𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖋𝖆𝖍

Robert Lewis's Annual Symphony.

"But you're a student why didn't you just buy tickets when they were half-price a week ago?"

My eye twitched at the kid who was in the year below me. He was pimply with a mess of curly hair atop his head and was holding up the line with his stupid questions. "I didn't want to attend a week ago," I sighed, my arm getting cramped up from holding out the money for the ticket I'd asked for fifteen minutes.

"Well," He sniffed, taking the cash from my hands, "We don't have change so you'll have to wait a second whilst I get some."

As soon as his back turned I looked behind me to question if I should just make a dash for it out of here. The few people that were behind me had moved lines and when I locked eyes with an older white woman who was once in my line she scowled at me as if any of this were my fault so I stuck my tongue out at her which made her gasp and tap her husband.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away right in time to see none other than Curtis walking into the building, his tie loose on his neck and his suit expensive but slightly wrinkled. We locked eyes and I winced, turning back to face the ticket counter, hoping he'd ignore me as always.

Unfortunately, my luck as of late seems to have run out.

"Castle outside of class? Must be a cold day in hell!"

"Look if you guys don't have change right now that's alright I'll come get it after the show but can I just have the tick-"My desperate rant melted into a strained smile as an arm slipped over my shoulders, "Curtis," I greeted.

"What's it been? A week since I saw you?'" He asked shifting his body weight onto me that I almost had to tremble to uphold.

"Almost two months," I reminded him, staring at the boy who was still trying to get my change from someone else, the large basket of tickets in the center where I couldn't reach. "Didn't take you as a music person," I told Curtis, trying to mask my discomfort.

"My baby sister shreds the hell out of a harp, had to come support you know?" The sincere words shocked me, considering this was the nicest thing I'd ever heard him say about anyone. That and I'd been under the assumption for years that Curtis was an only child who was probably raised by wolves in his developmental years. "You're never at this school spirit shit, you here to see someone in particular too?"

I snorted, ignoring the heat rising up my face, "It's a Wednesday and I'm bored," I played off as well as I could, "Sue me."

He looked around frowning, the thin strands of his blonde buzz cut catching the light, "Why're you out here then?" He began to drag me towards the entrance, "The funs this way."

I dug my heels into the carpet, "Unfortunately I'm still waiting for them to give me a ticket," I gestured to the bickering children, "As you can see it's taking a bit of time."

"Here," He pulled a shiny laminated ticket from his breast pocket, "Take this."

I raised an eyebrow at the ticket that was for the private rooms above the crowd, "I can't take this what will you use?" I argued, but he hardly looked bothered.

"Don't sweat it," He began to lead me away again, "My parent's practically paid for this place, if I wanted to have an orgy on stage they wouldn't stop me."

I nodded my head, chuckling at the idea, "Of course."

I hadn't realized that following Curtis to the private rooms meant being in a private room, the private rooms that I'd conveniently forgotten were above the crowd and pretty high up compared to everything beneath it. And by pretty high up I mean, hurt yourself if you fall height.

My fingernails had pierced the plush cushion of the seats beside me from me digging into them so hard. I wanted to be chill about it, I needed to get over this stupid heights thing but if I even glanced at the people beneath us I would break out in a cold sweat.

I'd done this before and I didn't like how it ended the first time.

"Hey Castle," My head snapped up to meet Curtis's gaze, I couldn't see his eyes in the theatre's darkness but only the glossy sheen around them that told me he was looking at me. "C'mon join me up here, the view's so much better."

I bit back the urge to shake my head and decided the best way to get over this fear was to face it head on. That's how most doctors say to do it right? And besides Curtis was a fairly big guy, if anything happened I think he would at least try catch me. Slowly I got on my feet and approached my doom, letting go of the seat only for my hand to dart out to hold the railing instead.

"Woah what did the stone do to you?" He joked, turning back around to face the performance, "Look it's Winny next."

True to his word, a very short girl with a pretty bob of brown hair took the stage. Gleaming from ear to ear as she sat near the instrument, which was almost triple her size. I don't know what I was expecting, I knew she ought to be good considering her family made enough money for her to be but when her fingers touched it the entire theatre swooned.

She was really good.

Good enough that I was surprised her parents weren't here to acknowledge it. "She's amazing," I thought aloud to her brother, he didn't even spare me a glance- clearly not surprised.

"There's nobody better on a harp," He agreed, "I drive her to every lesson, even when she doesn't want to go."

