Day 11: In Which He's A Musical Genius

"My middle finger goes where?!"

Elsa nearly jumped at the indignant shout she heard coming from the next-door apartment. Her heart raced, and she found herself split between moving along with her chores and going to check whatever stupid thing Jack had gotten himself into this time.

"What are you talking about? I can't bend like that!"

With her breath stuck in her throat, she carefully opened her balcony door a small crack. She saw Jack groaning, then smashing a fist on the guitar he had on his lap.

"This can't be right," he said. "Are you messing with me, kiddo?"

Elsa opened the door the rest of the way and headed in his direction.

Jack sensed her approaching and looked up. His creased eyebrows softened and opened room for a bright smile to surface. "Oh, hey!" He waved at her. "I'm having a guitar lesson."

Elsa leaned with her arms on the railing. "I can see that."

He pointed at Elsa, and his eyes drifted to the building across from theirs. She followed his gaze and found a boy intently looking at them from his window.

"Miguel, this is Elsa," Jack shouted.

"Hi, Elsa!"

She waved back, smiling at the boy while Jack returned to fiddling with the guitar's strings. His eyebrows furrowed, tongue stuck out in concentration, and Elsa chuckled as she watched him struggling with the positioning of his fingers.

"I didn't know you played," she commented.

He snorted, throwing his head back. "Don't let my roguishly handsome rockstar looks mislead you, Elsa. I haven't touched this thing since my college days."

Elsa hummed, closing her eyes and letting the dull strums and Jack's displeased grunts fill her ears. She had no musical training, in any sense of the term, but even her layperson self was aware that the guy lacked talent. Still, she found herself compelled to his playing. Quite schadenfreudian of her...

"Got it, Miguel!" Jack roared in triumph. "Hit me with the next chord!"