairs and making my way down at an eager pace to just move on with my day. Potential socializing could wait, I wasn’t in the mood to get to know people just yet, I just wanted to despair and get used to my classes.
“Ehi! What’s the rush!” I heard his voice calling to me, turning slightly just to see him taking quick steps down the stairs.
Fuck…
“Sorry man but I’ve gotta head to class, y'know?” I gave a quick reply, hoping that maybe he’d understand and leave me alone for now.
He let out a sigh, and immediately I could tell that he wasn’t going to let up. “Come on tipo, I’m sure you don’t know where you’re headed, moving as fast as you are.” What does this guy fuckin’ know, I have great navigational skills.
“...and there’s no classes that start this early.” Right then, I felt my whole body stop. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, quickly checking the time.
7:10 A.M.
…
FUCK!
Unconsciously, I pursed my lips and put my phone back in my pocket. By the time he had made his way next to me, standing at the bottom step, a bit off to the side so we weren’t blocking the way.
“Damn, guess I thought more time had passed,” I shrugged, and he chuckled a little.
“It’s all good, either way, it just means you’ve got a good while before first classes. I’m guessing you’ll have to go by 8, yes? Maybe I could show you around a bit?”
And with that, my confusion began to rise. From the looks of him, I wouldn’t expect that he’d go out of his way to help someone, especially some stranger he just met on campus. What year was he in anyways?
He had a lot of confidence in that statement, I’d probably expect second or third year?
Whatever, I guess this would be the chance to make a friend so Clive doesn’t get on my ass about it.
“Yeah, something like that, I could go for a little tour,” I gave that same performative smirk, giving him a little friendly nature, and with a smack on my shoulder he gave it right back.
The moment his hand raised, I flinched a bit, an involuntary but significant action, my hair granting me the mercy of preventing him from seeing and then questioning why I flinched… but the smack hurt a bit too.
“Fantastic, well I guess we could start with a few spots here and there. How about-”
The sound of a crowd getting louder, the people upstairs were making a racket and just as fast, both of our thoughts were robbed by the curiosity of what might be happening up there. I could hear all sorts of remarks: “Holy shit!”, “You trying to kill somebody?!”, “Yo, is that a new-!” and so on.
The red scaled Gigantspino lifted an eyebrow, though smirked a bit, slightly pulling me a bit further to the side. I gave him a questioning look, though a slight yelp brought my attention back upstairs. People had rushed to the sides, someone pressing against the side railing, and then something came soaring through the air.
A Yutyrannus, by the looks of it, the feathers on her arms flowing with her momentum, her tail held out in a weird way, as if constantly prepared for something, while her hair flowed through the air behind her.
Her skateboard slammed onto the railing that ran through the middle of the staircase, her tail smacking at the ground a bit before coming back to her side. Her speed was ludicrous, the type of speed I’d associate with someone who has a deathwish, but as she sped by… I saw a smile on her face.
A grand toothy grin, one that was enjoying every second of the moment, her eyes focused in front while she grinded down the rail. The confidence was honestly amazing, and just by looking at her it didn’t even seem like she had an ounce of fear.
If her heart was racing underneath, I sure as hell couldn’t tell
With a slight jump, she and her skateboard flew off the railing and onto the ground in front, twisting herself a bit, making a speedy halt. The oversized trees in the plaza cast a shade over her, the shifting of the leaves letting the light do its job at making her landing look majestic.
“First year at Bary and you’re already riding at that speed? You could really kill somebody you know,” the gigantspino spoke out finally, making me realize that I had been staring for a bit longer than I would’ve liked to admit. The Yutyrannus’ smile hadn’t died down, she was still riding the high from that.
I looked between the two of them, one of my hands resting in my pocket as she responded, “I’d hope no one would be standing in front of the rail of all things, Sandro” she chuckled, and he gave a chuckle right back.
Sandro, so they knew each other. That’s great, another person to get to know…
Her attention hadn’t gone to me quite yet, instead focusing on Sandro for the time as he approached her, his red scales doing the job they were meant for.
They started talking, going back and forth, seeing how they were doing, the usual type of friend stuff. For a moment I honestly had the thought of speaking to both of them, getting to know them a bit more. After a trick like that, I was at least a bit intrigued.
