The ex
Raven took a long sip of her drink, looking around at the group that had suddenly become overwhelmingly quiet
“Oh, come on, don’t be such a drama queen” Clarke rolled her eyes
Raven sighed “Okay, but it’s a long story, you guys.” she cleared her throat “We met at the conservatory, and…”
Jasper scoffed “Raven at a conservatory, shocking”
Raven glared at him “And we didn’t get along at first. In fact, we hadn't talked to each other until we were placed together in a string quartet, because there was a sort of competition between us to be the best students in the conservatory. I mean, we had barely heard each other play and teachers were already trying to create this pointless rivalry between us…anyhow, the first day we were supposed to have a quartet lesson none of the other students showed up, nor did our teacher, so we were just left there with each other.”
A tall, light-haired silhouette walked proudly, bow and violin in hand to the classroom door. Raven was sitting on the floor by her cello, she spoke without lifting her eyes from the book she was reading, Messiaen’s “My musical language”.
“You’re late”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one.” the violinist knocked on the door loudly. Twice. Three times. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Raven exasperatedly bit the inside of her cheek “There’s no one there, no matter how hard you knock.”
The violinist sat on the floor across from Raven “Whoa, thank you, Ryers. Wouldn't have guessed it on my own.”
Raven finally closed her book, leaving her index finger inside to mark the page she was on “It’s Reyes.” she marked the ‘r’ sound clearly “and you should thank me, had you knocked that hard a few more times you might've broken a bone or two.”
Her classmate hesitated before replying “Whatever.”
They rested in an awkward silence for another few minutes before Raven opened her book again. She was just about to read again the page she’d been on earlier when she was interrupted.
“That’s Messiaen, right?”
Raven raised an eyebrow and pointed at the author’s name on the cover “Um…it says so?”
“I mean… you’ve got to know the Quartet for the end of time”
Raven nodded
“It’s just, there’s this chamber music competition” an ambitious smile made its way into the violinist’s face “and I’ve been dying to play it, and since you’re apparently the best cellist in this conservatory..:”
Raven scoffed “I’m the best cellist in this goddamn town and you know it, but go on”
“..and I am the best violinist, we can find a clarinet and a piano and go for it. Like, we really could win that.”
“What about the string quartet? I’m pretty sure everyone expects us to go to the competition with them”
“Come on, you know they aren’t by far as good as us. We can compete with both ensembles if you don’t want to abandon the quartet, but you know it’s impossible to win with anyone else from this conservatory.”
Raven half-smiled “It looks like we’ve got to find ourselves two more decent musicians.”
They solemnly shook hands
“Oh, and Ryers, this doesn't make us friends.”
“Whatever, Johnson.”
“You seriously can’t have used Messiaen to flirt, Reyes.” Monty smiled unbelievingly
She shrugged “Must’ve been my natural charm, then.” she looked briefly to the dance floor, but couldn't find Octavia this time. A feeling of anguish overcame her when she didn't see Lincoln either, but she was instantly relieved when she saw both of them had sat on the floor, making the group listening to her story even bigger.
Clarke cleared her throat and softly nudged Raven in the ribs “You’re telling us the whole story”
Raven dramatically finished her drink “Well, so fast forward, we’d become classmates in our terrible string quartet as well as part of the ensemble that won every competition we went to that year. Still, we weren't friends.”
“Shit.” Raven’s rosin fell to the floor, breaking into lots of tiny, now useless pieces “sHIT SHIT SHIT” she hurriedly put her cello on the floor and kneeled, trying to find any remaining piece that she could still use for the audition.
“Ryers, what the hell?”
“Shut up, Samantha, I’m seriously not in the mood of taking your shit right now”
The violinist grunted “For the last time, it’s Sam.” she kneeled by Raven’s side “And there’s no way you can save any of this, you know that.”
Raven kept stubbornly searching every single piece, not listening to the girl
“Ryers”
Raven’s hands began to be covered with rosin dust
“Reyes” Sam grabbed Raven’s hands “seriously, what the hell are you doing? Your fingers are going to stick to the strings if you keep doing that.”
