The locker rooms were steaming hot since the whole tourney was trying to get showered after practice. Most of the team were taking forever. They worried so much about being clean and ready for the rest of the day but were too lazy to walk back to their dorms to do their grooming. Jay and Carlos were in and out after a minute. The Isle boys just washed off the immediate level of sweat and soaked their hair. Bare-minimum. That's just how they are.
"Did you hear the cheerleaders gossiping when we were coming off the field?" Carlos asked as the two boys walked out of the locker room.
"No. I try to ignore the royal drama." Jay smirked.
"They were talking about the girl on the bleachers dreaming about one of the tourney players. Think they were talking about Daisy?" Carlos continued.
"I saw Audrey go up to Daisy. She was there for all of 2 seconds. There's no way she could have gonna that out of her that quick. Daisy wouldn't tell her something like that anyway. Audrey's just trying to start rumors." Jay frowned as he opened the door to the school building.
The duo had found that cutting through the school was the easiest way back to the boy's dormitory. Plus the building was usually air conditioned, which felt amazing after a hard practice.
"I actually hope you're wrong about that." Carlos admitted. "Daisy already has Braxton Charming and his band of wannabe bad boys out to get her. She doesn't need Audrey's prep squad spreading lies too."
Jay grinned wildly at the memory of Braxton having to out the horse stables for two weeks for making Daisy cry on the first day of school. Not to mention Jay got to teach him a lesson a couple of times during gym class. Braxton and his friends always backed off when Jay was around.
"I get what you mean." Jay agreed.
As the boys neared the door that lead to the dormitories, classical music filled the halls. Piano music to be exact.
"Where's that coming from?" Carlos turned trying to find the source.
"If I had to guess, I'd say the music classroom. Let's see." Jay nodded toward the arts wing of the school.
The Isle boys crept toward the music room. Whoever was playing was amazing. Each note flowed beautifully with the next.
"Stop. Stop. Stop." a voice from inside the room ordered. Both the boys and the piano obeyed.
"You're not playing at your best. You're not here completely. The music is suffering because of it." the voice ranted. Jay and Carlos looked at each other confused. It sounded incredible to them.
"I'm not going to have you continue to play if you're going to be so sloppy. It'll cause problems in the future. You need to get your head on straight. Practice is over." Heels clicked toward the door.
Jay slid beside some lockers and Carlos crouched behind a garbage can. The teacher walked out of the room and down the hall. The boys came out from their hiding spots when she was out of sight. They moved to the door to see who was inside.
The piano player released a soft sigh of defeat. It was Daisy. She was staring at her hands in her lap. Carlos's jaw dropped. Jay sent a glare in the direction the teacher had gone. Daisy had been playing that beautiful melody, and that lady told her it wasn't good enough.
Daisy closed the music book that was in front of her and set it on the ground. She looked at the piano once more. She returned her fingers to the keys, but hesitated.
The boys held their breath as they silently watch from the door. Daisy began to play. Her fingers glided across the keys, and a song began to circle through the room. The music was different from what the boys followed.
A few notes into the new song, an angelic voice joined the gentle melody.
"Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start"
Carlos and Jay's eyes widen in awe. Daisy could sing! Phenomenally!
"They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me"
Daisy smirked. That last line was probably meant for that mean teacher.
"So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost"
Daisy looked like a totally different person as she sang. All the boys could do was watch as she poured her heart and soul into every word, every note. She seemed so much more vulnerable but also stronger. Carlos moved to enter the room, but Jay stopped him. The dwarf held up so many walls to try to defend herself. Barriers that kept her from harm but that hid the real her away. Those walls had finally come down. As much as Jay wanted to go to her as well, he wasn't about to risk Daisy retreating back behind those walls.
"I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
I hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don't have any plans
Wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life's a game made for everyone
And love is the prize"
The tempo slowed as the song neared its end.
"So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was... lost"
Daisy's hands slid from the piano into her lap. She took a few shaky breaths before closing the piano.
Jay took that as their signal to leave. He grabbed Carlos's arm and dragged the smaller boy away from the door.
Carlos opened his mouth to protest, but Jay put his hand over the De Vil boy's mouth before any sound could escape. Jay whispered something in Carlos's ear. Carlos nodded in agreement.
The boys disappeared before Daisy exited the music room. She was totally unaware that she had had audience for her performance.
A/N the song in the chapter is Wake Me Up by Avicii & Aloe Blacc but if you wanna heard what I imagined Daisy sounding like, look up Wake Me Up by Beth on YouTube. She is an amazing singer. Her voice is so soft and beautiful and that's what I wanted Daisy to sound like. Um... Not much I can say for this chapter except I wish it was better. My vocabulary when it comes to musical terms isn't very wide so I'm sorry if it seemed like I was saying the same thing over and over again. Please tell what you all thought. I hope you enjoyed. Have a nice day :)