Strumming in the Breeze, -open-

[August White]

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August White


You'd scream to the skies as if you knew the reasons why,
He did it all for you
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August sat under one of the trees around the lake, playing his guitar. It was the Ibanez acoustic/electric he used to play acoustic gigs, and to practice without scaring his neighbors. That was the only thing he missed about New York, having his own apartment, being able to amp his guitar whenever he wanted. Now he had to use one of the practice rooms at the academy to play electric, and while that was okay, they were small, and cramped. When he played he liked to have room to walk around, but sacrifices must be made.

He stopped playing for a second to look around at all the people at the lake, either swimming or not. That was another thing he missed, his friends. He hadn't made any here yet, but he would soon enough, he always did. He was the kind of guy who waited for people to come to him though, so things tended to take longer, especially making friends. Still, he couldn't complain, it was his own fault for not taking the initiative to talk to someone, so he just had to suffer through the consequences of that and wait for someone to approach. He looked back down to his guitar and began to play softly again, maybe today he would meet someone, or maybe he wouldn't. What happens happens, he thought, If you can change it, great. If not, you just have to live with it.

This post has been edited by August White on Jun 30 2009, 04:15 AM

[Lauren Diegro]

Lauren sighed as she checked her watch again, she still had a few hours before her next art class, and she had absolutely nothing to do. She was new to the school, and hadn't made any friends yet, let alone signed up to any clubs or other activities. So she had basically been walking around the school, looking for something to do. It was times like this, that she really missed Maria. Whenever Lauren had been lonely, she could always count on Maria to cheer her up, but that option no longer existed any more...She could always call Marcus, but it really wasn't the same.

Lauren continued to walk a bit further, until she heard music playing softly. It was a beautiful tune, and slowly but surely she found herself drifting towards the wondrous sound. She paused a little distance away, and closed her eyes to just listen to the music. It was awhile since she had heard a musician this good, Marcus was the last good musician she had heard, and that had been eons ago. Laurie contemplated what to do next: she could continue wandering around for the next few hours or she could use some courage and approach the musician. Laurie knew that Maria would've wanted her to try and make friends, so taking in a deep breath, Laurie slowly walked forward. Looking shyly down at the boy, she whispered softly, while stretching out her hand. "Your music is very beautiful. I'm Laurie, by the way."

[August White]

August was brought away from his playing by a girls voice. He looked up at her, she was probably three or four years younger than him, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was quite attractive, but he tried not to think much about it, he hadn't even spoken to her yet. He was brought out of his thoughts by her voice, and the realization that he was about to speak to her. He supposed playing under this tree had not been a bad idea after all, someone was trying to start a conversation with him at least.

At first he wasn't sure what she said, but after a second it all registered. He looked over to her , smiled, and said, "Thanks, I don't get that very often, so it's nice to hear it," he paused for a moment then said, "It's nice to meet you Laurie, I'm August. I'd shake your hand but I'm terribly clumsy, and I 'd probably drop this if I did. In a moment I'd be glad to though." He reached over to his guitar case, opened it and put the instrument up. He didn't close the top to the case, he figured he'd be taken it back out again pretty soon, after all, people were always asking for him to play for them.

This post has been edited by August White on Jul 1 2009, 09:31 AM

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie's eyes slowly met his, and she smiled brightly, while shaking his hand eagerly. "Oh you don't have to worry, I'm quite clumsy myself I understand the feeling well." From his words she could already tell that he was a nice, down to earth kind of guy. Now that she knew that he was a kind person, she could relax herself. She was glad that she had made the effort to speak to August. Looking down at his guitar case she realised it was still open. "I hope I didn't disturb you, please continue playing, it was really lovely to listen too!"

Laurie smiled again before she perched herself on the chair next to him. Her eyes expectant, waiting to hear more wondrous music created from August's talented fingers. She quickly placed her sketch pad beside her, but in her haste ended up knocking it off the bench, sending it flying into the lake. "Oh no!" Laurie said worriedly, as she leaned over to pick up the soaking pad. She shook her head ruefully as she shook her sketch pad, trying to shake all the drops away. "See? Let me introduce you to my clumsy side!"

