Trombone
All points, no quills, no pillows.
Every Monday, during lunch, a paper flock begins anew, as a myriad of white airplanes fills the cafeteria. Instead of talking, or texting, students indulge in the creation of paper messages that they soon send into an aerial journey to reach its target. It's chaotic: airplanes crashing into each other midair, or missing and falling into a stray bowl of soup. However, it has a certain charm to it, as the enchanting dance of flying notes is enough to mesmerize anybody that casts their eyes upon it.
Barry sat next to his friend and with shaking hands prepared his own craft, having to redo it twice already. He finally lifted his head triumphantly and let go of his plane.
"Okay I'm done." He muttered to Iggy who was more interested by a neat shade cast by a tree outside.
"No you're not." His friend mocked him and pointed upwards with a inspiring expression of a dumbfounded idiot. "You need to let that baby fly."
Barry got nervous again, his palms became sweaty and knees weak. The smell of today's spaghetti made him nauseous and the silent murmur of the cafeteria became almost unbearable in an instant. Butterflies in his stomach wasn't enough of a statement; 'a horde of crickets' would fit better.
"M-maybe I should wait? What if i miss?" He started making excuses, but his mohawk-haired friend was not impressed by them.
"Oh come on, you wrote her name down. What's the worst that could happen? You'll have to deal with some nerd with the same name and apologize, big deal." Iggy said and came back to slurping on his noodles like crazy, making a mess around the bowl in the process.
'The worst would be actually hitting my target...' Barry looked at her. She was talking with her friends two tables down the hall. The girl looked happy, with her blonde hair fluttering around every time she turned her head and her sapphire eyes glistened brightly in the afternoon light.
Barry looked at his crooked plane. 'I really shouldn't.' He was about to take it, when Iggy suddenly grabbed it and, his face full of spaghetti, threw it. It flew high, cutting through the air beautifully. Both of the boys froze, full of exasperation and awe for the virgin flight of the craft. The plane was half-way there when another one hit him and both of them fell down, right onto the floor.
"What the hell dude?!" Barry smacked his friend on the shoulder.
"Not like you were gonna do that anytime soon." Iggy massaged his arm. They kept looking at the two fallen airplanes in silence. People had to swivel around with their plates to go around them. "Well go get it!" This time Iggy slapped Barry's shoulder.
'You should get it!' Barry thought, but ultimately stood up quickly, wanting to avoid the embarrassment of anybody reading his letter. The five-meter stride was excruciating to him, as he imagined people staring at his unsure step when in reality nobody paid any mind. He was about to pick up the letter he forged, when a dark silhouette appeared in the corner of his eye and its extended hand crashed with Barry's. He almost jumped back at the softness of a female hand, only suppressing his startle by closing his eyes and cursing under his breath.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a dark haired girl with glasses and light-brown eyes that kept gazing at Barry's unmoving body intently, with her hand still hovering over the paper aircrafts.
"Are you fine now?" She asked surprised, raising one of her bushy eyebrows.
"Ah! Yes, now I am... Sorry I got startled." Barry snapped out of it and quickly picked up his message from under her arm.
"Well I guess nobody has ever told me that. First time for anything." The last part she muttered under her breath and picked up her own plane.
"Ah no I don't mean it like that..." He turned made an apologetic gesture to which she immediately responded with a smile.
"Just a joke, joke, chill." She stood up and turning around on her heel, made her way back to her table. "Be careful where you aim next time!" She added before disappearing from Barry's view.
Upon returning to his own place, Barry made a couple of quick fixes to his aircraft, straightening the wings etc. He didn't have too much time before the lunch break would end and this was his final chance. Almost without aiming he threw his letter up in the air and again with exasperation and lungs full of air he watched as his airplane soared through the skies, until it collided with another one, again. Iggy burst out laughing at the misfortune of his friend.
The boy stood up and this time almost ran to the wreckage to pick it up. This time he recognized the hand.
"I'm sorry, this time it may have been my fault." The girl said with a slight smirk.
"We're even, I guess?"
"You could say that... What are you writing there?" She swiftly extended her arm to grab the boy's note, but he hid it in his pocket last second.
"Nothing." He blushed a bit, pushing the card deeper into his pocket.
"Oh now you made me curious! I'm Elena." She introduced herself with a small bow.
"Barry. Then what does your say?" He retorted.
"Oh it's nothing much, besides I asked first, and I am a lady." A mischievous smile befell her face as she made an exaggerated curtsy gesture.
Barry suddenly felt like she, out of all people was the person he could trust with his whole heart. His grip tightened. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he started considering showing her, or at least telling her about the letter. Elena picked up on the silence.
"Oh it's okay, we're all friends here. I won't bite." She stood up and offered him her hand, which he accepted. "At least not until the 3rd date." Barry let that last comment slide.
"I guess i need an advice..." He gave her his crumpled up letter, which she took with a lot of tenderness upon her hands and started reading the crudely constructed lines of his work. He observed her expression carefully. She giggled once or twice, but besides that, she read it with a poker face.
"Not bad, but..." She turned it around for him to see. "Spelling, young boy." Barry snatched it from her in an instant.
"I was rewriting it a lot of times, okay?" He put it back in his pocket, pouting. "Now yours."
