First Meeting

Chepe unloaded all of his boxes. He couldn't believe how much stuff he had. When he found his room, He started putting all of his things away, trying to move quickly, so he could get it over with. He really hated unpacking boxes. Sighing, he wondered how he would get along with his roommates. Kneeling down he patted his Rottweiler puppy's head. "Angel, you always make me feel better. I hate being in this new place where I don't know anyone."He frowned, wodering how Tesanee was doing in her dorm. She looked so sad when he had dropped her off there. "Well", he said," Last box is up." He straighened up and opened the box on his bed. He put it's contents away in record time, and with Angel following at his heels he walked back into the living room of the dorm, and smiled when he saw his most special possession, his shiny red and white guitar, lying on the couch. He remembered the day his dad had given it to him. He had told Chepe that it had been his very own and that he now wanted his son to have it, and to enjoy playing it as much as he had. Chepe took the best care of that guitar. In fact it still looked brand new. Two weeks later he and Tesanee had lost both their parents in a car accident. Another car had shoved his parents' car off a bridge and theirs had gone into the river. His parents had drowned, but he'd managed to swim to shore with Tesanee on his back. As Chepe sadly bowed his head his black hair covered his eyes, as he was overcome by sadness for a few moments. Realizing how it would look if his room mates came back while he was crying this way, he quickly dried his eyes. Looking up, he realized that he felt a little better, and turned to leave the room. He stopped at the door, an idea for a song forming in his head. He wasn't surprised because this was frequently how he wrote his songs, so instead of leaving the room, he picked up his beautiful guitar from the couch, opened it's case

“Chuck! Breakfast in ten! Get up!”

Chuck groaned, wanting to sleep more, but his body automatically obeyed the command as it had done for years. He was out of the hammock in no time and grabbing some clothes out of the old toolbox that he used for a makeshift dresser. Pulling on the jeans he’d grabbed, he made his way barefoot across the garage, noticing that his two older brothers - John and Terry - had left their bunks and headed into the house earlier. The Wilder house was small and a little run down, but it was always lively. Right now the place was a zoo, as per usual when it came to meal times. John was getting his shirt on, having just gotten out of the shower. Terry was helping to set the table while Keith and Bobby ran through the house in search of their backpacks and shoes. The twins - Casey and Raph - were fighting over something completely ridiculous, tumbling to the floor and trying to get each other in a headlock. Little Joanna was rushing around asking everyone if they had seen her pink dress, because she specifically needed that one for today. The large, floppy stuffed bunny was held against her in a protective death grip as she rushed by him.

Realizing there was nobody in the bathroom, he dodged his squabbling siblings and rushed in, showering quickly to avoid the water going cold. In mere minutes, he was clean, dry and dressed, heading out through the kitchen and towards the table for breakfast. Unfortunately for him, John had piled Chuck’s food onto his own plate and was already eating it. “Hey! That’s mine!” Chuck accused his older brother, his stomach growling in protest. “Oh, cry me a river!” John replied in a snarky tone, “Maybe you should move a little faster if you wanna eat.” Chuck simply glared at him and returned to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He was about halfway done when he spotted John’s toothbrush sitting on the edge of the sink. Nonchalantly, he picked it up and dropped it in the toilet. Once he was finished, he passed by the kitchen counter and wordlessly grabbed the paper bag that contained John’s lunch, hiding it by his side as he headed towards the front door. “All right, I’m heading out. See you all later.” He called. A chorus of goodbyes echoed after him and he left the house, getting in his already packed 1967 thunderbird. Suddenly, the front door burst open and John was running out towards him, enraged. “CHUCK!!”

“See ya later, John!" Chuck called cheerfully as he peeled out of the driveway...

******

A few hours later found Chuck at Valevay High School, the prestigious private school that had high credentials and even housed it’s students in dormitories. The main building was shaped like an upside down “U”, and housed the classrooms. Directly in front of it was a large fountain that stretched several yards. The water was clean and clear, reflecting the pristine blue of the overhead sky. Across the way was another U-shaped building, the library. On either side of it were the auditorium and the gym. Then there were the dormitories, one for the boys, the other for the girls. And there were a few buildings for the extra-curricular clubs, the teachers’ living arrangements, the principal’s home and a building for the administration and public security, not to mention a building that housed several dining choices. They even had a planetarium!

