Prologue- A Year Ago: Junior year
Prologue - When We Met...
“GET BACK HERE!!”
The raven-haired teen only ran faster as the voice followed her. She quickly escaped the cafeteria and down the hall in hopes of avoiding the football player. Why can’t I run this quickly in PE?! she thought as she weaved through the crowd of students, running at a speed that would put the track team to shame.
“I WILL FUCKING END YOU!” The declaration only spurred the girl to run faster than she was originally capable of. The girl desperately searched for a hiding place to buy her some time. Heading outdoors would be suicide, the jock would capture her in mere seconds with her wings. The restrooms were out of the question since the player was unfortunately a girl as well. A classroom was too predictable and the jock would simply break down the door. Her only chance of escape was to reach the principal’s office on the other side of campus. Fortunately, there were only a few students in her path now that she was away from the cafeteria. In an attempt to confuse the jock, the teen turned in several hallways, nearly running into the lockers when she changed directions.
Unfortunately, the last turn she made caused her to roughly tackle down someone.
The teen saw stars and she closed her eyes tightly from the dizziness and headache she received from the collision. While she had expected to have landed on the cold hard floor, she did not expect for something warm and soft to be underneath her. A sudden groan caught her attention. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by something red and gold that emitted heat. Realizing she landed on someone, she quickly looked up and was met with surprised cerise eyes looking back at her. She lifted her head off the person’s chest and quickly recognized the short two-toned blue hair.
Oh fuck me. Before the raven-haired teen could do anything, she was roughly lifted into the air and pressed painfully against a locker by a powerful arm. The girl could do nothing but quiver in fear when she realized she had been caught.
“Thought you could outrun me, huh?” Were it not for the deathly glare the golden-haired jock threw at the teen, the spaghetti clinging to her hair would have been amusing. As she raised her right hand for a punch, the helpless teen looked away whimpering and covered her face with her hands in hopes of protecting herself.
“Lightning Dust!”
The jock turned her face to the voice coming from her left, annoyance clearly written on her face. “What, Scratch?!” she asked in frustration.
When the raven-haired girl did not experience any pain, she slowly removed her hands from her face. She saw that Lightning Dust lowered her fist and was not facing her but another jock, the person she had ran into.
The blue-haired jock wore a red and gold letterman jacket like the other jock, except with the varsity letter “M” for Manehattan High School proudly worn on the upper left-hand side of the jacket. Underneath she wore a white tank top with a black backwards quarter note. Resting on the top of her tank top was a charm necklace with piano keys.
She walked closer to the two teens until she was right next to the raven-haired girl. Her eyes showed no sign of fear but disappointment to her teammate. “Put her down, Dust,” She said firmly.
Dust’s facial expression soured. She fixed her cold gaze at the raven-haired girl. “I’ll put her down when I mess up her face like she messed up my hair.” Lightning stated, contempt clear in her voice.
At the last word stated, Vinyl roughly grabbed Lightning’s arm and quickly shoved it off of the other teen. She glared at Lightning and asked “What. Happened.”
Lightning aggressively released Vinyl’s grip with a shake of her arm. Returning the glare she stated “This little cunt fucking threw her lunch tray at me.” In attempt to justify herself, she pointed at her newly acquired spaghetti hat. “Get the hell out of my way so I ca-”
“You’re not getting near her Dust.” Vinyl said firmly as she stepped in front of Octavia. “This is the sixth time you lost your temper.” She took a step closer the other jock. “If I was captain, your ass would be off the team right now.”
Dust scoffed at the remark. “You guys ain’t shit without me,” she sneered, “I’ve made more touchdowns than anyone else on this team. I don’t care what you have to say, now fucking-”
“Dust, shut up and step away from them.”
All three girls turned to the masculine voice. Walking up to them was the team captain and quarterback Neon Lights. Like Vinyl, he also wore the letterman jacket with the varsity “M”. Underneath he wore a black T-shirt with neon spotlights surrounding the words “DJ MCW1SH,” his stage name of choice for his part time job at a night club.
After recognizing her captain, Lightning Dust gave an annoyed sigh and resumed her glaring at Vinyl. Her glare deepened when Vinyl gave her a smirk.
Once he was a few feet away, he noticed the smaller teen’s fearful gaze. In an attempt to ease her worries, he asked her, “Are you okay?”
Expecting a tone of anger instead of concern, Vinyl looked at Neon in confusion. Noticing that he was looking behind her, she realized that she had momentarily forgotten about the girl that ran into her. Upon noticing the fear etched on her face, she walked right next to her and looked to Neon with a smirk and spoke casually, “She’s fine, probably never been this close to football players before.” When she saw the girl begin to relax, she gave a devious grin and added “She could probably join the team with how she tackled me down.”
Celestia have mercy on me. The teen turned pale at the remark.
“Knock it off, Vinyl. I know you’re joking but she doesn’t.” Neon said sternly.
Vinyl shrugged, “Alright, I’ll take it easy.” She then proceeded to wrap her left arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Besides, I know it was an accident since Dust won’t stop being a bitch about…whatever happened.” She faced the raven-haired girl and gave her an assuring smile. “No need to worry.”
