fading

Wes. Ed would try to remember. At least if he was a rich rising star type he wasn’t too cool for a game of pick a record with the random person who went to his college. “I’m down.” They turned back to the vinyls, starting to flip idly through the sleeves to find a cover that would catch their eye, “so guessing you’re an indie pop kind of guy then?” Ed asked with a hum, glancing back for a moment.

         while wes would like to think that his musical range is about the widest at darden college ( despite knowing hardly anyone on campus that well ), when ed references two of the bands that they listen to, wes has to fake a laugh like he knows what they’re talking about, though he does tuck the two names away to look up as soon as he gets home. 

          “i don’t like to necessarily limit myself.” wes shrugs, but he nods his head at the same time. “i love indie pop for sure, and if i had to pick one genre to perform for the rest of my life it would probably be that, but my musical preference is pretty broad.” turning towards the jazz section he’s already filtered through, he points in its direction, adding: “i love jazz. and i like variations of jazz, when electronica is incorporated i think the sound can be really special. couldn’t say a bad word about r&b or rap, even though i’m not an avid listener, and while i don’t think i’ve ever been caught buying a country album i don’t hate the genre.” he explains, not realizing how detailed he’s actually making his answer when she likely doesn’t care all that much. “music is about the passion you put into it and i can appreciate how almost any genre can be passionate and elicit an emotional response.”

Darcy was used to practicing well into the night.

It was a necessity that came out of double majoring, her only free time occurring after class, rehearsal, and/or work. However, they hadn’t yet begun the rehearsal component of their schedules. Darcy had therefore been able to arrange for essentially an unpaid violin tutoring session with Wes in the early evening that day.

The child musical prodigy and the child star had crossed paths during the musical the previous year and an unspoken alliance had formed. In a room full of Musical Theatre Kids, the two had shared some common ground - a major, mostly. And somewhere along the way they’d gotten to talking. It had clicked for her that he was the boy she’d seen on tv as a child, he had likely realized just how good she was, etc. She immediately appreciated that she was better than him at violin, but he was trying. And through their practice sessions together, she could tell he was improving.

She wasn’t as bad at tutoring as she’d been led to believe.

Except maybe she was, because she truly couldn’t keep Wes’ attention on the task at hand. They’d been playing for a hot minute, but there were songs longer than the time that had elapsed. She had been prepared to push, to insist that they get a few more pages in, at least. But before she could his violin was already stashed away and Wes had clearly moved on.

“If they aren’t capable of playing, how are they capable of ordering food?” Darcy reasoned, allowing herself to set her violin on her lap but not yet reaching for the case. She hadn’t fully given up on their practice session.

“There’s no better use for them to be put to than playing the violin. I think you should tell them that.”

Her stomach, however, had other plans. An unfortunately timed grumble was all it really took to get her to give in, the fact that she’d been dashing across campus all day having prevented her from grabbing a quick bite before they met up. She didn’t acknowledge that it happened, but she also avoided any possibility of eye contact.

Begrudgingly, she acquiesced.

“I’ll allow it. But only as an intermission. And you are, of course, buying. Chicken Tikka Masala, please and thank you.”

        being forced to practice music for hours is something that wes has always had to live with, though usually the orders are coming from his mother, and the instrument of choosing is the piano. but darcy isn’t like his mother, which is why practicing violin around her isn’t as painstaking as it is with the woman that raised him. when he wants a break, she doesn’t deny him ( tease him a little, maybe, but that’s fair ), and her criticism is a lot less cruel as well, which is a bonus.

         “hey, scrolling and tapping require a lot less energy. both mentally and physically..” wes counters, pulling his phone out of his pocket and unlocking it to order their food. “absolutely.” wes says, adding her item to the cart and checking out. once the food is ordered, his phone slips out of his exhausted fingers and falls onto his lap, and he smiles, albeit awkwardly, at his tutor who, while he does feel close with, he doesn’t know if she exactly considers him a friend. “sooo, what’s been going on with you lately?” wes asks, not exactly wanting to pry but feeling like he needs to fill the silence with something that isn’t either of them playing violin until the food arrives. 

      she didn’t know how she got there. to be fair, venus never knew how she ever got anywhere really … almost like she was a video game character, just appearing to figure out what sort of side quest she was meant to embark on. didn’t really mind it, after all the product of being in her own head brought about a new favorite hot spot –– bass and brews. she was never one for coffee, made her too jittery and she was already like the energizer bunny to begin with, so she opted for ‘cosmic’ tea instead. some sort of special that had luster dust that changed colors ! of course she couldn’t say no; but it had to be iced, always iced. typical new englander. 

      she’d been nursing that very drink in one hand and the vinyl in the other when a voice beckoned her attention. abrupt, so much so that it almost made her lose the iridescent liquid. “oh god, sorry … didn’t scare me,” startled if anything, “i don’t get scared.” should’ve stopped there. the horrors of being long-winded –– and a bit … nervous.  “just caught me off guard is all.” her cheeks did turn the slightest bit pink though, matched the stain on the back of her neck from an impromptu dye job orchestrated in the co-ed bathroom the evening prior. fortunately, the showers didn’t look like a scene out of psycho. “can i be honest with you ? never heard of him.” cue an apologetic laugh. “i really only picked it up for the cover art. cool right ? ” she extended her arm to hold it between the two of them. “looks like something out of like, i don’t know, a wes anderson film or something.” ironic choice of filmmaker considering, “oh venus, i’m uh … venus like the planet !” gaze shifted to focus on her tied up hands, hastily juggling the items before gesturing towards him. “and you’re …” her eyes narrowed in on him as she tried her best to muster up the name; but she’d already knew who he was. not in the way one would think. she’d actually seen him roaming the quad, so captivated she nearly tripped headfirst into a trashcan; and then a shout from a friend, perhaps ? ‘wes !’ …. wes. she’d certainly remember that name. “wes, right ? listen … i promise you that whole wes anderson comment was not intentional.” a pause, quick given the question that flashed in her mind. “but while we’re on the topic of filmmakers, particularly movies …” she trailed off –– the suspense ! “if you could pick the soundtrack to your life, what would it be ? does mr. castelli make the cut ?” she teased.