…
Nah… I’m good for now…
I watched them for a bit, but didn’t want to interrupt what they had going on so… I left. My head tilted towards the ground, staring at it in the hopes that it would make sure that they didn’t notice my departure. Maybe I’d meet them some other time, maybe that would be nice.
After a bit of walking and with a slight look back to make sure I was out of sight from the two of them, I started actually taking in my surroundings. It was a bit hard to believe that I was here now.
Bary Community College, a place named after its founder, Bary…the Baryonyx. When I was getting some help in finding a college close enough to my place, I originally had thought that Bary was like a mascot or something FOR the college, but that’s not the case.
As far as the website told me, Bary was a brilliant guy, probably a straight A student or something of the sorts, and in his brilliance he brought together staff and founded a college. Pretty easily accessible for a great many in Cretácea, and from what I’ve heard the classes are of good quality.
I won’t complain about it at all, honestly, with homeschooling alone, I’m not sure I’d be able to get into any other kind of college. To have a well-developed music program alongside a solid reputation behind the college itself, I honestly wish I could thank Bary myself for making the place.
The open plaza that connected all of the buildings was massive, containing a ginormous patch of grass. Tables, chairs, coverings to let people hang out without things falling on their head, all complimented by the enormous trees that threw a beautiful shade over it all.
The subtle slits of light that would flow through the leaves, the fresh smell of nature, and the soft spring breeze made it hard to look away. I can’t lie, I’m a sucker for beautiful scenery, and this place would be perfect for music practice.
…
Time passed, I got myself a delicious breakfast, courtesy of the wonderful meal plan on campus, and eventually brought my ass to the classroom I needed to be in.
After eating, I gave myself about 20 minutes or so to actually find the place I needed to be. 20 minutes of wandering the halls after realizing that I didn’t actually keep track of the room number of my class.
And due to my “great navigational skills” I was just barely on time to class.
I nearly shoulder-charged the door as I rushed to the classroom, and with how loud the door was when it had swung open, I would’ve died of embarrassment on the spot if this turned out to be the wrong room…
Again…
My eyes looked between my classmates and the professor, everyone’s eyes now on me. “Easy there, Sonic, you made it in time,” the professor spoke, checking her watch and putting out a presenting hand towards the seating.
Though she seemed to try her hand at something witty, it didn’t seem to stick with the crowd. Steadying my breathing and putting a hand in my pocket, I tried playing it cool at least, smiling at the triceratops professor and nodding.
“Uh, sorry about that, thought I could find this place faster,” I gave a little shrug, starting to head towards whatever open seat I could find. She simply gave a soft nod and a small smile back.
“First day, everyone’s adjusting, just as long as you don’t plan on being late,” she responded, her tail softly swaying as it tapped on a little controller that was on the table. She moved with purpose, her every action as if it were never going to waste… if that makes any sense.
I was swift in taking my bag off, laying it next to my leg and slightly nesting it with my foot. The cast of dinos around me varied immensely, from the largest looking mofos to the shortest. Honestly seeing the short ones made me feel better about my height, 5’5” was never something I could boast about.
“For all of you who haven’t had a class with me yet, my name is Ms. Harraway, your professor for World Cultures,” Ms. Harraway started, and from there came the semi-lecture on college stuff. I would say the usual but I had never really experienced this before.
She was a very thorough lady, going over what to expect, what’s expected of us, grading, certain materials, and from there what she was saying was starting to get blurry. I couldn’t focus on her or the room around me after a while.
My eyelids grew heavy, my hand gripping the desk a bit to see if the slight flex might wake me up but the process was already in motion. All I could focus on was my breathing for the moment, losing the battle by a landslide.
I guess I didn’t get enough sleep after all…
…
Damn this sleep got hands…
I didn’t quite dream of anything, mostly darkness with the occasional muffled noise from the outside world. Given long enough, maybe I would’ve heard my guitar. I would’ve liked that honestly.
There was a light tap on my shoulder, then another, but I didn’t quite wake up. I didn’t hear any muffled noise this time, was it just quiet in here?
Another tap on the shoulder, this time with a bit of weight to it, enough to make me lean and nearly fall out of my chair. My eyes flew open and I woke up with a start, slightly catching myself, keeping myself nearly upright.
