Food laid untouched as Mylo stared out absent-mindedly at the garden of his school.
Jake, food still in his mouth, glanced out of the corner of his eyes, eyebrows furrowed. "Yo Myles, you good?" he questioned.
"Hmm." Mylo hummed, his gaze still fixed on the garden. "I'm…alright." He replied monotosly.
"Hmm, well, I hope you don't expect me to believe that oh-so-obvious lie Myles." He shifted, facing Mylo with a serious but concerned expression as he asked once again. "Now, what's actually going on Myles? Trouble in paradise." He ended with a teasing smile.
A chuckle escaped Mylo's lips before dying back down. He shifted his gaze to the burning sun, his eyes stinging, reminding him of the guilt he currently felt. The regret of why he had even asked her something so…personal. He had never…never thought it would end up like this. So now only regret lay in his heart, more so than the sting he felt in his eyes as he stared at the sun.
"I…"He paused, "…I messed up. I messed up badly." He confessed.
"Hmm, how bad was it?"
Mylo sighed, "I asked her something, something I wasn't supposed to."
Jake stared at his friends, seeing the regret on his face. "Myles, what did you ask?"
"I…it was personal. Too personal. I didn't mean it, I was just…I was just." He sighed in frustration; "We were working on the song; I felt it didn't have that alive feeling, so I thought we add…personal experiences into it." His voice growing quieter until his head dropped to the floor.
"So you asked her to share hers?"
Mylo felt even more downcast at his stupidity as he nodded in shame.
Jake hummed as he relaxed onto the bench. "Myles, what you said was stupid, even for you. You shouldn't have asked her that."
Mylo felt like he was being bombarded with knives at the truth, but Jake continued. "But that doesn't mean you can't still apologize." He gazed at his friends now raised head, "She won't just open up like that so suddenly, you guys just met. Try to be patient and sincere; that's it. Okay bruv."
Mylo stared at Jake. Under the stare, Jake shifted in his seat. "Huh, what?"
"Sometimes you can say some really intelligent stuff; I question whether it's truly you that says it or an imposter." He said.
A vein throbbed in annoyance as Jake replied. "Huh, what's that supposed to mean. I can say some good stuff; you just don't listen to my all-knowing wisdom."
That brought a chuckle from Mylo, "Yeah, right."
Jake grinned, the two enjoyed their lunch break. Mylo smiled, feeling a tad bit better. Now he just hoped he could make it up to Cali.
***
After school, Mylo headed for the warehouse. A hope that she would be here today.
Entering, Mylo's eyes fell on Cali. She was sitting where there last met, lightly strumming her guitar.
Taking a measured breath, he moved towards her.
"Cali…" he spoke softly, standing just a few metres from her. "I…I'm sorry, truly sorry for yesterday. I asked something that I shouldn't have, and I regret doing so. So, I'm sorry, and I hope we can still work together." He bowed.
Few minutes passed by as Cali just stared at him, her emotions unknown. She sighed, gently setting aside her guitar as she walked up to the still-bowing Mylo. "Get up." she said.
"H-huh." He straightened up, reeling slightly at the proximity between the two.
"You crossed a line yesterday, one that I don't appreciate…"
Mylo looked down sadly; "I'm…"
"I'm not finished." She cut him off; "I didn't like that, but…I'm not mad."
Mylo's eyes snapped up towards her, his eyes wide in shock. "W-what. But why? I shouldn't have…"
"Yes, you shouldn't have, and I'm still pissed you did. But i…" she hesitated; "I shouldn't have just walked out like that yesterday, the question had caught me off guard."
"To share experiences, emotions. Those aren't things I'm used to; I've ever done with anyone. At least…not anymore." She looked down sadly, a distant memory surfacing before she quickly reeled it back in, "I understand where you're coming from, imbuing music with yourself, it feels more alive. But I don't do that again, not anymore."
Mylo looked at her. At this moment, she didn't look like the tough girl he always saw her as. She looked vulnerable, lonely.
Reaching out, he gently touched her shoulders. Cali slowly looked up at him.
"I…I understand. In my pursuit to make this song, I didn't take in where you were coming from. But…" Mylo hesitated, "A great man once told me, 'Music is a healer, it's always there when you're happy, upset, or sad.'" Mylo chuckled lightly as he remembered his grandfather's words. "So I won't ask you something so personal ever again. I'm sorry, I just hope we can work together again."
She stared at him, a distant memory surfacing once again.
[FLASHBACK]
"Cali." An older man spoke up, gazing at his daughter lovingly as he gently stroked her head. "Remember, always put your heart into music."
"Why dad?" a young Cali spoke.
"Well, if you don't put your all into something, it means you don't truly love it." He gazed down at her, giving her a wide smile, "So always put your all into music okay?"
Cali nodded, "Okay Dad!"
[END]
Cali felt herself chuckling as tears trickled down her face.
