Glow - Chapter 2

Glow 

Chapter 2: Accidentally in love

Inna Coleman sometimes thought her friend was strange. According to her observation, Rosaline’s mind just simply refused to go the ordinary way. When Inna first met her in a music summer camp, she disliked the girl, having mistaken her quietude for haughtiness and superficiality. Rosa was extremely reticent with demeanour apparently screaming coldness. It didn’t help that she was a perfectionist who woke up too early in the morning and insisted every single details being perfect. Since Inna, an energetic and free-spirited girl, was her roommate during camp, Rosa’s overall countenance unnerved her. All in all, Inna used to think her friend was queer and vain. The key word here was “used to”.

The first week, Inna tried her best to avoid the blonde. She didn’t talk to Rosa and the other girl didn’t do anything to lighten the mood. During the day, when the camp was bursting with activities, doing so was not difficult. Since Inna was in the drum class and Rosa the vocal, they hardly ever cross path. The only times they actually saw each other was at night, and they rarely spared each other any glance. The room’s temperature always seemed to be below average, and it was very uncomfortable, which dampened Inna’s enjoyment. She used to think it was such a shame that she had to share her room with Rosa, because otherwise the camp was wonderful. Located at the edge of a small wood on the outskirt of Greenhorn, Camp Hamophony was one of the most prestigious and beautiful summer camps. Instead of cabins, campers stayed in colourful wagon, each big enough for two people to fit comfortably. There were a myriad of activities beside musical lessons and practices. Inna had been Team Captain in Capture the Flag twice, each time earning herself a victory. Rosa, on the other hand, was more of a recluse. She was always reading and rarely ever joined in the games. Since their camp was surrounded by trees, Inna sometimes saw her roommate disappeared among them, only to come out hours later when there were classes or compulsory gatherings. However, from the gossips of other girls, Inna found that Rosa was quite talented in singing and was chosen for the opening act at the Gathering Ceremony, a get-together show at the start of the camp. Even though Inna herself also participated as a lead drummer in another performance, the news only strengthened her conviction of Rosa’s vanity. Luckily, both girls were too busy with their schedule to interact much.    

                                                                                                                              

One night, Inna was back late from a rehearsal and didn’t return to the wagon until pass midnight. To her surprise, Rosa was awake. Vexation overtook her when she saw the light on at a distance, since Inna wished to slip in unnoticed and avoid any unpleasant inquiry. She was tempted to turn round and head for one of the other girls’ place when she realised that at such late hour, they must be all asleep. She signed and marched on, opening the door and stepped into the small “room”. Rosa was sitting cross-legged on her bed, reading one of the biggest books Inna had ever seen. “What a nerd.” – Inna thought and closed the door. As the lock clicked behind her, the other girl turned her head and, unexpectedly, smiled at her. She dropped the book, swung her legs from the bed, grabbed a cup of milk from the bedside table and handed it to Inna. Dumbfounded, she took it and shot the other girl a questioning look. How could she behave so friendly toward her, who had shown nothing by hostility and prejudice? Rosa just arched her eyebrow and commented casually:

-          I heard that warm milk helps people sleep better. You’ve been working really hard so I think a little support would be nice. Even though I can’t do much for you. – She smiled sheepishly and Inna’s heart skipped a beat. The heat from the cup is seeping into her hand, and although she wasn’t cold, she felt warm all over. The smell of dairy and, was that honey?, filled her nostrils. She grinned and downed to cup in one try.

-          Thank you. It was very sweet.

The moment Rosa’s face lit up, Inna realised how lovely her roommate was.

Their relationship escalates into friendship rapidly. Camp Hamophony ended as a success, in which Inna could finally coax Rosa into putting her books away and actually join the activities. The Gathering went on smoothly, too smoothly that it earned Inna an honoured position in the Farewell Show and Rosa a little more reputation and a few new friends. When the summer came to an end and they had to part for home, heartfelt goodbyes were exchanged, and promises of keeping contact were made and kept. Although they went to different schools during the year, they met often online. Inna eventually found out that Rosa was indeed a huge nerd. She had all kind of merchandise, some of which she handmade herself, and would never shut up when she got in the mood. She could read three thick books a day and still complain of having too little to read. It was equally vexing and endearing, really. The more Inna got to know the girl, the more she was equally fascinated and bewildered by Rosa’s nature. Despite appearing quiet and somewhat aloof, Rosa was actually adventurous and was prone to acting on impulse. On more than one occasion, she came up with an abnormal idea and insisted on realise it, a characteristic that caused more trouble (for her) than Inna would appreciate.

