Conversations (dedicated to my friend)

Conversations

Prologue

         My iPod dings and my face lights up, knowing it's a message on Kik from my pen pal Monika (Moni to me). I unlock my iPod and read it, smiling. It simply says "How's the hunt going?" This is the message I have been waiting for. I type out my replay "Well, actually I have some news. I got into NYU!!!!" When I press send, I chew on my lip and wait for her replay. We have been friends for almost 3 years now, and she had been there every step of the way. We had met on Tumblr and we had talked constantly. I considered her one of my best friends. Her replay popped up. "OMG! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!" Then another popped up. "Now, that you have gotten into the school of your dreams, go and make them happen." I smiled to myself. I sent a replay saying I will. After that we talked and fangirled for about an hour. When we were going to bed, she sent me a message saying "I really am happy for you. You are going to have the life of your dreams... I know it. Sweet dreams. I'll talk to you soon."







Present

         I threw my bag in the corner of my room and flopped down onto my bed, letting out a huff. God, I HATED Mr. Jones. My roommate Emilie knocked on my door. "Come in" I sighed. She did; her long blond hair in a messy ponytail. She was an art major, while I was a Drama major. Still, the first day of freshman year, 2 years ago, we had hit it off immediately and got an apartment together soon after. She was one of my closest friends. The funny thing was... we were polar opposites. She was into art and painting, while I was a Drama geek and I wrote stories. She had insanely long blond hair, while mine was short like a boy, dark and I dye my fringe crazy colors. She was petite, and I was kinda tall. She had blue eyes, mine were green. As I said, polar opposites. Though, we both had the exact same music taste and values. She saw my flopped onto my bed, bag in the corner and guessed what had happened. She leaned on my door frame and asked "Shitty day?" I nodded absently. "Was it Mr. Jones?" She asked again. This time I buried my head into a pillow. She got the hint and sat on my bed, and hand lay on my shoulder, and she said "Why don't you tell me about it..."

I took a deep breath and sat up, only to fall over and lay my head in her lap. "He hates me and my work!" I started my rant. "He says I have no talent and that I have no hope to ever be a writer! It's not fair! I put my heart and SOUL into my work! I know it's not always perfect, but does he have to go and just stab my hopes and dreams with a rusty knife?" Thankfully Emilie didn't say anything, just patted my hair and let me rant. Once I had finished she sighed. "You know you're an amazing writer... right?" I nodded, smiling a little. It was unproductive to argue with Emilie. "And you're an amazing artist!" I shot back affectionately. She laughed a full belly laugh and said "Damn straight! Now, let's go make coffee and I'll show you what I'm working on!"

After she had shown me an amazing portrait of a model from her Study of Anatomy class, we made coffee and sat outside on our tiny balcony. She pulled out her cigarettes and stuck one between her lips, lighting up. She offered one too me, but I refused. "You know I'm trying to quit." I said, smiling apologetically at her. "Oops!" She said "Sorry, force of habit! And, yea, I'll quit once I'm out of school. AND I AM NOT AS BAD AS YOU USED TO BE! So don't think it." I just laughed. It's true, I used to smoke so much, but I finally decided to quit when it had started to affect my voice. We sat in silence for a few minutes watching the blue smoke from Emilie's cigarette curl into the dying light of the sun. "So, tomorrow night, there is a gig going on near here. There are some new bands playing. You should come." Oh man, that sounded amazing. I loved gigs and I hadn't been to one in forever. Plus, I loved listening to new bands. So I nodded and said "Sure, sounds good."

The next morning, I had a feeling deep in my gut that it was going to be a good day. Something, or even more than one thing, good was going to happen today. The sun was streaming through my window. It was a Friday, so I didn't have any classes until at least noon. So, I decided to head over to the library. I got up slowly and got dressed after a shower. I contemplated and decided to put in a little effort today. I pulled on my fishnets and then zipped up a plaid grey and black skirt, The skirt sat a little above my hips and was a little short, but not whorish. Then I put on a black tank-top and over that a sleeveless grey shirt with a skeleton image in a darker grey. Tucking that in, I did up makeup and pulled on an orange hat. Feeling complete I decided I would walk to class seeing as I had time. Emilie had already left, but there was a note. It read "Hey, there is some coffee in the mug for you! And take a coat, its chilly! Xx Em." I laughed as I laced up my black Docs. I grabbed the coffee, my bag and threw on my leather jacket. Today was going to be a good day.

