PAINTED LOVE

FOURTEEN

loïse madden

.  .  .  .  .  .

"Please, Loïse! You really can't let me go there alone!", Crystal says, dragging my arm. I pull it back as I repeat, for what feels like the 100th time already: 

"Crys, I can't! First of all, I'm not interested in listening to people sing and play bad music the whole evening. Second of all, I'm tired!"

Crystal pouts her lips. "Please, you're my best friend!"

"So is Luna!", I protest. "Ask her to come with you."

Crystal shakes her head. "Luna's having a late class today and she's going to a study group after. She actually can't. You, on the other hand, are just making up excuses."

I hold in a giggle, when she points her manicured index finger at me; she's right. I am making up excuses so I don't have to go to this stupid concert. 

The music majors have organised this event, in which they'll be performing the whole night. Now, I can enjoy listening to classical music for a while, but not the whole night. 

Plus, there won't be any other things to do: all we can do, as spectators, is watch and listen. 

Crystal's friend, Maddow, invited her so she could support him when he would be playing a piece on the piano. 

Piano. Sebastian plays the piano, too. 

Crystal already agreed, because she felt bad to tell Madow the truth, meaning she doesn't give a damn about his whole concert in which he will be performing 3 minutes. 

So, now: she's begging me to come with her. 

"I'll buy you a pizza! No, I'll take you to a restaurant!", she offers. I shake my head. 

"Goddamn Loïse, you're so damn hard to please", she sighs out. "Wait- what about a whole day full of book shopping and whatever else you like to do?"

Now, that gets my attention. I raise my eyebrow, motioning her to explain it further. 

"Oh, so now you're interested?", she snorts. "Okay, we'll go book shopping, and then we can go to this new, super boring museum that recently opened? How'd you like that, huh?"

"On you?"

"I guess", she pouts. 

"I think I can live with that", I joke. Crystal sighs, looks at me like she wants to kill me for going to drag her with me on, in her opinion, the most boring day ever. 

"Get your boring ass ready, then, to go to our musical night", she orders. I turn back into my bedroom, and pick an outfit, a short floral sundress with thin straps and a pretty back. 

"We're leaving in 10!", Crystal shouts.

.  .  .  .  .  .

There's soft background music playing as Crystal and I arrive in the music hall. It's a bit chilly inside, and I regret not taking any sweater with me. The room is filling up slowly, with people who are coming along to watch the music show. It's pretty filled, unlike I expected, but Crystal and I manage to find two seats next to each other. We look out on the middle of the podium, a perfect seat if you ask me. 

Crystal is texting Maddow, asking him when this "freaking shit-show is finally gonna start" (her words, not mine). Maddow texts back it's gonna take off any minute now. 

Just as they're closing the doors of the entrance, a group of boys wander in. I cock my head to see who they are and the first face I see belongs to Cameron freaking James.