A humanized OctaScratch romantic comedy in which Octavia tries to pay the bills by offering music lessons to those who are willing to learn how to play instruments. Vinyl Scratch just so happens to be one of her students.
Octavia Philharmonica is one of many who are trying to make it in life, and living in one of the nation's busiest cities doesn't make it any easier. She just got laid off of her job, and bussing tables at her friend's cafe part-time isn't doing much to pay the bills, so Octavia falls to her last resort - she'll use her talent of music to offer lessons for those who are willing to learn the craft.
However, when a bold, crazy disk jockey obsessed with rock-n-roll signs up, everything turns upside down.
Something's watching over me - like sweet serendipity!
The rush of the city was a very strange melody to listen to, yet Octavia adored it. For so long, she had craved the thrill of it all, and now here she was, living the dream...
...or trying to, at least.
Today, the melody sounded off-key to her.
Car horns and motor bikes that used to bounce off of the walls of the buildings now clashed together into fuel for a migraine, whereas before they would be a sort of wild harmony that put a spring in her step. The lights from signs and traffic now blinded her, even though they would normally brighten her up. The smell of smog that used to be easy to ignore was now lingering in the air heavily, enough to make someone dizzy to the point of fainting.
To put it simply, everything that used to be positive was now negative-
-and what was already bad seemed worse.
Now, all Octavia wanted was to block out the controlled chaos of the city.
She had somehow managed to survive her walk home, trampling through the crowds, and she made her way up the busted-up cobblestone steps of her apartment complex. She swung open the door and practically fell into the building. She winced at the sound of kids crying, people screaming, dogs barking and muffled noises all around.
On any other day, she could ignore it... but today was just one streak of bad luck after the next.
Octavia tried to feign a smile to the kind receptionist at the desk and made her way up the stairs that creaked loudly underneath her feet.
She was actually surprised no one had gotten hurt on this staircase - yet.
Nearly tripping over bags of trash, scattered toys and who knows what else, she quickly found her way to the second floor, and unlocked the door to Apartment 2D. At least here, in this cramped little shoebox of a residence she had, there was cleanliness and a little less noise than outside.
She picked up the mail from the floor and tossed it onto the nearby coffee table along with her jacket. The shades were pulled up, lighting her home with the perfect Springtime sunshine.
But despite it all, she couldn't truly smile.
As juvenile as it sounded, today sucked.
She had woken up two hours late, was nearly mugged on the subway and had to deal with rude employees at her job. To top it all off, she was now laid off from that job, due to the fact that the company was closing down. Apparently, no one needed another lawyer in this section of town anymore, so Octavia's current occupation as a mail clerk and assistant to the main bosses was now down the drain.
Letting out a groan, Octavia reached back and removed the headband out of her hair, letting her long ebony locks flow down. A deep breath escaped her, and she kicked off her heels, walking over and sitting down on the couch.
The plastic imitation leather was surprisingly comfy as she laid down, staring up at the ceiling.
"I hate Mondays," she muttered.
Now, while she wasn't one to say such things - because it seemed to make no sense - but this was the truth and nothing but it. Mondays were a drain most of the time, and it seemed that this one in particular wanted to torture her.
In this current economy the nation was in, having a job was practically a blessing, but Octavia had lost it in the blink of an eye. She had always known that living on her own in the big city would be difficult, but not like this. Lately, everyday had it's own little surprise slap in the face and it wasn't fun, at all.
Octavia rubbed her eyes and began thinking hard.
How was she going to pay for the bills?
Would she ever get out of this slummy neighborhood?
Could this day get any worse?
Unfortunately, her mind was drawing a blank on all of those questions and all she could do was continue lying down on the couch, with an emotionless expression and a feeling of exhaustion washing over her. Nothing was getting done.
She hated it when that happened.
Having a blank slate in life felt so dissatisfying.
Her gaze traveled all around the living room, looking for something - anything - to do, just so she could feel productive. Laziness was a pet peeve and somewhat enemy.
The smallest of smiles made it's way across her expression as she noticed a black case on the floor, slightly open. In an instant, she sat up and leaned forward, pulling the case towards her and flipping the top open.
Her violin.
It was old, ancient even, with worn-out strings and wood that no longer shined, but it still worked.
In this wild, busy, bustling city, her love of classical music had never faded.
Releasing a deep breath, Octavia gently picked up the bow and she placed the instrument on her shoulder properly. Then, she began to play. The music was sweet and a wonderful relaxer to take off the day's stresses. She felt as if everything had been taken away, just with a few strokes of the bow against the strings. It was like magic, almost, or some sort of miracle. Whatever it was, it worked, and for the first time today, she was absolutely content, with not a care in the world.
