WARNING: SEXUALIZATION OF CHARACTERS.
One of the upsetting things about having Axel in the school band (aside from the fact that it's just very upsetting- so, one of the fringe upsetting things) is that other people joined the band because they're friends with him, because he's friends with everyone. Most people dropped it early in the year once they realized how much actual work it is, but they still talk about it like they didn't. I find it annoying, because that means that pretty much everyone in the school tries to refer to themselves as a 'band kid' if it means they get to act like they're closer friends with Axel.
Also, there are still a few of the more popular, non-nerdy kids who hang out with Axel and actually do stay in the band (these are the people who complain about morning rehearsal). And then they'll throw parties at their giant mansions because they're all rich and they'll invite the 'band kids', which they intend as their popular, non-nerdy friends within the band, but other people tend to extrapolate themselves into because they took band for a whole two days at the beginning of the year. So really, they just completely ruin the actual definition of a 'band kid'. A band kid is kid who is in the band. Who dedicates their life to the band. Who actually practices playing their instrument instead of playing with filters on social media.
Anyways. Keira says I'm just really salty and it's not like I own the band, just because I happen to play a ton of instruments and be more interested in it than other people. I tell her that those other people don't even practice, which is kind of a basic requirement and they're dragging down the rest of us who do care about the performance of our band. She tells me that I'm jealous of them for having social lives, and that just because I care about something doesn't mean I have exclusive rights to it. I usually stop listening around there because she isn't actually debating the last point that I made, so in my mind the debate is no longer alive and I've won. As a result, we have this argument a lot.
Keira and I argue a lot in general. She blames it on my resentment of pretty much everyone who's better than me. I blame it on her arguing with every single thing I do, and also psychoanalyzing me all the time.
It's kind of hard to see why we're friends. Mostly, I think it's because she's one of the only people that can tolerate my endless snark (because she enjoys arguing, and my constant wrongdoing gives her constant excuses to argue), and because I'm one of the only people who can tolerate her endless arguing. Even Cody, our one other barely-friend, can only take both of us in small doses, and that's only because he has pretty much no one else to hang out with.
He spends the little tolerance he has for us during lunch hour. This usually works out well, because Keira tends to talk to the girls who have lockers around hers for the first five or ten minutes, which means that Cody only has to put up with me alone for that time, instead of both of us at the same time plus bickering.
We're currently sitting at our designated lunch spot- on the couches just outside of the gymnasium. Our school is small and doesn't have a cafeteria, which is kind of annoying because first of all, it means there's no designated place to eat lunch, so you have to rush to get to the place you usually occupy before anyone else can get there, and then if you do get there too late then you're probably stuck sitting on the floor in front of your locker. Plus, it's socially isolating, because if you have no friends then you have no real hope of gaining any and you end up destined to eat lunch alone forever.
Anyways. Cody's locker is right next to our couches, which means we usually don't have to worry too much about reserving it. Though, you never know, since Axel's locker is just down the hallway, and Axel King could probably buy this half of the school if he wanted to reserve these couches for himself specifically.
Fortunately, this hasn't happened yet. Also fortunate, is that Axel tends to attract a lot of hot girls, and we can just kind of look at them until Keira shows up to call us creepy and pathetic.
Cody is currently eyeing this girl, Jennifer, who looks to be flirting with Axel and only receiving genuine friendly attention in return. "Hey, Nash. You think if I started working out all the time, Jennifer or one of her friends would notice me?"
"Not unless you also get super rich." Jennifer is a little less scorchingly sexy than Scarlett Brooks is, but she's got a nice feminine touch to her appearance. Curled brown hair, soft features, really big eyes.
"What if I told her that I'm really smart and I'll probably be super rich by the time I'm thirty?"
"Hold up, how did you get to the part where you're actually speaking to her?"
He elbows me in the ribs. "I told you. I'll get super buff first. Then she'll be willing to talk to me, and when she hears that I'm also secretly smart, she'll be begging for a date."
"No, she'll probably still be going after Axel."
"Okay, but she doesn't actually have a chance with Axel. Not because she isn't attractive, but just because... I don't know. Look, he's clearly not interested."
"Yeah, but she still hasn't given up, so."
He sighs. "These girls just have to accept the reality and lower their standards from Literally The Most Perfect Guy Ever to something actually attainable by people other than super rich, muscular valedictorians."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it," I say sarcastically, sighing. "Hey, look. Scarlett."
Cody's attention immediately snaps away from Jennifer. Scarlett Brooks is tall and intimidating as she walks down the hallway towards Axel's little posse- reddish blonde hair perfectly straight and swaying behind her a little as she walks, in perfect time with her hips. The entire crowd parts for her- and I mean, with good reason. I'd probably be scared she was going to spear me with her stilettos if I saw her coming towards me (see: tall and intimidating).
My view is cut off by a person as a blunt pain hits the back of my head. I groan and scowl at Keira. "Hey."
She gives me a look. "I could give you about ten different lectures right now. I'll start with: your staring is creepy and pathetic and unwanted and you're blatantly objectifying girls for no reason other than your own disgusting sexual ideations."
