NOW YOUR GONE ` | ABI

[Jayce Scott]

"I’ve got to remember, this is just a game"

___________________

Jayce Scott smiled as he approached the practise hall, where he would be alone and free. It was like when he was at the piano, all his other thoughts and worries dissapeared, he wouldn't need to think about anything else other then the keys being played. His fingers moved naturally once he had learnt a song, he wouldn't need to think anymore and he would never forget the sequence that the keys went into. Alot of the songs he knew he could even write the note down in the correct order, as if to re-write the song if it was ever forgotten. He didn't know what the piano did to make itself appeal to him so, but he loved his piano. He was at home with the piano, it reminded him of when he was younger, but thats not why it made him feel at home; most people have one thing that they can think about, one thing that helps them become stronger when they are weak, one thing that cheers them up when they were upset etc, and for him it was the piano. He had a fierce passion for it, and everyone who knew him knew that too.

He sat down on the seat in front of the piano and placed the metronome down and turned it on, setting it to the correct speed. He played the first note of the song, and let it die out, it echoing through the hall. It was the only thing to be heard other then the ticking noise. He played the same note again, and closed his eyes and took a deep breathe as he listened to its purity. He didn’t usually like breaking the silence, but when it was the piano, everything was different. He didn’t need a sheet of music for this song; it was one that was well-rehearsed and not what he should be playing for his level of talent. He played the first note again, but instead of letting it die out, he played the second, and then the third, playing the song at the correct time and speed. He could play this song with his eyes closed, and he did, remembering when he used to play this at his old piano school.

He could always remember being different from the rest of the students at his first after-school piano gig. A lot of them were pressured to go by there parents, and none of them had a talent like he did, he could catch onto a song faster then any of those kids, they all just seemed to practise until they got half decent and then change songs. Jayce was a perfectionist when it came to his piano, he would always be playing until he got the song just right, and whenever he had a free-play on the piano, he would always play the same song, the song, in his opinion, was some of the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Fur Elise was the name of the song, and if it were possible for Jayce to fall in love for a song, that song would be his lover. He played every note perfectly, and his teacher encouraged him to move on and ply something different, and he did, but at the end of the day at free-play, he would always play the same song. He let his fingers do the work, leaving him to his thoughts as he was completely absorbed by them.

[Abigail Hamilton]

"She takes just like a woman, yes, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl."
______________________________

It was not shock to anyone when they saw Abigail Hamilton wandering across the grounds with her nose stuck in a piece of sheet music. Everyone knew just where she was headed too. Every day Abi would pick up her music and head toward the practice hall, with the intent of singing until she felt it was absolutely perfect. Today's piece happened to be something new her teacher had assigned her. The aria was called "Fair Robin I love," and had proved to be quite a challenge for Abi, so far. Today, however she planned to work that piece until she was completely and totally satisfied with it, and in the shape it's in, that could be hours. Working long hours didn't bother Abi, thankfully. She actually enjoyed sitting at the piano an picking out her part as she sang the song over and over again. It wasn't like she did it to hear herself sing, either. There was just something about rehearsal that she really enjoyed. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but everyone has their own things that make them happy.

Approaching the hall slowly, Abi dropped the music to her side and pushed open the double doors. As she did music filled her ears, and she now knew someone else occupied her space. That fact only bothered her for a moment because she noticed who was playing. It wasn't one of the stuck up pianists that she recognized. In fact it was a boy she'd never seen before, and an attractive one at that. Carefully, she made her way down toward the stage, watching as he played each note with a graceful accuracy like she'd never seen. It was amazing to watch. Abi actually hated piano and most pianists. She'd never enjoyed sitting for hours and listening to song that had no words played by people who honestly thought they were the best thing to ever walk. There was something different about this guy, though. He seemed to play with his soul and not just his hands. It was beyond impressive.

Not wanting to interrupt, Abi took a seat in a nearby chair, content just to sit and watch him play. She knew this probably wasn't the best idea, because most performers didn't like to be watched during rehearsal, but she just couldn't help it. Her body made the choice for her before the brain even had a say. While she sat and listened Abi found her eyes moving from his hand to his face. At first glance she had thought the boy way attractive. Now she realized that had been quite the understatement. He was gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, if you wanted to apply those words to a man. Whoever this guy was he was a full package. His talent was amazing and he definitely had the looks to support it. That kind of made Abi wonder why he didn't have his own little fan club sitting in the front row, and then she realized she might count for that. How sad. She couldn't just sit there and be a silent fan girl. She had to say something. "Ehem," she coughed softly and stood up. "Sorry to intrude. I just couldn't help but listen. You play beautifully." Abi smiled slightly up at him, hoping he wouldn't be too mad at her barging in on his rehearsal time.

[Jayce Scott]

"I’ve got to remember this is all just a game"

___________________

Jayce Scott played the song over and over, reminiscing the days that he loved so much. He could remember so much more when he was playing the piano, it triggered off memories that he hadn’t thought of in years. He could remember playing the piano for Bliss on her birthday, getting her to play the same notes over and over while he played the rest of the song so that she would feel included. That was one of the best memories, they had laughed so much that night, that was before Bliss had taken up the flute and there had been a competition between them constantly. He missed those days, when he played just for fun, going to piano once a week, not everyday. Not that he regretted being here one bit, there was just so pressure on him and everyone else these days, if he wasn’t careful all the enjoyment from his playing would be sucked out and he’d be an empty shell, only playing because he had to.