Music was the main reason she had ever even dreamed of this big city.
When she was younger, her only desire in life was to become a famous musician, but years had flown by, and that aspiration had slowly faded away. Now, music was just a hobby. It killed time, and helped her unwind - nothing more, nothing less.
As she continued to play, the idea of trying to make it in the music business came to mind, and she smirked at the idea.
That would never happen, she told herself.
She continued striking the bow against the strings, lost in the music for a moment, when out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but notice the clock on the wall.
12:45, it read.
Octavia felt her heart sink. There was no more time to play, she had her other job to get to.
After all, living in the city was anything but cheap...
A sigh slipped past her lips, and she put her violin back in the case. She got up from her seat, shoved on a pair of sneakers without bothering to tie them, and grabbed her keys, dashing out the door and back out to the rush of the world outside.
"Goodbye, law firm," she mumbled. "Hello, bakery."
Got a good 'ole friend here with me tonight and I guess I'm doing alright!
Somehow, Octavia found herself surviving in the rush of the city for one more quick trip, and much to her surprise, she had ran into the building just on time. She noticed the clock strike exactly one when she sprinted in through the back door of the bakery, indulging the smell of sweet treats the moment she entered.
"Hello there, Bonbon, I-"
"Oh, thank goodness you showed up! I've been getting catering gigs left and right and it's not easy keeping the crowd pleased either!"
Octavia winced as she noticed her normally overly kind boss freak out.
"Here," Bonbon instructed, shoving an frilly apron and a notepad towards the other woman. "Take down some orders and whatnot, I need to keep baking." She shuffled over to the kitchen area, and shouted over her shoulder. "Also, if you see that wife of mine, tell her she's got to start pulling her weight around here!"
A frown made it's way across Octavia's expression.
Well, it looked like she wasn't the only one having a bad day.
She tied the apron around her waist and rushed out of the back, into the cafe part of the bakery, where patrons sat at the tables, awaiting their orders.
For the most part, it was rolling along as smooth as silk. The messes were fewer than usual, people actually bothered to use manners, and nothing seemed to cause any sort of bumps in the road. The afternoon flew by, moment by moment, as if someone had turned on the fast forward button. Octavia almost felt as if she was flying across the floor as she dashed from table to table, and from the kitchen and back, taking orders and giving out dishes to everyone.
Before she knew it, the clock had spun forward and it was now six 'o clock.
Everyone had left, and now, the sign on the front door was flipped over to read CLOSED.
A deep breath of relief escaped Octavia and a tired smile was on her expression.
"Do you need any more help?" she asked as she peeked into the kitchen.
Bonbon was now wiping down the counter. "I'm done for the day as well," she sighed.
Octavia gave a small nod. "Well then, I guess I'll be off for the night," she said, as she untied her apron and hung it up on one of the hooks on the wall. "I suppose you'll need me around the same time tomorrow?"
"Most likely," Bonbon replied, as she dried her hands off on her flour-covered skirt. "And-" The heartwarming smile she was known for was back. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I'd hate to be a burden-"
"-oh, come on, Octavia, you're a good friend."
"Is that the only reason you hired me?" she teased.
Bonbon rolled her eyes, and Octavia chuckled.
"I'll have to decline," she said politely.
"I'm not taking no for an answer," Bonbon pressed.
Octavia now genuinely laughed. "You're the worst sometimes, you know that?" she joked.
The other woman smirked, and put her hands on her hips. "If that was the case, you wouldn't be getting a paycheck from me," she playfully shot back. "Besides, when was the last time we hung out after work?"
Taking this into consideration, Octavia pursed her lips.
It did look awfully cloudy outside, and walking out in the rain was never fun...
"Just this once," she said.
"You say that everytime," Bonbon trilled.
The smile on Octavia's expression slightly grew. So her day had dragged on and crashed towards the middle of it all, but in the end, so far, it seemed pretty sweet...
"Lyra! You're poisoning our daughter's mind!"
"C'mon, Bonnie, give it a chance! It's an educational show, for crying out loud!"
"Educa-? Pfft, more like fuel for nightmares!"
Octavia laughed as she listened to her two friends bickering. She shook her head playfully, and smiled as she watched Bonbon carry a toddler out of the living room, with Lyra right behind.
They both sat back down at the kitchen table, with Bonbon scowling.
"I swear, sometimes, it seems like I have two children," she muttered.
Lyra stuck her tongue out, and stabbed her fork into her salad.
"You're the one who puts up with me," she argued.
