Lost & Loud in C Major

Every season has its music, just as every piece of music has its season.

Bach is spring. Light, bright, gentle, both warm and cold at the same time. A bit like those spring days where the wind freezes you to the bone, only for the sunlight to warm you up again a second later.

Fall is Mozart, the whimsical traveler floating and dancing around like red leaves carried by the wind.

Winter is Rachmaninoff. Cold, harsh, nostalgic, and melancholic.

And dare she say it?

Charismatic.

Summer is Ravel, sunlight reflecting on ocean waves until everything around you feels too bright and beautiful to look at properly.

The kind that makes you regret forgetting your sunglasses at the beach.

Among all his works, there was one piece Ellie thought couldn’t be more perfect for the beginning of summer. Jeux d’Eau. Ellie always thought the piece felt a little like drowning, but the enjoyable kind.

It’s a bit of a pity that the song somehow turned into the soundtrack of their first meeting. Even though it might not have been a meeting she wanted to have.

Then again, maybe calling their meeting regrettable was more fitting.

What else would you call a moment when a boy one grade above hers suddenly barged into her classroom shouting her name?

“ELEANOR SINCLAIR!!”

The boy shouted all the way from the front door, his voice so loud that even the entire philharmonic playing through her headphones could barely hold against it.

“IS THERE AN ELEANOR SINCLAIR HERE??”

Ellie stared at him, confused.

Did he just call her name?

Is there another Eleanor Sinclair here?

There must be one, right?

Right?

“Are you Eleanor Sinclair?” the boy asked one of the girls.

The girl immediately shook her head.

“No, no, I… I’m—” she stammered, eyes glued to the boy’s face.

Immediately, every instinct Ellie had screamed at her.

Stay quiet. Stay hidden. This boy is trouble.

“Eleanor Sinclair?” the boy’s voice boomed again, even louder this time as he made his way into the classroom.

Just then, one of the boys in her class pointed at her.

“Headphone girl.”

Traitor.

The boy smiled, eyes sparkling brightly as he approached her table.

“Are you Eleanor Sinclair?” he asked, leaning both hands against her desk.

Reluctantly, Ellie took off her headphones. The sound of the room flooded her ears all at once. Moving chairs. Whispering voices. Shoes scraping against the floor.

Gone was her Ravel.

Then came the noise.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Eleanor Sinclair?” he repeated again.

As expected, the boy was loud. Louder than the boys screaming and tossing footballs around the cafeteria during lunch. But strangely, she didn’t hear any shrillness in his voice. It rolled instead of pierced, maybe a tone or two lower than most boys their age.

Ellie nodded slowly.

“Two-time MTNA winner?” the boy asked.

Ellie winced immediately. Her eyes darted toward the door, toward the music teacher hiding poorly behind the wall while watching the exchange with curious eyes.

So it was you.

Noticing her reaction—or lack of one—the boy’s grin widened.

He reached out his hand.

“Noah Mercer.”

Ellie paused before finally taking it.

“Eleanor,” she replied quietly.

“So, Eleanor,” Noah said, “I’m actually part of the school band.”

Eleanor said nothing. This had become a recurring motif in her life, one she had heard far too many times before.

“We’re down a pianist.”

His smile widened again, his voice lifting slightly with excitement.

“Can you join for a while?”

Ah.

That same question again.

This time asked by a sophomore who suddenly barged into her class without shame or hesitation.

“No.”

She answered curtly before immediately putting her headphones back on.

There went Ravel. She didn’t even make it to the end of Jeux d’Eau.

Soft piano filled her ears instead, followed by bright harmonies she immediately recognized.

Ah.

The Swedes again.

At least this time she didn’t feel like dancing. That was already an improvement.

Across from her, Noah stood there for a second, seemingly shocked silent and almost offended by how easily she dismissed him.

Then he laughed.

His laugh sounded like D major. Warm enough to soften the edges of the room just a little.

Well.

Too loud, actually. Loud enough that even the piano intro couldn’t cover it.

Yet somehow, almost unconsciously, Ellie lowered one side of her headphones again, just enough to hear him.

“Yeah, right,” Noah said. “I thought you’d say that.”

He leaned closer and grinned.

“But I’m persistent, you see. I’m not giving up. I need you—”

He paused, realizing how his words might have sounded.

“To… play the piano,” he corrected quickly, voice lowering slightly this time as though trying to hide his embarrassment. “We have an upcoming competition in less than a month.”

“Sorry. I can’t,” Eleanor answered again.

She sat there staring at him, trying her absolute best to look intimidating.

How did her piano teacher usually do it again?

How deep should the frown be?

Did intimidating people widen their eyes or narrow them?

But Noah seemed completely unfazed. As a matter of fact, he chuckled at her expression instead.

“What are you doing?” he asked, laughing softly.

Did she fail?

That was embarrassing.

Just then, the sound of the bell rang loudly across the entire school. Ellie flinched immediately. She had been attending the school for almost a year now, and yet the bell still attacked her from time to time.

Noah stared at her for a moment before smiling again.

“Don’t worry,” he said as he took a step back. “I’ll come find you again tomorrow.”

With that, he walked away from the classroom, laughter still echoing through the hallway as he chatted brightly with the music teacher.

Almost immediately, the girls in the classroom burst into chatter, giggling and whispering to each other while watching his figure disappear behind the wall.

Ellie wondered if this was what a Spice Girls waiting room sounded like.

Strangely enough, even after all the noise faded, she could still hear his laugh lingering in the back of her head.

Ellie quietly put her headphones back on.

What a Mozart.

#####

Hello, Reli here!

This is just a small trial for now. I mostly wanted to see whether this story and first chapter are interesting enough to continue.

So if you enjoyed reading, please consider leaving a star or a comment below. I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you!