The smaller teen froze when she felt the strong yet surprisingly gentle arm rest on her shoulders. When she faced Vinyl she was greeted by her gentle cerise eyes and a warm smile. Her eyes, and that smile… s-she isn’t angry with me? After I ran into her?
Those amethyst eyes, wow… Vinyl lost her breath when her eyes met the other girl’s. I’ve never… seen anything… so… How come I've never met her before? The girl returned the smile with a nervous one. Vinyl smiled wider at this. Well that answers that, she’s pretty shy. The raven-haired girl couldn't help but blush at the gesture. And pretty cute too… she seems familiar though... where have I seen her before?
“Ugh, why don’t you just fuck her right now while you’re at it.”
While the amethyst-eyed teen made a great impersonation of a ripe tomato, the two more respectful football players gave Lightning Dust a deadly gaze that would have turned a cockatrice into stone. She was not fazed.
“Alright Dust, we’ve had enough of your bullshit.” Neon stepped directly in front of her with disappointment clear in his eyes. “You can forget about getting the varsity letter. You’re off the team.”
To say the three girls were shocked would be an understatement. Vinyl was the first to recover, her face brimming with hope as if the princesses were considering her to do a musical performance at the Gala.
For Lightning Dust, she looked at Neon as if the world-famous Wonderbolts had rejected her a position in the group. It quickly turned into rage. “You’re fucking kidding me. I’m the fastest player on the team, you fucking need me!”
“We don’t need assholes on the team!” Neon shouted as he quickly closed the distance between himself and Lightning until their foreheads were touching. “I saw when the tray hit you behind the head, it was a fucking accident! The girl just tripped cus some dumbass spilled their drink!”
Neon slowly took a step back. His face went from a snarl to a deadpanned cold stare. In a calm tone, he said “We can work on speed on our own.” Lightning was speechless and only stared in surprise. “Turn in your uniform and gear. You’re done, Dust.” Looking behind the seething jock, he smirked. “And I’m pretty sure the coach will agree with my decision.”
Dust merely sneered. “Like he’ll believe your a-”
“LIGHTNING DUST, MY OFFICE, NOW!!”
The arrogance Dust portrayed in her stance quickly vanished upon hearing an older voice. When she turned to face the person, she was met with disappointment and anger etched on her coach’s face. The great three-headed dog Cerberus would obey his every command to avoid the man's deadly glare. Lightning Dust cowered under his gaze despite how he stood twenty feet from her. Though reluctant to do so, she followed her coach similar to a dog walking with its tail between its legs as they headed to his office in the gymnasium outside of the school halls.
When the coach and his player exited the hall, the two remaining jocks faced each other with smirks. As they turned to leave, a timid voice reached their ears.
“W-wait…”
Both football players froze at the sudden voice and quickly recalled the small teen that nearly became victim to Lightning Dust’s wrath. Both of them looked over their shoulders and are greeted by the shy and slightly shaking girl. When the two made eye-contact with her, she quickly looked away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before bravely making eye-contact again to express her gratitude. “T-thank you, f-for saving me f-from Lightning D-dust, and I’m s-sorry for causing trouble.”
Though confused at first, understanding quickly flashed in their eyes. Neon offered her a smile and a nod before heading back to the cafeteria with his friends. Vinyl decided to stay with the girl. “There’s no need to apologize,” she chuckled, “Dust’s been an ass since she’s been on the team. The coach is all about respect, and she acts like a saint whenever he’s around. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have noticed.” She assured her and raised her eyebrows in concern when she recalled Dust’s attempt to harm her. “I’m just sorry you got involved. You okay?”
The girl blushed when she received another gentle smile from the surprisingly friendly jock. She timidly averted her eyes, having expected an outburst similar to Lightning Dust’s. “I-I’m fine. Thank-” To the teen’s embarrassment, her stomach had let out a tremendous growl similar to that of a full-grown manticore. To her further humiliation, she heard the blue-haired player snicker. Great Faust please just smite me where I stand she thought as she tried to copy an armadillo and curl around herself.
By the gods this girl is too cute. Vinyl couldn’t help but smile widely at such an adorable act. In an attempt to save the last of the girl’s composure, she called to her. “Come with me real quick.”
The amethyst-eyed teen slowly faced the jock. The gentle eyes and warm smile once again were etched on Vinyl’s face. She jerked her head to the end of the hall, as a sign to follow. Hesitantly at first, the girl followed, with no idea as to what their destination was.
As they neared the end, Vinyl suddenly stopped and turned to one of the lockers. At that moment, the girl realized it was Vinyl’s. After going through the combination, Vinyl opened the door. What greeted the smaller teen were posters of multiple DJs, several CD cases, and a few school textbooks.
Vinyl reached for something behind the books and retrieved a small bag and searched within its contents. The raven-haired girl was confused as to why she was brought to the locker for a bag. At least, until Vinyl brandished out an apple. After finding the rather sneaky fruit, she placed the bag in its previous location behind the books and closed the locker. She then faced the other girl and presented the apple in her right hand.
