It was late at night as Ryan danced his way around the school campus, feet pounding against the ground to a beat in his head, and dust flying up around him. His arms swung wildly around, as if he were at home playing his drum set, and though they had nothing to hit, they moved with a precision that one could only have from years of practice. As he reached the climax of the music in his head, Ryan slammed his foot hard into the ground, which pushed back hard against him, launching him into the air where he spun around before landing solidly on his feet.
Ryan laughed to himself aloud, rubbing the back of his head, and as the dust around him settled he heard something in the distance. It was a much softer music, something from a string instrument, and it was enticing, as if it were begging him to come toward it. Slowly he started to walk towards the front of the school, where a large fountain had recently been installed.
As he approached, he saw one of the girls from school who didn't talk much. He thought that her name was Megan, but he wasn't entirely sure. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain, violin in her arms, playing it slowly and gently. Music rose from her violin as if it were enticing everything around it nearer. The water from the fountain seemed to rise and fall with the music. Megan played with her eyes closed, gently swaying with her music.
Ryan couldn't help himself. "Megan?" he asked. She immediately stopped playing, and the water seemed to return to a normal flow as she looked wildly around for the place Ryan's voice had come from. She let out a terrified squeal when she saw him, and tried to run away, but tripped on the fountain. Ryan moved quickly, seeing her fall, and rushed forward. As his feet pounded against the ground, he could feel it pushing back against him, launching him forward. He slipped under her body just before she hit the ground, catching her and taking the blunt of the impact.
Megan squeaked as Ryan grabbed him, but the impact of their bodies hitting the ground startled her and she didn't move. After a moment to catch his breath, Ryan slowly sat up, cradling Megan in his arms. He smiled gently at her. "It is Megan, right?" he asked softly. She gave a small nod, her eyes wide. He carefully got up and set her down on the fountain.
Megan scooted away from Ryan as soon as she was out of his arms. "What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice wavering. Ryan blinked, confused by her fear.
"I heard your music," he explained. "It was like it was drawing me here."
"I knew I shouldn't have been playing in public," she muttered to herself. "I didn't want anyone to find me playing."
"Why not? Your music is beautiful." Megan's eyes shot up to him, wide opened, her face blushing hard. Ryan grinned, a thought coming to mind. "Kind of like you," he tacked on. Her eyes seemed to widen even further, her blush getting deeper. She started stuttering, trying to think of a response, and Ryan just started laughing at how adorable she was.
Megan glared at him at that, and quickly gathered her things and started to run away. Ryan jumped up and ran after her, shouting for her to wait. He was much faster than her and easily caught up. She scoffed at him and turned her head away. "Hold on, Megan," he said quickly. "Let me walk you home. I'm not a bad guy. You just keep catching me off guard." Slowly she looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. "Please?"
"...Fine," she muttered under her breath. Ryan smiled and, without thinking, put one arm around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. Megan's cheeks flared up, and Ryan laughed again, but this time she didn't run away.
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