But there was little time for sightseeing now, he had something far more important to do. It didn’t take Chuck long to locate his dorm room that he was apparently sharing with two other boys. Hauling his stuff through the living room area, he picked out one of the three bedrooms and slung the trash bags containing his clothes into it’s closet. The rest of his stuff was still in his car, but it would be going elsewhere first. The week before, Chuck had visited the school and had hung fliers up, advertising for new band members. His oldest brother, Terry, had suggested they make a little extra pocket money by playing onstage for people, and Chuck had readily agreed. Terry was the best drummer he knew, and Chuck was no slouch when it came to the bass guitar. He left the dorm, barely remembering to lock it back up, and drove his car to the courtyard, Terry was already setting up his drums and the sound system. In no time flat, Chuck had unloaded his amplifier and was plugging it in, beginning to tune his bass. They worked quickly and soon Terry was testing their microphones to check the sound quality, with the usual, “Testing, one, two... check, check. Check one, two. Sounds good. All right, let’s jam while we wait.”

Beeeeep.Beeeeep.Beeeeep.Beeeeep.

Emma lay in bed with a pillow draped over her face, caramel brown locks sticking out every which way trying to escape the tangled mess that had become of them overnight. Groaning she blindly flung the pillow across the room silencing the culprit that had awakened her from a rather enchanting dream. Loose stands of hair fell over her face barley blocking the morning sun as it flooded through the window drowning her sender body in its pleasantly warm light. Rays of the sun danced across her bare skin tempting the young girl out of bed to greet the morning. Unwilling to give in Emma leaned over the edge of her mattress retrieving her pillow, cuddling it close enough to bury her face into its softness in hopes of returning to prince charming awaiting her in dreamland. "Why does morning have to come so soon?" Emma complained into the pillow her voice slightly hoarse from her deep sleep. Morning meant there were mere hours until dorms started filling up with excited student’s returning for yet another year at Valevay High, and for the terribly shy Emma meeting new people was something she had been dreading. Slowly crawling out of bed she retrieved her wounded alarm clock, making sure it was still in one piece before returning it to its proper place on her bedside table. Arriving at the dorms a day early had given Emma the chance to settle in peacefully without too many awkward interruptions, now she was left with the anxiety of meeting her roommate.

As the morning progressed Emma finished showering and dressed herself in a pair of light jeans, a black wrap top, and a pair of leather boots to give the her rather short stature a few more inches. Not wanting to wait around all day for her roommate to arrive Emma turned her attention to her bookshelf retrieving Jane Eyre out of her large collection of tattered old books. She was quite the book worm and loved to collect books that were timeworn and noticeably enjoyed by their last owner. Wrapping a light scarf around her neck Emma headed out of the dorm the book tucked safely under her arm, sending a short text to Kryen, asking him to meet up with her in the courtyard once he was up. Kyren Stills happened to be her very best friend, her protector, the only fatherly figure in her life, and above all else her brother. When Emma was just a child, not much older than 5, her father had passed away from a terrible disease. She honestly blocked most of that disheartening day from of her mind, except that the moment that Kryen had held her…held her while she cried out for her dad, and didn’t let go protecting her throughout the night. He was the most important person in her life, and would always be…however he wasn’t a morning person. Knowing her brother, he was most likely still dead to the world and would sleep in as long as he possibly could. Meaning she had a lot of time on her hands…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55eKXHsVSuQ

Pushing his hair out of his eyes with his left hand, he began to play. long, Black hair falling back down into his bright green eyes, his voice soon joined the music. "you look so beautiful today" he sang, tapping his foot on the floor, swaying slightly, he continued the song, every movement matching the notes perfectly. Closing his eyes, he sang "And I can't lie..everytime I leave my heart turns gray....." He was completely lost in the song now and wouldn't have noticed anything else. Not even someone coming into the room. He played that way for a while, swaying with the music in perect rythym, tilting his head and making his long hair fall across his eyes. "I can wait, I can wait forever," he sang, drawing out the final notes with his eyes closed. Satisfied with the new song, he slipped the guitar strap over his head again and carefully put his guitar back in its case.

[[Hello fellow role-players! To help enrich your experience with our high school band, we invite you to enjoy the sound of this video while you continue to read. Please play the video and enjoy while you read. The three RP members of this band (Terry is an NPC) will provide these videos to you during band practices and musical performance gigs. We hope you enjoy our band!]]