[August White]

He smiled as she told him she was clumsy to, and as she told him that she liked to hear him playing. Most of the time he had been roomates and lived near people who hated the noise, and his parents had brother had hated it as well, it was nice to hear someone say they wanted to hear him play outside of a show. "No, you didn't disturb me," he smiled, "All I do is practice normally, but if you want to hear it, I will gladly play." He got the guitar back out and started playing again, just a simple chord-based melody, nothing aggressive, peace was the idea right now.

When Laurie sat down she almost immediately dropped her sketchbook; August would have gotten for her, but she had already picked it up by the time he stopped playing. He simply smiled and started back the melody again. "I know the feeling," he said. He looked over to her, and asked, "So, I'm guessing your a visual artist?" That was an educated guess based on the sketchbook, she looked like a visual artist though, some people just did. He had never really known any artists, he had had a few friends in High School who had been in to drawing, but they weren't necessarily artists, to them it had just been a hobby.

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie smiled as she heard the tune pick up again, it really was a wonderful sound. She left the ruined notebook on the floor, as she went back to sit beside August. Nodding her head to the music softly, she turned towards him and smiled. "Yup, that's what I do. It's basically my only real talent." She chuckled softly. "And I'm guessing from your musical talent, that you are a musician of the school, are you here on paid tuition or on a scholarship?" She asked curiously as she continued to sway to the music.

Laurie had never been good in any other field of art, other than drawing and she really didn't know any musicians other than her brother. Rather her old friends at home had been very different, none of them having an inclination to follow any art-related dreams. Rather they all had plans to become famous actors or models, none wanting to become an artist of any kind. They had not understood her affection for the arts, and had scoffed at her idea, strongly encouraging her to follow in Renee's footsteps to become a model. It felt refreshing to talk to someone who also had a love of the arts, and who wouldn't disrespect or insult her dream.

[August White]

"Well, I'm sure that's your main talent, but there are probably plenty of other things you're good at," he said, not dropping the melody a bit. That was something he had learned to do a long time ago, keep his hands and his mouth independent, it was essential if one planned on playing and singing simultaneously. He looked over to her and answered her question, "I would be one of those, and I'm here on a scholarship for sure," he smiled then added, "There's no way in hell I'd be able to afford tuition." He might have been able to if he still talked to his parents, but as things stood he hadn't spoken to or seen them since his freshmen year of High School, meaning it had been seven years. Time sure did fly by.

"So, how are you liking the school?" He asked, not wanting to let the conversation fall away. He had never been good at conversation topics, but this seemed a safe venture, a question easy to ask and answer. Plus, he wanted to know how other people were like the place. He loved the facility, and the teachers were great, he just missed his friends from New York and being able to play gigs when he wanted to. Now he had a responsibility though, and he was going to accept it. He had chosen to go to finish college, so now he was gonna stick to his word.

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie chuckled, "Ah if only that were true, though thank you for trying to give me hope." Laurie smiled at him, he really was very talented. The academy did not give out scholarships often, so for him to receive one, would mean that he was in the top percentile of the town. She smiled sadly when he revealed that he couldn't afford the tuition, if only that was true for her. Her father could easily pay for her tuition here, but Laurie had no desire of this. She knew that by following her dream, she was breaking away from her family. She didn't want to be indebted to her father because of the school fees, this was why she had practiced and practiced so that she could produce a painting worthy enough to earn her a scholarship.

Laurie smiled at him warmly, "Well I'll tell you the truth ok? I really love this school, it is so entirely different from my home and it's so refreshing, as I can be who I want to be. The facilities are great and the people are nice and all, but I feel really lonely, you know? I just don't know anyone, and I guess I miss the feeling of familiarity that I felt back home. Though, I expect I should get used to it over time..." Laurie said sadly, as she remembered the good times spent at home, surrounded by her close friends, and family.

[August White]

He smiled, "I couldn't just sit back and agree, that would just make me an indifferent person, and that is something I don't want to be." He wondered if she was paying the tuition or on a scholarship, there certainly were a lot of people here wealthy enough to pay for it, and there were other people here that were just as poor as he was, if not poorer. Once he started gigging again he would have more money, for now he was just glad that his dorm was free, that haad been a lifesaver. He looked over to Laurie again and said, "I'm goinng to make an educated guess and say you're here on a scholarship too, would I be right?"