Here is something you have to know about me. When I'm listening to music, I tend to not pay attention to my surroundings. This would be fine if I wasn't an accident prone klutz. I was walking in the crisp air, listening to my music really loud and not paying any attention. The sun was streaming and it was just one of those days that everything in New York City just looked beautiful. I had finished my coffee and the mug was stowed in my messenger bag somewhere. And just as it got to a really good part, I smacked into someone. I must have banged into them pretty hard, because we both ended up on the floor. I ripped out my headphones and started apologizing really fast. The person I bumped into laughed and said it a masculine voice "It's ok! Really, I'm fine." And I looked up and saw just exactly who I had slammed into.

He was utterly gorgeous. I'm not even kidding. He was tall, I could tell, even sitting, with long limbs. He was lean, like a dancer or swimmer. His skin was on the pale side, like mine. His hair was black and messy, but cute. His piercing green eyes were scrunched up from smiling. His lips were red and full, with a lip ring in the corner, much like mine but on the opposite side. He had a splash of dark freckles across his nose. He was wearing black jeans and a band shirt. I realized I knew the band shit, because I had the same one. I pointed and said "I have that shirt! I love Of Mice and Men!" He smiled widely at me. He then noticed one (I had lots) of my books had fallen out of my bag. He picked it up and saw the title. His beautiful eyes got wide and he exclaimed "I ADORE this book!" I laughed at his child-in-a-candy-store expression. He handed me the book back and helped me up. "So, where are you going?" He asked in a friendly tone. "To the library. I don't have class till noon so... yea. Where are you headed?" He laughed again and said "Would you believe me if I said I was heading to the library too?"

So we walked to the library. I found out that his name was Resse and that he was music major. We talked about different bands and who we liked. We talked about school, because it turned out that we were in the same year and had some of the same teachers at different times. He was surprised to find out that, as well as being a drama kid, I sang and wrote stories. Once we got to the library, we looked for books and discussed who we liked and different genres and stuff. It was glorious. We had similar tastes in books. I was seriously starting to like this guy. When we sat at a table we talked some more and I even read out some of my stories, which is something I don't usually share with strangers. Once I was done reading a few he smiled at me and said "You are really talented." I blushed and smiled. I got up to use the bathroom, but when I came back, he was gone. Tucked into one of my books was a note. It said "I have to run. It's been really cool hanging with you. I would love to do it again if you want. Here is my number." I smiled and typed his number into my phone. I looked at my watch and realized that I only had 10 minutes to get to class. I gathered all my stuff and ran out of the library, sprinting through the New York streets to get to class.

When I got home, I was greeted by a flying hug from Emilie. She was small, but she had the strength of a man who had been weightlifting for 20 years. "Heya!" She exclaimed. I laughed and gasped trying to get her off me. Instead, she climbed onto my back and screamed "MAKE ME FOOOOOOD!" I laughed at her again and pried her off my back. I then set my bag down and went into the kitchen to whip something up. She sat on a chair and babbled away about some art project she was working on. Once I had set food down, she started eating and asked "So, how was your day?" I smiled and a blush flared up on my cheeks. "I actually met someone." Emilie dropped her fork and started at me for a second before screaming "TELL ME EVERYTHING! DETAILS, DETAILS!!!" I cracked up and told her all about Resse.

Later that night I was in a shower while Emilie was brushing her teeth and fixing her hair. "So, what bands are playing tonight?" I asked over the stream of water. I poked my head out, and then put it right back in. Man it was cold! Emilie tapped her finger to her lip and said "Um, there are three bands playing. Ummm, the first band is called Forgotten Junk Of The Common Bullet, the second is Candle Waxx and the third is called On The Moon." At the name of the last band I stuck my head out again. The name was strangely familiar. I had a weird feeling that I had heard that name before. I tried to shake off the feeling through my shower, but it didn't leave.

