#five notes

I got inspired to write a short story about my OC Tyler. I really liked how this turned out, and it means a lot to me. If I’ve earned any good will with you, please give this story a chance. Please.

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First Note: He was 6. Tyler looked up from the piano, up at his mom and she gently played the piano one note at a time over his hands, letting him press each note after her as she went through the song. Her smile was warm, and he loved hearing how pretty the piano sounded! Even if it was kind of difficult to stretch to reach each of the notes on the big piano. Still it was fun, and seeing his mom smile every time he got the note right made him very happy.

She wanted him to try and play it on his own after a few times, but it was hard to remember which notes. There were so many keys. But then she pulled out little stickers and put them on the keys. That made it easier! Soon he was able to play Mary had a little lamb on his own. He looked up at his mom grinning, and she pulled him into a tight hug he giggled as her hair tickled his nose. He still liked her hugs though. If playing the piano made her happy, he’d have to get really super good at it!

Second Note: Tyler grinned as he repeated the song for probably the 9th time in a row. He could finally remember all the notes in it, and it was starting to sound pretty smooth. He had been playing for two years now, and he was really enjoying it. The piano was nice. He didn’t need to be around other people to enjoy it, it was never confusing because the notes always made the same sound and if he practiced enough, he would be able to play the song. He had also gotten much bigger, which meant that he could finally reach the notes farther away.

Leaning further down the bench, he barely managed to avoid falling over as it hit the lower C. He continued to play the song, tongue sticking out slightly as he tried very hard to not mess up the melody.

“That’s really pretty.”

“Wha!” Tyler jumped at the sudden voice behind him, starting to lose his balance and fall off the bench until he felt a pair of hands catch him from behind, helping him to stay on the bench.

“Woah! Easy there Ty.” His sister said, making sure he was balanced before patting him on the head. “Sorry for scaring you.” 

Tyler just looked over at her, pouting slightly. “It’s okay.”

His sister smiled at him. “We heard you playing.” His other sister walked over too. “You sound so good now.”

Blushing, Tyler smiled. “Thank you! I’ve been practicing so super hard!”

His oldest sister, Layla, smiled at him. “I can tell.”

Olivia grinned. “Will you play it for us again?”

Tyler looked at them, nodding eagerly. Sitting up straight, like his mom always said was the best way to play, he focused. Slowly he began to play through the melody. His sisters were leaning next to him, watching him with awe. He felt so cool that he could impress them. However, the more he smiled, he got distracted and hit the wrong note, which made him panic more as he fumbled. Pausing, he couldn’t remember the next note. Tears started to well up as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to play. He balled his hands in the hem of his shirt as he cried. He couldn’t do it!

He felt Layla pull him into a tight hug. “Shh… Ty. It’s okay.”

“I can’t do it.” He sniffled. How could he mess up in front of his sisters?

Olivia sat on the bench next to him, reaching out and taking his hand. “Try again.”

Sniffling again, he looked over at her. “But what if I mess up?”

Olivia just grinned at him. “Then you try again! It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. You can keep trying till you get it.”

Shifting to look at Layla, his other sister also nodded before sitting down on the other side of him patiently. “Will you please try it for me?”

Nodding, Tyler wiped away a few more tears. He started to play through the song. He took a little slower, wanting to do his best for them. He hit a wrong note and started to freeze.

“It’s okay. Keep going.” Layla said gently. 

Taking a deep breath, Tyler continued to play. He winced everytime he missed a note, but Layla nad Olivia were both encouraging him onwards. 

He finally finished the melody and they burst into applause. They each took a turn hugging him, telling him how good it was and how proud they were.

He stared down at the keys, grinning from ear to ear. He loved the piano almost as much as he loved his sisters, he thought.

Third Note: Sighing, Tyler lazily played a few scales on the piano. He couldn’t really think of any song he particularly wanted to play at the moment. He felt the door to his room open up, his sister peaking in. She had a large backpack over her shoulder as she leaned against the frame. 

