Falling for Braxton

“Bailey are you coming,” I hear my older sister ask who is now taking care of me after our parents died in a tragic accident.

“Yes, yes, I am coming Ginna! No need to be so impatient,” I answer her back. Throwing a few more things into one of the boxes, I packed to leave for the University of Dance and Music, where I will spend the next few years striving to become a real dancer. My sister is in the car to leave for the University. All the way through the ride, she is quite, and we listen to some music.

After a while driving, we finally arrive at the university and I immediately jump out of the car, taking a big breath.

We walk together into the building where my apartment is located. I get to the door of the apartment and open it with the key my sister had gotten from the administration office at the campus.

I step inside and see no one. Walking further into the apartment, I notice that one room is unlocked of the two, and step inside. It is a small room with a single bed and a desk on the other side of the room. My sister enters behind me and sets the cardboard box next to mine on the floor that she had brought out of her car.

“Looks cozy,” my sister Ginna says as she looks around the room. I nod and start unpacking with her until we part at her gray Toyota outside. And she drives back home as I go with another box I took from her car upstairs. I walk inside, where I still haven’t seen my roommate. Not worrying about it any further, I walk to my closet and put this box under my clothes. This is my box with all my precious memories from my parents when I was little, I took out the little bag with all the flowers in it and look at the rings inside from my parents. And whisper, “Could you be here with me mom and dad, I miss you so much.” Afterwards I put them back and lay myself on the bed looking at the ceiling. Excited for tomorrow my first day of school.

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That morning, I skip my breakfast because I am way too nervous for today’s dance class. I put my toothbrush in my mouth in the bathroom and walk out the door to the building where I have to be that morning.

Finally! Here I am in front of the building where I can take my first class for the day, only it’s pretty quiet outside. Where is everyone?

Then I see a boy walking by. Apparently he wasn’t too happy to be stopped by me.

“Are you already awake at this hour! Classes start here at 10 am, come back later.” Wow, that one was in a bad mood! You could almost tell by looking at them that he had just come from a party.

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Later at ten o’clock I go back after walking around my apartment for a few hours hoping when it would finally be ten o’clock. Even my roommate who had suddenly shown up freaked out by me. She was glad I was out of the door, apparently they really did have a party yesterday. I remember from the papers that she called Eva and was the same age as me, 17 years, so. I haven’t been able to talk to her much, because she is in bed with a hangover. Looking at my watch, I see that it is already half past nine and walk out the door to the building, where I was already at nine o’clock. When I arrive, I am happy to see the door open and finally able to step inside. Until I hear someone drumming, I walk closer to the window where the sound is coming from and look inside, where I see a handsome boy sitting with headphones on and playing his drums. He is so far away in his playing that he doesn’t even see me. That gives me a chance to get a better look at him, he has light brown hair that lies tousled by the headphones and if I look closely. He has dark blue eyes and a sharp jawline, which looks good on him. I look at his dainty hands beating up and down the wooden drumsticks on the drum.

Then suddenly he stops and looks around, causing me to quickly dive away. Hopefully he hasn’t seen me. Quickly I look at my watch while hiding and see that I am almost late and flee quickly into the building to my modern dance class.

The boy who was drumming suddenly sees a girl fleeing from the window, but it was too fleeting to take her in properly, and decides to continue playing and practicing for their next performance.

Bailey is changing her own clothes for her first dance, after the warm-up she flies in and imitates exactly what the teacher is doing and falls down almost exhausted after class.

I’m obviously out of shape, after that long vacation I really should have practiced more, I think to myself. Also, why hadn’t I eaten that morning? Oh yes, I was way too nervous. As I shower and change back into my clothes, I keep thinking about that boy with his drum kit and his headphones. Would he still be there?

I walk back out the same door and look back at the window, but there was no one there. Sighing, I walk to the other building across the street to go to math. In the hallways I see the number of the class and walk in as the last one, apparently, Awkward. I sit down on the last seat in the back of the classroom and listen to the teacher continue with her lesson. After an hour of listening to all those formulas that I really need to delve into later, I walk to my locker and suddenly see the same boy as this morning in the classroom playing his drum kit. He is even more handsome now than before. He is like tall too, and his hair is still tousled. Furthermore, he has on jeans that hang low and a tighter T-shirt above them with some kind of logo on it. He looks good and when I want to say something he grabs a cap from his locker, claps the door shut and walks away. Still standing there amazed until I hear someone behind me.

“Braxton. You don’t have to try, he doesn’t do dating. Just sometimes a quickie with the first girl who is only interested in one night.” I look at the girl who said it and recognize her exactly from my dance class. She has blonde hair that is all up and is now wearing a dress and flat shoes underneath.

“I had heard him playing on his drum kit this morning, which sounded so good,” I tell her as we walk together to our building on campus where the dorms are located.

“Yes, he is in a band and are quite popular here on campus. Braxton is the most handsome according to most girls, but I think the singer Shane is the best,” she says, laughing. First we arrive at her apartment in the housing complex and later I step into my room. Eva is already nowhere to be seen, and I go to my room and start writing in my journal. It’s more a book for writing emotions. After my parents died, my therapist had recommended doing this. When I’m done and almost all of it is written about this mysterious boy who keeps haunting me, I try to sleep and when I do, all I can think about is this boy behind the window playing his drums.