Monochrome Stories

Black's POV

"Hey, do you wanna walk home together?" Crimson asked as he put his guitar in its case. 

"Sure. I've finished sketching anyway." I replied.

He grabbed his stuff and headed towards the door. I grabbed mine and caught up to him, and we continued walking until we got outside of the school. "Why did you choose the arts department?" He asked.

"My dad used to be a painter, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps." I answered. "What about you? Why'd you choose the music department?"

"I've loved music ever since I was really young." He answered. "Since then, it was something I knew I wanna pursue when I got older, but it isn't working out too much..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked. "You look like you're really enjoying what you're doing."

He stopped walking and faced me. "Do you wanna stop by somewhere first?" He asked, pointing at a park near us.

"Sure." I replied as we both sat down on a bench.

He went to the vending machine nearby and bought two drinks. "Catch!" He said, throwing a drink in my direction. 

I caught it. "Dude, don't do that. I feel like my heart is gonna burst out any minute." I replied. My heart was still beating fast from the pressure. I opened the drink and took a sip. It was just cola, but it tasted so good. Cold drinks feel the best when it's hot outside. 

"Do you remember the first time you went to the music room?" He asked as he took a seat. 

"Yeah. Kinda. It was when I told you about my problem, right?"

"Is that all you remember?"

What? Was there something else then... Think Black... What could it be? What happened during that day... Oh!

"You were crying when I entered the room, right?" I asked. 

He smiled and then stared into space. "That day was hard for me, but it got better when I met you." He tilted his head down, towards the drink in his hand. I could see he was holding onto it tight. "We met at the bathroom remember?"

"Yeah. What of it?" I asked. 

"This is a bit embarrassing to say, but I was actually crying then." He said as he scratched the back of his head. 

"Crying? Why?"

"Well, the first month of school went by and I was still a loner. Nobody wanted to approach me because of the rumours, and when I saw you in the bathroom, I thought that you'd be just like the others, but the thing is, you weren't scared. You were confused, naive, you didn't know me... Which made me happy, because I thought that finally, somebody would be willing to talk to me..."

"But that still doesn't explain why you were crying in the music room that day."

"Sometimes music is the musician's way of conveying their feelings, and it just so happens that the bottle of my feelings broke because of the music. I hate sad songs with all of my heart, but sometimes it's the only thing that can keep me happy in my darkest times..."

"Crimson, can you sing something for me?" I asked. 

He looked at me confused, but then smiled a little. "Do you want me to play the guitar?" He asked. 

"No need."

He smiles and started singing, and it was like emotions were scattering in the wind. His voice sounded softer than usual. It wasn't the voice I used to hear every single day. It was like a whole other person was singing. I could feel the loneliness in his voice, and it was affecting me more than it should. 

"Woah, Black, are you okay??" Crimson asked, sounding very concerned. 

"W-what?" I replied. 

"You're crying."

"I am?" I asked as I touched my face, and he was right. I could feel the tears on my fingers.

"Dude, are you okay?" He asked again. 

"Sorry, sorry." I replied as I wiped the tears off my face. "I guess your voice just really got to me."

"My voice?" He chuckled a little. "You were the one who told me to sing. Can I ask why you asked me to sing though?"

"Well... Earlier you said that music is the musician's way to convey their feelings. I just thought that since you aren't comfortable with telling me what's wrong directly, then maybe you can say it through singing. I also thought that it might help you feel better... I'm sorry if it made you feel worse..."

He patted me on the back. "Stop worrying about it." He looked at me and did his dorky smile. "I feel a lot better now. Thank you, Black."

"Crimson, I know you might find it hard, but please know that you can always depend on me. I have no idea what happened to you in the past, but I can ȧssure you that I've been genuine about hanging out with you."

"I know, and I'm really thankful to you. You're my first and only friend in this school, and I'm glad that I can depend on you, but I can't tell you... Because once I do, you'll leave me just like the others..."

I stood up and finished my drink. "Take your time. I'm not pressuring you to tell me anything. I can wait until you're ready. No matter how long it takes." I replied. "And just so you know, I'm not the type of person to leave my friends behind."

He stared at me, but then smirked. "Thanks, Black." He said as he stood up and finished his drink too. "Shall we go home?" He asked. 

"Yeah, let's go." I replied. 

I wasn't sure if what I saw was real, but I think I saw Crimson smile from the corner of my eye. His once sorrowful smile that I saw earlier today turned into a smile of genuine happiness, and I'm glad that I might be the reason that his smile turned into something so heartwarming.