Despite the ravenous hunger gaze she gave, how succulent the simple fruit looked and how much her stomach yearned for a taste, she refused the offer. “No thank you, it’s fine, I couldn’t pos-” Before she could continue, she felt something rather warm grasp her right hand. She broke her gaze from the beautiful fruit and found Vinyl’s left hand gently holding hers. The poor girl blushed furiously at what she believed was a rather intimate gesture.
As quickly as Vinyl grabbed the teen’s hand, she placed the apple in her palm and let go. Before the girl could offer her another rejection, Vinyl softly spoke. “I know you haven’t eaten at all since your food basically tackled Lightning’s hair like you tackled me,” The amount of blush on the girl’s face would have made someone wonder if a vein had burst. Vinyl chuckled at the display before she continued “and I’m pretty sure it’s worse since you basically ran all over campus, you don’t look like you’re used to running so much.” She gestured to the apple. “Take it.”
Sheepishly, the girl accepted the apple. Hesitantly, she took a bite, her eyes widening at the sweet juicy flavor that assaulted her tongue. Without a second thought she demolished the rest of the helpless fruit. As she swallowed the last of the apple, she closed her eyes with a satisfying smile, glad to have finally eaten something. When she opened them, she noticed the smug look on Vinyl’s face. For the umpteenth time, she blushed furiously and shyly looked away as she gave a timid “Thank you”. Vinyl couldn’t help but chuckle at the yet again adorable display. Before she could tease the girl once more, the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
Both the teenagers knew it was only a matter of time before the students would flood the halls. As the girl turned to head for her next class, Vinyl called out to her.
“Wait!” The shy girl froze and turned to face Vinyl.
Today had certainly been a strange day, as it was full of surprises. Not only had the girl been chased around the campus by a hot-blooded jock, but she had been saved by two more. Her assumptions of all football players being jerks were proven wrong after the incident was resolved. Now her assumption of them always being confident was also incorrect due to the suddenly shy football girl standing only a few feet from her.
Her surprise doubled at the blue-haired girl’s question. “I uh, never really got your name.” The jock looked towards the side before she asked, “Do you… mind telling me?”
Were it not for the recent events, the raven-haired girl would have believed this was a prank. However, the football player had done nothing malicious. Teasing remarks aside, the jock seemed to be genuinely friendly. The last thought had calmed the amethyst-eyed girl as gave a small smile.
“Octavia. My name is Octavia.”
Where have I heard that name before? Vinyl was pulled from her thoughts as she felt her left arm being pulled by a girl bearing teal hair with a white streak. “Hey Vi, we’ve got Chem, c’mon!”
“Wait, Lyra!” Her words were unheard by her friend as she was dragged down the hall to her next class. She looked back at Octavia for one final glimpse before she turned down the hall.
Octavia stood rooted in place as she replayed the recent events. In the span of fifteen minutes, she was chased down, nearly beaten, rescued, and had her assumptions of jocks proven wrong.
And unbeknownst to her, caught the eye of a certain blue-haired player.
It's quite odd how everything turned out alright, almost as if someone was pulling the strings.
“Octavia, there you are!”
Her thoughts were interrupted by a friendly voice. Facing the direction of the voice, she recognized her friend and greeted her with a smile.
“Hello, Symphony.”
While the two had known each other since they were children, neither of them were one for physical contact, and while they did stay fit in PE, neither one of them considered themselves strong or athletic in any way.
And so, it came to a surprise for Octavia when she was tackled down by her friend.
“Thank Celestia you are alright! What happened? Are you hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?” The multiple questions did not help to ease the body ache that embraced Octavia. She did not realize just how drained she was until she felt her friend sitting on top of her.
“I was fine until you bludgeoned me,” Octavia groaned. She tried to stand but there was a small problem. “Symphony, please do me a favor.”
“Yes?”
“Get. Off.”
Upon noticing how she was straddling her friend (in a non-intimate way, mind you), Symphony quickly stood and offered a hand to Octavia. “I apologize, I saw you being chased down by Lightning Dust and feared the worst.” She said as Octavia patted down her clothes when she stood.
“It’s alright. Were you in my position, I would have likely reacted the same.” Octavia reached for her phone in her pocket to check the time. “We best be going, we only have a few minutes.” Symphony nodded in agreement and the two started their journey across the campus.
As they headed to their next class, Symphony regarded Octavia curiously. “If you did not get hurt, then what happened? Lightning Dust is not one to show mercy.”
“You are right in that regard. She had caught up to me at some point, but I will explain more after school.” Octavia said as they weaved through the halls filled with the rest of the students to approached their classroom.
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The school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Students raced down the halls, eager to escape the dull lectures within the classroom walls. While Vinyl exited her class, she couldn’t help but recall her interaction with Octavia. It bothered her to no end why the raven-haired girl seemed so familiar. While they had never met before, Vinyl could have sworn that she had seen the girl at least once, even if they were just passing.
Her train of thought broke when a familiar teal-haired girl approached her in surprise. “Hey Vi, what’s up?”
