Chapter 5, Spring, New Beginnings and Old Memories

A Chapter by StarDust

Aria looks back on her past, and a crack starts to appears in Chases walls.

Ch. 5 Spring, New Beginnings and Old Memories.

“Don’t you ever get bored of bothering me?” Chase said to the brunette across the table.

“Why would I?” Aria said with an honest smile, “You always sit by yourself, so I’m just keeping you company.”She gave a shrug, as though he wasn’t the one person no one wanted to be around.

“What about your friend?” the blonde scowled, hoping she would go away.

“I told you, we only eat lunch together on Tuesday and Thursday, our schedule won’t permit it any other day of the week.”Aria answered.

Chase scowled. “So you decided to bother me? You’re a social butterfly, go talk to someone else, I’m sure anyone would welcome you.”

“I will take that as a compliment.” Aria chuckled, getting a surprised expression from Chase, “Isn’t it a social butterfly’s job to help those who aren’t social?”

“Not if they don’t want to be helped.” Chase said sourly.

“Just because you don’t want to be helped doesn’t mean you don’t need to be helped.”

Chase let out an annoyed sigh, “Can’t you go bother someone else? I’d like to finish my lunch in peace.” he said in a sour tone.

“Everyone else is either studying, or I don’t know them.” Aria pointed out. “Plus you looked lonely.” She said with a soft smile.

Chase flinched, “I’m fine.” he said, standing up, “I’m leaving, enjoy your lunch.”

Aria was surprised by his quick shift in attitude, “I’m sorry if I bothered you.” her face fell to a frown.

Chase hesitated a moment, “It’s not your fault.” He said, his normally cold expression shifted to one a bit more conflicted, “It’s complicated.”

Aria was about to respond, but he quickly took his empty plate and garbage and hurried off. Chase was like a minefield, so Aria had to be careful how she spoke. She was however surprised at his reaction today, usually he chose not to respond, or bluntly told her to leave. Perhaps he had figured out by now that Aria wasn’t so easy to get rid of.

“Hey Cirrus Cloud, why so Stratus?”

Aria turned to see her favorite freckle faced friend, “Just thinking a bit Stellar Star, care to lift me back towards the cosmos?” she joked.

In the past couple of weeks Aria had gotten a laptop, so when the girl started messaging they had each gotten some interesting nicknames. Aria had taken to cloud and weather watching as a hobby, while Stella had always had a thing for astronomy, so they called each other Ario-Cirrus, and Stellar Star.

“I noticed you were talking to Chase again, what did you say that got him to leave so abruptly? If I remember right, last week you were telling me how glad you were that he actually stays and lets you talk with him.” Stella asked.

“It’s more like I talk AT him,” Aria gave a faint smile, “I told him he looked lonely, he seemed a bit startled and left just like that.” Aria gave a defeated shrug.

Stella gave a puzzled look. “I’m sure he has his reasons. In fact, whether good or not, it seems you struck a chord. You’re getting further then I did with him.”

Aria managed to smile a bit brighter, “I hope that I’m doing the right thing, I don’t want to just feel like a bother.”

“I think what you’re doing is right, no one can spend their whole life without making at least one friend. Everyone deserves to have someone who cares and supports them.”

“Thanks Stella, I don’t feel so bad now.” Arias expression turned thoughtful, “have you ever heard Chase play his guitar?”

“Can’t say that I have, he never plays for people.” Stella answered.

“He was playing in the park near my house one day and I heard him, He is very good at playing from the heart.”

Stella smiled, “Well, cold as he is, he is human. Everyone has their way to let their heart be heard, even if they want to be the only ones to here it.”Aria nodded in agreement.

The two of them finished out their day, but instead of heading home right away, Aria went over to the campus’ eastern building that had the music rooms. She slipped into one of the practice rooms that contained an old, yet well tuned piano. She let her fingers brush the piano keys’ smooth surface as she looked at the old instrument with a gentle smile.

Look honey, this piano is for you, happy birthday.

Oh really daddy? Thank you so much! But... I want to be a baker when I grow up, not a pianist.

Its ok, you don’t have to be a pianist or a musician to enjoy music. How about you play me a song?

Silly daddy, I don’t know how to play the piano!

Don’t you worry a bit about that, I found you a piano teacher. I promise you this piano is better than any pony the other girls want, because you are the one who brings it to life, and it will be your way to express yourself when you’re too sad took cook your favorite cookies.

I love you daddy!

I love you too.

Aria didn’t even play a single note on the piano and she could already feel it pulling all her feelings out into the open. Her eyes filled with tears as looked back on her childhood, and before she could stop them they overflowed. She backed away from the piano, tears falling to the floor. She wanted to go home. Not back to Tom and Mariams, but home. But that was the problem, she couldn’t. she could go back, but it wouldn’t be home. Not anymore. It would be an empty shell of a house, halfway across the U.S. that would never be home again.

