Status: updates when inspiration and free time collide.
Permanently Yours
No Matter How You Treat Me.
We started taking piano lessons in third grade. I loved playing piano so much. Garrett?...not so much. One day, mom dropped us off at our piano place, but our teacher was late. We just sat in the bean bag chairs to wait, but Garrett decided to take a gander at this weird guitar in the guitar teacher's room. "Garrett, don't touch that!"
"Shut up," he whisper shouted, grabbing the oddly shaped guitar and slipping the strap over his head. The guitar's neck was abnormally long and there were only four strings on it. "And I’m freeeeeeeee! Free fallin’!" Garrett pretended to sing, head banging along as he strummed out nothing but awfulness on the weird guitar. "Whoa, these strings are fatter than normal guitar strings," Garrett muttered, tapping them on the fret. They made funny noises.
"You don't know how to play it. You don’t know anything about guitars," I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest even though I was laughing at Garrett on the inside.
"Why don't you try, then?" Garrett challenged, slipping the strap over his head and handing me the guitar.
"That's a bass guitar," the guitar teacher informed us, taking it from Garrett before putting it on and hooking it up to some speaker. "Check it out..." And then the guitar teacher played the bass line to the song Garrett was just singing.
We ended up learning bass guitar together with the teacher, since our piano teacher never came. It was the most fun we ever had, even though our fingers hurt so much afterwards.
"Man, that bass guitar was so cool..."
"Garrett, you’ll never be a rockstar."
"Shut up! I so will!"
"What happened to being a professional zombie slayer?"
"That's only during Zombie season. I can be a rockstar during off Zombie season."
“The zombies would eat your brain.”
“I’d still be smarter than them.”
“And what if they ate your arms and legs?”
“They wouldn’t be able to…because I would kick their butts.”
Mom was here, so we got in the car, went home, did homework, had dinner, and all the other boring things that we did every weeknight.
School was alright. I hated how I was older than everyone in my class, though. My parents figured I didn’t need to start school so soon. When I asked, they reasoned that they didn’t want me to go to school early because they loved me so much and didn’t want to share me with anyone else.
…I was beginning to think they just didn’t want to pay for my education.
Garrett and I went to this small private school. I didn’t know how much the tuition was, but I knew that the more kids in your family attending the school, the bigger the discount your parents got on both your tuitions. I guess that made sense. It’s not like my parents were made of money, so…yeah.
But what got me really mad was when they pulled us both out of piano lessons because Garrett wanted to take tae kwon do lessons, and they just so happened to be on the same days as our music lessons. They wouldn’t let me take piano still because the drive was too long, and all sorts of excuses that I didn’t want to hear. That made me so mad.
Why did they always let Garrett do what he wanted?
“Grey?” mom said from the other side of the door. “Open up, sweetie,we have a surprise for you…”
I pouted, but got off my bed and opened the door. To my surprise, they carried in a box with a keyboard inside. “For me…just me?”
Dad nodded before starting to set it up. “I know you’re upset that you can’t take piano lessons, but you can teach yourself, right?” mom said hesitantly.
I nodded and got straight to playing once dad fixed it. “Thanks, mom, thanks dad!”
“You’re welcome,” they said in unison before leaving again.
I can’t remember them buying me any real toys after that. I missed getting gifts, though.
Gifts meant people know you well enough to know what you would like.
Gift cards meant they didn’t know you at all.
My own parents…?
Wow.
"Shut up," he whisper shouted, grabbing the oddly shaped guitar and slipping the strap over his head. The guitar's neck was abnormally long and there were only four strings on it. "And I’m freeeeeeeee! Free fallin’!" Garrett pretended to sing, head banging along as he strummed out nothing but awfulness on the weird guitar. "Whoa, these strings are fatter than normal guitar strings," Garrett muttered, tapping them on the fret. They made funny noises.
"You don't know how to play it. You don’t know anything about guitars," I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest even though I was laughing at Garrett on the inside.
"Why don't you try, then?" Garrett challenged, slipping the strap over his head and handing me the guitar.
"That's a bass guitar," the guitar teacher informed us, taking it from Garrett before putting it on and hooking it up to some speaker. "Check it out..." And then the guitar teacher played the bass line to the song Garrett was just singing.
We ended up learning bass guitar together with the teacher, since our piano teacher never came. It was the most fun we ever had, even though our fingers hurt so much afterwards.
"Man, that bass guitar was so cool..."
"Garrett, you’ll never be a rockstar."
"Shut up! I so will!"
"What happened to being a professional zombie slayer?"
"That's only during Zombie season. I can be a rockstar during off Zombie season."
“The zombies would eat your brain.”
“I’d still be smarter than them.”
“And what if they ate your arms and legs?”
“They wouldn’t be able to…because I would kick their butts.”
Mom was here, so we got in the car, went home, did homework, had dinner, and all the other boring things that we did every weeknight.
School was alright. I hated how I was older than everyone in my class, though. My parents figured I didn’t need to start school so soon. When I asked, they reasoned that they didn’t want me to go to school early because they loved me so much and didn’t want to share me with anyone else.
…I was beginning to think they just didn’t want to pay for my education.
Garrett and I went to this small private school. I didn’t know how much the tuition was, but I knew that the more kids in your family attending the school, the bigger the discount your parents got on both your tuitions. I guess that made sense. It’s not like my parents were made of money, so…yeah.
But what got me really mad was when they pulled us both out of piano lessons because Garrett wanted to take tae kwon do lessons, and they just so happened to be on the same days as our music lessons. They wouldn’t let me take piano still because the drive was too long, and all sorts of excuses that I didn’t want to hear. That made me so mad.
Why did they always let Garrett do what he wanted?
“Grey?” mom said from the other side of the door. “Open up, sweetie,we have a surprise for you…”
I pouted, but got off my bed and opened the door. To my surprise, they carried in a box with a keyboard inside. “For me…just me?”
Dad nodded before starting to set it up. “I know you’re upset that you can’t take piano lessons, but you can teach yourself, right?” mom said hesitantly.
I nodded and got straight to playing once dad fixed it. “Thanks, mom, thanks dad!”
“You’re welcome,” they said in unison before leaving again.
I can’t remember them buying me any real toys after that. I missed getting gifts, though.
Gifts meant people know you well enough to know what you would like.
Gift cards meant they didn’t know you at all.
My own parents…?
Wow.
♠ ♠ ♠
thanks for the comments, jennabobenna and forevernalways!it's homecoming week, so teachers are giving out, like, no homework >:D
i'm pissed off that i don't get columbus day off anymore,
but since i'm a senior, i have no school wednesday! xD
i am giving blood tomorrow, though ._.
i'm really starting to like this story. are you? :D
i listened to this song and just got motivated.
no idea why it motivated me to write, but feedback would be lovely ♡
...gosh, i really need to update my other stories ._.