My concert today inspired this haha

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima, not me.

Goodbye

I was in seventh grade that year, and the oldest in the miniscule orchestra program. My dad had told me I should try out an instrument, to "put my potential into something I would enjoy." He suggested the tuba, or the trumpet, the guitar, something boyish. Sure, I was a boy, sure I was boyish, but those instruments just seemed so…plain. So regular. They were the instruments everyone knew about. Which is why I chose to play the viola. Not the violin, or the cello, or the bass, no. The viola. I'd never heard of it myself until I saw it in the corner of the room of the music shop. I was happy to take home my viola that I would rent for the school year.

There were only five string players between the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, including me. Two of which were eighth graders. I wasn't very close with any of them despite sharing a hot, cramped practice room with the four of them for the four quarters. I practiced every day with my viola, took it home every day to practice, too. And I was…all right. I wasn't amazing like the two eighth graders who could perform flawless vibrato or slide their fingers across the fingerboard without batting an eye. Their bowing was unadulterated, their positions and posture seamless. Sure, they had played for longer but it still upset me.

Now let's take a break from discussing my band life, explain a bit about my so-called-love life. She wasn't too tall or short, with shoulder length blonde hair and curious, kind mahogany eyes. She was warm and sweet to anyone and everyone. I was partnered up with her once for a week, but she ended up sick with the flu from Tuesday until the end of the week, leaving me to work on the project alone, only getting to work with her for one day. She was nice to me, and worked hard. She said my name four times that day.

"Hey, Natsu. Let's work hard together, okay?"

"Wow Natsu, that looks great!"

"Natsu, could you pass me the box of colored pencils?"

"Bye, I'll see you tomorrow, Natsu!"

Lucy Heartfilia was my crush, since the beginning of seventh grade. But I would never forget the day of my concert, May 7th, on a Thursday at 4pm. It was a tiny orchestra program, like I mentioned before. At the beginning of the year we started with about twenty kids, and by the end of the year, we were down to a trifling number of seven. I wasn't excited nor unhappy about the concert. Dad said he would try his best to get out of work early to make it. More and more parents, grandparents, younger siblings filed in, yet none of them belonged to me. I saw no wild-haired man, ready to record his only son's first orchestra concert that he would attend that year. He wasn't standing in the back; giving me a thumbs up while he recorded my performance with a phone he barely knew how to use. But I did get something else. An audience whom I knew. There was a girl's volleyball game that same day at the same time. I only knew because I overheard Lucy talking about it animatedly with her friends. We were playing a song I had grown quite attached to but can't recall the name of when she came in. The door to the band room was held open with a small trash bin; she must've heard us playing from out in the foyer. At the end of the song, when my teacher set down her arms to signal that we could put down our instruments, Lucy's eyes connected with mine. They were smiling and brilliant, a glint of sunlight was caught in the gooey brownness of them as she looked at me. The blonde took a seat on a table in the back of the band room.

"Natsu, go ahead and play your solo now," My teacher said. She looked at me with kind yet expecting eyes, and I nervously shuffled with the papers on my stand to find my solo. My hands shook as I raised my bow and viola, getting into the proper position. Back straight, arm beneath the instrument with my hand curled around the neck. What was the first note? D. I released a shaky breath as I settled the bow atop the D string. A tiny sound emitted from the string and I nearly screamed with frustration and uneasiness. She was here, sitting in the back, doe brown eyes focused on me and only me. I swallowed thickly as I played the first note, then the second and third. It sounded horrible already but I knew I couldn't stop. Seemingly thousands upon thousands of eyes were focused on me with their full attention. Any other time I would have been flattered, but at this moment in time I wasn't. I was terrified, and nearly cringed at how my bow seemed to find this a great time to not want to cooperate. It sounded like I hadn't applied rosin to my bow in years, like I hadn't had my viola tuned in decades. I felt like a blind man trying to play, I felt like I'd never picked up an instrument in my life. By the end of the song I felt drenched in my own sweat, heart ready to burst from my chest, lungs cracked and shattered. Yet everyone clapped and smiled, my teacher gave me a "well done!" and most importantly, she applauded for me, beaming her gorgeous smile. Another girl in a red volleyball jersey came in soon after, dragging her out of the band room, but I was okay. She heard my solo, she heard me play, she applauded me, she smiled at me. Even if my dad didn't show up, I was still okay.