Mylo seeing this immediately panicked, "O-oh, are you okay? I'm sorry if I said anything wrong-"
Cali chuckled, wiping her tears. She smiled at Mylo "now what did I say about apologizing."
"O-oh, Uhm."
"I'm just kidding Faro."
Mylo titled his head, "Faro?"
"It means lighthouse in Spanish, you remind me of one that's all." She blurted, not wanting to reveal why she actually called him that. "Okay, enough of the sappy stuff, let's get back to the song." She briskly turned, plopping on the couch.
Mylo smiled, falling on the other bag. A comfortable silence fell on the two.
Suddenly, Mylo's eyes widened. "That's it!"
Cali glanced at him curiously, "Huh, what is?"
Mylo quickly rummaged through his bag for his book as he wrote down his thoughts. "We'll continue with this." He jabbed his pencil at the circled writing.
Cali glanced at it, the words "love for music" were circled. She glanced back up at him, curious and confused.
"Love and passion for music. How it's shaped us, its lows, its highs, how we give it our all, and everything encompassing." He explained, his eyes shining with spirit."
She nooded in understanding, "Hmm, its cool. Lets start then."
Mylo nodded vigoursoly, his hand a blur as he started to write down ideas.
Cali smiled at this as she thought, 'He really does love music.' she thought.
And so the two slowly started working on the next part of their song.
***
6:00pm reached. Mylo paused at the entrance of the warehouse. "Well. See you tomorrow Cali."
Cali nodded, before doing something that stunned both her and Mylo, she stepped forward and hugged him. Although quite awkward, she whispered. "Thanks, see you tomorrow, Faro." She stepped back and swiftly went back inside.
Mylo froze for quite a few minutes after she had left, but then a small smile made way to his face as he made his way back home, though with more of a hop to his step; happy there had reconciled and maybe something else.
***
Cali sneaked home. She knew she was quite late, she just hoped that bitch wasn't awake. But of course the universe did like to see her suffer as her answer came rushing at her head, sending her to the floor.
"You whore, where have you been all morning huh?" Mariella snarled, looming over her.
Her body quivered, her gaze fixed down to the floor in hope of satisfying this woman's dark tendencies to beat her child like an animal. She hoped the beating wouldn't be too gruesome, but she knew other wise with the way she was looking.
"I'll truly teach you a lesson you whore!"
[TWO HOURS LATER]
Cali laid on the floor, tears running down her face as her body too tired to move. Pain flooded her whole system. She had thought she would be used to it by know, the pain, but with the way her body groaned as she got up, she thought otherwise. But in the end, she would endure, push her pain down, for her brother.
Limping into her shared room, Cali quickly took a deep breath as she put a small smile on her face to hide any signs of pain. She would never let her brother see her like that. Never.
"Cali!" an excited voice called out as soon as she walked in, it came in the form of a little boy looking much like cali, as he ran towards her and hugged her. "Where've you been? I missed you."
Cali winced, gritting her teeth, she smiled. "Well I was getting something for a special someone…" she brought out a small toy from her hoodie, a small brown bear she managed to buy on her way back. "Here ya go kiddo."
Luca's eyes shone with bubbly excitement, he hugged the bear. "Thank you sis."
Cali smiled. He was her motivation. It didn't matter what she had to endure, or what she had to go through, she would do so. If he could live better, that's all she could ever ask for. To see his face light up with an innocent smile, she whished he could have it all the time.
Luca turned towards his sister, his eyes expected. "Big sis, please can you sing the song. Please."
Oh now that wasn't just fair, how was she supposed to resist her very cute brother when he asked like that. She smiled, "Okay, I'll be right back."
Luca nodded as he watched her climb through the window out back.
Cali searched around until she finally found what she was looking for. Hidden in a particularly bushy part of the backyard was her guitar. She sighed in relief as he gripped it. She wouldn't dare bring it inside, lest that bitch break it, so of course she keeps it hidden. Leaving it in the warehouse wasn't an option either, who knows which fool would want to steal it.
Climbing back into their room, she first locked their room. 'Not taking any chances.' Before sitting on their bed. Luca sat attentively, hands gripping his bear.
Cali smiled as she began to sing.
"I watched the world look hard for gold,
For shining things and stories told.
But he would tell me, late and low,
The realest riches start to grow.
They're not silver, dust, or stone."
She paused, grining at her brother as there sang the chorus together.
"You are my treasure, little heart,
The purest, most valuable part.
Like sunlight breaking through the rain,
You take the worry, steal the pain.
When the stars come out and day is
through,
You're my forever, found in you.
You are my treasure, plain and true."
She slowed her fingers, letting each melody hang as she ended.
"And now I sing the words he sang,
The perfect way the music rang.
Just hold that close inside your head."
She finished, a small smile as she watched her brother sleep peacefully. 'Healing huh?' she thought, remembering Mylo's words, a small smile on her face.