Vinyl nearly jumped at her friend’s sudden appearance. Upon noticing her, she smiled. “Hey Lyra, you ready for practice?”
At the mention of practice, Lyra’s shoulders slumped. “I’d rather study than go to practice, you know that.”
Vinyl chuckled at her friend’s miserable look. “C’mon, let’s go.” She said as she walked towards the locker rooms next to the gym.
“Fine, as long as we don’t run into Lightning Cunt.” She sighed while following her blue-haired friend.
I have a feeling we won’t see her any time soon Vinyl thought with a smirk. She shuddered as she recalled the coach’s fury during lunch. She was more than happy that she was not on the receiving end of his glare.
Noticing Vinyl’s discomfort, Lyra asked in concern “You okay there? You’re shaking a little.”
Vinyl gave a chuckle “I’m fine, just be thankful you never saw the coach angry. He could make Nightmare Moon quiver in fear.”
Lyra looked at her as if she became the next princess. “What the hell happened?”
Vinyl laughed at her face expression. When she faced forward, they had just entered the locker rooms.
With a smile, she replied, “Let’s just say, Lightning Cunt won’t be a problem in our games.”
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Meanwhile
Octavia and Symphony had just walked out of their class, sighing in relief to finally be released from the horror that is Math.
"It seems today was more merciful, there's no homework for once," Symphony said in exhaustion, "I have a headache from all those numbers."
Octavia fared no better. Her head was experiencing a dull roar and her body ached from both the physical and mental exhaustion. Not to mention the lack of a proper meal to get her through the class.
"Be thankful you did not experience what I did." Octavia groaned.
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened?" Symphony asked.
Octavia took a deep breath before explaining the events of lunch as they exited the building and headed towards the Orchestra class
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"Trust me, you would have paid to see the look on her face when she saw the coach." Vinyl chuckled as she strapped the chest gear on. When she faced Lyra, she restrained herself from laughing out loud at the expression that seemed to be glued on her face.
After several moments, Lyra gasped when she realized she wasn't breathing. She took a moment to compose herself before she spoke with hope. "Please tell me what I think this means."
"I'm hoping the same thing too, Heartstrings," Vinyl replied while she putting on her cleats. "Her ass has gotta be off the team if he yelled at her like that." After tying them tightly, she grabbed her helmet. "I just feel bad that the girl went through all that."
"I do too but," Lyra paused as she strapped her chest gear on and hesitantly continued. "if she wasn't there, Dust wouldn't have gotten what she deserved." She turned to Vinyl with a pained face. "You and I both know Dust has gotten away with too much." Lyra placed a hand on Vinyl's shoulder. "At least you were there prevent anything else from happening."
Vinyl did not move for a few moments and slowly nodded in agreement. Lyra patted her shoulder before gesturing towards the door. "C'mon, I don't know about you but I don't plan on being late if the coach is still pissed with Dust."
Vinyl froze for a split second before rocketing towards the door, shouting over her shoulder. "Hurry up, lazyass!" Lyra was taken back by her friend's sudden departure. She shook her slowly while chuckling before exiting as well. She was surprised to find Vinyl smirking while waiting just a few feet from her. Together they walked towards the field for the upcoming practice.
As they walked, Vinyl contemplated in asking Lyra a question, unsure if Lyra would be of help. Deciding to take the chance, she spoke up. "Hey, Lyra?"
"Yeah?"
Might as well go for it. "Does the name 'Octavia' ring a bell?"
Lyra froze in her tracks. Vinyl stopped as well, wondering why her friend stopped suddenly.
Lyra looked at Vinyl with wide eyes. "Vinyl... was Octavia the girl you saved from Lightning?"
Vinyl's eyes mirrored her friend's. "Yeah, you know her?"
Lyra's facial expression did not change. A few seconds, a smile began to surface, and moments later it turned into a wide grin.
"You have no idea how lucky you are."
Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her words. "What makes you say that?"
Lyra gave a chuckle. "Octavia is the lead cellist in the Orchestra."
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When Octavia finished her tale, Symphony was speechless. Her assumptions of the jocks were spot on with Lightning Dust, but the friendliness of the other two was, for lack of a better word, unexpected.
After finally finding her voice, Symphony stated the obvious. "You are one lucky bitch."
Despite the curse, Octavia couldn't help but laugh at the statement. "While I am not a 'bitch', I agree that I am lucky." she said while giggling. After a few seconds the giggling stopped but the smile remained present. "It would seem I was wrong about Vinyl." I wonder... could we...
Although Symphony cannot read minds, she was able to read her friend's face. She stopped in front of Octavia and spoke in a warning tone. "Bad idea, Octavia. Just because Vinyl helped you does not mean she is willing to be around you."
"And what is that suppose to mean?!" she replied angrily.
"She is more willing to spend time her time with the athletes of the school instead of the 'music nerds' as some of them call us!" Symphony replied in kind.
Octavia blinked before responded in a slightly pleading tone. "But what if she is different? Need I remind you that she saved me and gave me the apple to barely get me through the class?" She walked past her friend and continued heading towards the orchestra class.