Terry set the beat, the sound of his drums quickly filling the once quiet air of the courtyard. The beat was just a fun one that the boys had often done while warming up over the years. Chuck’s bass added a light richness and they started grooving as they played. Terry bounced along as his sticks hit the drums with an expertise that came from years of playing, and his well-built arms didn’t tire. After a while, he increased the beat slightly and Chuck played faster as well. He swayed along with the melody while his calloused fingers plucked the thick steel strings as naturally as if he were born to do so. They played like that for several minutes, filling the air with a funky sound. Several students were starting to gather in the courtyard and others had started arriving at the school to unpack their belongings. They kept playing, occasionally smiling at a passerby.

As they continued with their impromptu jam session, Chuck walked around on the pavement, fingers still gliding over the strings with a professional skill. Being short in stature, each of his movements were very noticeable, from the way his body swayed to the music to the way his dark brown, long curly hair bounced around with his motions. Soon however, Terry ended it. “Hey, lets do a little Whitesnake.” He called, readjusting the hat he’d worn to keep the sweat out of his eyes. Chuck quirked a brow at his older brother. “Are you sure? There’s only two of us.” He said. But Terry would have none of it, he knew. Especially after seeing the look his older brother gave him. Sighing in defeat, the bassist moved to stand in front of his microphone. They started playing the introduction to the song, but when Chuck leaned in to sing, nothing came out. “Hey Chuck! Are you still asleep? What are you doing?! Sing!” Terry shouted over his drums.

Chuck nodded in response and opened his mouth, but the words just weren’t coming to him. “I... I can’t do it. I forgot the lyrics.” He sheepishly admitted, much to his older brother’s dismay. “Well, get out your songbook then.” Terry said, using one of his drumsticks to scratch his head. Chuck nodded, searching though the tote he’d hauled his cords and microphone in. Then he went and checked his car, thinking he’d left it in there. Still no dice. “I think I unpacked it and left it in my dorm room.” He said, frowning, “I’ll go grab it.”

----Valvey Courtyard----

Students trudged through the courtyard due to the laziness of the chilly autumn weather. Arriving in droves, arms full of luggage, they separated by gender heading towards their respective dorms as the day of moving in ensued. The sun managed to squeeze through patches of the orange and red spotted leaves reflecting off of Emma’s glasses as she sat beneath one of the many trees lining the outskirts of the courtyard. Sighing she ran her fingers over the frayed pages of the tattered old book lying comfortable within the safety of her lap. “How long must you keep me waiting Kryen?” She questioned glancing at the time blinking boldly on her cellphone screen. Tightening the scarf that had been protecting her from the bitter wind Emma pocketed her phone turning her attention back to her book allowing her surroundings to fade away loosing herself in the world of Jane Eyre. It didn’t take long for her peaceful reverie to be shattered, the sudden sound of a drum accompanied by a rather brilliant sounding bass startled Emma. Adjusting her glasses Emma glanced around the courtyard her deep brown eyes full of curiosity as they landed on a boy in the distance; head full of wild dark curls dangling mere inches above his broad shoulders with his full and utter attention on the guitar in his hand. She’d seen him before…but couldn’t place where Samo District? Tatawal Harbor? Amore Mall ….Ahh yes, Chuck Wilder. Emma could remember it clearly now. Window shopping the strip in of Amore Mall, when the pack of Wilder’s had got her attention. They’d been huddled together poking fun at the shorter sibling who seemed to be having more fun than the ones razzing him. Kryen had quickly pulled her in the opposite direction warning her to stay away from them; they supposedly had a violent reputation. However, looking back at the boy’s smile Emma couldn’t imagine him unjustifiably laying a finger on anyone. As the Wilder boy ran off obviously at a loss for words; Emma turned her attention back to her book hoping her brother wouldn't be too much longer.

He set his tri-color bass down on his guitar stand and headed back to his dorm, surprised when he walked in and heard someone playing guitar inside and singing. The boy had long black hair, green eyes and was taller than he was. He was also very talented. “Hey, you play guitar...and sing?” Chuck asked, walking in and grabbing his songbook, “I bet you’d make a great frontman! C’mon, my brother and I are looking for one or two more band members.” He grabbed the boy by the arm without a second thought and lead him out to the courtyard, where his brother was still waiting. “Hey Terry! I got us a frontman!”

