Ink & Echoes

2. Headphone guy

" And isn't it just so preety to think

All along there was some invisible string

tying you to me "

Skylar's ( Pov )

Well, navigating this colossal building was easier said than done.

Thirty minutes of wandering and I felt like I'd discovered Narnia, but without the talking animals and magical wardrobe. Finally, I stumbled upon my classroom and if I ever got lost again , I would demand a GPS.

I walked in and already felt everyone's attention on me . I looked around for empty seats and immediately my eyes went towards the last empty seat at the back ..when I looked at the person next to it , I felt shockwaves sent to me.

Just my luck - it was none other than the

" Headphone Guy " himself.

As if the universe was just conspiring against me , the teacher instructed

" Go take the empty seat at the back "

I gulped and questioned all my life decisions but nodded .

My eyes immediately went towards headphone guy . He looked up from his notebook, gave me a glare , murmured something and went back to scribbling something on his notebook .

" Okay " I murmered .

I walked towards the seat , placed my bag beside him and tried to make myself comfortable.

Key word : tried

" Hi , dude " I tried to make small talk .

" I'm not your f*****g dude " Headphone guy bites back with his jaw clenched.

Well there goes my plan of making new friends.

Congrats Sky !

I was lucky we only had one class today due to Teacher's training these week.

The class kicks off with our teacher demanding introductions.

Everyone was already done with theirs. Now it was just Headphone Guy's and my turn .

" You , the guy in all black . Introduce yourself " the teacher commanded.

Headphone guy murmers

" son of a b***h " under his breath resulting me in laughing.

" Anything funny , miss ?" The teacher asks with his eyebrows furrowed.

" N- no " I reply .

Headphone guy stands up but not before giving away a small smirk in my direction.

Asshole

When he stands up , that's when I actually notice his height for the first time . He was tall . Definately 6 ft something.

His chiseled cheekbones and strong features looked beautiful up close .

Fuck no , did I just call him beautiful ?

Headphone guy speaks .

And oh my god , that voice .

That freaking masculine voice .

So deep & husky. If he wasn't so rude , I would have definately fallen for him .

Who says you haven't already - inner thoughts

Fuck off - me

" I am Ray Martinez."

Ooh , Headphone Guy has a name after all.

Ray huh ?

Ray casually mentions he's from the art department, which isn't shocking news to me. I mean, his jeans practically screamed, "I'm an artist," the other day , with those smudged paint and s**t.

Now, it was my turn . With that , I felt everyone's eyes on me .

I stood up and flashed a grin, "I'm Skylar Reid, from the Music department."

I summed up my introduction with a small " thank you " before choosing to sit down in my assigned seat .

Silence. A profound, soul-penetrating silence. Even Ray's legendary raised eyebrows made an appearance.

Reid, the surname that echoes through the music industry like a drumbeat. My father? Nicholas Reid, an eight-time Grammy Award Winner and a sensation that dances through worldwide playlists.

My mother, Jasmine Byrne, CEO of Empire Records , World's 2nd highest revenued company with net worth over $ 500 billion due to their high raised profits every year .

The bell rings and it's like someone unleashed a pack of wild animals.

" Alright Class , that's it for today . See you in next class " The teacher announces before heading outside.

I tried to sneak a glance at Ray amid the chaos but he was already gone .

After putting my stationaries in my book bag , I headed towards the cafeteria to fill the void in my stomach.

5 min later

Surprise, surprise. The cafeteria is like a high school sitcom where everyone had their clique, and I'm the quirky side character looking for her place.

I quickly ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of mocha while waiting for my food to be served on a plate.

Not even a second later , I felt four arms wrapping my torso from behind.

Here comes my dynamic duo, Holt Jackson and Ryder Bexley. My only best friends in the entire planet.

They're the only ones who could make me forget my anxiety issues & the infamous Ray Saga.

Holt & Ryder ordered their food after which we chose an empty table at the back.

Cafeteria drama reached it's peak when Ray makes a grand entrance by strolling in and suddenly, it's like we're all recreating a scene from a teenage soap opera.

The room hushed with girls swooning, I even saw someone write "Mrs. Ray" in a notebook , others batting their fake eyelashes to catch his attention and here I am wondering if the grilled cheese is any good.

Ray doesn't spare a single glance at any of them . Instead he casually grabs a hotdog and a can of cola, adding another day to his streak of avoiding eye contact.

But then, our eyes meet.

And suddenly, everything didn't matter anymore .

What is this strange feeling ?

For a moment, I thought he was admiring me. Well hate to destroy your delulu , but nope, it was just the infamous Ray Martinez Death stare.

He mutters something cryptic that might be ancient Latin or just a disgruntled mumble.With that he leaves , taking away the chaos with him.

Typical Ray

Everything goes back to normal , with some girls shooting eye daggers my way .

Holt & Ryder bursts into laughter .

" Damn girl , first day and you've already managed to get a hot guy's attention" Holt laughs .

I glare hard at him.

"What a mess." I huffed , diving into my sandwich.

Ryder, another comedian in our triad , adds,

"A hot mess indeed."

Well , here goes my last bit of tolerance.

And there you have it, folks - just another day in the thrilling life of Skylar, where introductions make jaw drop & unintentional drama seems to follow everywhere.