"Need I remind you that she is one of the popular teens in the school?" Symphony countered as she sped up to her friend.
Octavia slowed down to a stop right before the classroom door. She stood still, making nary a sound as she contemplated Symphony's words. While she hoped it was all a lie, the words rang true. She gave a sigh in defeat. "You are right, I don't know what I was thinking." She lowered her head and closed her eyes, letting reality step in.
Symphony watched in guilt as she watched her friend sulk in front of the door. She had not meant to sound harsh but she knew she had to blunt. Taking the final steps to the class, she placed a hand on Octavia's shoulder. "I know it's hard to accept. Celestia knows I wish it was not real. But the truth of the matter is that we are not them, and they will not accept us." Symphony let go of her shoulder and entered the class.
Octavia did not move from her position. Symphony's final words clawed at her heart but she reluctantly accepted them. Vinyl will never be interested in a girl like me. She followed Symphony inside, reaching for the cello near the back of the class.
Inside the room were the rest of her band mates in the orchestra. The teacher requested they stayed after school to practice for a show later in the year. All of the students were ecstatic to take part in the event. Except one. The students began tuning their instruments and played with vigor, their excitement clearly heard in the instruments.
As Octavia played the cello, her notes could be heard without any emotion in them at all.
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"Well, now I know why she's shy. She probably spends more time with music than around others." Vinyl smirked as they reached the football field. She couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows together at Lyra's previous statement. "Wait, you said I was lucky. How?"
"'Cus you had a chance to meet her. When it comes to stringed instruments, she has a gift. I wanted to see if she could give me a few pointers on the lyre." Lyra said in excitement.
"Why not just go up to her and ask?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow.
"You forget she's shy and is absolutely terrified by us? Well, maybe not with you anymore." Lyra responded. "Anyways, we better hurry up, the coach looks like he's gonna blow a gasket." Lyra ran to the center of the field with the rest of the team, leaving Vinyl to her thoughts.
So not only is Octavia cute but she likes music too. Vinyl smiled at the thought. She ran to join the team, with more energy coursing through her in each step. If Lyra's right... maybe I could see her in one of her shows.
Author's Note
I was going to end this after Vinyl was dragged off by Lyra until the last scenes came to mind, hence the late submission. Needless to say, I love how this came out.
I wanted to post this story before my classes started on Monday. The weekend will be spent moving my stuff to the dorms. Updates will definitely not be consistent but they will still happen.
As I mentioned in the description, this fic is dedicated to Bonejingle and her story Watch and Learn. She has left this site but has kept her story posted and I ask that you give it a read.
Criticism is welcome! Please note if there are any mistakes, I decided to post it now and edit it later, since it's almost midnight at my time.
EDIT: Mistakes have been found and corrected.
As a reminder, I welcome criticism. If you don't like the story, tell me why. It's the only way I can improve my writing.
~CVC
Chapter 1
Highways were filled to the brim with cars as families returned to their homes to prepare for the upcoming school year. Stores throughout the city of Manehattan held “Back to School” sales, and children and teens were trying to savor the last few days of summer break.
For Manehattan High School, parents and students were filling out countless forms and waiting in line for forms and class schedules. The line stretched from the main entrance of the school multi-purpose room to the back of the building. It was barely passed breakfast and the line hardly ever moved. The wait seemed to have no end until the line was split into two roughly twenty minutes later. The new line began in another entrance on the other side of the building.
In one line stood Vinyl and Lyra. In the other stood Octavia and Symphony.
Unlike the rest of the people, the four students had gotten the forms prior to today. With Vinyl and Lyra participating in football again, a doctor’s physical form was required and the two requested the rest of the school forms. With Octavia and Symphony, they were assigned homework during the summer for several college level courses, and therefore were given the forms prior to the other students.
Neither pair was aware of the presence of the other.
Octavia and Symphony showed great patience by making nary a sound. The opposite could be said otherwise about Vinyl and Lyra. Vinyl stood in complete boredom, leaning against the wall and listening to her iPod. Lyra stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping on the ground impatiently.
When they first arrived in line, they greeted each other with a hug that could rival a bear. The two began conversation, catching up with one another after the summer vacation. After reminiscing the memories of their temporary freedom, they were quiet, feeling calm in the silence while in each other’s presence.
It took two minutes for the silence to become unbearable for Lyra.
“Ugh, seriously? How long does it take to give someone a piece of paper?!” Lyra said in frustration. She heard someone chuckle and gave a deadly glare to Vinyl.
The blue-haired jockey merely shook her head at the gesture, smirking all the while. “You wanted to get something to eat on the way.” Vinyl said while looking through her songs.
“Hey! It’s not my fault you didn’t wake me up earlier.” Lyra maintained her glare though couldn’t help but let loose smile.
“I had to resort to spraying you with water to get your ass up.” Vinyl said with a deadpanned face expression.
“And you didn’t think to do that first, asshole?” Lyra smirked.
Vinyl shook her head and chuckled at the retort. After choosing a song, she placed her iPod back into her pocket. When she looked up at the line, she noticed the front began to move. “Looks like the lines moving.”