Bonbon let out a sigh. "Yes, and I often wonder why," she mused, shaking her head as she looked to their mutual friend. "So, Octavia, what's been happening with you? It's not often the three of us get to spend time like this, just friends."
Octavia gave a small half-hearted shrug. "The usual," she said simply. "Nothing I can report."
"Aw, c'mon," Lyra urged. "There's gotta be something."
"It's life, not a film where there's action at every moment," Octavia pointed out.
"I don't like your fancy metaphors, now tell us your day," Lyra said bluntly, as she reached forward and poked her friend in the arm. "There's probably something I can laugh about. You know how other people's misery amuses me."
Octavia smirked. "You're a strange one, Heartstrings," she laughed.
Lyra returned the grin. "What - did you just find this out now?" she replied.
"Unfortunately not," Octavia teased. "And as for my day, well-" Her expression slightly fell and she hesitated, twirling a lock of hair around one of her fingers. "Like I said, life."
"There's more to it," Bonbon quipped. "I can tell."
"You're not a mind-reader-"
"-but I know when a friend is upset."
Octavia let out a sigh of frustration. "Today decided to beat me up with no mercy and then it kicked me to the curb," she admitted. "And to be honest," She bit her lip. "I was thinking about asking you for more hours to work."
Bonbon's grin was sweeter than the treats she made for a living. "Of course!" she beamed. "I always need help." She winced as her young daughter began tugging on her curly hair. "Ow, Tootsie, honey, please don't yank on Mommy's curls." She looked to Octavia and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want more hours anyway? What about the job you have?"
"They closed the place down," Octavia sighed. "I've been laid off."
"That sucks," Lyra said, as she laughed while watching the entertaining scene that was her wife fighting against their toddler. "I guess you don't have a back-up plan?"
Octavia shook her head. "Sadly, no," she muttered.
"Well, we're always willing to let you work at the shop," Bonbon assured.
"Thanks," Octavia said, with a small smile. "I just don't know if it will be enough. Do either of you know a place that's hiring?"
Lyra snorted. "In this city? With this economy?" she retorted.
Octavia scoffed. "You're right," she sighed. "But, at least I have one job."
She noticed the neon green clock on the wall, and took note of the time - which was a quarter after eight. She gave a half-hearted smile and looked to her friends.
"I should be going now," she said simply. "It's late. See you two tomorrow?"
Lyra and Bonbon shared a smile, and Octavia got up from her seat, bidding them a farewell as she left their apartment. The city welcomed her with it's usual loud ruckus, and she let out an annoyed groan. Away from the nice, warm home to this.
She was really starting to dislike the city...
Sitting down on a nearby bench to wait for the bus ride home, Octavia breathed in the soft calming air of the Springtime evening. For a minute, if she closed her eyes, she could imagine her hometown. It had dirt roads, it was a small place, where everyone knew each other and-
-"Hey, lady!"
Octavia shot her eyes open, and looked back, noticing a young girl no younger than thirteen dash up to her with an armful of newspapers.
"Ya wanna buy one?" she asked, blowing her bright red hair out of her face.
Fishing a dollar out of her pocket, Octavia gave the young girl the money and took the paper. She opened it to a random page and sat back, her eyes gazing over the pages. Dim light from the street lamps made it possible to read and nothing seemed to be interesting enough.
Music from nearby clubs could be heard from outside, and it made the issue of reading even harder. But, finally, when Octavia skimmed to the next page, she felt her heart stop. Normally, the JOBS area in the paper was full of ads, but not this time - and with the never-ending beats she could hear, pieces in Octavia's mind clicked.
It was risky, it was a last resort...
...but with no full-time job to rely on, it was all she could do.
Advertise Here! 555-363-6346
Octavia pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number.
"Ad Services, what can I do ya for?" a shrill voice on the other end of the line said.
"Yes, hello, I'd like to place an advertisement," Octavia said.
"What for?"
She smiled brilliantly. "Music lessons," she declared.
You're grappling with that grey & rainy weather - and you're living on a latte and a prayer...
It was a crazy spur-of-the-moment decision. Probably one of the craziest things Octavia had ever done, but she was willing to do it and she wasn't going to back out now. This had to work, or else. It was the only back-up plan she could think up, and to be honest, doing a full eight hours at the bakery was extremely tiring.
Only four full days in, and Octavia already wanted to quit.
But she couldn't - not now, and her rent was due in a week.
Life was rough.
She let out an exaggerated sigh and collapsed into a booth, tired. The lunch crowd was gone, and the shop was empty, for now.
Rubbing her temples, Octavia released a sigh.
This job was nice and all, but sharing her love of music right now would have been better...
