As the Piano Keys Rang

So, this is it. Brendon thought to himself as he stepped through the halls of Palo Verde High School. His black converse tapped across the linoleum. He sighed as he passed the lockers and the classroom doors that he would soon know all too well. With his transcript in hand, he headed for the office, using the directions he was told at over the phone. He wasn’t surprised that he found it because there was a multitude of arrows and signs pointing to the entrance. Two large oak doors separated him from his new life in Las Vegas. He took a deep breath and decided on opening the right door.

The office was busy and blank. Phones ringing, late students running around to get their passes validated, and ghostly white walls that gave the whole place a melancholy feeling. It was an average high school front office. He knew that. He approached the woman sitting at the desk closest to the entrance. “Hello. I’m new student and I’m late,” he said in his sweetest ‘I’m new here’ voice.

“Well, it woulda been nice if you couldn’t knocked out one of those problems on ya own, but I won’t hold it against ya,” she had a certain accent that Brendon couldn’t place. She shifted around the papers that cluttered her desk. “Urie?” she asked as Brendon tried desperately to culturally place her again. He batted away the idea and tried to think about her actual words, rather than the way she said them.

“Yes, that’s me,” he said adjusting the strap on his bag. It was beginning to dig uncomfortably into his shoulder.

“Follow me,” she got up from her office chair and waddled towards the other end of the room, through four more desks with heavy computers atop them and four more intimidating women sitting at them. Brendon followed her and tried not to look anyone in the eye. “We gotta new student for ya, Mr. Bruns,” she said as Brendon entered into a new room. Much smaller but not any happier than the prior one. She hustled out of there, leaving Brendon alone. He looked up and saw a pudgy old man with a balding head and a pedophile goatee.

“Take a seat, son,” he said in a heavy voice. Brendon didn’t like being called son, but he sat down at an uncomfortable looking seat with plastic armrests and a scratchy maroon seat. The man grabbed his transcript violently out of his hand and began to flip through the pages. “So why did you parents decide to transfer you in October, Brendon?”

“My dad’s business got a new office here and I don’t think they make those kinds of decisions around school schedules,” Brendon kind of put an attitude in his sentence because he didn’t appreciate the stupid question.

“Well, regardless, welcome to Palo Verde High School. I am your principle, Mr. Bruns. Bruns like New Brunswick not like the Boston Bruins. You are coming in as a junior right?” Brendon nodded. “Well, good, we got your schedule right!” He handed him a yellow piece of paper with a list of classes, teachers, and room numbers. “So there are maps everywhere. You can also ask a teacher or a student and I’m sure they’d help you out. So… yeah… get out there and learn.” He laughed nervously and shooed Brendon out of the office.

Brendon passed the accent lady again. “Do I need a pass or anything?” he asked politely.

“Ahh… no just go… ya new so ya’ll be fine,” she smiled with her yellowing, crooked teeth and waved him to the door.

Just like that, he was out of the madness and back in the deserted halls. He looked down at his schedule. American Literature. Sounds enthralling. Brendon thought sarcastically. He looked at the nearest map and realized how big the school was. He began to move down the hallway trying to find his class. The morning light was shining yellow through the windows. It gave the white walls a 60’s feel. Brendon was blinded by how close the sun was to the horizon. He looked away to get it out of his eyes and saw an open door. It took a second for his vision to focus. The room was becoming clearer and clearer and Brendon began to walk towards it. Finally, his eyes were focused and he was free to explore the empty room.

It was a music room. Elevated steps bore chairs and stands and a wall of windows behind them. The chalk ledge was littered with conducting batons and expo markers. The board was blank except for thick black lines paired into groups of five. Other than the lifeless objects, he was the only one there. He was entranced by the room and he found himself taking more steps into it. His eyes scanned it for the tenth time and something caught his eye. It was a large grand piano that took up a good portion of the room. He wondered how he had not noticed it before. It looked like new and glowed in the yellow morning light.

I’m late! Part of his brain shouted. Ya new so ya’ll be fine. The other part spewed, mocking the foreign accent. He smiled and moved closer to the piano. He removed his bag from his shoulder and he could feel the impression it had made. He sat down on the bench and opened the fall, revealing 36 black keys and 52 white keys. He was smiling so big now, it hurt.

He hadn’t seen a piano in at least a week, due to the confusing move across town. Now he had one all to himself. He lifted his large hands over the keys and felt them beneath his pads. Then he began to play. He played without thinking or wondering; only listening. Listening as the quite room began to fill with music that rang from the piano keys.

He was gone into his own world. He didn’t know how long he had been there but he felt a tap on his shoulder. His mind suddenly collapsed and he stopped abruptly. He quickly turned, coming back to his senses. He flipped his legs over to the over side of the bench. He saw a young boy with dark brown hair and warm hazel eyes. He wore a tight green t-shirt over his crazy skinny frame.

“What are you doing here?” Brendon asked. His voice came out so quickly, so suddenly that it had shocked Brendon.

“I was just delivering something to Mr. Vandel,” he said point a thumb behind him.

“Whose Mr. Vandel?” Brendon asked with a confused look.

“He’s the music teacher,” he said it like Brendon was an idiot, “why are you here?”

“I’m a new student and I was trying to get to class but I got a little distracted,” Brendon rubbed a nervous hand behind his head.

