Chapter Text
Kate led Winifred to her room, before closing & locking the door. "Winnie. Has Miles acted weird with you at all? Like, weird in any way."
Winifred thought to himself. "..There’s times where he looks at me but like.. for way too long. Or he looks me up & down for too long, like he’s checking me out. It’s super unsettling. He also pops out of nowhere sometimes."
Kate nodded. "Alright, so it’s not just me. Why are you hanging out with him if you’re so creeped out?"
"I have no idea. It’s just.. something draws me in. I don’t know what it is, it’s really weird, I just… can’t help it." Winifred muttered. He felt shame, it made Kate feel upset.
"Hey, it’s okay. If you wanna be friends with him, you can. If he ever, & I mean ever, makes you upset, let me know. I’ll make sure to scold him."
"..Right. Thank you. Same thing with you, if you feel uncomfortable, you can talk to me."
"Thank you, Winnie. You can go back when you want. By the way, your sheet music is on my dresser. You left it here when we were unpacking."
Winifred perked up. "Did I? Sorry, I didn’t realize." He got up & grabbed the sheet music. He walked over to the door, unlocked it, & opened it. "I’m gonna go back to Miles’ room if you need anything. See you."
"Bye, stay safe."
Winifred honestly hated the book with all his sheet music. At his former school, he got bullied for being gay. One day, some people in the marching band stole his book & drew upside down triangles to mock him. They also ripped some of the pages, so now the only thing keeping them in tact is tape.
Winifred passed by a mirror & slowed his steps to take a look at himself. His pale skin, his square glasses, his blonde messy hair. He used to always tie it in twin pony tails, but ended up being judged for it. Suddenly, there was a person behind him. Winifred flinched & turned. It was Miles.
"Bad dreams?" He asked, bluntly. Winifred breathed in & out, thinking of a response.
"Not really, no. Bad memories. I’ll be okay though. Why are you out here? I thought you were in your room-"
"I changed my mind. I got worried about you. Isn’t Kate supposed to have her lesson with Flora right now? Why were you with her?" Winifred’s heart dropped.
"Oh. Er.. just making sure I’ve adjusted well. I’m really bad with socializing, so.." Winifred trailed off again. Miles was literally staring through his soul. It was creepy. "Uh.. Miles? You alright?" Miles blinked, & smiled. It seemed fake.
"Yeah. Sorry, just zoned out. Wanna head back to my room? It’s easier than standing by a random mirror." Winifred nodded & followed Miles.
This time, Miles locked the door. Winifred found it weird, but didn’t say anything. His grip on his book tightened. "Oh, uh, by the way, your guitar’s treble clef. I have treble clef sheet music. It might be a bit off, but.. y’know. You can borrow it."
Miles grabbed the book & looked through the music. Some of it was written by Winifred, some of it wasn’t. Miles played some of the music on his guitar to test it out. He saw the upside down triangles drawn everywhere, but ignored it. Must’ve been a coincidence. He played a full song, messing up every once in a while, but he seemed to be a quick learner. Winifred couldn’t help but clap for Miles when he finished.
"You’re really good. I’m surprised you learned it in just a few minutes." Winifred beamed. Miles smiled. That smile wasn’t unsettling. At all. It was actually.. kind. Sincere.
"Why don’t you play it? On the keyboard. If we both know the song well, we can play it together after."
Winifred nodded. "Mhm." He had this sudden feeling. It was.. warm. He knew the feeling all too well, & it gave him another feeling. Dread. He unpacked the keyboard & started playing the song. Miles could tell Winifred wrote it, he played the song really well. Not a single mistake was made, it seemed effortless. Winifred could feel Miles’ eyes on him, it was creepy. But somehow, it motivated him. He knew it was sick, but again, he can’t help himself.
When Winifred finished, Miles clapped. "..That was amazing. Y’know, I—" The call for dinner came. Winifred stood up.
"Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. What’d you say?" He questioned. Miles seemed to realize something & took a step back.
"Nothing." He turned to the door, opening it. "We should get to dinner." Winifred nodded & followed Miles.