Preconceptions Prologue
#2 of Conceptions
A/N: Here we go. The prologue to one of my new stories. Its companion is Misconceptions. You don't have to read both as the only thing that is different are the POVs. This one is going to be far more psychological than Misconceptions, so if you're into that, this is the one to read. But for those of you who read both, do you want me to put them in the same folder, or keep them seperate?
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My fingers flowed over the keys of the piano. A soft melody for the soft Cafe. I liked this one the best. Equidistant from the city park to the school, it would be the perfect job while school was in session.
I finished the song and closed the lid. I stood up to a light smattering of applause from the few people present. I nodded to them and stepped off the raised stage to look for the owner.
I found her talking to one of the regulars.
Tara Car was an Abyssinian, a few inches shorter than me, which pegged her just above average. With an almost skin-tight black shirt under a red vest, just about every male present fell out of their chairs when the person she was talking to made her laugh.
She patted him on the back, and looked up at me. My eyes slid off of hers to the side of her face.
"How much do you want?"
Her bluntness took me back. "What?"
"For playing. How much do you want a night?"
"Twenty. With a meal." I saw her lean back in surprise and knew that if I were to look at her eyes, they would be wide.
"You sure? I can do a bit more than that. Steve here says you have the making of a professional." She pointed at the regular and he waved his hand.
"I'm sure. I don't need much." Between the meal here and the one I would start getting at school, I would already be eating more than I had the entire summer.
She shook her head and laughed. "I'm not one to argue with crazy. You're hired. Fours hours a night, starting tomorrow. You get your meal after two and you get payed in cash at the end. You start at six." She nodded her head with a tone of finality and that was that.
I allowed my mouth to twitch in a smile. "See you tomorrow then."
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One. One. Two. Three. Five. Eight. Thirteen.
Stop.
Repeat.
The teacher droned in the back of my mind, and I automatically put the words on paper and turned that paper into memory.
Sometimes, I don't know why I bothered. It was only the first day of school. Senior year. Joy?
"Zeke!" My name startled me from my reverie. I looked up from my desk to the teacher. Eye contact for only a few seconds before they slipped to the side of her head.
"Yes?" I tried to keep the sneer out of my voice. English was far from my favorite subject, and that's not even counting the fact that this was an AP class. I hated it already.
"Just making sure you were with us." I bob my head in acknowledgement.
One. One. Two. Three.
The bell signaled the end of first period and the start of our ten minute passing period.
I make it to my next class in three.
No friends to talk to in between classes. No favorite teachers to greet after the long summer. No special other to make kissy faces at. Perfect.
Cue Psychology, stage left.
The teacher was odd. A lion that introduced himself as Dr. Higs. Khaki pants with paint stains, A dress shirt with one of the sleeves rolled up. A loose tie. I liked him already.
"I'm not going to tell you anything about what I expect from you, because I expect nothing. I'm not going to give you a syllabus, because they are always the same. I'm not going to take role after today. What I am going to do, is have you form groups of two. We have an even number, so everyone should be paired."
The class scrambled with this strange announcement. I remained seated. Finally, everyone was grouped. No one asked me.
"Hmph." The teacher absently scratched his arm. "Guess we already have a skipper. Well, you, whatever your name is, will be paired with the other one, whatever his or her name is. Okay?" He didn't wait for a response, he just went to his desk and sat down. "I guess I should take role, see who the captain is. And the name of Mr. P."
From my seat in the back of the class, I knew I was the only one to laugh. Pity. It was a good bit of word play. I wonder what the 'P' stood for? I wasn't wearing anything that started with that letter, nor did I know of any adjectives starting with P that could physically describe me.
Oh well. I wonder who was missing.
One. One. Two. Three. Five. Eight. Thirteen.
Exactly eighty-nine repetitions and the bell rang.
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I pushed the door open and stepped into the air. It was warm, at least for an arctic fox. I set my book-bag on the ground and removed my jacket, frowning at the new hole in the sleeve.
I wrapped the tattered jacket over my arm and picked up my bag.
It was three o'clock. I had three hours before I had to be at the Cafe. I briefly debated just going home before deciding against it.
The park would be busy this time of day.
To the Cafe.