“Ugh, finally, some progress!” Lyra said while waving her arms in an exaggerated manner, ignoring the irritated looks of the people behind her.
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“Do you think the line will move quicker soon?” Symphony asked with an uneasy tone. “I am beginning to get hungry.”
“Likewise, Symphony. Now I am wondering how giving a piece paper to students is time consuming.” The last sentence was said with irritation.
Despite their minds having great patience, the string players’ bodies were no longer willing to wait for the line to shorten, their stomachs begging for a meal.
Why did we not think of snacks?! the two mentally yelled as time began to slow down, each minute feeling closer to an hour.
“It is tempting to leave this line and come back later.” Symphony grumbled.
“Leaving now would mean waiting longer later.” Octavia replied frowning all the while at the front of the line. Move you little b—
As if Celestia heard their pleas, the front began to move.
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“Name, please.” the school councilor said in an impatient tone.
Yeesh, who pissed in your coffee? “Vinyl Scratch and Lyra Heartstrings.”
The councilor merely grunted and sifted through the file. Vinyl faced Lyra, both raising eyebrows at each other. I know vacations are pretty much over but there’s no need to be an a—
“I have ‘Heartstrings’ here, but ‘Scratch’ is in another file since she falls under ‘P-Z’.” The councilor picked up a small blank piece of paper and wrote on it. “Hand this over to the other councilor and she’ll give you your schedule.”
“Thanks, I guess?” Another grunt. Hope you aren’t a bitch this year both Vinyl and Lyra thought as they made their way to the other line.
The second line appeared to be endless, looking more as if the people were one-by-one being processed in juvenile hall. Vinyl couldn’t help but whistle at the impressive length.
“Good luck getting through that, I ain’t standing in line again.” Lyra said as she took her phone out to play a game.
“You’re such a great friend.” Vinyl deadpanned with an annoyed look at her friend. Vinyl closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, already exhausted from the long wait in the previous line. She opened her eyes and took another pained look at the intimidating length of the second line.
Screw it, I’m not waiting another ten years for a damn piece of paper. Steeling herself, Vinyl made her way to the front of the line.
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“Name please?”
“Octavia Philharmonica.”
Octavia stood impatiently waiting for her schedule, ignoring the low grumble her stomach gave off. While thankful it was not loud enough to be heard by others, she knew it was only a matter of time before the growl would grow.
“Here you are, Octavia. May the rest of your vacation be well.” Although the councilor smiled, it did not quite reach her eyes.
“Thank you, and to you as well.” Octavia gave a small nod. The wait finally over, she turned to join Symphony who stood to the side reviewing her schedule. Octavia decided to review her own schedule as well to ensure she was enrolled in the classes she requested.
Finally, at least now we can ea— The thought was interrupted when she collided with someone, eliciting a squeak from the cellist.
Symphony jumped at the sound and what she saw made her blood run cold.
Sweet Celestia, Octavia, no…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Great Faust, those eyes… Octavia couldn’t help but be stricken by the surprised cerise eyes. She couldn’t help but feel as if they were familiar to her. Quickly the surprised eyes turned amused.
“Haha, looks like we met again.” The owner of the eyes said with a hint of playfulness.
Wait… VINYL?! Broken out of her stupor by the jock’s voice, Octavia took a moment to step back and look carefully at who she ran into. There was no mistaking the short two-toned blue hair. While the red and gold letterman jacket was replaced with a white leather jacket, the person underneath was the same football player who came to her aid Junior year.
“You know, if you keep bumping into me like that, I might just recommend you for the team.” Vinyl chuckled.
Warmth began to creep up Octavia’s neck, flustered by the jock’s comment. “O-Oh, I really don-” The stomach roared its anger from the poor cellist, a blush of embarrassment flooding across her face.
“Hahaha, déjà vu.” Vinyl chuckled. She reached into her pants pocket and furnished out a snack. “You’re lucky I brought some food with me.” She said with a smile as she handed it out to Octavia.
“T-thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia managed to stutter through her blush.
“It’s no problem.” Vinyl said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure that stood still. Octavia followed her gaze to find Symphony frozen as a statue.
“I’m assuming that’s your friend, Octavia?” Vinyl arched an eyebrow, smirking all the while.
“Yes, her name is Symphony.”
“I’d say hi but she looks as if she’ll break if I step any closer.” Vinyl chuckled. “There’s two granola bars in there, one for you and one for her.” Vinyl closed the distance between her and Octavia and boldly hooked an arm around her shoulder. Octavia froze at the touch, her eyes snapping up to Vinyl’s less than a second later. “I hope for your sake there isn’t a repeat of what happened with Lightning Dust. Let me know if she causes you more trouble.” Vinyl said, offering a gentle smile.
Octavia’s breath hitched at the tender look Vinyl gave her. She couldn’t help but return the smile, albeit a shy one. It didn’t register to her the close proximity until Vinyl gave a gentle squeeze of her shoulders. “Thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia could have been mistaken for a tomato. With a nod, Vinyl removed her arm, offering a smile and a nod to Symphony as she turned to exit.
