//------------------------------// // Chemical Reactions // Story: Beats per minute // by TheBigJ //------------------------------// "There, all done, finally…" Putting back the last ornament in its original place, Vinyl exhaled, beads of sweat running down her forehead. Blowing a lock of hair, the Blue-haired girl contemplated the fruit of her work: an impeccable house. "I still can't believe you convinced me to do this... I don't even clean my room this good, how the hell you did you get me to help you clean the whole house?" Confident by her's friend humorous tone, Lyra patted the back of Vinyl, a glass of cold water in the other hand, and a cocky smile all over her face. The girls had been working for two straight hours, cleaning each room until they were shiny. Sure, they got help from Kicker Beat while he was waiting for his transport, and is also true that they skipped a few places here and there, but in the end both girls were tired, dropping onto the sofa longing for the rest they wanted so much. "Let's just hope Mom doesn't notice the instruments in the garage..." A small laugh escaped from Lyra mouth, however, Vinyl was looking worriedly at her friend. Lyra was looking at a photo, one she had seen a thousand times, after all, it was her favorite. In it, she could see a younger version of herself, sitting next to her father, and middle-aged man with greenish hair and glasses, big smiles on both of their faces as they seemed to read a book. Lyra looked away from the photograph, already feeling the familiar nostalgia. Shaking her head, Lyra faked a laugh as she stood up from the sofa. "… Anyway, do you want something to bite?" "What? Are you going to cook something?" "Nope, I was hoping you would." With a laugh, Lyra tried to make eye contact with Vinyl. "Come on, you know pretty well that I would end poisoning us if I cook..." "You know what is the worst? That is true." Shaking her head, Vinyl made her way to the kitchen, followed by a hungry Lyra. "You know, I still don't understand why you didn't tell your mom we were going to be practicing here." "I couldn't find the right moment, she... she is hardly ever at home." Vinyl could feel the pain in Lyra's tone, and hesitated whether she should say anything. "I told Dad anyway, so no problem!" Vinyl rolled her eyes, preferring not to dwell further on the subject. After searching inside the fridge, Vinyl puts some ingredients on the counter. She tied her hair up, ready to cook. Lyra looked enthusiastically at her friend, who masterfully cut, sliced, seasoned, and prepared the food. Vinyl maintained herself in action, with fluid and precise movements, without stopping, without stumbling. In what seemed like mere minutes, the two girls were enjoying a steamy hot meal. "Here you go, a Cajun-style Milanese sandwich!" Vinyl looked proudly at her dish, although seeing that Lyra had already devoured much of hers, she could not help but feel a little disappointed. "I guess it's like Dad always says: Cooking is a thankless job." "Huh, Waft ya saif?" Lyra swallowed hard, letting out a satisfied sigh after wiping her mouth. "Dude, this was delicious, like, brutally delicious!" "Yeah, thanks Ly,.." Vinyl was watching her friend with a frown, trying to get her attention with the weight of her gaze. "... And I love it when you put mustard on the bread, it's just great!" Lyra, still praising Vinyl's food, ignored the blue-haired. After several minutes it was that she noticed Vinyl, who was now even more serious. "Umm? What's up?" "Ok, for real, are we going to talk about That or what?" Vinyl's seriousness caused a clear discomfort on Lyra, who shifted in her seat trying to feel more comfortable. Vinyl waited patiently for her to finish eating, never looking away from her friend. For her part, Lyra was thinking how to delay a conversation she could not escape. Giving up, Lyra let out a long sigh before talking. "Hey, seriously, I don't know what the prob-" "The problem is that we're using your house to practice and your Mom doesn't even know!" Lyra frowned in annoyance as Vinyl continued. "I don't like it at all, I don't want to lie to anyone, and I clearly don't want you to get in trouble!" "Aw, I didn't know you cared so much about me!" Lyra teased, trying to lighten the mood, and placed a hand on Vinyl's shoulder. "Don't worry though, Mom will never find out, she spends most of the day working, and when she gets home, she is too tired to notice anything..." As funny and carefree she wanted to sound, the pain was evident in every word. Vinyl smiled warmly, and squeezed Lyra's hand in hers, trying to comfort her friend in some way. Lyra snorted, shaking her head, somehow hopping those thoughts would come out as well. "Ah, y-yeah, anyway, is not like we're lying to the entire continent!" Lyra quickly changed the topic, her signature cocky smile back on her face. "I mean, I did tell my Dad, like, for real! And K.B. Knows the truth too, that only leaves Mom and Octavia..." "Yeah, and that's why I am worried... Tavi seems to be like the type of person who freaks out over this kind of things, you know?" "Yeah, right, you can't fool me! I know what's wrong with you!" Lyra smirked, causing Vinyl