“You sure you don’t want to come this time?” She asked, raising an eyebrow., 

Shaking his head, he shrugged. “Highschool sucks. I have a lot of homework I should do. Besides, you two are the ones that love the snow.”

Layla frowned. “Just because we’re good doesn’t mean we don’t like going down the hills with you. You’re not half bad you know.”

Forcing a smile to his face, he just turned back to his keyboard. “I’m fine. You guys have your competition in a month. You two need to practice properly. This is important. I’ll be fine here, besides this way I can take care of the dog.” He reasoned. 

“Is he coming?” Olivia poked her head around the corner. 

Layla just sighed. “No, he’s going to stay here this time.”

“Oh…” Tyler tried not to flinch at the disappointment he heard in his sister’s voice. 

This was for their sake. His parents had their hands full making sure they got to train properly, they didn’t need to worry about the dog, or paying for another ticket for him. This was an important time for his sisters. He’d be fine.

“Well take care. We’ll go see a movie when we get back, okay?” Layla asked. 

Tyler looked back, nodding. “Yeah. That’d.. That’d be cool.”

They closed his door and he sighed, going back to idly playing scales. He would start on homework later. Pulling out a sheet of music he just started to play the melody, trying not to think for a little while about anything else.

Fourth Note: Tyler loitered around the piano in the bandroom. It was nice. A baby grand, he had never really had the chance to play on one before. But he was still new here. There were probably rules for who could play it. He didn’t want to get in trouble. Still… Opening the cover, he pressed down the middle C. Humming in appreciation, it was a beautiful sound. 

“Do you play?”

Tyler jumped at the voice, looking up to see a girl staring at him with a curious smile. She tilted her head slightly, causing the bangs of her undercut to fall to one side as she kept a playful, almost mischievous expression locked on him. 

“Uh… yeah. A little. Sorry, I didn’t mean to just use it. It’s just a nice piano.”

“You’re in band now, right? If you can play it, you can use it. It’s fine.”

Tyler hesitated. “Are you sure? This is nice…”

The girl nodded. “Yup. Positive. Will you play for me? I love the piano, I just don’t have the patience for it.”

Tyler hesitated. “I’m not very good…”

The girl shrugged and sat on the edge of the bench. “So? Play.” She said, motioning towards the keyboard again.

Frowning, Tyler wasn’t sure why she was being so pushy but he caved. Sitting down, he stretched out his fingers before running a few scales just to get used to the weight of the keys and warm up.

“Any requests?”

The girl looked at him for a moment. “Play something happy.”

A grin crept up on Tyler’s face. Well that was a easy request. 

He began playing a song, glancing over occasionally to see if she recognized it. He bit back a laugh at how focused she seemed. 

“Why do I know this…” She muttered, clearly trying to figure it out. Realization dawned on her as her eyes widened. “Is this Happy, by Pharrell Williams?” 

Tyler just nodded and the girl laughed, clapping once. When he hit the chorus she started to sing lightly. 

Tyler couldn’t help but grin at the cute girl singing so happily next to him. 

Eventually the song was over and he stopped, looking at her. 

“You’re amazing!” She said eagerly. “I’m Ashe.”

“Tyler.” He offered in return, shaking her hand. 

‘“Are you knew here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”

Tyler nodded after a moment. “My family moved here last year to be closer to the mountains for my sisters… Anyway, it’s my first year in this school.”

Ashe gave him a curious look, but nodded. “Well I’m glad you’re here now.” She said casually, making Tyler’s cheeks blush. She looked him over for a moment, clearly turning over a thought in her mind. “Play something you love. I know “favorite” is usually a hard request. But play a piano song you really enjoy playing.”

This caught Tyler off guard. He wasn’t used to getting that request. Still, one song immediately flashed through his mind.

Shifting his attention back to the keys, he began to play.