Chepe stared at the shorter boy dragging him along,in total amazement, still holding his guitar, which he hadn't even had a chance to put down. "Where are you taking me??" he said "And who are you?" He was very confused, and had no clue who this boy with the curly brown hair and blue eyes was. Chepe was almost stumbling, because this boy had a death grip on him, like he was afraid he would get away and disappear or something. The guy was moving very fast. Chepe knew that if he hadn't been dragging him like this, he would have no trouble keeping up.

"Tryouts." Was the only answer his new roommate received as they reached the band setup. Chuck quickly retrieved a cord and plugged it into one of their spare amps from home, plugging the other end into the boy's guitar. Terry nodded in greeting to the new guy and said, "All right, let's do some Whitesnake. How about "Steal Your Heart Away?" Without waiting for an answer, they started playing, prompting the boy to play along with them.



Chuck moved back to his own microphone stand to sing back up, which he had no trouble remembering. The new boy's voice rang out clearly as he sang the majority of the lyrics. The Wilder brothers were both surprised and pleased that he could not only keep up, but that they all meshed together so well. It was as if they had played together before. Their voices blended together as they sang the chorus...

"I want it all, I want it now
I'm going to beg, borrow, steal somehow
I want it all, I want it now
I'll thieve it all, baby, anyhow..."

"I'm going to steal your heart away!" The new boy finished, eliciting applause and even a few cheers from the crowd that had started to gather while they played. "That was great!" Chuck exclaimed, excited that his new roomie was so talented, "You'll make a great frontman! What's your name?"

Chepe still looked shocked that he had been grabbed practically as soon as he had arrived on the island. He looked at the boys. "My name is Chepe Kojike," he said in his soft voice. "I literally JUST arrived on the island. Now WHO are you?" He looked at the curly haired boy who had dragged him out of the dorm. "My dad taught me to play with I was little" he said, sounding a bit sad, looking away from Chuck with his hair falling in his face, covering his eyes.

"Huh?" He blinked at Chepe, quiet for a moment before realizing that he hadn't introduced himself, "Oh, I'm Chuck. Chuck Wilder. That's my brother Terry over there on drums." Terry gave him a nod of acknowledgement and Chuck continued, "I'm really glad I found you so quickly. We've been looking for a guy who sings and plays lead." He grinned at Chepe, his smile broad and white. There was no trace of anything but fun and friendliness in his expression as he grabbed Chepe's hand and shook it. "Welcome to the band...we just gotta name it."

Chepe looked at Chuck. "Thanks, I think," he said. "It was a little unexpected being grabbed like that. Didn't think anyone else would hear me.....I do that alot, when I'm......" he stopped realizing he almost let slip that he wrote the song that Chuck had heard. He blinked his large green eyes. Quickly changing the subject on himself, "Ok then....how about Prism Sunrise as the name?" he suggested, with a small grin.

"We all practice in our free time, no worries." Chuck agreed, completely missing what Chepe had almost let slip. He wasn't exactly known for being the smartest son in his family, but that had never bothered him before and it wasn't going to bother him now. "Prism Sunrise...?" He asked Chepe and was quiet for several moments, thinking about it. Finally, he said, "You know what? That sounds good. A lot better than what I could have come up with. We sounded great just now; I think we're going to be the best band on the whole island! But I keep thinking we're missing something..."

"Rhythm guitar...or piano. Keyboards would be great, and they'd make us a complete, well-rounded band." Terry supplied for his younger brother, "Know any pianists?"

Chepe smiled. "I had a childhood friend once who would have been excellent. I haven't seen him in years though...If he was here, I'd definitely say him" Chepe looked thoughtful. "He and I learned our instruments together, and used to practice all the time. We knew almost what each other was thinking. Aaron was one of my best friends" He said "But I guess we'll have to think of something." He looked at the other guys. "I've found that a good walk helps when you're trying to figure something out."

"Chuck, I'm going to take a break to call Patty." Terry called to his brother, who nodded. He headed off a couple yards and pulled out his cell phone, dialing up his girlfriend's number. The air had a bit of a chill to it, but moving around and playing instruments helped to keep them warm. Summer had drawn to a close and now it was autumn...or the beginning of it anyway. The leaves had started turning various, brightly colored hues, though some of them had stubbornly remained green. Students who had filled the courtyard began to head in different directions, most starting to unpack their belongings, others to tour the high school and get to learn it better. Chuck watched the variety of students, absently wondering who he'd be seeing in class. His blue eyed gaze settled on a petite brunette with glasses in a scarf who seemed to have been reading some book. Hey, she's pretty... He thought to himself.