-          So let me get this straight. – Inna narrowed her eyes at the computer screen, addressing the person on the line. – You want me. To join your band. – She gestured at herself and spoke slowly, as if she was talking to a stubborn child who wouldn’t listen to reasons, even though she was still trying to wrap her head around the idea. Facing her from the Skype window, Rosa nodded curtly. She even had the audacity to offer Inna a smile! Rolling her eyes in exasperation, the dark-skinned girl felt the need to point out one big issue for her friend. – You know that we live half way across town right?   

Silence momently deafened the room when Rosa just stared at her with disbelief. She seemed to be silently asking: “How can you think such tiny nuisance can hinder me?”. Inna signed. Sometimes she really did admire herself for being able to handle Rosa and not go insane.

-          Well, we actually study across the city. You live in the city centre. – The blonde pointed out and Inna now felt like she was the one being lectured. Having been close friend with Rosa for more than a year, Inna knew for sure that she could never interrupt the other when she was using such tone. Hence, she resigned and took to actually listen to Rosa’s reasons. However, even that proved to be a challenge when she couldn’t help but to get side-tracked. How come Rosa have such enormous eyes? Despite having been staring at them for countless time, Inna still could not get past their mesmerizing spell. Focus, Coleman. This was not the time for distraction! Inna mentally slapped herself and directed her attention back to the talking girl. Rosa, oblivious to Inna’s state of mind, continued her persuasion. – Which took me 10 minutes on the bus. And Jenny lives another 10 minutes away. So that is not a problem. And we literally practice right next to your neighbourhood. – Whatever protest Inna could think of died down in her throat at the final information. Rosa has thought of every inconvenience possible and eliminated them.

-          Well, if you put it that way. – Inna ran her hand through her spiky black hair, signing in defeat. As much as she would deny it later on, Inna actually found Rosa to be interesting enough. – Then I find to reason to object.

 

Rosa shook her head slightly at Inna’s not-so-subtle expression and grinned:

-          No more question? Good. That’s settled then. I gotta go now. Bye bye Inna.

Without any more words, Rosa tuned out and Inna was left staring at the screen in disbelief. Few seconds later, a “ding!” came off from her phone, signalling a new message.

“First meeting is this Sunday. 9 A.M. Don’t be late. ~ Rosa”

Inna signed. Maybe she was not as good at handling Rosa as she thought. Or maybe the girl was just plain impossible. Either way, Inna Coleman was now a part of a band.

When Inna walked into the studio, she wasn’t in too high a spirit. The building at 17 Thridant Street was small and nondescript, as if it was built to take up the least space possible. With its grey, dull walls inside and out, it was not the greatest epitome of cheerful or musical. Narrow halls with nameless doors, the wall paper long peeled off. Windows opened to a clear blue sky, warm sunlight dancing between white cotton clouds, a scene so out of place in the dim corridor. Inna stopped in front of a glass door, apparently the newest among dusty woods, and turned the handle. The room was even darker and seemed to be covered with a layer of mist. A lone light bulb protruded from the ceiling, too weak to be of any use. The feeling of cold abandonment and neglect permeated the atmosphere and send a chill down her back. Inna barely made out the farther side of the room, where the glass window of the recording room reflected the white feeble light.

Silence greeted her as Rosa was no where to be seen. Muttering a complain and a promise of chewing her friend out later, she gingerly entered the dim room. She almost jumped out of her skin when a head appeared behind a big lump on the left.   

Warm brown eyes met her own azure. Surprise overtook both girls and rendered them silent. The strange girl gazed at Inna for a while before realisation hit:

-          Oh. You must be Inna! – She said cheerfully and stood up from her crouching position to greet Inna. – It’s so nice to finally  get to see you. I have heard Rosa talk so much about you. I’m Jenny, Jenny Starling.

-          Uhm, hi. I’m In… Inna…, Inna… C… Coleman. – Uncharacteristically, Inna stuttered. Her hand was grabbed by soft fingers and she almost yanked it back. The brown-eyed girl’s touch was scorching hot, sending a wave of heat across her face. Oh God, what was going on? Inna discreetly shook her head and pulled her hand away to glance at her watch. Realising that her friend was late, she gladly turned the conversation toward her absence. – Where is Rosa? She said she would meet me here at 9. And now ’s almost nine fifteen!

-          She was going home to get her music sheets or something.

-          Oh wow. That’s just so typically Rosa! Always forget her stuff. – Inna rolled her eyes, even though her voice bore no ill-opinion of her friend. The two girls fell into an awkward silence. Looking around, Inna desperately looked for any source of diversion to erase the weird fluttering feelings in her stomach. A few moments passed before she found her voice again. – Why does she choose such a spooky place anyway? There are hardly any light. I feel like a ghost is gonna jump out at me!

