Everyone wants to be seen. Not just looked at, but really seen. Known. Remembered. Without it, you're just a ghost in your own life, screaming for someone to notice before you disappear for good.
"Yeah, this place will do." I said carrying my guitar case adorned with stickers of various animals like tigers and other dinosaurs into the empty classroom next to the seniors banquet hall.
My name is Mikhail Moriganth and I absolutely love rock n roll music.
Ever since I was kid, I loved it the first time I heard the complex yet intense strings of notes. It was my mom that introduced it to me when I was six I think, because I couldn't find a music genre I liked.
I loved it so much that for my eleventh birthday, my mom got me an exact replica of Vyncent Rook's guitar from the band Crimson Reign.
I took out the guitar I cherished for years and still couldn't comprehend the fact that my mom got me this despite our family's poor state at the time.
I still don't think I've paid her back enough, but I'm filled with pride that I can bring this to school.
I was apart of the school's music club for like a week, but once I joined, I quickly noticed that everyone else played more classical instruments like the violin, harp, and piano. Not an electric piano, like a literal grand one you'd see in musical halls.
Big fancy one too. That's probably what the school spent its budget on instead of buying better chairs.
Most of them were so bad I had to sit on the desk because I don't want to risk it breaking and me being held liable. In fact, majority of the class sit on the desks, but the teachers don't give a damn.
Also, some of the Japanese people here were like really surprised to see my appearance. It was so funny.
I have this layered wolf-cut and my hair in general is only up to my shoulders a bit.
I have three piercings! One on both ears and an eyebrow piercing on my right side.
I placed my fingers on the still clean guitar and thought of what song I should play.
No one's in the wing of the school since the seniors already left cause of their half day.
"Hm… maybe Silver Ash Skies…?" I said out loud to myself.
It's an easy song to play, at least the guitar notes, and it's easily recognizable. Though, probably not the Japanese people here.
I doubt they knew Crimson Reign, I thought to myself as I positioned myself to play the first note.
"Hm, you know what? Imma do Velvet Crown." I thought. An undeniable classic. The first Crimson Reign song I heard.
As I began to play the best member of the band's part in the song, I realized something.
Oh. I'm definitely doing this for a career.
It was only a moment of split realization that I've been playing the guitar for five years now, so I'm definitely going to build a career off of it.
I'm not gonna become some soulless office worker or some cruel insurance agent.
I want to be an honest musician who writes good music for loving fans who understand you more than you understand yourself.
That's the type of musician I want to be.
And as I came to the end of the riff to a close, I closed my eyes and let the guitar consume me with its rabid passion of hard rock.
I felt it. Just for a moment.
One where embarrassment was almost non existent. Like the earth stopped just to listen to my guitar. My fingertips dancing on the strings and playing the different chords and notes.
With one finger, I lifted it up high and played the final riff.
I was sweating. Not surprised though. I am sort of on the skinny side.
Probably underweight but I haven't had a physical since I signed up for track and field in middle school. I quit after three days of practice because it was literally like my legs could break at any moment.
"Hey… was that Velvet Crown by Crimson Reign…?" A voice suddenly said coming from the back classroom entrance.
I was facing the front entrance near the board. I slowly turned my head towards the voice.
There the person was. I recognized her. She was in my history class. Mya Nyssabelle I think. My brain was still exhausted from playing after all.
She looked curious, I think. She entered the class and stood by a desk at the end of the class.
"What…?" Despite me claiming my embarrassment was almost non existent, the fact that it was a girl that heard me playing was just beyond that.
"That song you just played on your guitar. Was that Velvet Crown?" She tilted her head.
Her blonde hair with some short black roots shined brightly in the afternoon sun peeking in from the closed curtains surrounding the windows.
I'd be lying to say I wasn't mesmerized.
My beating heart eventually caught up to my brain once I realized what she asked.
Crimson Reign? Someone else out here actually knows them besides me? I thought.
I sputtered out, slipping on my words,"Y-Yes! Velvet Crown by Crimson Reign is what I was just playing!"
The feeling I was experiencing right now was akin to finding out someone else in your kindergarten class had the same favorite superhero as you (Blade of course!).
"Do you like them…?" I nervously asked, placing my guitar on my lap and fervently wiping myself down with the sleeves of my oversized black jacket with the band logo on the back.
"I prefer Glass Reverie. But I am fond of them." She clarified. "Also some Lucien Hart too."
"Glass Reverie huh? They're a good band." There was an awkward silence that followed afterwards. I glanced at the window while Mya kept looking at me.