to flinch, a huge blush appearing on her cheeks as she looked away. Vinyl's reaction only made more grace to Lyra, who was trying her hardest to control a laugh. After taking a few deep breaths to recover herself, Lyra could see the discontent and annoyance in Vinyl, who was looking at her with a large frow, even though it was less intimidating with her red cheeks. "W-What are you talking about?" "Oh, come on! Don't play dumb with me! You know very well what I'm talking about..." Lyra emphasized raising an eyebrow, and Vinyl flinched once again, turning as red as a tomato as she realized her friend's hints. "W-What? Tavi is just a friend, we know each other for like two weeks, I barely anything about her. I don't like her! W-well, I like her as a friend, but not in that kind of way!" "I never said you liked her..." "Wh-Don't-I-I-Oh ho ho... yeah, I know what are you doing here, and you know what? It won't work." Vinyl watched the teasing expression on Lyra's face, filling herself with anger and helplessness, not knowing how to get out of the trap she had fallen into. "I'm serious Lyra, very serious, I don't like her that way!" "Yeah, you are serious..." Lyra raised her hands in defeat. Huffing, she tapped the table a few times before leaving. "Hey, don't run away! Get back to the point, when are we going to tell your Mom that we are practicing here?" Vinyl watched incredulously as Lyra dropped onto the sofa, totally unconcerned, smirking as she invited Vinyl to sit next to her. The blue-haired girl approached her without breaking eye contact, maintaining the same intensity of her gaze at all times, and receiving the same carefree expression. "Hey, listen to me for a sec. This is serious, I don't want you to get into trouble just for being as dumb as always... we already have enough watching chemistry with professor Discord." "Ok, ok, I'll talk to Mom this weekend, so take it easy. You can stop worrying now about me, and also about your beloved raven-haired cellist." Lyra's joke was answered with a pillow to the face. A solid thud could be heard along with a muffled laugh. The chemistry class were not to the liking of many, let alone Vinyl. Beside the fact that was early in the morning, there was more in it for Vinyl to hate this class. As with other subjects like physics or mathematics, the problems and concepts were difficult for her, and most of the time, the solutions she came up to for half of the operations were not scientifically based. But there was a difference between those classes and chemistry. The real reason why chemistry was worse than other subjects was none other than the professor. Professor Discord was the living example of a mad scientist or an evil genius. From his wild appearance, his messy white hair, the ridiculous clothes, to his permanent sadistic smile, this teacher did not inspired not even a bit of confidence or security. On the contrary, his students were subjected to a kind of psychological torture, were at any moment, anyone could be the victim of a sinister game or test of Discord. Vinyl was under such pressure at the moment, trying to make sense of the set of letters, symbols and numbers on the board. She prayed for the teacher's nonexistent piety. Discord, for his part, was delighted as he saw the different nuances of expressions on the faces, from understanding to total incomprehension, along with some sings of fear of boredom here and there. Tapping the tip of his fingers, a dark chuckle escaped from between his teeth. "Well, well, what do we have here? This equation seems quite difficult, don't you think?" Discord stared at the whiteboard in amazement, trying his best to make it look exaggerated and false. Again, a dark laugh escaped, causing chills to an already terrified Vinyl. "However, where some see a problem, I see an opportunity..." "Today, a lucky student will have a chance to score an automatic ten on the next partial exam, all he had to do is solve this equation..." Walking around the room, Discord reflected to death in search of his next victim, rejoicing with every expression of pain and fear. "Ah! But there is a little thing... He he, you see, if the result is wrong, or there is a mistake of any kind, well, you will lose three points on the exam." Vinyl could feel the trail of a drop of sweat, from her forehead all the way down her neck. As Discord approached, she could see her life go before her eyes. She thought of every decision she took that guided her to this exact moment, and thought even harder about everything she could have done to avoid the inevitable. Hopeless, ready to accept her fate, Vinyl saw the light in the form of a sheet of paper, on it, which seemed to be the solution to the equation. She immediately turned to see Lyra, who was sitting at her left, only for her to point to an smiling Octavia, who was sitting a couple of desk ahead. Vinyl didn't have time to say or do anything, because without realizing it, Discord was standing next to her desk, his everlasting sadistic smile sending chills down Vinyl's back. "Miss Scratch, I bet you could use a ten on your exam... would you mind solving the equation on the board?" "W-Well..." Vinyl looked around her worriedly, looking for a sign, something to tell her how to get out of this situation. Her gaze fell on Octavia, who with a warm smile, pointed at the sheet that had come into Vinyl's hands. "Y-Yeah?" Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Vinyl got up from her desk and started walking to the board. Face to face with the great exercise, Vinyl blindly trusted Octavia's note, copying each number, each sign, each detail as it was written. She even took pains to imitate the cellist's writing. The whole room watched with curiosity and attention as Vinyl "Solved" the equation, even Discord approached to have a better view. A few minutes later Vinyl had finished transquiring, and she was proud of her result. "Hmmm... interesting." Discord approached the board, examining each line of the equation in detail, looking for the slightest mistake. Vinyl watched happily as frustration grew in her teacher, and sneakily gave Octavia a thumbs-up, who responded in the same way. Taking a couple of steps back, Discord stared in disbelief at the blackboard, something Vinyl took as a good sign, but almost immediately the professor looked at Vinyl, and his dark smile reappeared on his face. "Very good, congratulations, Miss Scratch, I must say that I was surprised, and that is something that does not happen every day... You just need to do one more thing: Please explain to the whole class how you solved this equation... " "W-What?" The color drained from Vinyl's face, who sought help from Octavia. The cellist could not do much more than wish her friend luck, although she knew that would be the end. Vinyl took a deep breath, looking for what words to say, or what to say in general. the more time passed, the fewer solutions she could think of, so she tried to do what she did best: improvise. "Well, you know ..." Looking at the board, she tried to make sense of all that jumble of letters and numbers, pointing with her hand as she spoke. "I moved this number over here, and this X for this other side, and this seven that seems important... Wait, where is the seven? Anyway, maybe it wasn't that important. Then I grabbed all this and turned it into this... and then I moved it over here? Ah! Here's the seven again! " After a few seconds, Vinyl decided to shut up, noting that the entire room was completely silent. Looking around, she could see Kicker Beat Facepalming, Lyra trying to hold back a laugh, and Octavia with her head down, and at that moment she realized that perhaps her plan did not go as well as she expected. "He he he... That was quite entertaining, but I am sorry to say that you have just confirmed my suspicion. Anyway, since, although cheating, you managed to solve the exercise, I will only take a point and a half from you in the next exam" Vinyl let out a grunt in annoyance, showing her middle finger at the professor as she adjusted her glasses. Back at her desk, she could see Octavia watching her with a guilty expression, gesturing an apology. Vinyl offered her a carefree smile and shrugged, easing Octavia's sentimental burden. Leaning back in her chair, she turned to her surroundings, looking for something to amuse herself with, and she noticed how Lyra saw her with a mocking smile. "hehe ... I know what's going on there" Lyra teased, raising an eyebrow comically.Vinyl's cheeks took on a pink color quite familiar to Lyra lately. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like her that way?" vinyl's voice was a strangled scream, as if she were on low volume. Failing to attempt a private conversation, several classmates were now attentive to the discussion between the two girls. "Only until you realize the truth ..." Lyra ended the conversation, to the misfortune of the others. Her smiling expression only caused more annoyance in Vinyl, who did not know how to respond, just turning angrily and folding her arms. "Very good! Practice number two of the band... we have to think of a name by the way." Vinyl was narrating to her phone's camera as she arranged it on a makeshift stand, grabbing some magazines and some tool she found nearby. Once again gathered in Lyra's garage, this time with her mother's permission and with Bon-Bon's company, the band was happily spending the afternoon. They had already played a couple of warm-up songs, and were proud of their performance so far. "Bon-Bon, you have the task of thinking of a name for the band! Anyway, as I was saying, the band's second practice, and we're going to try a slightly faster song this time..." Pulling herself into position, Vinyl checked the status of her bandmates, and nodded to Kicker Beat, who began the count.Soon, the garage was inundated with a loud drum roll, followed by a screeching discharge from the guitar. The song was fast, and it was a huge burst of energy for the group. After a few seconds, Vinyl started singing. -Today was the worst day: I went through hell I wish I could remove it from my mind Two months away from you, but I couldn't tell I thought that everything was gonna be just fine- Throughout the verse, only the background drums and bass sound could be heard, which Octavia now played with much more mastery and confidence. a strong guitar chord marked the passage to