“I don’t have another rosin” Raven replied through gritted teeth, abruptly moving away “So it’s either scavenging through this or not playing:”
“Then buy a new one” Sam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world “there’s still twenty minutes until your audition.”
Raven remained silent. “Whatever.” she started trying to get the rosin dust off her hands
“Ryers…oh fuck.” The violinist stood up and walked to her backpack, quickly getting her own rosin and handing it over to Raven “I’ve got two, so keep this one. It’s supposed to be for violin, but it’ll be fine.”
“It better be” Raven cleaned her hands on her trousers as she took her bow and began putting rosin on it
“You know, most people just say ‘thank you’.”
Raven shrugged “Then I guess I’m not like most people.”
She didn’t see the way Sam smiled before entering the stage.
Raven opened another can of beer and offered one to Octavia, who had somehow fit herself in the sofa next to her. “If I’m boring you guys, just tell me, because I can be…”
They loudly told her to go on, everyone on their own way, ranging from Jasper’s threat to play off key in the orchestra for the entire year to Bellamy’s drunken sobbing for romance.
“After that day, things changed pretty much, not quickly, but we started to become friends. The problem for us was being something else.”
“Please, pretty pretty please.”
“No way, Sam, remember the last time?”
The pair were running in circles, stopping and then running in the opposite direction in the middle of the conservatory’s hallways, there was no way of telling who was chasing who.
“It was an accident, Ryers, it’s not like you couldn’t tune the string again”
“It was so off key I had to play with three strings the whole concert, Samantha. The conductor looked like he was going to kill me!”
“Fine. I won’t play your cello. But if something goes wrong during the concert, it’s your fault for messing with my pre-concert ritual.” she raised her hands and sat on the hallway’s floor, holding her violin in her arms. Raven stood by her side for a few seconds before putting her cello on the floor and sitting by Sam’s side.
“How is playing Bach on my cello your ritual anyway?”
Sam scoffed “Not your cello, anyone would do, you arrogant.”
“Then ask someone else.” Raven dryly replied
“I will.” Sam stared at her with disgust for a few seconds before they both burst into laughter.
“This concert is going to be such a disaster.” Raven said through ragged breaths “Promise me we’re leaving this crappy town and going somewhere with talented people.”
“We? I don't know about you, but I’m outta here the minute I get myself an admission to a decent music school.” they both smiled before getting yelled at by their conductor and hurriedly going on stage. The concert was, of course, an absolute hecatomb, but they’d never had more fun. Making faces at each other was their favorite thing to do on stage and that day they wouldn't stop, much to their conductor’s desperation and their classmates amusement.
Once the concert was over, Raven quickly changed clothes to her usual sweatpants and T-shirt, which Sam always mocked
“Seriously, you should go on stage like that, stay true to yourself and all that jazz.”
“But then what excuse would you have to tell me how pretty I look?” Raven smiled and flickered her eyelashes exaggeratedly. She was expecting Sam’s sarcastic comeback but instead she saw her firm stare. She was serious as ever.
“You don't have to be overdressed for me to think it.”
Raven frowned “Sam…”
“Give me one good reason, Raven.”
Raven looked around them, no one was left backstage, yet somehow they always managed to be the last ones to leave. She raggedly sighed when Sam put her hand on her cheek. “People will talk, it’s a small town, they already are and…”
Sam cut her off “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop.”
Raven swallowed and gritted her teeth, feeling an increasing tension in her chest that didn't seem to go away. Then Sam kissed her. It was tender and soft, yet it was all Raven needed to give in and kiss her back, a tear falling down her cheek.
“And that’s how it all started.” Raven smiled sadly “Now she’s in Vienna, preparing for this year’s Tchaikovsky competition after touring as a soloist through Europe.”
As fast as the group had remained silent and focused on Raven, they all returned to their conversations when she stood up and went to get some fresh air, followed by Octavia. Raven was startled to see the other girl when she turned around.
“Uh..I’m sorry I scared you” Octavia dried a tear off Raven’s cheek “Can I just ask you something?”
Raven nodded
“Why’d you cry talking about the rosin?”
Raven looked away as new tears fell from her eyes
“Sam didn’t have two, she gave you her own, didn’t she?”
Raven smiled and nodded again, only to be hugged by Octavia as they remained silent.