After I got out, I got ready with Emilie. I put on my tight ripped black jeans and a black shirt with blood splatters. I adored that shirt because it gave the illusion that I had been shot through the heart. I put on a little more makeup, but I wasn't really someone who wore a lot on general. I also traded my Docs for a pair on knee high lace up boots with a giant, sturdy chucky sole. I didn't really do anything with my hair though. I had re-dyed it a vibrant purple the day before. Emilie on the other hand looked amazing. She always loved lots of color and today was no exception. She wore a plain black skirt with a white top that really showed off her curves. She was wearing bright blue tights and a dark blue cardigan. She kept her blond hair loose, but on her arms were an array of bracelets and she wore about 3 necklaces of different lengths. I wore a simple chocker on my neck and the bracelet I always wore. Emilie's makeup was perfectly done and flirty. I raised my eyebrows at her. "What?" She asked "I want to find a guy too!" I just laughed and we left. But, there was still that strange little knot of anticipation for the gig that I just couldn't get rid of.

When we got there it was already packed. Man, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed crowds. We were right on time, the first band having just finishing setting up. The lead singer came up to the mic and said "Hey, we are Forgotten Junk Of The Common Bullet and this song is called Patience." And they started. They were ok, but I still wanted to have fun. Emilie and I dived right in and were laughing and dancing and jumping around. Once they had finished, Emilie and I got drinks and waited for the next band to set up. Once they did, they came onstage and said "What's up fuckers! We are Candle Waxx and this song is called Kill the Teachers." They actually were amazing. The lead singer wasn't bad looking either. And he played guitar really well. A mosh pit formed and I decided that I was just gonna jump in. Just before I did though, I saw someone in the crowd, looking up at the lead singer and smiling. She wasn't moving much, just looking and smiling. For a second I thought I knew her, but then I was swallowed up by bodies and I lost sight of her.

Emilie was waiting for me once I finally fought my way out of the pit. She never goes in because she doesn't like them, but I love them. I get this amazing adrenaline rush from them. She laughed at me, probably because my makeup was running. She dragged me to the bathroom to fix it, and once we got back, the next band was just about to start. I looked at the girl on stage, holding a bass and my eyes widened. I knew her from somewhere, but where??? It was the same girl I had seen in the crowd, looking up at the gut from Candle Waxx. She cleared her throat and said "Um Hi. Uh, we are On The Moon..." she giggled a little at her own joke. "Um, this is our first time in the States, and we are excited to be here. Anyway, this is our first song. It's called Not Too Perfect and this is dedicated to an old friend of mine who helped me write it." My eyes grew wide. No... it couldn't be. There was no way. But then they started playing and I couldn't deny it anymore. I finally knew where I had seen the girl from.

The music was brilliant, but I couldn't move. Emilie was off chatting to some people, but I stayed rooted in place. My eyes were stuck on the bassist. I couldn't believe it was her, after all this time. They were really well received and for good reason. The beat resonated in my chest and I wanted to move, I really did, but I just couldn't. I was completely shell shocked. After two songs, they stopped playing and the speaker started playing some crappy club music. That's when I decided I was going to go and see her. The bands had just gotten out and I made my way over. I saw her chatting to the guy from Candle Waxx. I made my way over, but she hadn't seen me yet. I took a deep breath and said "Moni? Is that you?" She turned around and stared at me, slightly confused. I bit my lip, sucking my lip ring into my mouth and said "It's Megan... Megan Graham."