“What the fu-” I started mumbling as I turned my head quickly to the person behind me. I soon had to turn my head upwards a bit. Very quickly, I was reminded of how short I was by the absolute size of the woman behind me.
Just by taking a quick look at her features I couldn’t quite tell what type of dino she even was, she had horns like a triceratops, though the horn positions were off, and at the same time, she had more carnivore features to her.
It was interesting, not like there weren’t hybrids in Cretácea Bluff, but I hadn’t quite seen one like her. While she looked down at me she gave me a soft smile, her stuff was already gathered from her desk, just about to get up.
She had a big of a goth look to her, wearing subtle make-up along with a bit of the clothing she wore. It was a bit of an embrace but not fully, enough for anyone really to call her goth though.
“You might wanna check in with the teacher, I’m pretty sure you missed out on attendance.” I was still dazed from my sleep so I didn’t entirely register that, staring at her for longer than I intended before realizing and finally taking my eyes off of her.
She spoke with a Scottish accent, not intense but rather significant. I could hear her exhaling in a silent laugh, even with my hair over my eyes, she could probably tell that I was still out of it. Hearing Harraway’s voice suddenly made me jump slightly, my head whipping to the front as she spoke.
“No need, I put you down as here, Mr. Sommer,” she said while keeping her eyes to whatever she was writing on her desk.
I had a slight bit of confusion on my face, “How’d you know my name?” I asked, though I felt prepared for it to be a dumb question.
Ms. Harraway gave a smirk, her tired looking eyes finally looking up. She took a hand and grabbed a clipboard with a paper on it, probably the attendance sheet. “It’s rather easy to keep track of the human students who sign up for my classes, plus you were the only one who didn’t quite answer when I called your name, so it was mostly an assumption.”
I thought about that for a bit just before shrugging slightly, putting it that way, it made quite a bit of sense. The lady behind me soon got up and soon enough, I was back to staring at her with a slight bit of awe.
8 feet… she had to be at least 8 feet tall…
“Little rude to stare, don't you think?” she caught me in the act… though it’s not like I was hiding it. I was fully turned towards her at this point, I stammered slightly but she was quick to the draw, a soft chuckle cutting me off.
“Joking, I know my looks are a bit strange. Either way, I’ll see you when I see you, hair boy.”
I barely got to so much as exchange words with her before she was off, her long legs giving her a large stride as she ducked through the door and disappeared. My lips pursed a bit, slightly kicking my bag out from under the desk and sweeping it up into my grip.
“Sorry about the little nap during class…” I gave my apology to Ms. Harraway as I stood out of my seat, her hand waving slightly as she shook her head. Her tail skillfully sweeped at her desk a bit, not attempting to grab anything but nearly organizing things on the desk, or at least giving her a start on the process.
“Again, first day, I’m willing to excuse quite a bit for a while, believe it or not. For your own benefit though, Mr. Sommer, don’t take advantage of my tolerance,” she warned, her tired eyes making contact with where she assumed my eyes were.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, I’ll try to do a bit better…” or at least I hope I would. Without another word, I made my way towards the door, taking a brisk few steps past the doorway and into the hallways once more.
Despite the extended stay in Harraway’s classroom, there were still a bunch of students making their way about the hallways, the same deal as out in the plaza. I walked by all sorts of chatter, all the dinos and the occasional human talking with each other, friend groups, study groups, whatever the rest was… I didn’t care.
There was that feeling, the same one from outside. Maybe it was the semi-excitement of being in a school for the first time. Maybe it was just the high of narrowly avoiding being late to my first class.
It somehow managed to make me forget about this feeling.
…
I don’t want to be here
My eyes slowly drifted to the floor, and there they stayed, resident to the funky tiling, beautifully lit by some of the open air skylights and whatever else was around. I could stare at this ground for hours, and that’s exactly what I planned to do.
Truth be told, I expected that my mood would last longer for the day. I at least felt cool for a bit, the way I dressed, my natural stance, I don’t know…it’s strange to think about, because despite the effort, I didn’t really want anyone to approach me at the moment.
Didn’t think they’d find it worth it.
After that rather energizing nap, I seemed to blast through the classes for the rest of the day, actually perking up and listening to what the professors had to say. I did my best to maintain a good impression for these starter classes, though I still had another set of classes to deal with tomorrow as well.