"I feel the same way," he said, "I know what it's like to come to a new place and feel lonely, when I moved from Seattle to New York I had no friends for months, but that's mainly because I have trouble starting conversations." He though for a moment then asked, "Where are you from?" Another perfectly simple question, for both of them, this was the easiest part of making friends though, actually making them, staying friends was a bit harder. Right now, they knew relatively little about each other, so it was easy for them to converse, later, things might be a little more difficult, but August had a feeling that she would be a friend.

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie smiled at him, "Well from what I've seen in the 20 minutes I've known you, you aren't an indifferent person, so you don't have to worry." She quickly reassured him. Laurie nodded her head slowly, "Yeah I'm also on a scholarship, though not because I can't afford it." She paused, wondering if she should reveal her family history, it was a risk, one that she wasn't sure she was willing to take. So many people had changed their opinion of her, after they had learnt who she really was. She really didn't want August to define her because of her family. Taking a deep breath, she replied slowly. "My family is quite prestigious and they could easily afford it, but I wanted to take a different path to the one dictated for me, so I didn't want their help in securing my dream." Laurie had finally decided that she would reveal only the basics, she and August would need to be closer before he could learn about the Diegro family history.

Laurie nodded eagerly, "Yes that's exactly it! I'm glad you understand the way I feel! It is just so hard, but I'm glad I met you, it means that I now know at least one person at this academy." A shadow crossed her eyes at his next question, "I come from New York, though I don't spend much time there." She said quickly. "So do you know any good hangouts around here?" Laurie asked quickly to change the subject.

[August White]

"I'm glad you think so," he said, flashing a quick smile. This was going well so far, in his opinion anyway, normally if people stayed this long they'd stay a lot longer, or maybe he had just changed. In High School he had scared almost all his potential friends off, except for a few, and those had been his besr friends throughout and beyond school, they had been musicians like him though, so it was not surprising he didn't scare them off. "My family could afford my tuition, but it's been several years since I've spoken to any of them, so I doubt nows a good time to ask them for mass quantities of money," he paused then said, "I know what it's like to want to be different too, my family, well they're a bunch of snobby rich people, I moved to New York with my guitar and a few hundred bucks to get away from them."

He smiled again, alot wider this time, "I'm glad I met you too, being alone and friendless is not what I had planed on being, but I seem to have made a good start there, so I doubt I'll need to worry about it anymore." As she asked about hangouts he thought for a moment, there had been a few places he had gone to that were promising. "Well, no offense, you look just a little to young for bars, but I think there are a few nightclubs that allow minors, you may not be a minor, but you don't look twenty-one either. Ummm, there are a few coffee shops, a Starbucks and then a family owned, which is always better." He paused, "That's all I can think of, I haven't done much in my time here."

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie was surprised when he revealed that he too had family problems, and that he had escaped them to come to the academy. It was strange, but they actually had a lot in common. "I totally get what you mean, the people back home, my family and most of my friends, well, they would not get along with the academy. My home is very different than here, and like you, the academy was an escape." Laurie explained, smiling sadly as she remembered the trials she had to go through before she was allowed to go to the academy.

Laurie blushed prettily, "Yeah, I've been told that I look a lot younger than I actually am. My friends used to say that I could pass off for a 13 year old." She chuckled lightly. She listened attentively to the list of hangouts being introduced to her, she would be around for awhile, and it would be good to find some good hangouts. A cold wind blew by, and she shivered. "Well I don't know about you, but it's getting rather cold to me, do you think we could continue this conversation at one of the hangouts you mentioned before?" She asked hesitantly, wondering if he would accept her invitation or not. She was not used to this, it was usually others who asked her out as she was too shy to take the initiative.

[August White]

"New York was my first escape," he said, "I've actually already got an Associates degree, I think I came here as much for the art as to prove my parents, and my brother wrong. I know that sounds like I'm doing it out of spite, but if you met them, you'd understand my dilemna. They're just eloquent gems of people." August didn't really like talking about his family too much, but it seemed okay now, it was at least a way to relate to someone, and it felt good to tell people about his "problems", though he didn't consider his family to be the main problem, his ambitions were his problem, not to mention his several interesting character defects. He had learned how to play those down though, lucky for him and all of his potential friends.