Jenny laughed. The sound rang out in the closed space, so beautiful that the atmosphere of the room seemed to change. The ceiling heightened and the air became slightly more breathable. Inna let out an exhale she didn’t know she was holding.

-          Oh, I just don’t want to turn the lights on. The switch is over there, by the wall.

Inna turned around to follow Jenny’s index finger. A flat white vinyl box was lounging on the wall, its small switch curved into a mocking smile. Her mouth gaped in a fading “Oh”. Why didn’t she see it? Cheeks aflame, she reached out and to flick the switch. The long bulb snapped on with a faint sizzle of electricity and bathed the  room with white, bright light. Relief washed over her when Inna saw that the studio was not so bad in it real state. Albeit quite messy, it did have all the needed equipment: the big lump she saw earlier was in fact a drum set; the dark silhouettes were instruments – a bass, an acoustic guitar and an organ, all plugged in and ready to be used. Under her feet, cords of various size coiled on top of each other and a few pieces of paper strewed about. The walls were black, spontaneously sprayed with silver and gold paint, portraying musical notes. They contrasted impressively with the smooth white ceiling. Inna’s eyes darted around the dark-coloured room, taking in the state of the new haven. Even though a little dusty and could probably use some cleaning, the room was nicer than she initially thought. Rosa would have gotten an earful if it were any lesser.        

Inna breathed out and flashed a soft smile at the other girl, who smiled back happily.

-          Well, until Rosa drag herself here, how about we tidy up this place a little?

When Inna came home that night, she was so tired. Everywhere ached and her limbs were screaming for rest. The fading bruise she got earlier that week on her knee seemed to return to its original state, if not worse. All she wanted to do was to collapse on her bed and fall into a blissful sleep. She didn’t expect staring at the ceiling at two in the morning.

She tossed and turned, trying to call for Sandman to no avail. Inna couldn’t stop thinking about her day. It didn’t start out well. She had waken up late because her clock ran out of battery. Consequentially, she was late to her meeting with Rosa, and then had to wait for the girl in return. And to add to her list of complains,  her whole afternoon was spent cleaning a studio for a band she was forced into – she didn’t really minded the band though, Rosa had a pretty good idea. Due to lack of attendance, the place was not the exact epitome of  cleanliness. The cords, which she had to untangle and move so the others could clean the carpet, had layers of months, maybe years old, dust collected under them. Even though they weren’t heavy, they were stiff and difficult to unknot. After thirty minutes of fiddling, the cords were finally straightened and laid out in the corner. Both her hands and neck cramped so bad she thought they could fall off. The other girls also find the carpet too worn to be cleaned without damage and decided to replace it, which led to the odious job of bunching and rolling it out to the trash can behind the back door. Hours went by. Moping. Dusting. Reorganizing the instruments. Repeatedly. By the time they were done, Inna felt her skin covered in several layers of dust and sweat.

Could the day get any worse?

But then, there is Jenny. She was the last member of the band, who played the organ.

Jenny Starling, even the mention of  her name sent a fluttering to her stomach.

Rosa had mentioned her to Inna sometimes before. According to the blonde, they had been friends since first grade, each took to each other without batting an eye. While Rosa was interested vocal training, Jenny learned to play the piano, and Rosa seemed to find Jenny extremely talented. The way she talked about her best friend showed the love and respect she harboured for the girl, which made Inna a little jealous.  She, too, wanted such a friendship. Therefore, she had both liked and disliked Jenny before she met her: such perfect, lovely girl couldn’t have existed without any flaw.

That was until she actually saw her.

Rosa never told her that she had such beautiful eyes! Or face. Or smile. In fact, Rosa had never told her how beautiful and amazing the girl really was.

Jenny’s eyes were big and round, resembling two sweet cups of hot chocolate. The eyes had always been Inna’s favourite part of the face, especially when she found her own similar to the night sky. Rosa’s eyes were like those of a phoenix, peering through people’s souls and trapping them fathomless layers of ocean. But Jenny’s eyes were different. They gleamed and sparkled with sweetness and understanding, mesmerizing Inna with the softness and innocence that she rarely came across.

In fact, Jenny’s overall features were soft and welcoming. Her fingers ached to run through the soft brown locks that frame Jenny’s face. Her arms longed to wrap around her petite body, feeling the milky skin that smelt so much like daisy and sweet bread. Her hand wished to twine around Jenny’s, engulfed in the softness and warmth. She wanted to melt herself completely in the sensation that was Jenny Starling.

Inna Coleman, a girl who always prided herself on her indifference with romantic desires, found herself hopelessly and undeniably falling in love.