The girl smiled awkwardly and hugged her plane closer to her body. "Promise you won't laugh?" Barry nodded confused.
After a bit of untangling, Elena finally straightened up the paper and took a deep breath, turning it around. It was blank.
"You could say..." She started. "...I really wanted to meet you."
Barry sat next to his friend and with shaking hands prepared his own craft, having to redo it twice already. He finally lifted his head triumphantly and let go of his plane.
"Okay I'm done." He muttered to Iggy who was more interested by a neat shade cast by a tree outside.
"No you're not." His friend mocked him and pointed upwards with a inspiring expression of a dumbfounded idiot. "You need to let that baby fly."
Barry got nervous again, his palms became sweaty and knees weak. The smell of today's spaghetti made him nauseous and the silent murmur of the cafeteria became almost unbearable in an instant. Butterflies in his stomach wasn't enough of a statement; 'a horde of crickets' would fit better.
"M-maybe I should wait? What if i miss?" He started making excuses, but his mohawk-haired friend was not impressed by them.
"Oh come on, you wrote her name down. What's the worst that could happen? You'll have to deal with some nerd with the same name and apologize, big deal." Iggy said and came back to slurping on his noodles like crazy, making a mess around the bowl in the process.
'The worst would be actually hitting my target...' Barry looked at her. She was talking with her friends two tables down the hall. The girl looked happy, with her blonde hair fluttering around every time she turned her head and her sapphire eyes glistened brightly in the afternoon light.
Barry looked at his crooked plane. 'I really shouldn't.' He was about to take it, when Iggy suddenly grabbed it and, his face full of spaghetti, threw it. It flew high, cutting through the air beautifully. Both of the boys froze, full of exasperation and awe for the virgin flight of the craft. The plane was half-way there when another one hit him and both of them fell down, right onto the floor.
"What the hell dude?!" Barry smacked his friend on the shoulder.
"Not like you were gonna do that anytime soon." Iggy massaged his arm. They kept looking at the two fallen airplanes in silence. People had to swivel around with their plates to go around them. "Well go get it!" This time Iggy slapped Barry's shoulder.
'You should get it!' Barry thought, but ultimately stood up quickly, wanting to avoid the embarrassment of anybody reading his letter. The five-meter stride was excruciating to him, as he imagined people staring at his unsure step when in reality nobody paid any mind. He was about to pick up the letter he forged, when a dark silhouette appeared in the corner of his eye and its extended hand crashed with Barry's. He almost jumped back at the softness of a female hand, only suppressing his startle by closing his eyes and cursing under his breath.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a dark haired girl with glasses and light-brown eyes that kept gazing at Barry's unmoving body intently, with her hand still hovering over the paper aircrafts.
"Are you fine now?" She asked surprised, raising one of her bushy eyebrows.
"Ah! Yes, now I am... Sorry I got startled." Barry snapped out of it and quickly picked up his message from under her arm.
"Well I guess nobody has ever told me that. First time for anything." The last part she muttered under her breath and picked up her own plane.
"Ah no I don't mean it like that..." He turned made an apologetic gesture to which she immediately responded with a smile.
"Just a joke, joke, chill." She stood up and turning around on her heel, made her way back to her table. "Be careful where you aim next time!" She added before disappearing from Barry's view.
Upon returning to his own place, Barry made a couple of quick fixes to his aircraft, straightening the wings etc. He didn't have too much time before the lunch break would end and this was his final chance. Almost without aiming he threw his letter up in the air and again with exasperation and lungs full of air he watched as his airplane soared through the skies, until it collided with another one, again. Iggy burst out laughing at the misfortune of his friend.
The boy stood up and this time almost ran to the wreckage to pick it up. This time he recognized the hand.
"I'm sorry, this time it may have been my fault." The girl said with a slight smirk.
"We're even, I guess?"
"You could say that... What are you writing there?" She swiftly extended her arm to grab the boy's note, but he hid it in his pocket last second.
"Nothing." He blushed a bit, pushing the card deeper into his pocket.
"Oh now you made me curious! I'm Elena." She introduced herself with a small bow.
"Barry. Then what does your say?" He retorted.
"Oh it's nothing much, besides I asked first, and I am a lady." A mischievous smile befell her face as she made an exaggerated curtsy gesture.
Barry suddenly felt like she, out of all people was the person he could trust with his whole heart. His grip tightened. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he started considering showing her, or at least telling her about the letter. Elena picked up on the silence.
"Oh it's okay, we're all friends here. I won't bite." She stood up and offered him her hand, which he accepted. "At least not until the 3rd date." Barry let that last comment slide.
"I guess i need an advice..." He gave her his crumpled up letter, which she took with a lot of tenderness upon her hands and started reading the crudely constructed lines of his work. He observed her expression carefully. She giggled once or twice, but besides that, she read it with a poker face.
"Not bad, but..." She turned it around for him to see. "Spelling, young boy." Barry snatched it from her in an instant.
"I was rewriting it a lot of times, okay?" He put it back in his pocket, pouting. "Now yours."
The girl smiled awkwardly and hugged her plane closer to her body. "Promise you won't laugh?" Barry nodded confused.
After a bit of untangling, Elena finally straightened up the paper and took a deep breath, turning it around. It was blank.
"You could say..." She started. "...I really wanted to meet you."