"Too bad he's not around. I bet he'd be a great addition. But...a walk around campus or a hike in the woods?" Chuck asked him, turning back to Chepe. His mind was still on the girl with the book, however. Hey, he couldn't help himself...he thought she was pretty. "That sounds good to me. Let's go." Chuck suggested, leading Chepe out towards the woods so that they would pass the girl he'd spotted. As they walked by her, he let out a long, low wolf whistle and winked at her.

And never again, and never again
They gave us two shots to the back of the head
And we're all dead now.

Well never again, and never again
They gave us two shots to the back of the head
And we're all dead now.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh," Kyren said as he finally got a hold of his offender. "I thought I put you on silent," he told his phone while glaring at it. He huffed when he realized that it wouldn't respond to his veiled accusation. Rubbing his eyes so he could look at the screen more clearly, he decided to find out what had roused him from his wonderful sleep. "Emma? She's not in trouble already, is she?" His worrying turned out to be unjustified as he read that she just wanted to meet up with him whenever he deigned to stay awake long enough to hold a conversation. "Hmmm, she knows me well indeed. And this is why I dedicated myself to protect her innocence at all costs. It will be tough, but nothing can go wrong.; I'm sure of it. Yes, I do believe things will turn out fine," he said to no one, with a fond tone that nobody would catch him alive with, except for his sister, of course. "Mmmm, maybe in five minutes." With that, he curled under his navy blue blanket and embraced the world he had been so unceremoniously kicked out of moments before.

Poking a head topped with disarrayed white strands of hair out from under the blanket once again, Kyren decided that he had better get ready so Emma wouldn't have to wait all day for him to meet her. He knew she was too delicate to be outside in the school environment without feeling uneasy if he wasn't there. To give her a little piece of mind, he texted her to let her know that he was getting ready and would be there in roughly twenty minutes, and set off to get ready in the time he allowed himself. He dashed into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and then brushed his hair for maybe ten seconds before deciding that it was good enough. Then, it was time to go into the kitchen area and pop two bagel halves into the toaster before moving quickly but quietly back into his room to get dressed. As he put on his black jeans with a few rips in them, and his tight My Chemical Romance band tee, and his numerous arm accessories on, he realized belatedly that he should've brushed his hair after he got dressed. "Oh, well, the shaggy look it is for now," he tossed out with another huff. "Don't even have time to put on some eyeliner," he said as he shoved his phone into one of his back pockets. He slipped on his converses and headed for his bagel. He slapped some cream cheese on them in record time and was out the door. He did not run there, because that just wasn't his thing, but he couldn't deny that his walking pace was more than leisurely. He reached Valvey courtyard and spotted his sister relatively fast. He still had one bagel half waiting patiently between his teeth to be eaten, so when he greeted her, it came out, "Wachs uf, fif?"

Emma’s head shot up from her book as a rather obnoxious whistle cut through the air. Lost for words her gaze met with a pair of piercing deep blue eyes belonging to none other than Chuck Wilder, whom returned her gaze with a flirtatious wink. Her entire face must have turned a dozen shades of red…Shyly pulling at her scarf she quietly watched the boy and his friend, with the lovely smile, walk off towards the school’s neighboring forest unable to look away until they were completely hidden by the thick trees. Normally the petite simple girl would have been overlooked by passerby’s, but this one had to be a first for Emma.

Emma turned as the unmistakable yet hardly understandable voice of Kyren reached her ears. Quickly on her feet, the delicate book sliding off her lap landing into the lush grass with a thump, Emma threw her arms around her brother. The evidence of a blush still lingering on her cheeks from short run in with Chuck Wilder, “Is this…what took you so long?” She inquired stealing the toasted bagel from the clenches of his pearly whites. Hardly waiting from a response Emma took a small bite of the bagel, her stomach produced a low growling sound tempting her to finish it off in one bite.

