"The silence keeps it easy, keeps you safe for the moment…"

"You know Melody you can't just drown the world out with your music twenty-four-seven! You'll have so much fun at Will's house. This I know, because Marissa guaranteed it to me." Mom said with a confident smile.

"You thought we needed time but now time will destroy us…"

She sighed, "Quit with that sad slow crap all the time."

I nodded and pressed the skip button on my iPod classic. From the Roof Top came on singing sadly in my ear. "It's been, six days since you left home, and it'll be twelve more that we'll be on our own and I've watched a couple of my nights go up in smoke. Because, you're gone and I'm still here and every second I wish that you were near because my seconds bleed and my hours creep and it's all that I can do…"

My mother sighed and looked at me. "You know, you could be extremely pretty."

"Gee, thanks mom." I glared at her.

"I'm just saying! If you straightened your hair a little–"

"It's naturally straight."

"I said a little! And you didn't wear all that gunk on your pretty green eyes. Blonde and green is rarer than you know and it's breath-takingly beautiful if you know what to do with it Melody. And I do! I don't understand why you won't let me help you."

"I don't NEED your help mother. I wear my hair straight, and I wear eyeliner on my top lid. Boo-hoo. Also, I will continue to wear skinny jeans and band tees until the day I die. Further more, I do not want to spend time with Will and all his preppy friends. I hate preppy people. Their music is atrocious."

"Your music is atrocious."

"My music is art. Theirs is just poppy beats and random lyrics slammed together to make kids want to drink beer and have sex."

"I like your sister's music. It's cute, isn't it Lyric?"

"Yes mommy, I just love it. And it's not NOISE Melody, it's music all the same."

"You don't know music."

"I beg to differ, my name IS Lyric after all no?"

"Sure it is. But MY name is Melody, and if you could show me one simple melody in your songs that could be played on a grand piano or a guitar without being tweaked by a sound board, I'll applaud you and give you a tiny golden star sticker with "congratulations" on it for gaining some class."

"You're such a downer."

"I'd rather be a downer than a preppy thirteen-year-old who thinks she's got the world figured out. You don't know anything about anything Lyric. Keep dreaming kid. Maybe one day you'll wake up and Mom will drive you out to New York when you're sixteen and we can leave you there with thirty bucks in your pocket. How much you wanna bet you'll get a career?"

"Quit that, Melody." Mom snapped as we pulled around a sharp turn. I could already see Will's truck gleaming at me in a taunting, I'm richer and cooler than you are, kind of way. I grinded my teeth.

We pulled up and Will's mother Marissa came running out of the door squealing ready to reconnect with an old college room mate that had no interest in staying for a quick one.

Will looked out the window as I climbed out of the passenger seat and smiled at me. I grimaced unintentionally. He walked out and poked his hand in my direction, "I'm Will."

"I'm Lyric." My little sister said pushing around me and gazing up at Will. He looked down at her and smiled uncomfortably, and then looked back up at me.

"And you?"

"Melody,"

"Pretty name…" he smiled.

"Pretty truck," I said stepping around him, unmoved by his charm.

"Thanks," he said right in step with me, "I worked on it myself."

"I bet you did." I said as I put my headphones back in, I drowned out his low voice bragging about pegs, or kegs, or something of that nature to have to do with his "baby".

Inside the house had a nice open layout that I enjoyed. I could draw here, I thought, and then, maybe I could trick Will into taking me on a drive to see some real scenery in this town. I smiled, and turned on my heel to see a crumpled Will on the couch looking deflated.

"Hey Will, you wanna go on a drive and, I don't know, show me the town?" I batted my eyelashes like the girls on TV would've done.

"Yeah!" he said jumping off the couch. Then he smoothed out his shirt as if he were kicking himself for acting so overly eager.