The rain was soft and quiet today. It was a bit surprising for Alec since it usually plummeted down like an angry beast, letting out its rage on the earth and muffling out almost every other sound around him.

He strode quietly along the walkway, hearing his sneakers slapping water every few steps when he stepped into a puddle.

A light shone in his blue eyes and he squinted at the intensity of it. He could see a black car when its headlights were no longer penetrating his vision and it pulled up next to him.

He ignored it, walking past the sleek and stylish machine. It was the type of car rich boys drove to show off a dare-devil sort of character, but all Alec saw in their way of handling the beautiful masterpiece was utter idiocy and impracticality. Moreover, he knew they mainly drove in it to make sure everyone knew who they were simply through the car they drove.

No one else in this town owned a car of the same style or price. Everyone else had better, more worthwhile ways of spending their parents' hard-earned money.

He heard a tinted window being rolled down and awaited the expected profanities to destroy the calmness of the air, the calmness that he appreciated over any living being.

"Faggot!" broken teenage boy number one called, practically spitting the word like a bitter taste he wanted to get rid of.

"Don't walk out here all alone, us naughty boys might rape you!"

"I wouldn't fuck that even if I liked dick."

"God, how can he even live with himself? It's just wrong, man," another nameless, broken teenager exclaimed, making sure to be loud enough for Alec to hear over the rising volume of the rain.

Alec heard these appalling things everyday; at school, on the streets, at the parks and practically everywhere else... even at his own home, but he knew he had to stay strong. At least, for his own sake.

He had his singing to help him let out his emotions, his writing to help him escape reality when it got too realistic, his piano and his guitar when he wanted to lose himself in the sound of the music and... he had his pencils and paper to make real the things he wished he could see in the real world.

It turned out that the animals were done with their announcement which consisted of barks and growls that Alec never understood. They had sped off to wherever rabid beasts go.

Alec shook his head, letting some of the rainwater fly off of his charcoal-coloured locks. He noticed his house just up ahead and was suddenly aware of how heavy the rain was, soaking his clothes and clinging onto his pale skin, so he started to jog.

He rushed up to his front-door and fumbled for his keys, jamming them into the lock in a sudden hurry to escape the bullets of rain.

The door banged shut behind Alec and his heavy breaths filled the cold and still atmosphere that forever lingered inside the two-storey house. He swung his bag onto the tattered couch and made his way up the stairs towards his favourite room. His sneakers squealed at his each step on the wooden floor.

The door to the piano room was already open when Alec wandered in, his eyes widening at the beauty of the instrument that stood at the centre of the small, yet lively room. Sheet music decorated the floors and leaned against the books that otherwise filled the shelves.

He slowly approached the masterpiece of a construction, admiring the dimmed sheen of the black paint and the worn-out keys.

He couldn't. He would just disappoint himself if he tried...

Right?

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