Of course, I didn’t really give a fuck about the other classes to be entirely fair, but the one I was looking forward to the most had finally arrived. According to the schedule, at least for this semester, this class was an every weekday thing, except for Mondays.
Making my way around the outside of the campus, it was only a few buildings over from my previous class that I found the entrance to what I only assumed was the auditorium. A ramp dipping down into the ground led me to the double doors.
I felt nervous, like one of those moments before a boss fight where you question if you’re really ready, frantically picking at your items to make absolutely sure that you’re built for this.
My hands pressed and pushed, letting the doors gently glide open as the fresh and relatively air conditioned atmosphere of the auditorium blew past me. Within seconds I could hear it, exactly the thing I wanted to hear.
Music
My ears filled with the sound of that sweet instrument warm up, nearly making me speed walk down the aisle as I started paying attention to who was on stage. There was a test of the drum kit, the delicious strumming of the bass.
I saw a real big dino on the trumpet immediately, hard to miss him, but damn the motherfucker had some serious lungs on him. What looked like a Compy held a saxophone that, at his size, was a good portion of his body. Though, two other dinos immediately took my attention.
A slight bit of dread filled my being as I looked upon the blaring red scales of the Gigantspinosaurus from the beginning of the day, Sandro. He was still cool looking as fuck, don’t get me wrong, but he seems charismatic, persistent. A little tiring to be around, when I think about it more.
Merely a few steps away from him though was another familiar face, one that I dreaded a bit less. The same hybrid dino that had woken me up in Harraway’s class, and the very same dino that had walked so swiftly out before I could even get a chance to thank her.
My steps eventually got me closer to the stage, the lights making it look and feel grand. The thought of being up there, playing my heart out to the people that would gather to listen to me… it was thrilling to think about. Crowds cheering, my fingers playing, MY music making people lean forward in their seats just to hear more.
The more I thought about it, the more I craved it.
People who would want my music… people who would want me.
“Mr. Sommer,” a deep voice rumbled in my ears and I practically jumped out of my skin. Turning quickly, I instantly found the source. Out of any place to stand, I was standing right in front of who I could only assume was the professor.
Never did I ever think that I’d think about flavor when it comes to a person, but that’s exactly what happened when I looked at him. He was a human professor, and everything about his look reminded me of that first, fresh sip of hot cocoa on a winter morning.
And I’m not talking about with water.
I mean that good shit with the milk in it.
He wore what seemed like a light sweater, his jeans sticking to him nicely. His wrist had a nice looking watch, somewhat expensive looking but still not too flashy. His skin tone was lighter than mine, but he was dark skinned all the same, his hair held out of his face with a hairband where it gathered towards the back of his head in a great mane.
As he stood he became another reminder of my below average height, standing at a solid 5’11”, if I had to guess. I snapped out of it, I had been staring again. “Oh…sorry sir, didn’t expect you to be there.”
“It’s alright, the light’s only on on the stage anyways. Why don’t you hop up there and I’ll be with all of you in a second,” and with that statement, I nodded.
I set my bag aside on one of the auditorium chairs and started heading up the stairs onto the stage. I kept my eye on him for a second, watching him just relax, typing on his phone for a few moments longer.
I had the chance to look around at the instrument selection, though slightly distracted by the sight of Sandro and the hybrid.
Like some eldritch force, it called to me, my eyes drifting to the electric guitar. I had a few instruments that I knew how to play, but the guitar has been and will forever be my first love.
The moment I picked it up, I felt at home. It didn’t matter where I was, what I was doing, if I had a guitar in my hands, I was in my element.
I gave it a few soft strums, tuning it by ear alone until it was just right. I don’t know if being this into it makes me a weirdo, but if it does, I don’t want to be normal.
“Oh shit, hair boy,” that same Scottish accent called out to me, myself turning slightly to see her carnivorous features looking down at me.
“Y’know you can call me Donny, right?” She rubbed the back of her head a bit and chuckled slightly. “Sorry about that, I’m not too good with names the first few times around.”
I shrugged in response, “It’s all good, I get that…uuuuuuuh,” and there it was. She bailed too fast in our first class together so I didn’t have the chance to ask her her name. She didn’t seem offended, but rather understanding considering the situation.
“Callum Blair, but you can just call me Callum, much easier that way.”