Her eyes got really wide then. Her mouth hung open and quietly she said "Oh my god. Megan? As in Megan who used to be my pen pal?" I nodded and kept a firm grip on my lip. I had no idea how she was going to react, and I was nervous to say the least. I ran a hand through my hair. That's when she screamed and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. I laughed and hugged her back, just as fiercely. The hug lasted a while, and when we finally let go you held me by the shoulders and said "How are you?? What's been happening? I want to know everything!" I laughed. She was so eager, that it was rubbing off on me. "How about we ditch this place and go get some coffee or something." She nodded eagerly and followed me. I also noted that the guy from Candle Waxx followed too.  I found Emilie and told her that I would be home later. She didn't question me and just waved me off. She was talking to the drummer from Candle Waxx and I saw the flirty little light in her eyes. I left her to her own devices as I walked out of the club, Moni in tow.

We found a quit little shop and got a table. We sat and ordered. "So what's been happening?" I asked. Moni looked excited and said "Well, obviously, I'm actually getting somewhere with the band." I laughed and said "Yea! You guys were amazing!" She smiled at me and took a sip of her coffee. She drummed her hand on the table and said "Yea, the band has kind of consumed my life right now. Oh, and I'm thinking about getting an apartment here!" I smiled. But, then I raised an eyebrow. I didn't even have to say anything. She knew exactly what I wanted to know. She grinned at me and said "This is Jakey! He is the lead singer/ guitarist of Candle Waxx." She smiled at him. There was something about the smile that I couldn't quite put my finger one. He rolled his eyes affectionately and stuck out his hand. "Actually it's Jake, but anyway, it's nice to meet you."  I shook his hand, which was warm and callously. "Megan." I said "Nice to meet you." We let our hands drop and I asked "So, are you guys friends or..." I mentally slapped myself. What a lame question. To hide my embarrassment, I took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth run through my chest. Moni started to laugh. "No, actually, this is my boyfriend." That's when something clicked in my head. A grin spread across my face, while Moni and Jake smiled stupidly at each other. "You mean, like we talked about when we were kids??" I suddenly blurted out. Moni grinned at me and laughed. I took that as a yes and laughed with her.

After our fit of laughter died down, Moni asked "So... what's been going on with you?" and she smiled at me. I smiled back and said "Well, I'm in my junior year at NYU. Ummm, I've been good. I'm keeping up with my studies and the acting thing is going really well. I haven't really auditioned for anything yet, but I will soon. Oh, and my creative writing teacher hates me. Ummm, I live with my roommate Emilie. You should meet her, she's really cool. And yea..." I trailed off. My life didn't sound all that interesting, but Moni and Jake's eyes were wide with interest. "That's awesome!" They both said at the same time, which cracked me up. After that, conversation was easy.

An hour or so later, Jake went to the bathroom and Moni turned to me. "Wow, this is amazing." She breathed. I nodded in agreement. "So," She said "You know that my little fantasy about my dream boy came true. What about you?" I blushed. Man, I've been doing that a lot lately. I'm surprised that my face hasn't gone permanently red yet. "Actually..." I said slowly "I did meet this one guy today..." And I launched into detail about Resse and how we met. Moni listened intensely, her grin slowly building. When I was done, she said "Oh my god! That's awesome!" Then we started to fangirl a bit until Jake came back. After he did, we talked about many different things.

All too soon, I looked at the time and realized how late it was. "Shoot, guys! I gotta go. I have an early shift tomorrow at the book store!" Moni and Jake nodded sympathetically. We set about exchanging phone numbers and walked out of the coffee shop, after paying of course. Once outside the shop, Moni and I hugged. "Maybe you could come jam with us sometime?" I nodded enthusiastically and promised to text her later. Once I got home, I pulled on my pjs and flopped onto my bed. My head was reeling with thoughts. I got under the covers and smiled. I should listen to my gut more often. The day really had been brilliant.

An annoying buzzing sound rudely yanked me from a delicious dream of coffee and Resse early the next morning. I cracked my eyes open and sighed. While I loved working at the bookshop, I HATED getting up early. I groaned and pulled myself out of bed, pulling on a hoodie. I went to the kitchen and found Emilie, looking wrecked, pouring coffee. "What did you get up to last night?" I asked my voice still scratchy from sleep. She turned and I saw a hicky on her neck. She raised her eyebrow as if to say "Does this answer your question?" I smiled a little and nodded. We made breakfast in silence. I knew she had a big project she had to work on, and if I delayed any longer, I was going to be late. I looked at the time, and decided to jump into a shower before heading out.

