Monochrome Stories

The three of us wait in the room for the others to arrive. Just 1 hour and 30 minutes until our performance. I pick up my guitar and stand in front of the microphone. 

A touch on my back startles me and I turn around quickly to see Rogue. "Are you gonna sing?" She asks. 

"Nah." I reply. "I was just thinking."

"You really love to space out, don't you?"

"Hey." Teal calls to us. "I'm just gonna fetch Carnation and Kuro at the station. You two just chill here. Don't do anything stupid."

"Want me to go instead?" I offer. 

"No need. You can stay here with Rogue. I'll be back in a few." He replies as he opens the door and leaves. 

"Crimson, do you wanna sing something together?" Rogue asks. 

"Huh? Why?" I reply. 

"Just something to commemorate this night."

I look at her straight in the eye and can't help but imagine the horrible look she had when she was talking with Teal. I don't think I can act like there's nothing wrong. 

"You saw, didn't you?" She asks with a serious tone in her voice. 

"W-what?" I reply. 

"Oh come on." She shifts to the horrible personality she has. "I know you saw us talk earlier. Why else would you act like this?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I'm sure you do. Do you know why I can tell? Because you aren't even surprised that my personality changed." She smiles menacingly and pulls on my collar. Her personality shifts again into her normal one. "Let's pretend you didn't see anything and just go back to how things were. You still love me, right?" She says as she kisses me on the lips. 

I push her away. "Stop it!" I exclaim. "You're sick!"

The door creaks open and we see Ivory come in. He looks at us and waves his hand. "You guys are early." He tells us. 

Rogue returns to her normal personality and then walks towards him. "Yeah. We've been here a while. Do you wanna start practicing the song? You know, since we're the vocalists this time." She looks at me and smirks. 

This girl is gonna break Ivory's heart. I can already tell. I... I have to warn him about her.... But how? He's gonna practice with her, so would I even have a chance to talk to him privately.

"Yeah." Ivory replies. "Crimson, are you gonna practice with us too?"

I know how I can talk to him! "No thanks." I reply. "I'm gonna get a bit of fresh air outside."

I leave the room and head to the entrance of the venue. Shit. It's weird... Why don't I feel any pain in my heart? Rogue... She's a psycho, but I loved her, didn't I? So why the hell don't I feel anything?

I see Teal with Carnation and Kuro walking towards the entrance. Teal spots me and gestures the two to head in first. He comes to me and pulls me into a tight hug. 

"I'm sorry." He says. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this."

Ah. There it is. I feel it all now. The heartbreak, the loneliness, the sadness. It all hurts... So much... I could feel the tears running down on my face as I find comfort in Teal's hug. It's exactly like how I imagined a big brother's hug would feel. Warm and welcoming.

"You feel better now?" He asks. 

"Yeah." I reply. "Sorry for troubling you."

"Hey, no need to apologize."

"I guess... But how'd you know that I found out?"

"Well, you weren't really hiding it when I saw you outside. If you didn't know, then why would you leave your girlfriend there with Ivory?"

"Ah I guess that makes sense."

"Come on man." He says as he ruffles my hair. "This isn't your fault. I knew you wouldn't believe me when I told you at first, but it was better than just letting you live in ignorant bliss. At least now you know what she really is. So what do you plan to do now?"

"Ivory said he was gonna confess to her tonight, but I wanna warn him too."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

He looks at me confused, but then smiles. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you guys can talk alone. But what'll you do if he doesn't believe you?"

"About that... I didn't wanna tell him yet, but now... I really don't want him to know. I'm transferring to an arts school far from here. If he doesn't believe me, then I'll just go there without telling him. He wouldn't have to bother with me again."

"You know, you remind me so much of my brother. He's gonna be attending an arts school far from here too. How crazy would it be if you two were in the same school?" He chuckles. 

"Yeah... That'd be fun. At least I can make one friend."

"You know, if it's far from here, then I'm sure you can make a fresh start. Don't think about it too much."

I smile a little. "I guess..." I reply. "Can you keep this a secret fron everyone else?"

"Of course. So should we head back? Let's rehearse a little and I'll let you two talk."

"Yeah. Let's go."

The two of us go back to our band's designated room and start practice as soon as we get there. Ivory's voice goes perfect with Rogue's, and it's better than if I were the one singing. I'm glad Teal decided to make him the vocalist. If it weren't for that, then I guess we wouldn't even be able to perform now. 

"Ivory." I call to him.

He looks at me. "What is it?" He asks. 

"Uh,  are you excited about the perforamance?" 

Wow. What a great way to start the conversation Crimson. Really smart. 

"A bit. I'm really nervous too though." He replies. "Is this what you have to go through every performance?"

"Pretty much. It's really scary at first, but you'll get used to it. If only this weren't our last." I jokingly say. 