Callum… didn’t quite expect it for the big lady but honestly, it was a nice name. From the corner of my eye though, I could see Sandro’s invasive red scales approaching, His heavy hand was already on my shoulder, looking over and seeing the guitar in my hands. “Didn’t know you were a rocker boy, tipo!”
“I honestly kind of guessed from the outfit he had on, kind of screams it to me.” Callum went on, shifting the bass she had in her grip. I was interested in that a bit more but turned a bit to look towards Sandro.
It felt weird talking with these two. It’s not like I didn’t talk to people but the convo just felt…nice. Maybe I was overthinking it though. “Does my outfit really give that away?”
Callum lifted an eyebrow a bit, “Well, your jacket looks like band merch from some obscure band.” Sandro was quick to start really looking at it and by the look on his face he probably just thought it was a cool design.
…
It was, in fact, merch from an obscure band.
“Least from the look of it you have experience, that tuning job by ear was pretty impressive,” Sandro said after some extensive looking at my outfit once more. I didn’t think that would be something anyone would just notice.
“How deep into music are you two?” I was curious. Unlike what they had on me, I had no gauge of their level of experience… I was a bit more focused on what I was going to do with this guitar after I picked it up.
“I’ve got a few years on my belt, been in music classes since I entered college. Callum, I do believe, has as much as her college years, yes?” He practically passed the mic to Callum.
“Oh, uh yeah, focused a bit more with the guitar than anything but I’ve been playing since I started at Bary. Like three years already.”
Three years? Raptor Jesus, I didn’t know there would be a gap like this. I could’ve maybe expected people of different ages, considering that I’m a 21-year old in my first year. Just didn’t know that the different academic years could be in the same class, I guess?
My thought process was interrupted as the professor started walking up the steps to the stage, the light hitting his massive mane of hair. I was almost jealous of it. Almost.
His lips parted to utter his first words to the class but before he could speak, the doors at the front of the auditorium flew open. “Holy shit, I’m sorry that I’m late!” a panicked voice came through, and the familiar sound of wheels could be heard.
That Yutyrannus girl again, and even indoors, she was using her skateboard just to make it down the aisle faster. Not the worst plan, but damn, indoors?
The professor slightly turned his head and, with a slight smile on his face, did a small nod.. “Just as long as you’re here. Come on, get on stage. Leave the skateboard down there though,” he added with a bit of warning to his voice. She nodded, giving a little snort of amusement as she put her bag and her skateboard in a safe place against one of the seats.
The girl rushed onto stage, nearly colliding herself into the Ankylosaurus trying to get set up. After a bit of profuse apologizing, her eyes landed on some of the open instruments, and right then I heard the Italian one speak.
“Ehi, Marcie, c’mere with us!” Sandro spoke, and through him I learned her name.
Marcie
…
It was kind of nice…
I wasn’t entirely ecstatic about having to meet up again with the people I had deliberately tried to avoid, but what can I really do about it? This is the friend stuff that Clive was talking about, hope the duck billed fucko’s happy.
Marcie approached, her height becoming very apparent now that I was paying attention. Why was everyone taller than me, man? Her sights were on Sandro, giving him a smile but her eyes landed on me soon after.
Those brown eyes looked me over before a slight smile curved on her lips. Did she actually see me back then? “Hey, you’re th-”
Interrupted…
“So, of course, as with any new year, I see returning faces and new faces, always good to see that people are still interested in the music program,” The professor gave a genuine smile, putting his arms out in a welcoming gesture.
“Usually, the school would call me Professor Fabi, but you all can call me Emiliano, or Emil if that’s easier,” he said as he started making his way towards a drum kit at the front of the stage.
My attention was being driven towards him more and more, my hands slightly sliding across the strings of my guitar, my body turning to face him as I practically forgot about the potential convo with Marcie.
“This class is a bit of a workshop, a place for us to deepen our love for music… hopefully. So for now, and excuse my language, fuck boring lectures about what to expect, how I grade, whatever.” With that said, he picked up the drumsticks, getting himself ready.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them and smiling at no one in particular. He didn’t say another word after that.
