Sing along with me, Electricity

It was a nice day out. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting, and there was even a slight breeze. Clad only in a blue t-shirt, a white hoodie, and black skinny jeans, Jesse was comfortable as he walked to the school building. He had some practicing to do on his kit. Taking a deep breath, Jesse stopped hitting his sticks against his legs to let himself into the building.

The building was almost never empty since it was such a competitive school. Today, however, the halls seemed to almost echo the boy’s footsteps. Suddenly becoming all too aware of his surroundings, Jesse kept looking over his shoulder and around the hall. The silence almost scared him. When he reached the door he thought to be the music studio, the boy quickly opened it and stepped in.

Once inside, Jesse heard music and looked around. He’d misjudged his walking skills and had jumped two doors too soon. There was a girl dancing in the… how’d he get in the dance studio? Not sure what to do, Jesse tried to slink out unnoticed. With all the mirrors, however, that was nearly impossible.

Sing along with me, Electricity

The sound of her voice didn’t sound like it was in the happy end of the emotion spectrum. Biting his lip, Jesse looked around the room. “Um… Got lost?” He wasn’t lying to her, but for some reason it had come out like a lie. He knew who she was. Shewas a senior. This was a not a girl he wanted to mess with, per say.

Holding up his hands, Jesse started to defend himself. “I swear I’m not spying or anything like that. I mean, do I really look like I could dance?” As if trying to prove a point he held out his drum sticks which had somehow gotten into his back pocket. “See? I’m a music guy. I can’t dance anyway.”

When she stepped closer, he got a little more scared. Yes, he was bigger than her, but she had a commanding presence. “I suppose I should uh… go. Right?”

Sing along with me, Electricity

Jesse nodded, knowing that she was a bit calmer than before. “It’s alright. I understand. I’m kind of the same way about my music.” He managed a half smile. “Maybe not that intense, but I hate when other music people hear me before they’re supposed to.”

Shaking her hand, his half smile turned to a full one. “Jesse. And don’t worry. I get it. This school makes people crazy… but good crazy. Like, motivated crazy. I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.” He shrugged and looked around.

The boy stared at his sticks before twirling one in his left hand. “Today.” Letting his smile linger he watched her take a drink. “I’m one of the multi-instrument people here. Drums are my main focus though. They’ve always interested me most. I think it’s how loud they are. What about you? What kind of dance was that?” He knew basics, but if she started getting fancy he might need a quick verbal lesson.

Sing along with me, Electricity

“Wow. That’s kind of intense. Then again, aren’t most dancers after a certain level?” He didn’t really know anything much. He knew that his sister usedto dance and gave up when she left for college. That was about the extent of his exposure to the dance world.

As she spoke Jesse simply nodded and looked at the mirrors. For some reason all he could think about was how do they keep them clean?

“I think you shouldn’t be allowed to judge yourself. In fact, none of us should be allowed to judge ourselves. We’re all way too critical of everything we do. Like with me. I know if I miss so much as a half a beat, I’ll beat myself up over it for days. It’s bad for our mental health, you know?”