The blush that spread throughout the girl’s face made him smile, both on the outside and on the inside, and her shy stare only further pleased him. It was like a little victory that he was inwardly celebrating. Maybe if he was lucky enough, he might see her again. It was indeed true that his family had quite the reputation around town - or in this case, the whole island - but that didn’t mean he was going to act like some thug or some narcissistic ladies man. He liked to flirt, being a red-blooded male, but he wasn’t a pig. Chuck led Chepe out past the buildings and into the forest beyond, having wandered around the area the week before. “Here we are.” He announced when they went past the line of trees. It was one of the smaller forests on the island, stretching only to the nearby mountainside. They started walking through the woods, their feet crunching some of the leaves that had already started to fall.

Hearing the crunching noise of the leafs, Aaron opened one eye, and rolled over on his left side, he saw nothing, 'Must be the wind' he thought, turning back to the position he was in, and closing his eyes.

The breeze blew through his face,his brown hair, and his baggy clothes. He sighed contently, happy that no one was there to bother him. 'I must admit,' he thought to himself,' School is one thing I'm not ready for..'. He chuckled lowly at his lame thought, and turning to his right side, letting the breeze blow on his back, instead of his face. He coughed slightly, and smiled to himself, saying, "But, I can tell already, that I'm going to have a very interesting time here."

"Hey..." Kyren was about to show his disapproval of Emma stealing his bagel, but stopped when he heard her stomach make itself known. "Please don't do that in public, Em. It goes against my reputation," he said while feeling his face heat up a little. He was referring to the surprise hug that he was pleased to receive but was too afraid to physically show it. "Hmm?" He leaned forward to get a better look at Emma's face. "You look flushed; something wrong? You weren't hanging around those ruffians, were you? I warned you that they were trouble." He meant to sound stern, but it was never been possible when it came to Emma. Spotting the book on the ground while waiting for her to reply, he picked it up and said, "Watch out. This is very valuable to you, isn't it?"

“No, I’ve been sitting here patiently waiting for you.” Emma replied before taking another small bite of the bagel hoping it would suffice her protesting stomach. Seeing her brother retrieve the abandoned book her eyes widened in shock that she had treated it so badly. Sure it may have only been a book to most people, but for her is was an escape from reality, and a precious keepsake she had received from her mother, “Yes it is. Dad bought this book for mom.” Emma replied her voice dropping in volume, as she hugged the tattered book close to her chest protectively. “Mom added it to my collection when I was packing the other day.” Wrinkling her nose Emma looked up at her brother noticing his tousled mess of hair. Normally he didn’t let others, besides herself, see him like this. Reaching up she ruffled his hair a small giggle escaping her lips filling the air. “Sorry I made you rush!”

Chepe saw a boy lying on the ground under a tree. he thought about his friend Aaron, and he said to Chuck, "I only know ONE guy who would fall asleep in the woods like that" he grinned at the thought of his friend in the exact same position, sleeping with a book on his face. The scene was so familiar to him. This boy was much taller than his friend had been. Back then Chepe had been the taller of the two. He missed Aaron quite a bit, as well as his friend who had introduced him to Aaron. He went over to the boy. "Hey! " he said loudly. "Get up!"

Aaron sighed, his napping days were over, 'Yay. One of the perks of people knowing that you sleep in the forest. SOUND.' he thought to himself sarcastically, rolling on his side to see 2 blurry figures in front of him, 'I guess I still not fully awaken yet..' he thought to himself. He rubbed his eyes, and saw everyone better. The person talking to him had long black hair, and reminded him of his old friend, Chepe, except without the longer hair.. 'I wonder how that guy's doing..', he thought to himself, and looking at the other, curly haired, and shorter stranger. "I'm up, I'm up.." he said, sitting up, and looking up at the two people, 'Guess it's time for introductions..' he thought to himself, standing up, and brushing his clothes a little, and as he stuck his hand out to shake, he said, "Hello, I'm Aaron Stepstone. Nice to meet you."

Kyren chuckled sheepishly as he replied, "Sorry for accusing you. I just want to make sure you're safe." Upon seeing her hug the book to her chest, he fought to keep down the familiar smile of fondness that he never shows in public, and cleared his throat instead. He allowed himself to be groomed for just a minute. He knew his hair was a mess. "Sooooo, what did you need to talk about?"

Chepe grinned and hugged Aaron. "You got TALL!" he said. "Now I'm the short one," he said, wiping his long hair out of his eyes again. "are you still playing the Keytar? or did you give it up after we lost contact?" Chepe grinned. "I still play...even more, since my dad gave me his guitar."