"How're you holding up?" Lyra spoke up, with a laugh. "Did Bonnie run you into the ground yet?"
Octavia's smile was weary at the tease, and she rubbed her eyes. "Not yet she hasn't," she muttered. She eyed the newspaper that someone had left behind on the seat and she flipped to the ad section. Maybe she was just thinking stupid for believing someone would respond to her offer. After all, who had time and money to waste on music?
Then again, the ad had been up for only a few days...
"That was a good idea, y'know," Lyra added.
"I can only hope," Octavia mused.
She gently tore at the corner of the paper and pursed her lips, thinking hard-
-however, her thoughts were interrupted as the bell on the door rang, alerting that someone else had entered.
Octavia got up from her seat, and took the notepad out of her pocket, walking back to her spot behind the counter. She looked up, and gave the customer a small smile.
"Welcome to Sweetstrings, what can I do you for?" she asked.
The patron was a young woman - tall, lanky and pale as a ghost. Her eyes were covered by bulky purple glasses, and overall, her appearance was resembling to that of a member in a punk rock band. Octavia wasn't surprised, though, most of the people in the city dressed that way.
Bobbing her head to the music that played in the headphones she wore, the young woman gave a grin. "Can I get a black coffee, half a dozen chocolate muffins and a plain bagel to go?" she asked.
The young woman spoke quickly, and her voice was definitely feminine, but it had a bit of a husky tone to it. Her tone could pass off for a city regular, but not quite.
"Certainly," Octavia said, as she scrawled down the order.
She then turned around, and began working on the order, filling a box with the treats and brewing a new pot of coffee... but it was hard to pay attention when the customer behind her was screeching at the top of her lungs and imitating the noises of an electric guitar.
It was the longest two minutes of Octavia's life as she made that order.
"Ma'am?" she said.
But the customer was too busy pulling an air guitar and doing the Moonwalk - in the middle of the store, no less. Octavia figured that this was one of the city's crazies.
"Ma'am!" Octavia repeated, slapping her hand on the counter to get the other woman's attention.
Luckily, the patron turned around just at that moment.
Surprisingly, she didn't show a speck of embarrassment as she pulled out her wallet and handed a five dollar bill to Octavia. "Keep the change," she said as she took her order. Then, she began humming her music loudly and left the shop.
Octavia shook her head as she placed the money in the register.
"You should've offered her some music lessons," Lyra laughed.
A smirk wove it's way across Octavia's expression. "Yes, and while I'm at it, I'll pierce my nose, get some tattoos and join a rock band," she said, with a chuckle.
"You'd look pretty badass in leather," Lyra joked.
Octavia rolled her eyes, about to reply when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it, and looked at the screen. She didn't recognize the number but she answered it anyway.
"Hello?" she said.
"Yo, am I speaking to a Octave Philharmonica?"
"I think you mean Octavia?"
"Yeah, that's it!" the voice on the other end of the line said.
Octavia paused for a second. This voice sounded vaguely familiar...
"Anyway, I was wondering, are you still doing the whole music lesson thing? 'Cause I saw your notice in the paper and I kinda wanna brush on my skills, y'know?"
"Yes, of course!" Octavia replied. "I'm definitely offering the lesson, I-"
"-sweet! When do you wanna meet up?"
She could literally feel her eyes go wide and a stupid smile made it's way across her expression. This had gone faster than expected, and she was proud of it!
Octavia stammered over her words for a moment. "How about Friday night?" she said.
"What - this Friday?" the other voice said, with a laugh. "As in today?"
"I -" Octavia looked at the calender and felt stupid. "I suppose, if you want, but-"
"Hell yeah!"
Octavia winced at the scream.
"The sooner the better," the other person said. "Where do you do the whole lesson thing?"
"At the recreational center, right next door to City Hall," Octavia explained. "I'm out of work at six in the evening, so-"
"-I'll meet you there then, around six thirty!" the voice said, and promptly hung up.
For a moment, Octavia was perplexed. That went easy - far too easy. And the person seemed more than eager, it was almost baffling. She didn't really expect for anyone to be so upbeat about music. Then again, she certainly wasn't complaining.
"What was that all about?" Lyra inquired.
"I... think I just got hired to do my first music lesson," Octavia smiled.
Singing - "Ha, ha, ha, I was born to be a rockstar!"
The afternoon dragged on, with a few baking fiascos and tantrums from the customers, but when Octavia noticed the clock strike at exactly six, she threw off her apron and dashed out of the shop without even a goodbye. She couldn't risk being late, it would give such a bad first impression and word of mouth traveled around quite fast in the city.