       hypothetically, it shouldn’t be startling at all for wes to hear his name when it’s said in the form of wes anderson. the man in question is the reason he’s named wes after all ( though he’s weston and the creative genius’ full name is wesley ), but no matter how many times he’s brought up, it never stops wes from being caught off guard, like someone is saying his name, talking about him. wes smiles and nods, only allowing two seconds of a perplexed look to consume his expression. “they say don’t trust a book by its cover, but i feel like that doesn’t apply to music. cool album art usually equals cool album.” bubbly, that’s the first word that comes to mind when he hears her speak. san pellegrino, no, prosecco -- no, prosecco with a strawberry on the rim of the glass, that’s what she’s making him think of. sweet and intoxicating right off the bat, and he already wants another glass. it takes her a second to remember his name, but her reaction to realizing his name is wes and she’s just mentioned wes anderson makes it worth the wait. “yeah, it’s wes.” he laughs, nodding along. venus not knowing his name right off the bat gives him at least an idea that she might not know who he is, and that always feels better to know when meeting someone, so when she asks him for his life soundtrack ( a question that wes kind of thinks might be a little intimate, something he wouldn’t share with just anyone ), he isn’t actively trying to figure out a lie to make himself sound cooler. 

Topher wasn’t exactly the acting type. Unless you could count the last few years he spent in the closet. Though that was arguably not his best performance depending on who you asked. And while the idea of having to perform a medley of Abba’s greatest hits in sparkly bell bottoms brought a shiver down his spine but he knew that this might be the only way he would ever get his boyfriend back. The current window on his laptop was open to non-showtune audition songs as Topher scrolled through the list in search for the least offensive song to his pretentious indie loving ears. ❝ Look, if I ever want another shot with Spencer, I need to do this and a little moral support would be nice. ❞ Topher wasn’t expecting the lead but it would be nice to share a room together again. The power of proximity or whatever. ❝ You know there’s a Green Day musical ? What are the chances they do something cool like that ? ❞ 

         wes immediately softens upon the mention of moral support as it hits him that he never really received that growing up. being told get the part wasn’t exactly encouraging, and that’s what topher needs, even if it means wes working against himself. “okay, okay, you’re right.” wes sighs, holding up soapy hands in defense. “you’re gonna kill it, and spencer’s jaw that you for some reason find attractive is gonna hit the floor...i just don’t want you to be disappointed if it doesn’t work out, you know?” he lies, knowing that the real reason he doesn’t want him to audition is the fact that topher is just more competition. “uhhh,” wes laughs a little, rinsing his hands clean and drying them off on his jeans instead of grabbing a clean hand towel. “considering the track record of this schools past musicals? i’d say highly unlikely.” rounding the counter, he joins topher at his laptop, glancing at the audition songs he’s been eyeing.

But they had to make friends, and the record store seemed like a decent enough place for it. Their record player was a little dinged up from the journey up to California, but it still played, and her dormmate would probably appreciate some more relaxing tunes in the shared space, bringing Ed to the indie pop section. They’d picked up a colourful sleeve with an interesting looking guy on the cover, and someone made a comment from nearby. Ed turns to look at him with a smile and a shrug, “no no, it’s fine.” They say, used to not being known. “It’s Ed. And… To be honest, I don’t know your name either. And I don’t know who Ralph Castelli is, but the sleeve looked cool. I usually just find some random indie pop playlist if I’m in that kind of mood. Glad I picked well, though.”

        “fuuuuck, can we please take a break?” wes whines, placing the violin he’s been struggling to master for years beside him on the couch and flashing a pleading look to darcy next to him. they’ve been practicing for what feels like hours, but has likely been only about twenty minutes, and wes hates the way he can’t keep up with the girl when they play together. even late at night during orchestra, he finds himself looking across the room as he’s on keys and she’s playing up a storm on her violin, jealousy running through his veins in a way he doesn’t completely understand.

        going anywhere off campus other than his apartment is a rather rare occurrence. there’s usually just too much going on in wes’ schedule ( or, the schedule that his mother has created for him behind the scenes ) for him to treat himself with a trip out to one of the many different places their coastal town has to offer. but there are some days when he has to venture out, like today, after one of his guitar strings had snapped !! and upon searching through his guitar case for another pair he’d found that he was shit out of luck. so out and about wes goes, to wistful times to pickup fresh strings and spend a little extra time wandering the isles and finding the perfect new jazz album to obsess over.

          there are several reasons why wes and spencer will likely never get along. number one being that they’re both attractive, talented young guys after the same exact thing: the lead in every single theatrical performance at darden college -- and number two being that the other boy has caused significant pain to the closest friend wes has ever made. so having to see him nearly every day, whether it be in the multiple classes they have together, or walking through the quad, or even on social media, wes finds it difficult to not treat spencer with the lowest possible level of respect that he can.

TASK ONE: wes’ stats & schedule 

under the cut you can find the stats i’ve picked for wes!

hey hey hey, here’s some things to know about my child star  ☆ wes nichols  ☆

there is a mini bio for him that can be found here, but here’s some extra info too