A small silence filled the room
Even Marcie had been completely distracted from what she was going to say
His drums started us off, and as if under a spell we followed. Callum knew how he worked, she wasn’t hesitant at all in playing. Before I knew it, Sandro was already making his way to his instrument, a keyboard with a multitude of dials and settings on it, giving him a deep control of the sound.
There was a solid number of the students who looked confused, not knowing where to start.
…
But not me.
I jumped in, almost effortlessly, my mind feeling the groove. I felt eyes on me, from the corner of my eye I could see Callum turning her head to me a bit, a small smile creeping on her face.
We came to what felt like a crest in the song, and I took my chance. My body leaned back and at that moment I felt truly at home, putting what I felt into every strum of my guitar strings.
Some of the students sat out by now, they couldn’t quite think of a way to hop in, whether because of their respective instruments or because of inexperience, but I caught their attention. At this point my eyes were closed, and all I cared about was the music.
Time felt irrelevant, same with the people around me, I knew they were playing but it was just the instruments at this point.
In all honesty, this moment quite possibly was the greatest high of my life, no pressure to follow anything known, just playing what felt good… what felt right.
It felt like eternity, and yet at the same time it felt way too short… I felt myself winding down a bit as the music came to a slow, a frown spreading on my face a bit.
I didn’t want it to end.
It wasn’t until a little bit later that I started fully coming back, and when I realized that nearly everyone was staring at me. I froze a bit, my nerves playing up a little before I was granted mercy.
“That’s what I call a jam sesh!” Emil exclaimed, his smile practically as bright as the sun, nearly blinding. I stared at him at this point, part of me felt a bit strange about this, felt a bit showy, not in a bad way… but I got a bit curious.
“If you couldn’t jump in, that’s alright, we’re here to learn. Eventually in this class you’re going to be able to feel your flow, let loose, and, of course, I will be running you through the basics for you to actually play the instrument of your choice.”
His lecture started up and I kept my ears open, though my attention was pulled as a clawed finger tapped on my shoulder. Again, I jumped a bit, especially considering the sharp poke to my shoulder, trying not to get my jacket ruined.
I looked over, and it was Marcie, she hadn’t moved since the session started though she had a certain look in her eyes. “That was awesome!” she whispered, the end of her tail flicking about a little.
The smile on her face was wide, showing off the sharp teeth she sported, though her excitement was a little infectious. A smile curled on my face a bit, trying my best to not have some sort of physical reaction to this.
“Uh… thanks… it wasn’t much of anything I think. I just played along,” I didn’t want to make much of it, though she seemed like she did.
“You’re downplaying it so hard, that was on some cool stage performance type of thing!” her excitement manifested in more ways than one. The smile was obvious and the flicking of her tail, but her hands moved as well.
She was trying to emphasize it, expressing herself with them. “Dude, have you ever thought of becoming a rocker boy or something?!” she leaned it a bit closer.
Too close.
I stepped back slightly and I could see in the slight shift of her expression that it made her aware of her movements. Her hands lowered a bit to her sides, one to her pocket while her tail slowed down a bit.
“Yeah, it’s my main focus for college at least. Try to get better at music and then see where that takes me.” Of course I wasn’t going to divulge the full plan, this is our first real conversation together.
What I want is an audience, maybe to make it big, or maybe just to have the occasional play on stage. It didn’t matter to me what it was, just as long as people came around to listen to me, to listen to what my guitar had to say.
There was a slight bit of silence, that self-consciousness must have hit her a bit hard. My head tilted slightly and she spoke, “Well, if my word means anything, I definitely think you’ve got it in the bag. Though I don’t really know much about music myself.”
My mouth opened, and nothing came out. I never thought much of compliments, but this one felt nice too. I smiled a bit again, face muscles straining a bit to not make it so prominent.
Two for two.
“Sommer, Peloton, your attention, if you please,” Emil’s deep voice rolled over to us, and with a slight bit of shock, we quickly turned our attention over. He chuckled a bit, then continued with his lecture.
We went on with the class, Marcie poking at me with random questions and occasionally I’d answer them if I wasn’t fully invested in Emil’s teaching.
Sadly and gladly, there wasn’t another jam session on the same day, though due to the performance, I had spent a solid amount of the class answering some things here and there for some people, especially Callum since she was playing with a guitar as well.
Part of me was uncomfortable, it wasn’t any different from when I just talked with people out and about or when Clive just takes me to a party he’s going to. I can talk to people… this just felt weird.
