Chapter 26: Guitar Lesson

"Okay class, today you'll be starting a project." Teacher Elma said. "You all will work on your own performance to show the class. You all will use three Pokémon and prepare your own routine to a certain theme for the occasion. Since you'll be performing on the week of Valentine's Day, I want every routine to go with the theme of 'Love'."

The class started murmuring to each other.

"We need to relate love to our performances?" May questioned.

"Yeah! This is bound to be super fun!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Of course you'd say that."

"Don't you think it'll be fun?" Dawn asked.

"Sure." May/Daisy said. "But...I'm just thinking of Valentine's Day since Ms. Elma mentioned it. It's the day of love, but yet...I don't have anyone to celebrate it with."

"Daisy, you don't need a boyfriend to celebrate Valentine's Day." Dawn said. "I'm sure you'll be receiving plenty of gifts from fanboys."

May laughed nervously. "Yeah...I hope that doesn't happen…"

"Why?"

"Because it feels weird to receive gifts from many people." May answered. "Except if they're friends."

"Yeah...I guess that makes sense."

"Anyway, I already have some ideas for my performance."

"Yeah, me too." Dawn said. "A performance to the theme of 'love'..." she said dreamily. "How amazing is that?" She asked excitedly.

"Hello. And who might you be?"

"I'm Drew's friend, Daisy. He asked that I come over." May answered.

"Ah, yes. Of course. Come on in."

"Thank you." May said as she entered.

May is at Drew's mansion. He asked her if she'd come over, so they could practice their audition scripts together. A lady with wavy brunette hair down to the middle of her back and hazel brown eyes is the one that opened the door. A green-haired man with green eyes was standing next to her.

"Last time you were here, we weren't here to meet you." The lady said. "So it's nice to meet you. I'm Drew's mom, Julianna."

"And I'm his dad, Steven." The man said.

"It's nice to meet you both." May/Daisy said.

"You too. I'm sure you remember where Drew's room is?" Julianna asked.

"Yes I do." May answered.

"Then go ahead and see him." Julianna said.

"Kay." May said. She turned around and walked to Drew's room.

Before she came across his room, she heard the sound of a guitar. She saw that Drew's room door was open and she peeked inside from around the corner.

Drew is sitting on his bed, playing a gentle melody on his guitar. May smiled at the sound of the guitar. She always liked hearing Drew play his guitar and sing.

May decided to enter his room. "Is that a new song?"

Drew stopped playing guitar and he looked up. He smirked. "It might be."

"Well, it sounds great." May said as she walked closer to Drew. She sat down on his bed.

Drew put his guitar down on his bed. "So, you met my parents, huh?"

"Umm...yes. How did you know that?"

"Well, if I didn't open the door for you, then they did."

"Oh...Right." May said. "I didn't think of that."

Drew smirked. "Of course you didn't."

May's eyebrows furrowed. "Hey!"

Drew chuckled. "So anyway, let's practice lines."

"Fine." May mumbled.

May and Drew rehearsed their audition lines with each other. There were some awkward moments and some laughs just like when they were rehearsing for the Homecoming Play.

"Here. Catch." Drew said. He tossed a wireless microphone to May.

She caught it with both hands. "You have microphones?"

"Of course. I'm a musician after all." Drew said. "They're not connected to anything, but we'll use them to practice the song."

"Okay then." May/Daisy said.

"So, let's see if you sing well in this song."

"Do you actually think that I'll sing badly?" May asked angrily.

Drew chuckled. "I never said that."

"You implied it."

"Just get ready to sing." Drew said.

"Fine." May mumbled.

Drew played the karaoke on his phone.

(This song is "Breaking Free" from High School Musical. Watch the music video on YouTube to see how Drew and May are moving around Drew's room in this chapter.)

Drew stands directly in front of May and they stare into each other's eyes. "We're soarin', flyin'." Drew sang. "There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach." Drew held his hand out.

"If we're trying," May sang as she slowly put her hand in Drew's. "So we're breaking free."

"You know the world can see us." Drew sang as they turned and faced the wall, pretending that it's the audience. "In a way that's different than who we are."

"Creating space between us 'til we're separate hearts." May sang as they turned to face each other and they separated their hands.

"But your faith it gives me strength." They sang together. "Strength to believe."

"We're breaking free." Drew sang as he made a quick step closer to May.

"We're soarin'."

"Flyin'."

"There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach." They sang together.

"If we're trying," Drew sang.

"Yeah, we're breaking free." They sang together.

"Oh, we're breaking free." Drew sang.

"Ooh…" May sang.

"Can you feel it building?" Drew sang. "Like a wave the ocean just can't control."

"Connected by a feeling." May sang. "Ooh, in our very soul."

"Very souls, ooooh." Drew sang.

"Rising 'til it lifts us up." They sang together. "So everyone can see."

"We're breaking free." Drew sang.

"We're soaring."

"Flying."

"There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach." They sang together.

"If we're trying," Drew sang.

"Yeah, we're breaking free." They sang together.

"Running." May sang.

"Climbing."

"To get to that place." They sang together. "To be all that we can be."

"Now's the time." Drew sang.

"So we're breaking free." They sang together.

"We're breaking free." Drew sang.

"Ooh, yeah."