Octavia’s eyes followed Vinyl as she left the building, her blush slowly fading. She turned to face Symphony only to find her slack-jawed. “What…”
Octavia couldn’t help but giggle at her friend’s expression, not in the least surprised she would be speechless from the encounter. The cellist handed a bar to the violinist who took it without another word. Symphony could only look at the bar, still stunned that nothing bad had happened. It wasn’t until a minute later when she finally took a bite, sedating her stomach’s hunger for the time being.
When Octavia believed her friend would be able to function again, she motioned for the two to head for the exit. Symphony quietly followed, trying to have her thoughts organized.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lyra could only gape at her best friend during the interaction. She didn’t know whether to be impressed that Vinyl managed to communicate with Octavia or be jealous. She could have easily been mistaken for a statue. It wasn’t until Vinyl was two feet from her did she finally break from her stupor.
“Dude, teach me your ways.” Lyra grabbed Vinyl by the collar of her jacket, eyes wide like that of a madman.
“All I did was talk.” Vinyl said, startled by her friends sudden movements.
“Well fucking teach me how to talk to her.” Lyra said in desperation. Vinyl cocked an eyebrow while removing Lyra’s hands from the collar of her jacket.
“Dude, seriously? You’re better at talking than I am.” Vinyl said indignantly. As much as she loved her friend, she couldn’t help but have the urge to smack her.
“This is different.” Lyra sneered.
“You whore, how is this different?” Vinyl’s patience began to wear thin.
“This is Octavia fucking Philharmonica! Lead Cellist of Orchestra? You need like, VIP to get to talk with her!” Lyra exclaimed, her eyes nearly
bulging out of their sockets.
“She’s a student, not a princess.” Vinyl snapped back.
“Look, I just want to see if she’s willing to play music with me!” Lyra nearly shouted.
“‘Play music,’ huh? Sounds like someone has ‘blue cunt.’” Vinyl smirked devilishly.
“Shut. Up.” Lyra hissed.
“Look, if you really want to talk to her, just do it. Worst that can happen is she’s scared shitless and runs away.” Vinyl shrugged.
“Which is why I want you to talk to her. It doesn’t look like she’s afraid of you and is more willing to talk to you. Come to think of it,” The edges of Lyra’s mouth curled up, her grin mimicking the Cheshire Cat, “she’s been acting a little flustered around you."
“Don’t even go there.” Lyra stilled at the response. Vinyl’s eyes were closed, her posture appearing calm and collected, a nearly complete contrast to her voice. Vinyl’s tone was dripping with rage, despite the words being spoken in a soft whisper.
Lyra remained frozen. Any irritation she held previously vanished and was replaced with sadness and tenderness. “Vinyl…” Her voice was soft and carried a drop of concern. “You know how I can be, and you know I don’t intentionally hurt.” She placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, the tension underneath slowly releasing. “I didn’t mean to sound like an ass.”
Vinyl hung her head, guilt forming in the pit of her stomach. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overrea—”
“I’m sorry. I should have remembered how you are when it comes to having feelings for someone…” Lyra’s hand slid down to her friends arm, rubbing with affection as if reassuring a child. “You don’t have to talk to her for me, I’ll just talk if I see her.”
“Even if I were to talk to her, I wouldn’t know where she hangs out.” Vinyl sighed.
“… Come on, let’s get some lunch.” Lyra suggested, changing the subject as they began to walk towards the school parking lot.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The walk leaving the school campus was unusual. Though the two string players would not usually speak unless spoken to, there was awkwardness subtly present. Why, Octavia did not know. It wasn’t until Symphony spoke when her question was answered.
“It… it would seem that I was wrong about my assumptions of Vinyl Scratch.”
Now that was surprising.
Octavia halted, making Symphony stop as well. Symphony was actually admitting to being wrong. Octavia’s jaw dropped at the admittance. Symphony took the cellist’s silence as for her to continue.
“I apologize for not believing you, but I was just so worried you would get hurt. We are not athletic, and they are capable of lifting the two of us with one arm.” Fear dripped from each word, her voice hitching near the end.
Octavia’s eyes snapped towards her friend, the scared tone catching her off guard.
Understanding washed over Octavia. There was no question the football players were the strongest of the students. The sport required the players to do heavy weight lifting outside of practice if only to avoid being crushed in the games.
Still, the fact that Vinyl chose to protect me… “I can understand your fear, especially after what had happened with Lightning Dust.” The young cellist placed a comforting hand on the violinist’s shoulders, noting the slight tremors. “But please give Vinyl a chance. After how I ran into her, she had the perfect opportunity to… She means no harm, there is no need to be afraid of her.”
Symphony made no movements. Octavia could feel her hunger returning though she ignored it in favor of easing her friend’s concern. Before the cellist could say anything, the violinist took a deep breath, sighing in resignation. “Very well, perhaps Vinyl is different from the other football players.” Symphony offered a small smile, one Octavia greatly returned.
Before either could speak, two growls emerged from their stomachs.
The string players couldn’t help but release embarrassed giggles, suddenly remembering their hunger.
