On Easter Sunday afternoon, I returned to school, with way too much candy in my backpack and feeling slightly relieved to be away from the chaos of the holiday.

Putting my stuff down in my room, I looked out the window. The sun had already begun to go down, and the sky was peacefully turning pink and orange. I sat down at my desk without turning on the light.

I didn't know what to do. I had finished most of my homework over the weekend, and I had plenty of time the next morning for anything I didn't finish.

I sat quietly for a moment, until my phone buzzed. It was a group text message from a friend, talking about dinner plans. I didn't really want to go, but I realized it was about time I stopped avoiding them.

I wanted to be home again, with my family. At least they cared about me, and showed it. I was so lonely here in Boston.

I was hungry though, so I slowly walked to the cafeteria, and sat down at a table by the window to wait for my friends. Looking out onto the street below, I watched the people and cars go by. Eventually, I saw a now-familiar blue head of hair walking down the street.

He was with a petite woman with messy, short black hair. I let my mind slip into my secret Gorillaz fantasy again, imagining that this must be Noodle. But who knows, it might not even be the same guy that had been in Starbucks and on the train- blue hair wasn't an uncommon fashion statement in Boston.

I had a sudden, impulsive urge to go and follow them. But I resisted it. I couldn't do that. I shouldn't. I wouldn't. With a slight feeling of disappointment, I watched them start to disappear out of sight, when suddenly the woman looked up towards me, grabbed his arm, and they stopped.

She said something to him, and he looked right up at me. I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I waved, feeling ridiculous.

They both grinned and waved back. She said something else to him, and they turned around and started walking back. Confused, I watched as they walked right towards the building and disappeared under the awning.

A minute later, I got distracted as my friends started arriving. Unenthusiastically, I greeted them, and mostly stayed out of the conversation, not feeling very social tonight.

"'Ello," said a nervous British voice behind me. I looked up and was shocked to see him standing there with his friend.

"I'm Noodle, and this is 2D," said the petite Asian woman, saving him from the awkwardness of the moment.

"I'm Evelyn," I said, "I, uh, I remember you from the train," I stammered, not quite sure what to say. Why would they come to an overpriced college cafeteria just to see me?

I looked back at my other friends and saw that they weren't paying much attention, as some people they knew had just arrived and were distracting them.

"You can sit with us, if you like," I said, finally realizing I had forgotten my manners.

"Thanks!" said the girl who called herself Noodle cheerfully, sitting beside me. The man who claimed to be 2D sat across from me.

"So we're in a band together, and we're here in Boston looking for musicians to collaborate with," said Noodle. "And since 2D found out that you play the harp, we've been wondering if we could hear you play?" She was very efficient and businesslike, but a friendly smile was on her face the whole time.

"Uh, sure!" I said reflexively. "I'd love to." I tried not to let myself wonder who these people were and if they really were 2D and Noodle. I just played along, because honestly, it was easier.

"Great!" she said, her face breaking into a genuinely happy smile.

Next thing I knew, I had brought them to my room and was giving them a private concert. It was so surreal. By the end, 2D had silent tears streaming down his face, and Noodle was looking at me in awe.

I felt myself flush with pride. Finally, I felt appreciated. It was a wonderful feeling.

"You're really good," 2D croaked out through his tears, and Noodle nodded along with a smile.

"I think Murdoc and Russel would love to meet you," Noodle said. "They're our other band members-"

"I know," I interrupted with a laugh, suddenly feeling reckless, and allowing the childish joy of imagination to run through my veins. "I thought you weren't real!" I blurted out, instantly feeling embarrassed for some reason.

They both laughed. "Very few people know," Noodle said very seriously. "You can't tell anyone. I'll admit, we've been following you a little bit. We do it to everyone we collaborate with. We knew you go to Berklee, so you must be an excellent musician. And 2D said that when he spoke with you on the train you were very nice, so we figured you'd be trustworthy and fun to work with. So we decided to take the risk and approach you about it the next time we saw you."

I laughed, feeling overwhelmed by how ridiculous the whole situation was. "When can I meet them?" I asked enthusiastically.

Noodle laughed as well. "Soon," she said vaguely. "I'll have to ask the others first- we had no clue we'd run into you tonight, and we didn't even know if you'd agree to do it or if you would run in the other direction after finding out we're real."

We were all silent for a moment as I soaked in what was happening, and they watched me struggle with the excitement and disbelief.

"Can you- can you sing something for me?" I asked shyly, a little embarrassed.

"Of course, love," said 2D, and Noodle nodded, looking at her friend in anticipation.

"To Binge?" she finally suggested. He readily agreed and I fumbled through the chords as they sang an amazing duet. I closed my eyes as the music filled me with joy, and I felt my whole body relax into the feeling of the song.

After they were done singing, I opened my eyes, and realized there were tears on my cheeks. I looked at the two of them and noticed that their eyes were a bit red too.

Looking at each other, we sort of laughed nervously at the emotionally charged atmosphere that the music had created.

"Thank you," I said.

"No, thank you," Noodle said sincerely. I could see her trying to hold back tears as 2D wiped his nose shamelessly on his sleeve.

"Hey, want a cup of tea or something?" I offered, reflexively trying to lighten the mood, despite how much I love these magical moments of emotion.

We stayed up half the night talking, laughing, and drinking tea. I even let them try playing my harp, which is something I love to do. It can turn anyone into a child again.

Finally, they had to leave because I had a class the next morning, and after exchanging hugs and goodbyes, they left.

As I went to bed, To Binge was still in my head, and I drifted peacefully to sleep with the feeling that I finally had found some true friendship.