I rushed into the bathroom to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later, I came out still drying my hair with a towel while digging through my dresser for something clean to wear.
I ended up putting on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt with the classic prism and rainbow design. I grabbed a light jacket too; the air conditioning in some of the classrooms was ridiculously cold.
Before leaving, I went through my four-check routine. Right pocket. Phone. Left pocket. Keys. Back pocket. Wallet. Back. Backpack. I opened it one last time to make sure I hadn't forgotten any notebooks.
When I spotted the notebook where I'd been writing my song, I hesitated for a moment before carefully slipping it between the others.
"...Stay there."
I turned off the apartment lights, locked the door, and jogged down the stairs. The morning air was still cool, and a few shops were just beginning to open. As I walked past a bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread immediately made my stomach growl.
I glanced at my watch and shook my head.
"Maybe another day."
If I stopped for even five minutes, I'd definitely be late.
I climbed into my car, tossed my backpack onto the passenger seat, and started the engine. The radio picked up right where I'd left it the day before. A well-known rock song filled the car.
Without thinking, I started tapping my fingers against the steering wheel while waiting for the traffic light to change. I caught myself doing it and chuckled.
"...I think there's no saving me anymore."
The morning traffic was the usual mess. Endless red lights, students crossing the street without looking, and the occasional impatient driver leaning on the horn as if that would somehow make the line move faster. While stopped at another red light, I absentmindedly hummed along to the chorus playing on the radio.
When I finally arrived at the university and drove past the main entrance, I spotted a familiar figure walking toward the building with a backpack slung over one shoulder. I recognized the blonde hair before I even saw her face.
I turned off the radio, rolled down the window, and waved.
"Hey, Christina!"
She turned toward me and smiled as she recognized me before walking over to the car.
"Morning, Ren. I barely recognized you. I thought today would finally be the day you overslept."
"I almost did. Five more minutes in bed and I would've been done for."
She leaned against the window and laughed softly. "That explains your just-woke-up face."
"Hey, this is my normal face." I flipped down the mirror and took a look at myself. Do I really have bags under my eyes?
"Then you should ask for a refund." Christina smiled with that smug expression people make when they know they landed the perfect comeback.
I pressed a hand dramatically against my chest. "You're cruel."
We both laughed. I glanced toward the road leading to her faculty building and pointed my thumb toward the passenger seat.
"Want a ride? I have to drive around that way anyway."
Christina hesitated for barely a second before opening the door and climbing in.
"Thanks. I really wasn't in the mood to walk today."
Once she closed the door, I headed toward her faculty building. It wasn't far away (just a couple of minutes by car, but under this sun, walking felt miserable).
Christina chatted about her manager at the cafeteria and how she'd been helping her juggle work with her class schedule. I listened while driving, nodding every so often, but part of my mind was still caught up in the melody I'd been working on that morning.
I snapped out of my thoughts when she interrupted me.
"What song are you humming?"
"Huh? Sorry?" I tilted my head slightly, as though I'd only just returned to the conversation.
"Whatever you've been mumbling. I've never heard it before. Who sings it?" She turned completely toward me, curiosity written all over her face.
That's when I realized I'd been humming the chorus of the song I'd written. I could feel my face growing warmer by the second. I cleared my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"It's nothing... let's just say I'm writing something, but it's not ready yet."
Christina raised an eyebrow. "Writing...? A song?"
"Yeah... well, I'm trying to."
We said goodbye once we reached the main building. Christina still had to cross half the campus to reach her classroom, while mine was only a few steps away.
"Thanks for the ride." She unbuckled her seat belt.
"You owe me a walk the next time I don't have my car."
I said it with far more confidence than I actually felt. The moment the words left my mouth, I remembered what she'd told me during karaoke. "You're cuter when you're not trying so hard to impress people."
I coughed awkwardly. "I mean... it was nice talking with you. Maybe we could walk together sometime." I stumbled over my words a little, but at least I didn't blush this time.
"We'll see." She replied with a smile before waving goodbye.
I made it into the classroom barely a minute before the bell rang. Oriol and Daniel were already sitting in the back, as usual. The moment they spotted me, Oriol raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin.
"Well, look who actually made it before class started. I thought today was finally the day you'd oversleep."
"I almost did." I replied as I sat down next to Dan.
Daniel set his phone on the desk and looked at me for a few seconds. "So? Did you make any progress on your song, or did you give up already?"
I couldn't help smiling. "A little."
"So that means he wrote three words and crossed out two." Daniel replied without missing a beat.
"I say he crossed out four." Oriol added.
"Two and a half." I corrected.
Oriol burst out laughing. "See? I told you composing was harder than learning the piano."
"Yeah, yeah... don't remind me." I slumped forward onto my desk.
Our conversation ended when the professor walked in carrying a stack of papers. The first two classes passed without anything particularly interesting happening.
Math had always come naturally to me, so I ended up helping Oriol and Daniel, who had never exactly been friends with numbers. Philosophy... well, it was still philosophy.
After the break, we had an elective called Music Appreciation. It wasn't a practical class. Instead, we analyzed compositions from different genres and studied why a song could evoke completely different emotions with only slight changes in rhythm, harmony, or tempo.
That lecture immediately caught my attention.
It reminded me of what Priscila had explained a few days earlier: a song didn't just have to sound good, it also had to make people feel something.
As the professor explained how the exact same melody could change completely depending on the chords supporting it, I couldn't help thinking back to that morning. I'd experienced exactly that while trying to rewrite my song.
A single chord had been enough to transform something cheerful into something entirely different.
I quietly pulled out my notebook and scribbled a sentence in one corner.
"It's not just the lyrics... it's what the music makes people feel."
I stared at the sentence for several long moments.
Without realizing it, I remembered the first time I'd played for the members of Fairy Tail. It hadn't been the lyrics that gave them strength... It had been the emotion behind the music.
When the lunch bell finally rang, Oriol stretched his arms while Daniel slammed his notebook shut.
"Well, Let's go!..." Oriol said as he stood up. "I'm starving."
"No kidding." I laughed. "You only say that about five times a day."
"And I'll keep saying it as long as food exists."
The three of us left the classroom laughing as we headed toward the cafeteria, where Eduardo was probably already waiting for us.
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Author Notes
Well I haven't got any comment or review, but Thanks for the 8 collections, I hope you enjoy this fic.