"That's very sweet of you," I admitted reluctantly, still shocked at who I was saying the words too. Curtis was not exactly well known for his kindness, his parties? Phenomenal. The weed I bought from him? Exceptional. But nice didn't exactly fit into that equation. He wasn't really going anywhere and like most people at the school we went to, he was too wealthy to care.

He hated sports, didn't even look at any of the arts and I was pretty sure the only reason he was actually graduating was his parents pockets. The only thing he really had going for him was charisma, the ability to tell people exactly what they wanted to hear and talk himself out of the trouble he got himself into like being caught smoking in the bathrooms or stopping the police from shutting down his parties.

But he didn't do anything that didn't in some way benefit him.

"Look," he ran a hand over his face and sighed, "I didn't just invite you in here because I wanted to watch this show with you."

I blinked, taking a step back, "Curtis I am gay."

His eyes widened, "No no I know that!" He hurried to say before cursing when he realised he was being too loud. "Don't worry it's not anything like that," He assured me, taking a step back too as if to try calm me down before putting both hands up. "I just had a question for you."

I tried to calm my racing heart and smoothened out the deep frown forming on my face, "I mean, I wouldn't agree normally," I clarified, "But you did do me this solid tonight so...shoot."

"Angelo-

"I'm not allowed to be within a mile of that loser," I cut him off, putting my right hand up, "And for his safety, not mine, remember?"

"No, not about the crappy thing he did a few weeks back," He seemed almost nervous to ask, "I know you probably wouldn't know but Angelo's been completely AWOL for the last couple of days."

I tried to hide my satisfaction and instead feigned slight shock, "Have you looked at the nearest strip club?"

"His phone's not even ringing," he shook his head, looking almost stressed by his friend's sudden disappearance. I even asked my dad's PA to look into it, and the SIM is not even picking up a location."

"Look, I understand. You're worried, and you want to know where he is," I said slowly, drowning out the sound of his sister's piece coming to an end. But I don't understand why you'd be asking me."

"You're the last option I had," He promised, "And the last person I think anyone should go to ask if he's dead or alive but I had to because-

The theatre erupted in thunderous applause. "Because?" I repeated, raising my eyebrow as the young girl took a bow in my peripheral.

"Because he told me what happened that night."

We now stood at opposite sides of the room, looking at each other with neither of us blinking. The entire interaction had now flipped in my mind, before I though the slight tremble in his fingers and stutter in his words was because he knew how much of a creep his friend was but now that I was standing and staring at him in his eyes I realised that it wasn't nerves I was seeing.

It was fear.

My lips curled in a small smile, "The last act is getting on stage."

Cher glowed under the harsh stage lights, a task not many were able to conquer. Her clothes were simply enough, just a fitted shirt and some slacks but somehow she stood out to me in the sea of people playing instruments. Many didn't know this but she could play five.

An accomplishment that was ignored in a school filled with people who had the access to do the same but yet it was something I admired deeply considering she was almost entirely self taught. She rented out the instruments she wanted to learn how to play and would watch videos online to understand how they worked. When we stopped being friends she could read sheet music as fluently as she could speak and had actually begun learning how to write her own.

I wondered if she was had also achieved perfection in that area.

It was an orchestra of people with musical instruments that were louder than hers and a tad bit more polished now that they were under such a bright light but if I really focused it was like she was playing alone. Until my prayers were answered and everyone else quieted down to give her a solo.

She rose to her feet and soon the sound of the violin drowned out the emptiness of the theatre. Everyone had completely gone silent and were now simply watching her. I could feel Curtis burning a hole into the side of my head but that was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment, he was watching me and I was watching her.

Even when she finished and a few other players got their chance to play alone my mind still echoed with the sound of her and I'm pretty sure I was the first person to put my hands together when it was time to clap. They all stood up and waited for a cue from the conductor before sinking into an elegant bow.

When they stood up again they began clapping too, for themselves this time as they shared bright smiles with each other. They turned their eyes to the crowd and continued smiling as people cheered from them but I was still only looking at her. Which means it was no surprise when we locked eyes.

You would have thought she'd seen a ghost with the way the blood drained from her face, it made me frown as I thought nobody would've been able to see anyone in such a dark room but it was like she was staring into my very soul. My clapping slowed as she continued to gawk at me, catching the attention of the other players next to her who turned their heads to see what she was looking at.

I turned around immediately and rushed to grab my jacket as I realised how big of a mistake this was. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Curtis looking from the stage to me back and forth as if he were connecting something in his head. Before I left I stopped by the door and looked at him, making sure he could hear exactly what I was about to say.

"If it makes you feel better," I ran my hands along the door frame,  "If I wanted to kill him. I would've done it then."