She couldn’t sit there anymore, it was obvious that she wasn’t going to play and she was sure someone would come along and find her blubbering like a child. She quickly grabbed her things to leave, but as she opened the door to rush out she bumped into someone. She quickly smeared the tears from her eyes, and looked up, finding a pair of icy blues look back at her with genuine surprise.

“Aria?” Chases voice was not at all what it usually sounded like; he was genuinely surprised, taken aback by Arias current state.

“Chase! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, I w-was just leaving.”Aria tried to hold it together long enough to hurry away, but her tears sprang forward again as she tried to get around him. Chase watched as she stumbled during her abrupt retreat.

Aria took a deep breath of chilly air and wiped her tears again as she walked away from the University. Despite having visited the music building of the University’s campus, she had not expected to see Chase, let alone bump into him the way she did.

She wandered awhile, and eventually found herself at the park near her house, which was still empty as ever due to the cold. She tucked her hands in her pockets and fished around, pulling gout a pair of purple gloves. She slipped them on her hands and walked towards one of the trees in the park. She grabbed a low hanging branch, and hoisted herself up, scooting around to brush the snow away. She leaned her back against the trunk of the tree and watched the clouds float by as her breath puffed out in a white fog.

It was mid march now, she’d spent a lot of time with Stella, and quite a bit with Chase at school. He never seemed to enjoy her presence, and her encounter moments ago was discouraging. She was supposed to be helping her, but he had seen her run off in a flurry of tears, that gave no evidence of the happiness should usually displayed to him. She tried so hard to show him that it was ok to smile no matter what, but how could she smile after reflecting on memories that had such a strong grip on her heart?

“That’s my tree your sitting in.”

Aria jumped, nearly falling from her perch, “who-?” she was surprised to see that familiar blonde mop when she looked down, “Chase? Did you follow me?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” Chase gave a rather flat look.

Aria was surprised to see his usual scowl or unhappy frown absent from his face. “I’m fine really, I just need some time to think.”She said, hoping that he wouldn’t ask why she was crying.

“Don’t get your hopes up sunshine” his tone was teasing, but not malicious. “I only came to practice, and like I said, that’s my tree.” He motioned to his guitar, then to the sugar maple Aria was so comfortably perching in.

“Oh!” Aria scrambled to the ground. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to...uh...delay your practice.” She gave a small smile. He hadn’t even said anything comforting, but she could help but feel a bit better. Perhaps she was getting somewhere with him. She watched him lean against the tree and pull his guitar out.

As he tuned it, she looked at him somewhat hesitantly, “would you mind if I listened?”She asked slowly.

“Sure, whenever I tell you to leave you never listen anyway.”Chases blue eyes glanced to her, and then back to the guitar.

“I’m sorry, I just-”Aria was cut off by the strumming of the old, well used string instrument. Aria listened, and at the chorus she could really feel every word as he sang.

What a shame, what a shame, to judge a life that you can’t change. The choir sings, the church bells ring, so wont you give this man his wings? What a shame to have to beg you to see we’re not all the same, what a shame.

Aria remained quiet for a moment after he finished, looking at him, then at the clouds in the chilly March sky.

“I know that you didn’t just sing that to sing. The first time I heard you sing and play, I heard much more, you heart and soul are in your music aren’t they?” she said, “I feel it isn’t ever justified to judge someone, even when you have the facts. However,,, I do believe it’s possible to change a life. You may not be able to change the past, but the future is uncertain, I know this very well. I hope someday you can believe in the future I do, though our futures will be very different.”

Aria smiled, turning back to Chase. He seemed to be thinking, perhaps contemplating what she had said.

“You have a lot of will power Aria, I will give you that. Not many people put up with me this long.” Chase closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I would still prefer to be left alone, but that won’t seem to make a difference to you, seeing as you’ve dodged my insults and sarcasm for three months already.”

Aria chuckled, “I get the feeling that you don’t want to be left alone just because you like it, maybe I’m wrong, but you seem to have reasons, and I intend to figure out what they are.” She checked her watch. “I should be getting home. It was nice talking to you, see you on Monday.”

Chase let out a ‘hmph’ and Aria left him to his music. Her head was full of so many things as she walked home. She felt like she had taken a large step forward in befriending Chase, and even learned a bit about herself. Even though she loved spending the weekend with Stella, she was looking forwards to Monday even more then usual.

Progress Journal: Friday March 15^th, 2012

Today I saw into Chase’s heart a little, and got a good look at my own as well. As much as I didn’t want to look to the future because of its bleak outlook for me, I truly wish to see Chase smile for his own, bright future.

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