"More than hope, more than faith"

"This is true, this is fate. And together we"

"See it coming." They sang together.

"More than you, more than me." Drew sang.

"Not a want, but a need."

"Both of us, breaking free." They sang together. Drew was holding May's hand and he now twirled her.

"Soarin'." May sang as she continued spinning off. She couldn't see where she was spinning, so she hit Drew's bed with her legs. She tripped and she started to fall backwards.

Drew rushed to catch Daisy. He caught her back with his right hand, but that wasn't enough. She still fell onto Drew's bed, but Drew fell as well, landing on top of her. He firmly put his hands on both sides of May's head, holding him up.

They stared into each other's eyes. Drew on top of her and on his bed too. May blushed at the close proximity between them. Neither one of them chose to move or say anything.

"U-umm…" May stuttered.

"I umm…" Drew said.

They continued staring into each other's eyes, both of them blushing. It's getting extremely awkward between them and they both have the thought of kissing the other.

("Why...why do I want him to lean in and kiss me?") May thought. Her blush deepened.

("Her eyes always...attract me to her for some reason…") Drew thought. ("It's like I...want to kiss her. Wait. What am I thinking? I can't kiss her. She most likely won't like it, and...I don't know if we're really...that close yet.")

"Umm…" May hummed.

"Kids, I brought you some-" Julianna's voice came from the hallway. She cut herself off once she saw Drew on top of Daisy. She dropped the plate that was in her hands. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing!" May and Drew both said quickly as Drew quickly got off of May and May sat up. Their faces are both red.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Drew asked.

"I-I just thought you both might want a snack." Julianna answered.

May and Drew both looked at the floor in front of Julianna. There was a plastic plate upside down and chocolate chip cookies scattered over the floor, most of them broken.

"I'll just...go get some new ones." Julianna said as she bent down and started picking up the cookies.

Drew got off of his bed and started helping his mom pick up the cookies. May just reminded herself of how close Drew was to her a little bit ago and she blushed again.

Drew and Julianna finished picking up the cookies and they stood up. "I'll go get new cookies." Julianna said. She left the room.

Drew sat back down on the bed. It stayed in an awkward silence between May and Drew before Drew finally spoke.

"Umm...sorry. About that."

"No. It's okay." May said. "Maybe I was spinning too much." She laughed nervously.

It stayed quiet again. They weren't looking at each other. May's gaze turned to the guitar that's laying on the bed.

Drew finally looked up at her to say something, but he saw what she was looking at. He decided to say something different.

"Do you know how to play?"

May looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Guitar. Do you know how to play?" Drew asked again.

"No." May answered. She smiled in her head. "But...I've always wanted to learn." She said shyly.

"That so?" He questioned, smiling as he grabbed his guitar. May hummed a yes and nodded. Drew placed the guitar in front of May. "I'll teach you."

"R-really?" May asked excitedly.

Drew nodded. "Sure. Someone with talent like yours is bound to be good at guitar as well."

"You really think so?"

Drew nodded and reached down for his guitar case that's on the floor. He placed the case on the bed, opened it, and took something out.

"Ready for lesson 1?" Drew asked. May nodded. "Pick up the guitar and I'll show you how to hold it when you play."

"Okay." May/Daisy said. She picked up the guitar and hung her feet off of the bed. She saw Drew place something on the floor.

"That's called a footstool." Drew said. "Place your left foot on it."

May did as she was told and put her left foot on the raised footstool.

"Now, the guitar leans into your left leg." Drew said.

"Like this?" May asked as she placed the guitar in her lap. It's leaning against her left leg and her right hand is over it, touching the bottom of the strings. Her left hand is holding the neck of the guitar.

"Perfect." Drew said. He scooted closer to May. He touched the neck of the guitar with his left hand. May blushed at how close Drew is to her.

"Now I'll teach you the names of the strings." Drew said.

"K-kay." May stuttered.

Drew smirked when he noticed Daisy blushing. "Or would you just rather I stay this close to you?"

May's blush deepened. Drew chuckled. She shook her blush away and her eyebrows furrowed. "Hey! It's not funny!"

Drew chuckled again. He took his hand off of the guitar and stood up. He grabbed a chair and pulled it in front of May. He now sat down, facing her.

"The very top string," Drew said as he reached out and touched the top string. May looked down at the strings. "That's low E." He plucked it with his finger. "Next we have A." He plucked the second string from the top. "Next is D." He plucked the third string. "Then we have G." He plucked the fourth string. "Next is B." He plucked the fifth string. "And the very bottom is high E." He plucked the bottom string.

Drew smirked and leaned back in his chair. "Did you get all of that, Daffodil?"

May looked up at him. "Daffodil?"

"Another nickname for you." Drew said as he flicked his bangs.

May's eyebrows furrowed. "You think because my name is Daisy, my nickname should be a different flower?!"

Drew shrugged his shoulders. May fumed. She looked back at the strings and placed her thumb on the top one.

She plucked each string as she said its name. "E. A. D. G. B. E."

Drew stared at May, mouth slightly open in shock that she nailed the notes just like that. May looked up and smiled.

"Did I get it right?"

Drew closed his mouth and smiled. "You sure did, Dandelion."

May glared at Drew. Drew just ignored the glare.

"You got the basic notes in your head." Drew said. "Now I'll teach you some more."