It was a dreary Wednesday in March, and I was waiting impatiently in line at one of the many Starbucks coffee shops in Boston, hoping to get my coffee in time to get to my first class of the day, Music Application and Theory.
Basically, it was the harmony class for dummies. Well, dummies to Berklee College of Music standards.
I wasn't complaining about not testing into a higher class though, because it was an easy A and my teacher was one of the few people who could brighten up my mood these days.
Oh these days were tough. I had some friends, but they were what you might call fair weather friends, and fair weather was rather rare in my life.
I pulled out my cellphone, sighing as I did my daily check on the Gorillaz-unofficial website, looking for some news to cheer me up.
Nothing. I wasn't surprised. Of course, the promise was Gorillaz in 2016, and it was only the third month of the year. There was still plenty of time.
As I daydreamed about my favorite fictional and real musicians, I was abruptly pulled out of my reverie by a male, British voice saying "2D." My head snapped up, taking in the tall, skinny frame and messy, blue hair of the man in front of me.
"That's a... unique name," said the barista who was taking his order, sounding bored and rather pissed off.
"Uhm, well you can write Stu I guess, but nobody really calls me that these days," he said.
My heart was pounding. It couldn't be... He wasn't real, he was a fictional character in a fictional band created by wonderfully imaginative and creative people. Was I dreaming? I took a quick look around, doing a mental check which I often do as I sleep to enact my rare talent of lucid dreaming.
Nope. This was real life. Maybe it's some sort of cosplay shit, I realized bitterly, feeling my heart sink to the floor. I was so stupid to actually think even for a moment that 2D was actual flesh and blood, a person, like you or me. Disappointed and slightly embarrassed, I looked down with shame.
"Next!" the annoyed barista said. I smirked, wondering how she would feel about the name Evelyn. Not quite as weird as 2D, but there was always a 50/50 chance of it being misspelled anyway.
I kept thinking about my blue haired friend for the rest of the day. I let myself daydream my way through classes, getting caught up in fantasies about Gorillaz, imagining that I would see this guy again and that maybe he would talk to me. And that he would really be 2D... And he would introduce me to Murdoc, and Noodle, and Russel...
"Evelyn!" My Ear Training teacher said, abruptly bringing me back to real life. "Example 3, measure 6."
After I sang the requested example, I went back to my daydreaming. I'd always had a crush on 2D as I grew up, and the fantasy of him being real was exciting. I pushed the thoughts of my boyfriend at home in Connecticut to the back of my mind as I let my mind wander dreamily into romantic scenarios.
Eventually, the class ended, and I went and grabbed my harp for my private lesson. On my way there, I saw an unfamiliar man on the other side of the street eyeing my instrument with curiosity.
I didn't get a good look at him, but didn't think much of it at the time. I mean, I get weird looks all the time carrying around a big, mysterious case.
Shaking off the weird feeling in my stomach from this unexpected attention, I continued to the lesson.
That night, back in my room, I got out my harp again and started to play.
Eventually my fingers somehow found their way to Melancholy Hill. I sang my heart out, hating the sound of my voice but loving the feeling of my fingers on the strings and the air in my lungs.
Then, I called my boyfriend and went peacefully to sleep.