It didn’t take Ashe nearly as long to recognize the song this time. “Canon in D?”

Tyler nodded, closing his eyes and playing by muscle memory. “It’s one of the first songs I learned. It has… a lot of good memories.”

He continued to play, feeling a sense of peace wash over him at the familiar, comforting sound. 

As he played, it took him a while to realize Ashe had gone completely silent. 

Peaking open an eye, he saw her watching him intently. He felt a bit subconscious, but she must have realized she was staring because she blushed and brushed some hair behind her ear before shifting her gaze to his hands on the piano.

He just continued to play, knowing he didn’t have a chance of figuring out this mysterious girl who befriended him just yet.

When he finished playing, she was once again looking at him with a look he couldn’t place. 

“You play the piano… really well. In a lot of different ways.” Was all he said, as if she couldn’t quite figure out her own words either.

Tyler nodded, finding himself short for words. The class was starting to begin so Ashe stood. “Make sure you let me here you play again, okay?” 

Tyler just grinned at her nodding. “I promise.”

Fifth Note: “I don’t know if I can do this.” Tyler was pacing back and forth, his stress levels through the roof. Sure he had performed before but this was something else. This was… professional. He had never been paid to play before, even if it was just a small restaurant gig.

Ashe just reached up to grab his tie, holding him in place. “Love, look at me. You’re going to be amazing. I’ve never met anyone who plays the piano like you.” She smoothed out his tie into his vest, before looking back up at him. She leaned up on her toes and kissed him briefly. “All you need to do is go out there and play like you always do, and you’ll steal everyone away.”

Tyler just stared at her, once again incredibly thankful he was lucky to call this woman his own. “I love you.”

“And I love you, now go.” She said, gently pushing him, flashing him one last heart melting smile before moving towards her table to watch the show.

After a brief introduction, Tyler took his seat at the grand piano. His hands were lightly shaking as he looked out into the sea of faces. They all looked at him curiously, wondering what their entertainment for the night was going to be like. 

Near the back corner, where he had been sitting with Ashe earlier, he saw his parents and two sisters sitting there. His mom had a camera out and was recording him, while his sisters seemed be excitedly saying something to each other back and forth. He felt his heart rate double. They were here? He had mentioned it once to them but it was just a small gig.

He started to panic, but for the briefest moment it was like the room faded. He saw his sisters face clearly. 

It’s okay. Keep going.

Smiling, Tyler turned back to the keyboard and hit the first chord.

He really wasn’t sure how long had passed before he finished playing the songs he had prepared and a few requests, but he was making his way off the stage to a round of applause. He felt numb as he made his way to the back of the room where his family was waiting for him. 

“You came.” Was all he said, before Layla had tackled him into a hug, pulling him close. “I’m so proud of you Ty.”

Olivia was at his side, grinning at him. “You’re amazing as always.”

Tyler felt the corner of his eyes start to burn as he held back tears. “You liked it?”

“Ty, we’ve always loved your piano playing.” Layla said, finally releasing him. 

Olivia stepped forward to hug him this time. “I’ve always looked forward to hearing it. Now I’m just kinda jealous everyone else gets to too.” She teased. 

His parents smiled at him, and Ashe gave him a little thumbs up. 

Tyler felt the tears pour down his face, as Layla pulled him into another hug. “Good job, bro.”

Tyler really did love the piano.

XxXxXxXxX

i just prepared a lovely little snippet

There will be dialogue.

Old pathways are suddenly becoming illuminated.

I am solid in my future decision.

I dream of moonstone and samphire rings. Their meanings are amazing: fertility and honesty and clarity and protection from evil.

I reject them in my dreams the same way I reject the entirety of your entropy.

Remember this later on.

I’ll be uncomfortable. Something will occur.

You’ll twist and turn through answers to questions I didn’t ask for but you had prepared anyway; omissible lies.

If this time comes, come back to this post and know I know.

I know what we’ll do next, too.