“Obviously,” the boy said, “what were you playing?”

“Honestly, I’m not quite sure,” Brendon got up reaching for his bag.

“Well, whatever it was, it was beautiful,” the boy put his hands in his pockets and bit his lower lip.

Brendon looked at him, taking him in. “Thank you,” he finally said, “I’m Brendon Urie. I just transferred from across town.”

“Ryan Ross. Welcome to Palo Verde,” he held out his hand. Simultaneously, the bell went off.

“Shit. I missed my first class,” Brendon said throwing his hands in the air.

The music room began to fill with students holding different concert instruments. A frazzled looking man with graying hair and an emerald green pant suit came in, grabbing a baton from the chalk ledge and tapping it repeatedly on the conductor’s stand. He looked out a second before turning to Ryan and Brendon. His facial expression was asking for a reason for their presence.

“Sir, I have this pass for Spencer for 3rd block. If you could give it to him, that’d be great,” Ryan handed him the small slip of paper.

Mr. Vandel looked at it before tucking it behind his sheet music. He then stared inquisitively at Brendon.

“Hi. I’m Brendon Urie. I’m a new student and I was just admiring your piano,” he tried to make himself sound sane but he was failing miserably.

“Were you the one playing it during my coffee break?” he asked.

“Probably,” Brendon ran another hand through his hair and squinted his eyes out of embarrassment.

“Well, you are very good and welcome to our school,” he turned back to his class as they began to get seated.

“Thank you, sir,” Brendon smiled warmly.

“I’ll see you later, Mr. Vandel. Come on, Brendon,” Ryan jerked his head in the direction of the door. Brendon followed. They escaped to the busy halls that were bustling with loud students at their lockers and with their friends. “So what class did you miss?”

“American Literature,” Brendon read from his schedule even though he already knew what it said.

“Oh, I bet you’re upset about that one,” Ryan said sarcastically, “so you’re a junior?”

“Yeah, what are you?” Brendon asked him.

“I’m a senior, but all my friends seem to be juniors,” he looked down at Brendon as they continued walking, “what do you have next?”

“Uh… Environmental Science,” he read, again, off the unnecessary schedule.

“Ah, Liberal Lifestyles. Good class. You need help getting there?” Ryan asked.

Brendon looked back at him. His hazel eyes were sincere and happy. “No, I think I got it but thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll see you around, Brendon,” he said as he turned down a hallway that wasn’t on Brendon’s path.

“You too… Ryan,” the last part he kind of whispered to himself. He turned back to his course and smiled the whole way to the class.

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Brendon stood in the front of the classroom. It was large and had both a desk section and a lab station. The average science class room. He came in just as the bell was ringing. As he stood, a bubbly lady came through the door with a stack of papers and a large water jug. She didn’t even notice Brendon standing in her way as she entered.

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” she said as she dropped her armful on her desk in the front of the room. She took the jug and put it under the faucet that was at her desk and let the water trickle into it. Brendon was surprised she wasn’t running on energy drinks or coffee. She took a sip before beginning.

Now Brendon understood Ryan calling it Liberal Lifestyles. Looking around the room, all the posters hanging were about endangered animals, hybrid cars, and vegetarianism.

The teacher grabbed a clipboard from her messy desk and rummaged around for a pen. “Attendance time!” she sang. “Sam… Jackie… ” she began scanning the room for each student that she had already committed to memory. “Morgan… Spencer… Spencer?” she looked around quickly. “Any one seen my son?” she asked the class.

“Yeah Yeah Yeah. I’m here, Mom,” a boy said walking through the door. He took his seat in the back.

“There you are! Okay. Rhonda… Shannon… Joseph… Brendon… Brendon?” she swiveled her head around.

“That’s me,” Brendon said stepping out into her line of view, “I’m new here.”

“Oh, well, hello! Welcome to Environmental Sciences! I’m Ms. Smith,” she said in a sing-song voice, again. “Where should I put you?” she whispered to herself as she tapped her pen against her cheek, “Oh, I’ll put you next to Spencer in the back. If you need any help with anything just ask him. Spence! Wave your hand, honey!”

Spencer rolled his eyes and lifted one hand only slightly in the air. You could tell he was embarrassed by his mother. Brendon went down the aisle and took his seat next to Spencer. Ms. Smith began to teach the lesson and Brendon’s neighbor leaned into his desk. “Hey. Are you the piano player that Ross was talking about?” his turquoise blue eyes squinted in question.

Ryan was talking about me. Wow, word travels fast around here. “Yeah. I guess I am,” Brendon said. “Are you the Spencer that is getting out of Mr. Vandel’s class early today?”

“The one and only. Ryan’s got the hookup on blank passes, so if you ever need to get out of this place early, ask him,” Spencer sat back in his chair, only to lean in again, “you want to come with us today? We just wanted to get out a little earlier and run some errands.”

Brendon was shocked. Second block and he was already being invited to hang out. Then, he was forced to think responsibly. “I would love to, but I already missed a class today and it’s kind of my first day so I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“Bummer. Well, maybe when you get more settled,” he said finally sitting back to listen to the lesson.

Brendon smiled to himself. Piano, friends, and classes about vegetarianism? Best first day ever!