Throughout her mad dash through the alleyways and cobblestone streets, Octavia was both worried and excited at the same time. There was the chance someone could be tricking her - she watched the news once in a while - but then again, this could be the beginning of something great.
She was out of breath by the time she had made it to the meeting spot.
Thankfully, the clock on City Hall read 6:20 - so she had time to spare.
Heaving out a tired sigh, Octavia made her way into the recreation center, and walked towards the back room, which as usual, had music spilling out of it. It was the only place in this dreary city that had true beauty to it...
She knocked on the door, and smiled when she noticed who exactly greeted her.
"It's about time you came around."
"Hello to you too, Frederic," Octavia laughed.
"Things were getting quite tedious without you," he pouted.
She rolled her eyes, and ruffled his hair as she entered the room, which was Heaven on land.
Instruments, of every and any kind, were everywhere. If someone could imagine it, anything could be played - and Octavia felt a rush course throughout her veins as she sat down on a bench, and watched as the other people in the room continued with their playing.
"Did they get tired of classical?" she asked.
Frederic shrugged as he sat next to her. "Harpo wanted to 'spice things up' and the Beauty was bored out of her skull," he explained.
As idiotic as it looked, Octavia couldn't help but laugh as she watched Harpo and Beauty Brass goof off as if they were part of a mariachi band. The sight before her was the opposite of what the four of them normally did - which was calming classical music. Then again, she realized, this was Harpo and Beauty Brass. Nothing stayed normal with those two.
"You call this tedious?" Octavia chuckled.
With one last loud "Ole!", the duo ceased with their music and bowed.
Frederic clapped, and smirked. "Encore!" he said.
"That was something else," Octavia added.
Beauty Brass placed her trumpet down back in it's case and she gave a playful wink. "We're here all week, folks!" she practically sang, giving jazz hands as a joke.
"I was clapping because it was over," Frederic pointed out.
"I hate you," Beauty Brass playfully shot back.
"Then dump me!" he laughed.
"I just might," she mused, with a smirk.
"Take your lovers' quarrel outside, you two," Harpo chirped as he got up from his seat.
Octavia bit her lip and prevent the urge to laugh out loud as she noticed how embarrassed her friends were from the little sniping comment from their usually quiet companion.
"Oh, shut up, Harpo," Beauty Brass snapped, as a crimson blush made it's way across her tan complexion. "Whatever you see me and Fred do is nothing compared to what I had to walk in on with you and that boyfriend of yours."
"You said you wouldn't bring that up!" Harpo argued, as he crossed his arms.
"Sorry?" she said, with a mischevious grin.
However, the petite woman let out a light shriek as her best friend began chasing her right out of the music room, their laughter and squeals echoing off of the walls of the rec center.
Frederic threw his hands up and let out a dramatic sigh. "What is my life?" he groaned.
"You have it so hard," Octavia said, trying not to laugh.
She had missed this - just hanging out with her close friends in the music room they had rented together ever since the four of them had moved to the city. Right after high school graduation, they had all made a pact to stay in touch in this big city, through their mutual love of instruments. This room would have been abandoned long ago, along with the equipment, if they hadn't saved it.
"So, explain to me why you haven't been around," Frederic said.
Octavia shrugged. "Simply put, life isn't fair," she replied.
He scowled. "I know how you feel," he sighed. "When we were younger, we were given such unrealistic expectations for life, weren't we? Getting into theatre is harder than I thought."
"No auditions yet?"
"I've gotten plenty," Frederic assured. "But I haven't made it to a single call back."
"You'll be on stage someday," Octavia smiled.
"That'll be the day when Beauty and Harpo finally grow up."
"We heard that!" was the collective response from the hallway.
Frederic rolled his eyes, and got up from his seat, shoving his hands in his pockets. "The three of us are off for a joyride and exploring downtown, want to come with us?" he offered.
Octavia gave a small smile. "I'd love to," she said. "But I'm meeting someone here."
"Whatever for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm giving music lessons here," she replied hesitantly. "I sort of... need a way to make money."
Frederic nodded. "Beauty started doing the same thing in her apartment," he mused. "I can't blame you for trying that. Good luck."
She gave him a wave as he left, and let out a sigh.
This might be too risky, she said to herself. Maybe I could call that person and-
Voices in the hallway snapped her out of her train of thought.
They were murmurs, a few laughs and then, someone stumbled into the music room.
"Yo, thanks, man! Hey, are you Octavia?"
Letting in a deep breath, and putting on a confident smile, Octavia turned around to face her student. "Yes, I am," she said, about to continue when she saw who exactly was standing in the doorway. To put it simply, she was surprised.
"Hey... I know you. You're the lady from the bakery!"
