Jagged Edges

Slowly, everyone begins to leave. First it's Sabrina, who has to get to church. Then it's Ivy who's late for an appointment with her psychiatrist whom she's convinced is giving her medication tonmake her invincible. Bradley and Skipper have to go becaue their mom just got Botox and "probably can't even stand up without help right now". L'von decides to take Jade home so she won't have to wait for me and my shirt that Gian just put in the dryer.

One by one everyone leaves until it's just me and Gian. According to him, his mom is at church as well and his dad had some work to do so he's at his office for the day. That means we're really alone. Just one more reason to stay. I wouldn't feel right leaving him by himself.

I help him clean up from last night and this morning and it's actually kinda pleasant. I feel content in a way I've really not felt around anyone else in a really long time, if at all.

"Well, looks like we're done here." Gian announces, placing his hands on his hips and looking proud.

"Yeah, it looks nice."

"Thanks for helping." He smiles his straight, white smile. "What do you wanna do now?"

I shrug. "Anything's fine with me."

"Well, we could watch a movie or play video games. I don't really know much about that though. L'von is the one who does games. I play Soul Caliber though so we could play that!"

"A movie sounds great." I laugh, standing and following Gian into the den. I caught a brief glimpse of the room yesterday when he gave the grand tour but that's all it was, a glimpse. Upon further examination, I notice a rather large flatscreen, a few plush-looking couches and, my favorite part of the room, a baby grand piano weighed down with several pounds of elegantly framed pictures.

I smile and make my way over to the keys, chancing a glance at Gian and his adorably confused expression before playing one of the only two pieces I know by heart: the Charlie Brown theme song.

When I was a kid, mom and dad made damn sure that we never missed a Charlie Brown special. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. The whole nine. Amren and I even made up our own stories about him when we were feeling creatively bored. That's probably why it's one of the only two piano pieces I ever bothered to learn to play without the notes in front of me. The other is Mozart but I don't want to give the poor boy a heart attack. He's really the first friend I've been excited to have in a long time. Killing him probably wouldn't be a good thing. Judging by the surprise on his face, death by unexpected piano playing is possible.

Once the sons is done, Gian gapes at me. "I didn't know you played piano." He stated obviously. "What else do you play?"

Scratching the back of my neck, I say, "Uh, actually it's only piano and guitar."

He beams and slides onto the bench next to me. "Can you play me something else?"

"I . . . can't." I lie. Honestly, Mozart isn't really a great thing to go with at the moment. Trust me. "I can only play that one thing without the notes in front of me. I'd need sheet music."

"Oh." Gian's shoulders slump in disappointment and the look on his face comes this close to breaking my heart. Who knew this kid was so easy to excite and disappoint? I guess you learn something new everyday, huh?

"I have my guitar in my car." I offer. "I could go grab it. I know a lot more songs." 

"Oh, that's okay. You don't have to. How about that movie?" Gian shrugs but his eyes give him away. He really wants this song. 

"It's no big deal. I'll go get it." I stand and leave the room, all the while wondering what the hell I just did.

God Treason, what has gotten into you? Offering to play for someone who isn't mom? Hell, that doesn't even happen with Amren. There's definitely something about Gian that makes my head stop working correctly. 

I grab my guitar from the trunk of my car and head back inside, not feeling the least bit awkward just entering without knocking. I find Gian in the same spot I left him and smile before perching on the arm of the couch and settling the guitar on my leg. 

"Do you have a request or-?"

"No! Just play whatever." He insists. 

I nod slowly and quickly flip through a list of possible songs in my head before thinking of the perfect one. Making sure the guitar is still tuned properly, I strum out the first chords and take a deep breath.



The last few notes leave a fond feeling surrounding us and Gian is looking at me like I'm his new favorite person ever and it's all kinda wonderful and overwhelming at the same time

"Treason, oh my god. You're amazing!" He gushes. "Seriously, you need to take that showcase offer-thing."

I grin sheepishly and shrug a shoulder. "I don't relate sing in front of other people. It's not my thing." 

"Well, you just sang for me. It can't be much different."

"Trust me, it is. You're different, probably because you already heard me sing and everything. The way I see it, by singing for people, I'm letting then see a big, raw part of me. It's difficult to do that." I explain.

"You're letting me see you." Gian realizes, almost completely speaking to himself.

I smile fondly and nod, mumbling, "Yeah, it confuses me too." 

He looks up at me for a second, looking as if he's trying to figure something out. Figure me out. Just then, the dryer goes off and he jumps about a mile in the air. 

Gian blushes and stands. "That'l be your shirt." 

He scurries from the room and returns a second later, handing me my freshly laundered shirt. I thank him and gather my things, figuring that, unfortunately, it's time to go. Gian sees me to the door and waves as I back out of the driveway and everything feels natural and calm and like this is probably what I should have been doing all along.

But I shake the feeling and focus on the drive home and my unfinished homework and my mom and the string theory. Things that make a lot more sense than this.