The concert ended half an hour after it started, and everyone stayed to enjoy the refreshments. I chugged a bottle of water while my two orchestra friends patted me on the back. I helped myself to two M&M cookies, a chocolate chip cookie, a brownie, and five donut holes. I walked home silently after saying goodbye and thank you to my teacher, since that was our final practice of the year. I stopped at the park near my house, setting down my backpack and viola case against a barren picnic table in the shade before rushing over to the swings. What happened to all the kids who would come here everyday after school and play until dark? I missed them a little. We would play soccer and pretend we were pirates on the jungle gym. They always let me be the captain since I was the loudest and oldest.

I must've stayed on the swings for a while, since I saw a group of girls in red jerseys coming down the sidewalk. A certain one split away from the group, waving to her friends as she came down the hill towards the small, bare park.

"Natsu!" She exclaimed. I looked up, as if I hadn't just been watching her and her group.

"Oh, Lucy! Hey!" I replied, trying not to sound too excited.

"I saw your solo, that was amazing!"

"You thought so?"

"Yeah! I could never do something like that with so many people watching!" Lucy took a seat next to me in the swing beside me.

"But you play volleyball?"
"Yeah, but. I'm not sure. It's hard to explain, I guess."
"I think it'd be hard to do what you do, with everyone wanting their favored team to win. Rooting for or against you."

"I guess so. Well, I just wanted to say that you were amazing! Maybe you should come to one of my games? I'd appreciate if you came to watch me play," She said with another one of her brilliant smiles. I grinned back, nodding my head.

"Okay, I'll come to your next game."

"Thanks, Natsu." She reaches behind her head to untie her ponytail, allowing the blonde strands of hair to freely climb down her back and cascade down her shoulders. Lucy turns and leaves and I do the same soon after, gathering my things. Next week I show up to her game, cheering her on the entire time. Our school team wins, and Lucy meets me outside, telling her still celebrating friends to go on ahead.

"You did great, Lucy!"

"You think so?" She asked with a cute blush, a pretty shade of pink warming her cheeks.

"I know so. But uh, Lucy?"

"Yes?" Asked Lucy, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes seemed brighter than the starlight beaming down on us.

"I know we're not really close but," I swallowed down a lump in my throat. How had that gotten there? "I feel like you should know that-"

"Yes?" When she had gotten so much closer I wasn't sure, but sure enough, her face seemed inches away from mine.

"I'm moving at the end of the year." The brightness in her eyes seemed to fade, leaving behind dull, brown orbs. They looked like the color of hardened mud. "But I also felt like you should know that, I've. I've had a crush on you since the beginning of the year." My shoulders dropped; as if those words released the weight I had felt upon them for centuries.

"Oh, I was so scared you wouldn't tell me!" She cried.

"Yeah I-wait, what?" Her eyes were so expressive, I noticed that night. They widened for a brief moment before averting from my gaze.

"My friend told me that she'd heard you liked me."

"Why'd she tell you?" I asked, genuinely curious. The blush returned, brighter and cuter this time.

"Because I like you," She muttered, tucking her shoulders against her. I walked her home that night, under the smiles of the stars. We were quiet most of the walk, but when she told me which house was hers, she gave me the lightest, softest peck on the cheek before rushing inside. I stood motionless and wide-eyed before snapping back into reality. I hurried home after, and ate just about everything in my fridge.

I moved a week later, and never saw Lucy again after the last day of school. Before I climbed into my dad's car to leave on that last day, she gave me her dirtied, slightly flat volleyball. I'm not sure why I held it to my chest, hugging it tight against me with watery eyes as I whispered goodbye, but I did. Only after packing did I see the neat handwriting in red sharpie on the ball.

I hope you love your new house. Keep playing the viola! Love (I guess?) Lucy

Her phone number was printed underneath the message. I smiled, hugging the ball against my chest again before Dad called me downstairs. Maybe I would start playing volleyball, but only if I continued with the viola. I'd make sure to keep playing, for her.

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