He laughs. "Yeah. I wonder if we can ever find a band again in the future..."

"...Hey Ivory, what would you think if I transferred to a school far from here?" I ask.

He looks at me confused. "I guess I'd feel pretty sad, but if it's what you want, then what can I do, right? Why? Are you gonna transfer?"

"Oh alright then." He laughs a little. "Do you have any other random question before we go back?" He asks.

"Well... Are you really gonna confess to Rogue tonight?"

He blushes. "O-of course! This is my chance! I don't think I can waste this..."

Ivory... I'm sorry... 

"But what if I tell you Rogue isn't what she seems like?" I ask

He looks at me with a shocked expression. "Huh? What do you mean?" He replies

I'm really doing it.

"Rogue... She's not as nice a person than you think. I know what she's really like."

His expression turns serious. "Then what is she like Crimson?" He asks with an angry voice. 

"Shut up! You don't know what you're saying!" He exclaims. 

"Ivory I'm serious! Why would I even joke about this?!"

"Why the hell would you even know this?! Did she tell you?? Are you part of this plan of hers?"

"No, but-"

"But what Crimson?"

"We dated!" I exclaim. He doesn't reply, but instead stares at me in shock. "We were dating up until earlier today. She broke up with me since I found out about the real her. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I couldn't! I didn't wana hurt you! I just-" An announcement interrupts me and we both look towards the speakers. 

-Next band, please get ready. You're up in 5-

I look back at Ivory and see him already walking away. I... I fuċkėd up... 

"Well that went better than I had hoped for." A voice from behind me says. I look over and see Rogue standing by a few boxes. "I guess destroying your frinedship with him was easier than I thought." She says. 

"You-! Why can't you just leave us alone?!" 

She gestures me to be quiet and puts her finger in front of my lips. "We're up next Crimson. Get ready for the confession." She says as she laughs and walks away.

Our band gathers on the side of the stage, waiting for the band before us to finish. Once they were done, we head to the stage and set up everything. I look in front of me and see the whole crowd. This is the last time I'm gonna experience this with these people I'm with, and yet it feels like this day has been going on for far too long.

"Hey everyone!" Teal exclaims as the crowd cheers. "We're Crystals, and we hope you enjoy our performance!"

Just like that, the perforamnce starts. I don't really remember how it went down, but I guess it was good. The crowd kept cheering on and on, and we just kept playing. During our final song, everything went quiet for me. Everything but Ivory and Rogue's voices. They compliment each other so perfectly. If only Rogue weren't a psycho...

Our song finishes, and Ivory fixes his mic to say something. "Hey guys. Did you enjoy our performance?" He asks. The crowd cheers louder than before. "Thanks for all the support you guys have given us since we started, but we have an announcement to make. This will be Crystals' last performance." Soft murmurs erupt in the crowd. They all look so confused, but some sad. "It was a unanimous decision from the group, and we hope you guys can understand. But before we end this, I have one last announcement to make..." He faces Rogue. "Rogue, I like you. Will you go out with me?" The crowd cheers louder.

I warned Ivory, didn't I? Whatever happens next isn't my fault anymore. I put my guitar down and leave the stage to get some fresh air. The night sky has never looked so peaceful. It's really quiet. I couldn't hear the crowd anymore, and there are no people outside. Just me and my thoughts. I'm transferring schools anyway, so what's the point of being hung up on this. It's his fault for not believing me. I can't do anything about what'll happen next... But I can't help but worry for him...

"Peaceful, isn't it?" A voice from behind me asks. I could tell it's Rogue from the sound of it. "You won't even look at me?' She asks. "Fine. We're officially going out now. He looked so happy when I agreed. So did you tell him?"

"About what?" I ask with an angry voice. 

"Oh you know what I'm talking about." She says as she stands right in front of me. "About me."

"So what if I did?"

"Well there's nothing wrong with it since he wouldn't believe you anyway. I already told you before. You two are so alike, it's scary. You're both too naive... I wonder how I'm gonna break his heart." I feel my blood boil and I unconsciously grab Rogue by the collar of her shirt. "W-what the hell?" She asks. "You aren't really gonna punch a girl, are you?"

"Crimson!" I hear a voice exclaim as a fist flies across my face. I let go of Rogue and get knocked down. I open my eyes and see Ivory comforting her. "What the fuċk do you think you're doing?!"

"I told you! She's not who she says she is! Why can't you see that?!" I exclaim. 

"You're still going on about that?? Dude, she broke up with you! There's no need to go this far! Just leave her alone!"

"You're right." I reply as I stand up. "There's no need to go this far. I hope you enjoy your happy life with her. Don't worry, you won't have to see me ever again." I say as I walk away from them. 

That was the last time I saw Ivory. Well, up until I saw him at school...