“Why not stop by a café for a snack? We can have lunch at my place.” Symphony suggested.
“Very well, we can take a look at our schedules along the way.” Octavia nodded.
It was an unspoken agreement that the two string players would walk together to classes. Though they had only met their freshman year, their similar interests in music helped develop their friendship.
And walking together provided a lesser chance of being harassed by certain students.
As Symphony glanced at Octavia’s schedule, she couldn’t help but notice a specific class. “You are assisting for Beginner’s Orchestra?”
“I do not want to forget the basics, and I find that the best way to master a skill would be by teaching others.” Octavia explained.
Symphony could only nod as they left the campus grounds.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“So, where to?” Vinyl asked as she buckled up in her car.
“Some place with greasy food. I want to eat what I can before tryouts.” Lyra pouted.
Vinyl chuckled at her friends misery. After making sure Lyra was buckled, she started the engine and headed to the streets.
Along the drive, Vinyl recalled a certain piece of paper containing her classes. “Hey, Heartstrings. Can you read me my schedule? It’s in my right jacket pocket.”
“Sure.” After fumbling through the pocket, Lyra managed to find the sneaky slip of paper. “Alright, so your crazy ass has AP Calculus, AP Physics, Weights, an—”
All that could be heard was the music playing, the sound of the car’s engine, and the whizzing of passing cars. Vinyl knew why her friend froze without even glancing her way. All she did was tighten her grip on the steering wheel, steeling herself for the next question.
“Vinyl… Does this mean…”
Vinyl tensed at the words. Even when she knew what was asked, it stilled brought unwanted memories.
Whoever said time heals all wounds had never experienced what she had.
Attempting to relax herself, Vinyl released a heavy sigh, relieving only a fraction of the tension. “I don’t know if it’ll happen… but I need to try… It may have been four years, but it still might be too soon for me...”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The school bell echoed throughout the halls, signaling the end of lunch. Students scrambled to find their class, referring to their schedules for the first day.
Octavia, on the other hand, took a head start by walking a few minutes before the bell rang.
Symphony decided to accompany her, her next class being in the same general direction. At some point, they broke off, each heading to their appropriate room number. As Octavia turned down a hall, she took a quick glance at her schedule, ensuring she was headed to the correct classroom number. Upon arrival, she was greeted by a room exploding with music posters featuring the geniuses of the classical world. In the back of the class stood several violin and cello cases, a few clarinet and trombone cases, a tuba, and a large harp. Near the front of the class sat the teacher of the course in her desk, looking through list of students for the class.
As if sensing Octavia’s approach, the teacher looked towards the door, smiling at the cellists arrival. “Ah, Miss Philharmonica. You’re early.”
“Good afternoon, Mis—” Her words were cut off by the sound of the school bell.
The teacher gestured towards a desk near the front. “You may set your belongings here while the students arrive.”
Octavia nodded as she made her way towards the desk, allowing herself to sit down and relax for the time being. Chaos could be heard from the hall, students stampeding through as they hurried to their next class for the day. One by one students entered the room, most being freshman with a few sophomores mixed in as well.
As the last student walked in, the school bell rang again, signifying the beginning of class. “Good afternoon students, I am Ms. Clearnote. I hope you’ve had a pleasant first day so far. For now, allow me to just give a brief summary of what to expect from the class. If you have any questions or difficulties grasping the materials throughout the year, you may refer to me or my teacher assistant, Miss Octavia Philharmonica.”
The small amount of sophomores gasped and murmured in excitement at the idea of Octavia being their aid for the class. Octavia sported subtle blush at some of the compliments being whispered.
“I have another TA for this class, though it seems she is-”
“Here! I’m here!” A sudden voice boomed.
Everyone including the teacher snapped their heads towards the door, gazing at the panting student making their way towards the teacher’s desk.
“Sorry I’m late, the Football coach wanted to speak with me about the upcoming tryouts.”
The sophomores murmured even more, completely surprised at who the second teacher’s assistant was.
If Octavia had less self-control, her lower jaw would have met the floor in greeting. However, she couldn’t resist slightly blushing and widening her eyes at the all too familiar blue hair and cerise eyes. Great Faust…
Ms. Clearnote sighed. “I’m assuming this will be happening all year. Very well, but since you’re late, why don’t you introduce yourself to the class?”
The student chuckled but faced to the rest of the students.“Alright then. What’s up everyone? Name’s Vinyl Scratch, and I’m the TA for this class.”
Author's Note
*hides behind desk, head peeking out* I hope you haven't been waiting long 
So I FINALLY managed to finish the chapter. Wow, it's been 8 months since the prologue was posted *internal screaming* Well I have about 2-3 weeks of classes left, then SUMMER BREAK BABY!! 
Before spring break, I had multiple projects and labs for both of my programming classes, hence the lack of writing/updates. I now have only one project from each due by the end of the semester, so I can properly pace myself in getting them done and still find time to write/draw as I please.
Here's hoping I don't go on any more long hiatus for my stories.
Til next time
~CVN
P.S. I couldn't resist changing my avatar to my Asami piece 