It was another beautiful day. It was unusually warm, so I took my jacket off and enjoyed the sun. I was wearing a black BVB shirt, so I felt nice and toasty warm. I got into the shop Adam, another employee and my boss's partner, looked up at me from his spot on the register. He was this tall, gangly guy who was cool enough and listened to good music. He had tattoos curling down his arm. He nodded in greeting and went back to his comic. I rolled my eyes and went to the back, so I could store my stuff and maybe get a coffee.

When I got to the back, I found my boss waiting for me. His name was Brain and he was much more friendly and talkative than his boyfriend. Honestly, the two of them were completely opposite, but they worked. "Heya, Meg! Alight, today is gonna be a lazy day, so you can just hang out on the floor!" I smiled at him and then set to work. Before I got out the door though, he exclaimed "OH! And we will be having a new employ soon. Probably tomorrow!" I frowned, but didn't question it. Brain was sometimes unpredictable like that.

The day was slow. Almost no one came in. I mostly just sat on my favorite chair and read books. That was one of the many perks of working in a bookstore, besides the reductions. At one point, my phone buzzed and I frowned. Emilie was the only one who ever really texted me, and she knew I was at work. I flipped open my phone and my heart almost stopped. It was a text from Resse. I was almost scarred to open it, but that was being silly. So I did. It was simple "Would you like to get coffee today?" I sucked on my lip ring, wondering how I was going to reply. I settled for a simple "Sure!" And I went back to my book. I couldn't concentrate though, wondering how he was going to reply and when. My phone buzzing went off and I immediately flipped it open. It said "Awesome. Meet me @ Starbuck on corner of 81st and Columbus." Thankfully that was near my work. I could get there for my lunch break, which was in two hours. I texted, telling him I would be there and when, and settled down with my book. Sadly, I couldn't get back into the story, seeing as I was thinking so much about Resse. A customer came in then, and I got up to help them find something.

I picked at my nails as I stood in line at the Starbucks. I hadn't seen Resse there yet, and I realized that I was a bit early. I ordered a very large coffee and went to go sit on one of the many couches, flicking through my ipod to fins some music to listen too. I looked out the widow and sipped my coffee, music blaring in my ears. Clouds had started to form, and it looked like it was going to rain soon. Sometimes, we had weird weather. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the figure walking up to me. When I felt a tap on my shoulder, I whipped around to face whoever was tapping me. In the process, my headphones got caught in my hand and flew out of my ears, painfully. I winced a little, but got distracted, finally seeing who had disturbed me. Holding a coffee just as large as mine, Resse was ginning at me.

"I see you're a coffee junkie, like me!" Resse said, laughing. I couldn't help but grin back. He sat down and a slightly uncomfortable silence engulfed us. I realized music was still kind of blaring through my headphones and you could pretty much hear the guitar roaring through them. I blushed quickly and turned my music off. "So..." I said quietly. "So..." He shot back at me, a smirk growing on his face. I rolled my eyes at him, and took a sip of my coffee. As I was in the middle of sipping it, I looked up at Resse and saw him doing a funny face. I of course, forgetting I was drinking something, laughed and coffe came spewing out of my mouth. Perfect. After I was done coughing, I noticed Resse was still laughing. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!"I yelled at him as best I could. That just made him laugh harder. I gritted my teeth to keep from laughing with him and cleaned up the mess. Once he had calmed down he giggled "Yea, sorry. Force of habit I guess." I just rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but smile. He studied me for a second and then said "You do that a lot... roll your eyes." I smiled a little bit, being as that was the same phrase Emilie used when she met me. "You'll get used to it." I said, before I could even comprehend what I was saying. Once they did register in my head, I looked up at Resse in horror. But, he just smiled and said "I would like that."