the pre-chorus, to which Lyra joined in the lyrics. -The postcard that you wrote with the stupid little note Something wasn't quite right about it Smelled like cheap perfume, and it didn't smell like you There is no way you can get around it Because you wrote- The chorus, just as energetic as the rest of the song, was Vinyl's favorite part. Especially because of the small change of speed in the middle of this, which presented a challenge for the band. -I wish you were her You left out the "E" You left without me And now you're somewhere out there with a Bitch, slut, psychopath I hate you; why are guys so lame? Everything I gave you I want everything back but you- -My friends tried to tell me all along That you weren't the right one for me My friends tried to tell me to be strong I bet you didn't think that I would see- -The postcard that you wrote with the stupid little note Something wasn't quite right about it I wanna see you cry like I did a thousand times Now you're losing me, you're losing me now 'Cause you wrote- -I wish you were her You left out the "E" You left without me And now you're somewhere out there with a Bitch, slut, psychopath I hate you; why are guys so lame? Everything I gave you I want everything back but you- The second chorus gave way to the guitar solo. This one, although not long, was complex due to the speed of the notes, but Vinyl accepted the challenge with a devilish smile. Putting her guitar on her thigh for greater control, she let out the torrent of notes at great speed. Her head moving to the beat of the song, making her blue hair flutter in midair. -The postcard that you wrote with the stupid little note Something wasn't quite right about it Smelled like cheap perfume, and it didn't smell like you There is no way you can get around it Because you wrote- -I wish you were her You left out the "E" You left without me And now you're somewhere out there with a Bitch, slut, psychopath I hate you; why are guys so lame? Everything I gave you I want everything back but you- -I wish you were her You left out the "E" You left without me Everything back but you I wish you were her You left out the "E" You left without me Everything back but you- This last chorus was different from the rest, leaving only the sound of the drums and bass once again. Shortly after the guitars were integrated again, ending the song with a very showy riff. Exhausted, the band stopped to rest after several applauses and cheers from Bon-Bon. Lyra was the first to suffer from Bon-Bon's praise, receiving a big hug and several compliments and comments on her performance. To tell the truth, judging by the smile on her face, one could say that she more yuan happy for this girl's company. Vinyl focused more on congratulating both Kicker Beat and Octavia. The drummer cheerfully accepted the comments, nodding so that one might think he wanted to say the same about them. In order to rest for a while, everyone stripped off their instruments, leaving them gently leaning against some boxes. Vinyl sat on the old sofa, next to Lyra and Bon-Bon, who were still deep in conversation. Without realizing it, she noticed Octavia, who was stretching her arms over her head in such a way that the flannel she was wearing marked perfectly every curve of her torso. A few beads of sweat ran from her neck to her chest, fading under the fine fabric. Vinyl was mesmerized by this figure, unable to look away. This show continued for a few more minutes, when Octavia started drinking from a bottle of water. Vinyl couldn't help but notice the cellist's lips. A small trickle of water came out of the corner of her lips, sliding down to her jaw and falling into small droplets on her chest. Vinyl watched this scene in amazement, licking unconsciously. She could get lost in that moment for hours if not for the laughter of her two friends sitting next to her. "I told you, didn't I?" Lyra giggled to Bon-Bon, who was working to control her own laugh. "Yes, yes you did, and you were absolutely right." Bon-Bon let out another laugh, which Lyra joined. Vinyl watched with curiosity and some concern as she tried to guess what they were talking about.Unable to discover the topic of conversation, Vinyl gave up. She then made up her mind to talk to Octavia, assuming that with Kicker she wouldn't have much to talk about. However, something went wrong with her plan. As she got closer to Octavia, Vinyl could notice how finding a topic of conversation was more and more difficult, a distance of just a couple of meters became an entire journey on her eyes. "-What's wrong with you, Vinyl? Get it together and just talk about anything for god's sake!.. Be cool.-" Vinyl was internally arguing with herself. Having little time to react, she had to decide what to say or do, however, for some reason that she was unaware of, her mind was not working as usual. Now he was right behind Octavia, even without being noticed by the cellist. "-Ok, you don't want to be cool, okay ... So just say the first thing that goes through your mind, just nothing stupid ..." "You look like that kind of girl who likes pizza with pineapple... am I wrong?" Immediately after that phrase, Vinyl regretted it. Octavia's confused expression did not help her relax, although this expression changed soon after with a small laugh. "Well you are correct. In fact, it is my favorite... Although I am not very fond of pizza." Octavia made a small grimace, making Vinyl smile and lightening her burden a little. "But why do you ask?" "-Pineapples ... Pizza ... ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME OR WHAT? -" Vinyl's mind, however, was not so successfully overcoming the previous failure, still punishing itself. "Honestly, I don't even know why I said it... A-Anyway, you got used to bass already, didn't you? " "Well, I don't feel as comfortable as with a cello, but I think I'm starting to get a taste for it." Octavia took a quick look at the instrument, forming a small smile on her mouth. "I think I'll buy myself a base, that way you can get yours back, and I'll stop feeling bad about using it for so long..." "Hey, that's great! Well, not the part where you feel bad, but the part where you want to buy a bass ... It's not like there's something wrong with you using mine! I don't have problem with that, I'm just saying it's great, yup ... great. " "Take it easy, I know what you mean, and I appreciate it." Vinyl, while suffering from shame inside her, was able to relax a bit each time she saw the cellist smile. Taking a small leap, Vinyl sat on the counter Octavia was leaning on. From there Vinyl felt more comfortable, and somehow felt more focused not being face to face with Octavia. "By the way, do you know of a good place where I can buy a bass?" "You mean, like a music store? Sure! I know a great place in the city, whenever you want we can go and I can show you around!" Octavia kindly accepted the proposal, and soon after the conversation died. A few seconds of silence between them was enough for Vinyl to put her mind in order and think of common topics of conversation. Unsurprisingly, given how little she knew of Octavia to date, her list of possible topics was limited to music, homework, and bad teachers. "What do you think of the band so far?" "What do you mean?" "Well, you know..." Vinyl scratched her neck, searching the words in her mind. "Do you think we sound good? Are we good? That sort of thing." "I think we are pretty good, even if I am not a big fan of this style... Maybe we are a bit loud?" Both girls let out a cheery laugh. "I don't know, I guess I'm not getting used to the volume at which we play." "Guilty of all charges." Vinyl raised her hand, a half smile on her face along with a playful expression. "I like to listen to the music at full volume, either through the amps or through my headphones... I'm sure it's not very healthy, but I love how it feels!" "That reminds me... I always see you with headphones on in class, except in chemistry. Why?" "Last year Professor Discord took away a pair of headphones, and said he would only get them back if he got a ten on the next exam ..." Letting out a nostalgic sigh, Vinyl dropped from her position to position herself next to Octavia. "I got a six, and I had to buy a new pair. Since then, I don't use headphones in chemistry." "Actually, I was wondering why you wear headphones in other classes, but I liked that story!" Again, both girls laughed, enjoying each other's company. However, this time Vinyl was more focused on Octavia. His eyes scanned and recorded in his memory every little detail of the cellist's face. Without realizing it, the reason for her smile was not because of a joke, but because of the girl next to her. "Y-Yeah ... well, here you go, write down my phone number!" Trying to stay calm and collected, Vinyl changed the subject under pure instinct. "I'll text you later, maybe I'll pass you a couple of songs that I love, and you can also send me something that you like!" "Hey, lovebirds! I hate to interrupt, but I think Octy came for you ..." Octavia and Vinyl turned at the same time to meet Lyra and her typical grimace. Both girls took a few seconds to process what Lyra had said, and little by little a red finality invaded their faces. In a quick movement they separated, avoiding looking each other in the eye. "You say they came to pick me up?" "Well, a sleek black car is parked in front of the house, your phone has rang a few times in your bag, and if it's not that, then the fucking Men in Black are waiting outside..." Octavia leaned out, recognizing the car. With relative speed she gathered her things, at the same time as she said goodbye to her friends. She paused for a few seconds in front of Vinyl, offering her a smile and a quick hug before jogging to the car. Vinyl was stunned for a few seconds, watching Octavia disappear inside the car, and in turn, this disappeared in the distance. Her gaze remained fixed on the space where the car used to be, totally focused on her thoughts. "Lyra..." "Hmm? What?" Lyra looked confused at her friend, who had not moved a muscle. Her gaze still in infinity. "I think you're right..." "Am I right about what?" "I think..." Vinyl took a deep breath, trying to focus. Lyra for her part waited, still confused, for her friend to explain what she was talking about. "I think I like Octavia... not only as a friend, but as kind of like for real..."