The worst of it was over and the day was ending, classmates starting to filter out and now came the toughest part.
Letting go of the guitar.
Reluctantly, I laid it back where I had found it, leaving it to its rightful place. A well cared for instrument, so it could be left in trusted hands. I took a breath before I looked away from it, catching a quick glimpse of Sando. His smile dazzled as he gave me that quick salute, just before waltzing up the aisle.
My hands went into my pockets for a bit, heading down the stage and only really stopping when I heard a “hold on a second”. It was the professor, still on stage but looking down at me.
“Sommer, I’m sure you’ve probably heard it enough already today but… that was a fantastic performance,” he complimented me, and he was right, I had heard it quite a bit but it was honestly still as joy inducing.
“Where’d you learn to play like that?”
That was a new one.
“I’m mainly self taught. This is my first time in a music class”
“Really, how many years have you been playing for?” he had turned from whatever he had been doing and turned his attention fully towards me.
“How long… hooh, seven years now I think,” and with that he nodded, giving that bright, dazzling smile.
“Honestly, with how well you played I could have maybe guessed that… it’s just that I didn’t expect it to be self taught,” he paused, looking at the guitar I had played before turning back to me.
“I felt like I was listening to a story when I heard you play, and I don’t like to throw that around lightly. If I can make a suggestion for you, you should definitely talk to Callum or Sandro sometime, they’re looking for another guitar player if you’d be interested.”
The two of them? Were they starting up a band? It’s a nice thought but, other than my music, I don’t think I’d provide anything. Yeah, sure, good at the guitar… and when the time comes to talk, then what, hanging out? Anything at all.
They probably wouldn’t want me.
“Thank you, but I’ll probably pass on that” I replied without much hesitation, and to my surprise he just gave an accepting nod.
“That’s alright, just at least keep it in mind. I feel like you’ll really like their company, and their skills.”
I didn’t have much else to say, just giving him a slight nod and a wave goodbye. With a smile, he did the same, going right back to what he had been doing. I grabbed my bag, checked my phone, and saw the time.
4:30 P.M
My swift stride took me through the double doors, making my way past some classmates and other students who were out and about, a variety either waiting for buses, cabs, or other people. The fun was gone, replaced with a neutral sense, and then that slight feeling as I took my walk down the street.
“Hey!” a voice called over, though I didn’t look. Probably for someone else.
“Sommer, wait up!” my head lifted a bit, turning to look over my shoulder and seeing a Yutyrannus barreling towards me at high speeds. My side step was fast and panicked, though when she stopped, I realized that I panicked for no reason.
“Sorry about that, I probably could have ran but-” she cut herself off, shaking her head a bit.
“Nevermind, either way uh… you left before I could ask you something.” Another question. It wasn’t a problem, but it had me a little disappointed.
“Which instrument?” I asked, and she looked confused, and then seemed to realize immediately after. “Oh! No no, this isn’t about music.”
Okay, slightly less disappointed now. “Sorry about that, I’m still in the class mindset.”
“I get that, I was kind of part of the problem anyways.”
I snorted slightly, and she got to her question.
“What is your name?”
…
What?
I had a bit of disbelief in my system. Emil didn’t say my name outright, I realized that, but going out of her way to learn my name… the answer practically poured out of me.
“Donny, you can call me Donny”
She put out a clawed hand towards me.
“I’m Marcie.”
I smiled, and I grabbed her hand.
“I don’t know if you have any breaks between classes but if you want, we could talk more.”
My eyes stared into hers, though she couldn’t tell, my hair the perfect veil for my disbelief. Naturally, I shrugged, and the answer was more automatic than I wanted it to be.
“Maybe… if I have the freetime, maybe.”
She took that with a smile, happier than I could have imagined. She let go, setting up her skateboard and getting ready to go, patting me on the shoulder and leaving me with-
“In that case, see you tomorrow rocker b-... I mean, Donny,” and off she went, full speed down the sidewalk, nearly totaling the people who got in her way, and doing it with a smile.
Stunned, that’s what I was. Really and truly stunned. I didn’t try shouting after her but I did watch her practically fly away till she was out of sight, one of my hands gripping at my satchel as I took a breath.
…
Maybe I was looking forward to tomorrow.