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Chapter 17: Closure

I just realized that this book was made by me four years ago🤦🏻‍♀️No wonder it was so cringe.

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"Now, G minor. G in the left hand, your right will play B flat, D, and G." Johnny does as he's told, swallowing the lump in his throat at the close proximity they've had for the last ten or so minutes. She's as strict as ever when it comes to piano, but having her near him right now was far from enough. "E flat major. 1, 2, 3, 4. Good."

"... Thank you. You're being a great help to me right now."

Crystal gives him an annoyed glance, "Cut the crap. I'm only doing this 'cause I can't stand having to hear you ruin the song until I can have my coffee. And besides," she leans her back on her chair and stared towards the ceiling, "I can tell that this wasn't what you're originally here for."

His fingers clamped in his palm, bewildered by her instincts that had once captivated him before. His arms rested back to his sides after playing non-stop, allowing himself to take a deep breath. "Honestly, yeah. I thought there was no other way to it. I even got your dad imprisoned. I didn't wanna face you like this."

"Yet here you are. Or fate is just playing coy here."

"I was expecting you to lash out at me really."

Crystal scoffs, "Why should I? I've finally got some damn freedom. I'm free to do what I want, get out of this damn state, from these damn people..."

Johnny glanced towards her, "Are you?"

"To hell with it. Anywhere's better than here."

She's going to start a new life, possibly without him. "And..... is that guy with you?"

"Who?" It didn't take long for her to realize what that meant, "Oh, that guy? Yeah, I guess Aeon's coming along."

'Aeon. So that's the name of her new boyfriend,' he chuckles to himself, looking like he had just lost all interest of practicing the piano.

"I don't have a say in that to be honest. Either he's coming along or my mother would hunt me down."

Crystal rarely talks about her mother to him, a personal issue that she didn't want him to get involved to. Johnny didn't want to pry further as personal matters tend to make one seem like they're being too nosy and out of place. "So is he— Well, I suppose it's been three years. A lot could change."

Her phone vibrates again, and she subconsciously wanted to check the notification.

A
Wanna practice the dance again? We should do well for the preview tomorrow.

—was what Aeon had sent her. Johnny had a glimpse of the message and knew from deep down that it's probably not appropriate for him to even have this casual conversation with her, assuming that this Aeon really is her boyfriend now.

She puts her phone on complete mute and focuses back to the task at hand. "Enough about that. We have to get you ready for your part of the preview."

"Heh. Yeah, you're right," Johnny nodded dolefully.

Miss Crawley comes back with our coffee and the night of piano lessons began. Seriously, all Crystal ever do in this session is criticize criticize criticize, but that works too if you really wanna learn fast, especially from someone who had played it like a pro. Halfway to two o'clock in the morning and everyone is already working up a sweat. Even the iguana looks like she's about to faint to slumber. It was time for a much needed bathroom break when she finally spots the person she actually came here for. She sneaks up behind her in the planned attempt to scare the elephant, but seeing as her friend is actually sucking the glass out of the frame and carries it around, it might not be the right timing for that. "Meena?"

"Crystal! Hi! I didn't know you were here," Meena holds the glass close to her in surprise.

"Where were you? It didn't look like you were rehearsing. And what's with you pulling out every window glass?"

"This? U-Uhm, this is actually for the show tomorrow. I-I mean later."

"Really? Is it like a cheap skate props making?"

"... I suppose. Yeah. But you're going to like it! Mr. Moon had this amazing plan to modernize the stage. B-But don't come down there yet! It'll ruin the surprise. And don't tell anyone I told you."

Crystal stiffly nodded with a tight lip, "Right. Okay."

Meena places the glass on top of the other ones on the platform cart, "I should get going. Good luck with the show tomorrow."

"And you're really going out there to sing, right?" Crystal raises her brow at her friend.

"Yeah! Yeah.. I'll be there." she starts walking down the hallway to pull out more glass from the office rooms. Then stops as she suddenly remembers something, "Wait, Crystal. I think there's someone outside. He said his name was Aeon. Isn't he the one that you said you were engaged with?"

'The f*cking hell does he want now?!' her brow twitches at the insane amount of annoyance she feels for that guy. "Yes... That's him."

"Oh, so he was the one who danced with you on the dress rehearsal! Is he also here to practice with you?"

Knowing him, Aeon might've just been too skittish all alone in a dark abandoned building— which by now is literally abandoned. The girl sighs and waves her off, heading to the path where the stairs are, "Might as well. We're still a little rusty on that one after all."

Morning came and Johnny finishes the piano lesson quite perfectly. Crystal never came back. He figured that she just went home considering how it was already late at night. Never had he imagined that he'd find her in one of the studio rooms with the guy he was feeling jealous of earlier. He knew he had no right, or have lost all right to be jealous to the one she chose to be with.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and up 1, 2, 3...." Crystal sighs and stops the music from her phone, turning towards her dance partner whom she views as the one who's always not in the right rhythm, "Am I heavy to you?"

"N-No. No, of course not."

"Then lift me higher. We're running out of time here."

"Okay, babe."

"Stop calling me that."

Johnny could hear every conversation despite the noise around him since all windows are now void of glass that separates each other's musics for practice. He sat on the stairs and looked through the morning newspaper. He picked it up earlier upon noticing the page headliner which had Marcus and Brian's faces on clear shot, The Bank Robbers Caught At Last. Following the information of all other members of the Riot Starters and Bunny Brothers, his name nor Crystal's were mentioned, giving them a certain freedom away from peering eyes of any investigators. It could be better not to go back to the garage for a while.

"—Johnny, you follow them."

"Wha—?" The boy was startled out of his thoughts when Mr. Moon came up to him. Johnny nods, although not fully understanding what that was about, "Oh, yeah yeah I'm ready. Yeah yeah yeah."

"Ash, you're—"

"After Johnny. I got it."

"Daydream couple Crystal and Aeon," he knocked on the wall to get both of their attention with the widest smile on his face, "You're going after Ash, alright?" Mr. Moon was thrilled with the two, they were the only ones who didn't fully messed up the dress rehearsals after all.

"Right," Crystal glances at him with disinterest as he continued the routine with Aeon.

Johnny sighs, a mixture of emotions flooding in his mind. Today will be such a very important day. He had no room for failure this time.