"It's okay, my freshman year of High School I looked ten, you can imagine the hell I got for that," he smiled, "Then when senior year rolled around I was the smooth-talking musician, who ended up winning over the girls those guys liked, not all at once, but I made them wish they had never screwed with me. Payback is sweet, I was still sort of immature then though." He had loved High School, even though he had gotten alot of insults for wanting to be a musician, but, look at him now, and look at them, they were car mechanics, he was a small-time musician, but he saw bigger, that's one thing he was always good at, dreaming.

He was brought out of his haze of thoughts when she asked a question, again it took a moment to register, this time because he was not sure if she had actually asked him, or if he was just hallucinating, at the moment both seemed good possibilities, though anyone could of guess which one he was hoping to be the truth. He realized he hadn't given an answer yet then said, "Ummm, I'd love to, where do you wanna go?" He was surprised he had gotten that out honestly, he had always gotten tongue ties when he was nervous, but now he just ran his hand through his hair, another trademark of his, it had been since he had grown his hair out longer at least. Coming to the lake today was a good idea after all, he thought.

[Lauren Diegro]

Laurie nodded in agreement, "Although I've never met your family, I can really get what you mean. No one in my family believes in my dream either, the only person who did is now gone." Laurie whispered sadly, remembering all the encouragement Maria had given her to follow her dream. "I came to the academy to prove to them, that I can achieve my dream and make it in the world without their influence, or money." Laurie said determinedly.

Laurie chuckled good-naturedly, "Ten? Really? I find that really hard to believe!" Laurie smiled when she heard what he had down to 'defeat' the bullies. "Wow, that sure put them in their place, I only wish I had thought of something so creative. Though, me being so shy and all, I'm not sure I would've been able to achieve it." Laurie had done nothing like that, in fact, if she really thought about it, she would realise that she had never really 'defeated' the bullies, rather, through news of her family. Those bullies had wormed their way, into being her 'friends'. It was sad to think that she had very few 'true' friends back at home.

Laurie was nervously waiting for his answer, it had been a few long seconds, and he still hadn't answered her question. Maybe the friendly vibe she had been getting really didn't exist at all. Laurie started to feel guilty, maybe he really didn't like her company, and now he would feel like he was forced to accompany her to the coffee shop. She was just about to take back her offer in embarrassment until he asked her where she wanted to go. She was shocked and it took her awhile to answer. "Uh, anywhere is fine with me, I really don't know where's good, so you choose!"

[August White]

{OOC: Do you want to start the next thread, or do you want me to?}

"Well," he said, "I'm glad someone else knows how I feel, someone I know anyway, I'm sure thousands of people know how it feels, I just don't know them." His smile faded at mention of the person who encouraged her being gone; that was something he had never known. He had been distant from all of his family, to tell the truth he couldn't say it would phase him much if one of them died. He would go to the funeral, and he would probably feel regret, maybe for what he said last to them, but they had never really liked him. they had loved him, he was sure of that, but he had always been second best to his brother, and then he had become the black sheep when he left for New York. "I'm sorry about that," he said, mainly because he didn't know what else to say. He doubted it was very comforting, but at least he had tried.

"Maybe a slight exaggeration," he said, "But you get my point. And I'm sure you found some way to get them off your back, stealing girlfriends probably isn't your preferred method of payback, I did it because it seemed an easy and effective way, there were plenty of other options that would've worked better, but I, like always, took the easy road." That is something he was notorious for, until now at least. He had surprised himself with the decision to go to college more than he had surprised anyone else. He had been making good money in New York gigging, life was moving fast, the life was fun, everything had been in the moment, just like he liked.

He smiled, "As much as I'd love to take you to a nightclub, it's the middle of the day, and I doubt that would make a good first..." he paused, not wanting to say date, but he couldn't think of a better word so he said, "Impression. We can go to the coffee shop, it's close, and it should be fun. Do you want to walk there, or do you want to me to drive us?" Then he though, maybe she doesn't want to be with me on the way there, or maybe she wants to freshen up, or endless other possibilities, so he added, "Or we could just meet there in a while, it's up to you."