"Hey, I don't want to sexualize women," Cody tells her. "I just want to date them. To be able to wine and dine them, make them happy and give them what they're trying to get from Axel but definitively not getting."
"Well, that's their choice and in the meantime you should probably stop ogling their breasts. Really, and you guys wonder why girls don't want to date you."
"We're not like, catcalling them or anything," I argue.
"Yeah, but just because you're not explicitly harassing them doesn't mean you're not making them uncomfortable and sexualizing them."
"They're not even looking at us."
"I wonder why."
I sigh. All three of us know this is an argument I can't win, so I give in instead. "Fine. What's new with the five other people you talk to at school?"
She rolls her eyes at me. "Pretty much everything. Don't start objectifying them either."
"You already won this argument for today," I remind her.
"The fact that it happens daily is pretty much the perfect validation for my repeated annoyance."
"Hey guys, can we at least finish eating before you go biting each other's heads off?"
I scowl at Keira but listen to Cody, wolfing down my lunch and trying not to stare too obviously at all the girls crowded around Axel down the hallway.
But I guess I fail on that count, because Keira smacks me again. "Really, Nash?"
I shoot her a glare. "I wasn't even looking at the girls!"
"Oh, really."
I raise an eyebrow. "You don't think it's equally likely that I was glaring at Axel for having all the girls?"
"He's got you there," Cody points out. "He does glare at Axel a lot."
"You're so jealous of him, it's ridiculous," Keira says, rolling her eyes again. "But really, it's not even just because he's rich and incredibly attractive that girls like him."
"Oh yeah? It's the smarts too, then?"
"No. It's because he's nice to them. He treats them like human beings instead of being a jerk and taking the opportunity to just stare at their boobs."
"He probably could, and they wouldn't mind," I argue.
"I guarantee that if he spent all his time with girls staring at their boobs, at least half of them wouldn't be interested. The ones left would be the ones that probably aren't actually interested in him for him and just want to have the richest, most attractive guy in the school looking at them in a sexual way."
I pause, not entirely sure how I can argue that. "Okay... but if all it takes is being nice, then how come girls aren't flocking to Cody and I?"
"Because you sexualize them daily," she reminds me.
"So if we stopped staring, they'd come?"
"No. But they'd probably appreciate it."
"Keira, you're really not being helpful on the whole 'how can Cody and I get girls' front."
"I'm not trying to be?"
I groan. "Okay but you said- alright, I give up. Cody, make a mental note never to listen to Keira on the topic of girls again."
I glance over, and see that he's got his earbuds in, watching some show on his phone. I roll my eyes. Keira snorts.
"Looks like you're by yourself on this one. Have fun being single for the rest of your life."
â â
Dismissal comes around eventually. Instead of leaving the school with everyone else, I go down to the band room to practice. I usually hang around the school for a half an hour or so after school ends- I prefer practicing in the band room or auxiliary gym to my room at home. The acoustics are better, and also my neighbourhood is extremely noisy and it's hard to actually hear what I'm doing.
I find Ms. Vaken in the band room, doing something at her conductors podium that I assume has to do with chewing out some class tomorrow. She looks up when I come in. "Oh, hi Nash. You here for me or practice?"
"Practice. But just to check- you want me on oboe for the new song we started today, right?"
She hums, pulling out her music binder and flipping through it. She scans it for a moment, then nods slowly. "Yes. Though, there is a song coming up that I'm going to move you for."
"Alright. I'll go to the auxiliary gym to practice, then?"
"That would be great, thanks."
I head out of the band room, down the hall to the aux. gym. It's a small gym, with acoustics pretty similar to our band room due to the height of the ceiling and stuff. Plus, it's usually relatively clear and there are some chairs and music stands in there, so it's the perfect choice.
Except when I get there, there's noise coming from inside. I frown as I open the door and walk in.
And who else would it be, if not the highly resented perfect guy who for some reason feels the need to invade on the very few things that I do have?
In other words, Axel King is in the centre of the room, gaze intently focused on his music in front of him as he attempts to play his trumpet. I watch for the three seconds it takes for him to notice my existence. He gives me a friendly smile. "Hi."
I sneer at him. "What are you doing in here?"
He holds up his instrument, as if that much wasn't obvious. "I asked Ms. Vaken if I could practice in the band room, but she directed me here. Is that a problem?"
"Is that a problem. Is that-" I shake my head, scowling at him. "I mean, considering that this is the place where I practice every single day after school and have for the past three years, while you could literally afford to build yourself a room exactly like this in your mansion to practice in, I'd consider it a bit unfair, but I guess I'll just go wait for my bus alone in the freezing cold for an hour instead. I hope you have a moderately okay practice. Bye." I turn and leave, not even bothering to wait for a response to that whole speech of complete and utter resentment before I shut the door behind me and storm down the hallways towards the exit of the school.
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by characters in this story are not representative of my own. They are included for development of character and plot.
What did you think of the chapter? Any new thoughts on Nash? How about Keira and Cody? And what did you think of Axel practicing in the aux. gym? Let me know in the comments!
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