He was still playing, and he would have kept doing so if it weren’t for a noise that made his fingers slip and his concentration waver. He stopped playing and opened his eyes, and saw a young woman staring at him, she had spoken to him. He gave a little shy smile, and although he wasn’t blushing, he was embarrassed. He must have looked like a complete idiot playing with his eyes closed. How long had this girl been watching? Was she there from the start, annoyed at him for taking her spot in the Practise Hall, and he didn’t even see her? His mind was racing, he wanted to say a million things at once, but even he knew that he wasn’t going to say any of them, he was far to bashful too, but it would be rude to just stare at her, so he mustered up the only words he could. “Uh, hi” he said, looking back down to the ground, smiling a little. “Thanks…”

The girl was very pretty, he hadn’t seen her before, so he subtly looked. She had beautiful eyes and he could tell by looking into them that she wasn’t one of those ‘fake’ girls. Her face was attractive, and she had a body to match. Great. Now he was getting more and more embarrassed by the second, he scratched the back of his neck as he looked back down to the ground again. “I can leave if you want… I was just finishing anyway.” He said, and he felt lick punching himself. If Roland was here, Roland would probably punch him too, he had a gorgeous girl here who liked how he played, he could have made some ‘moves’. Instead he found himself looking pathetic, his head faced to the ground and his eyes looking up at her with a shy smile. He wasn’t finished, but he knew he couldn’t concentrate with her here, so it would just be easier if he went back to his dorm and shoved his head in his pillow, trying to forget this ever happened. The punching idea was still extremely appealing, so he hoped pitifully, that she would just say thanks, and let him leave and he wouldn’t be able to embarrass himself any further, unless he tripped over the chairs ofcourse.

[Abigail Hamilton]

"She takes just like a woman, yes, she does
She makes love just like a woman, yes, she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl."
______________________________

The reply that Abi got what not what she had expected. Most musicians got exceptionall angry when people barged in on their practice session. She should know, she could be considered one of those musicians. Though, she still stands by the fact that she didn't throw the piece of music at that kids head. That kid, on the other hand tells quite the different story. Of course, it hard to pin something like that on Abi Hamilton. I mean, look at her. She looks like one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, but don't be fooled. She's got fire in her. Very few people have actualy seen it, but I wouldn't suggest crossing her. There are only a few people here at Hoffman who can tell you about her temper, and most of them would rather not. So, just don't walk in on her while she's working or act like you're better than her. If you stick to those rules, you should be ok.

"I'm Abigail Hamilton," she muttered quickly, trying to keep him from leaving. The last thing she wanted was for him to run off. Abi really wanted to stand here and chat for a bit. Something inside told her that if she did that she could get to know him better and maybe, just maybe see pieces of that beautiful soul that seemed to only show when he played the piano. "I'm here for voice," She added, trying to strike up some sort of decent conversation. "And you must be here for piano?" Yes, it was a dumb question because it was quite obvious that that was what this boy was here for. Come on, no one who could play like he did went to school for something else. It just didn't happen. Or, at least it didn't happen here at Hoffman.

Abi completely ignored his statement about leaving as she walked around the side of the stage and up the steps. "The way you play is magical." She muttered before walking over to the piano and running her fingers along the ivory keys. "I've never seen anything like it before." In all reality abi was quite taken with him, and it wasn't just his looks, though they obviously helped. It was the way he sat down and played that piano. As a child she'd always wished she could play. Then her mother put her in lessons and that killed her dream. She was horrible at it. Always had been. After several years in lessons her desire to play had died. Now she went to lessons and practiced only becasue her teachers and vocal coaches made her. There was no desire or passion, she'd lost that a long time ago, but this boy had managed to keep it. That, for some reason, was beyond impressive to Abi.

[Jayce Scott]

"I’ve got to remember this is all just a game"

___________________

It was a well known fact that Jayce was a shy person, even when he was younger, everyone knew. His mother, urged him to talk to the other children, trying to make him feel confident but he’d wave at her and tell her to leave before retreating to the very back of the playground. Some people bullied him, and he couldn’t even stick up for himself. Most people just walked past without noticing, and he didn’t mind it so much. Until one day, everything changed, somebody stood up for him, and somebody became his best friend. His name was Will, and he was Jayce’s first real best friend. They were both different, and yet they had so much in common. Jayce knew he could trust Will, and they stayed friends for a very long time, until Jayce went to Hoffman that is, then they were wrenched apart, and lost contact with each other.

Even when he was a little boy Jayce knew he couldn’t have his friends stand up for him forever, and that one day he’d have to stick up for himself, but it was so much easier to just hide and remain unnoticed. Sadly, he knew he’d have to gain some courage one day, but he knew that the piano gave him nerve. Whenever he was on stage, he wouldn’t be scared as long as he kept his cool and didn’t stare at the crowd and focus on his playing, that was his courage. He was usually very proud of himself, but sometimes he felt pathetic, and he would stick up for himself one day. Just not today. He had no need to, he would come out of his shell when he is ready, or when the time is right. Yes, that’s what he would do. But even Jayce knew that that wasn’t true, and he was just putting it off as well as making excuses for himself. One day, that’s not going to happen, one day he would be his one person and he’d fight his own battles.

He is still shy of new people, just looking at him when he was with Abigail was enough evidence for that. You could just tell he was trying to come out of his shell, but something was holding him back in. Well, its time to break out. “Yeah, I’m here for piano...” he said quietly, almost hitting himself, he was supposed to be breaking out. He saw her coming closer and his heart began to beat a little faster, she was beautiful and elegant, enough to make even a confident person stumble, so what hope did Jayce have? "I've never seen anything like it before." He heard her say. “I'm not here to be 'seen', but to be heard." he said smiling. "Would you like to play with me?" He said before hastily adding "The piano i mean. Would-you-like-to-play-the-piano-with-me?" He had said the last part rather fast, and really over-exaggerated every syllable. Great. What had he just done? He was making an idiot out of himself. He felt like punching himself again, why did he have to make such a mess out of a simple conversation?

[occ/ sorry its rather crappy+babbly, i ran out of muse,]