Like she was trying to figure out something about me.
"How come the school allows your long layered hair? And basically everything else about you?" She slowly approached me. It was like she was captivated by my hair and other 'odd' features.
Though I couldn't deny the pride of my hair welling up inside me.
"Well they said I was a special case so I can dress out and have long hair if I kept my grades at a constant A." I replied, feeling pride at all my grades. They've been A's ever since I moved here!
Although I've never been able to scratch all the school's top ten in the ranks. I'd have to get A pluses to be to compete with those students.
"Oh? You're lucky. Everyone else gets choked by the school if our skirts are longer than our knees." She tugged at the hem of her dark blue skirt. Trying to make it closer to the knees, but not below it.
Huh? I didn't know girls had to do that.
She looked back to me. Dead in the face. Looking so deep into my eyes that I sort of got creeped out.
"Let's start a band." She said in such a straightforward manner that I couldn't help but be surprised.
"What?" I said. Still dumbfounded by the sudden statement.
First of all, Mya is the first girl that's ever interacted with me for the two years I've already been at this school.
And second of all, it's a girl…
"You heard me. Let's start a band. You can be the lead guitarist, I'll be the lead vocalist! Well just need to find a drummer and a bassist…" She sounded dead serious about this plan.
And then I remembered what I was thinking about maybe ten minutes ago.
'Oh. I'm definitely doing this for a career.'
Wait, I should consider the good and bad things about this…
For the good part of it, I could make friends who also like rock, which is the greatest thing in the entire world.
Secondly, I could get a girlfriend. You never know?
And lastly, it could help me with my future career as a musician…
For the bad, it could end in a train wreck and the popularity I seek won't be achievable.
Secondly, even if it's possible to get the two other people in the band, how would you know it won't just break up over a minor disagreement?
And lastly, if all the members will be girls.
I think I'd just die of nervousness from being with them all.
I thought. Weighing the good and bad on this imaginary scale. I knew that my bad reasons were just questions of the future while my good had one word tied around each of them.
Could.
"I'll do it." I said after a few more seconds of contemplation.
Mya smiled slightly and that gripped my heart and squeezed any juices of common sense inside of me.
Damn it. I hate how beautiful girls are.
"Does this band have a name?" I finally began to pack my guitar after realizing the next period is gonna start soon.
Mya glanced at her watch and realized the time.
She cleared her throat. She had this grin on her face. One that made it look like she was some sort of scientist getting ready to present evidence after saying something almost ridiculous.
She raised her right hand up slightly and made her finger point up, "Radio Drunkies," she said while quickly pulling her hand to her head to point at.
Can't say I wasn't surprised.
"Radio Drunkies…" I repeated. Trying to get used to the name.
"Good name huh?" She said in this prideful tone.
"Yeah… it's pretty nice," I couldn't help but admit. "Got a logo?"
"I want to make it like a cartoon version of all the members on a couch with this big radio behind us."
I picked up my guitar case after packing it up and walked to her while approaching the door.
"Cool. So how do you wanna do this? Like meeting or playing together?" I asked.
"We can meet at my place this weekend. My parents are on this like really important business trip." Mya stated casually. Walking next to me as we exited the classroom together.
"This weekend huh? I'll have to check in with my parents." I said. As we walked out the classroom, other students began to leave their classrooms.
Noting the time, I glanced at my watch.
"Okay then! Here. Let's exchange numbers." Mya took out her phone from her pocket and showed me a QR code of her phone number.
I followed suit, taking out my phone and scanning the code. It led me to her profile.
Her profile picture was a particularly fat cat rolling on the ground. Her bio read, "HIIII!!! My names Mya! I hope we can become good friends!!!" Followed by numerous smiling emojis.
"Huh… nice profile." I tried to say it in a more complimentary tone, but it just came out as sort of alien.
"Thanks! I like your profile picture. You look so mysterious in it." Mya chuckled.
Dammit. It pulled on my heartstrings. But I doubt Im gonna fall head over heels for her.
I assumed she was talking about my profile picture. It was a photo of me in all black clothing carrying my guitar to my face.
"Thanks. It took me a while to get that photo right." I added. A tinge of pride in my tone.
"Okay then. You check with your parents if you can meet up with my this weekend and I'll be waiting for you."
"Got it."
We went our separate ways from there on.
I couldn't help but feel odd. Not only did a girl come up to talk to me, but she also proposed starting a band.
If I didn't know any better, I'd just assume this was all a dream. But it isn't.
And I feel like this journey of starting a band with her won't end for a while.