Starring Shortness H. Masterwork in a hugely exaggerated dramatization.
All names have been changed for the protection of their respective parties.
Shortness sat alone in the lunchroom. He kept telling himself he didn't need all to be like all those fake happy people, he was just fine on his own... a maverick, one might say, the mysterious loner. Anyway, he never really 'belonged', there was just some unspoken difference between him and everybody around him that everyone avoided explaining to him. ...maybe superpowers?
Adjusting his thick black emogoggles, he considered that maybe he was a ghost. He'd talk and people wouldn't hear him. ...or would pretend like they didn't hear him. Anything he'd say would always draw an, "...oh". People would shoot down his ideas just for bringing them up and the catch 22's they'd weave were more like catch 22... millions!
Across the way, he spied a vaguely familiar girl sitting alone. And wait, was she wearing emogoggles, too?! Maybe he should go over and talk with her -
FLASHBACK:
It was the night of the big SCREAM SCREAM weep weep concert. Shorty had been waiting all month in breathless anticipation. In fact, his face had gotten rather blue in doing so, much like his heart, come to think of it. He dished out some big bucks for the tickets and had picked out his carefully planned threadbare and retro outfit days in advance. His emogoggles were washed and shiney, except for the scratches that crisscrossed everything he saw like strands of the invisible web that binds us all.
At the last moment, he learned that the band was actually giving a FREE concert at his school! Holy whoa! But wait, didn't that he'd wasted his tight cash on tickets? He frowned for a moment, but he realized that if it was at his school, maybe he could just slip in alone and not feel embarrassed. But wait - he'd met this other girl, she was kinda cool, they'd had tea and talked music a little. He could ask this love of his life, and hopefully, he prayed, her grandma wouldn't have a catastrophic emergency to cut things short.
SHE AGREED! Shorty's world was spinning around his head. He put his glasses back on and blinked a little and the feeling passed. The night came and Shorty called her up half an hour before the doors were supposed to open - he wanted to get right in the front to see his idols rock out! She didn't seem too keen on seeing the openers, but he convinced her.
They slipped into the cool night, cutting an odd image, that couple, the guy in a faded drab hoodie with some patches ironed on and the girl in a giant furry rimmed coat. At the concert, he sat down right in front of the stage... but everybody had formed a bit of a semi-cricle around, so he drifted back. The openers came out, We Are Stupidists, some of by far the nerdiest guys Shorty had ever seen. And he'd seen some pretty nerdy people.
The bassist told the audience that they were free to take a seat several times, so one of the times, Shorty decided that he'd listen. His feet were sore because of his eight year old shoes without heels (they were the heighth of fashion) so he sat down on the floor. Everyone else looked around and kept standing. Even emogirl!
Well he couldn't just stand back up, that'd be admitting that he had made some embarrassing mistake. Instead, he'd wait out the song. But when he got back up and turned around to whine to emogirl about the band, she was nowhere to be found. Alone again?! He tried to smile and bob his head to the music like the bushy heads around him, but he felt so artificial.
He eventually spotted her in the back of the crowd. Surely she'd just not been able to push her way back to the front. She had gone back to put her coat away, she said. The openers left, and there was a pause, so Shorty went out to the bathroom and bought a candy bar. He came back and went right back to the front, drooling with anticipation for those gods of music, SCREAM SCREAM weep weep.
Emogirl, however, was drifting to the back... what was wrong? Oh I'm so tall, she said, I want to give other people a chance to see. But, but... Shorty had been waiting all month....
A couple big guys immediately filled in right in front of Shorty and emogirl, several inches taller than either of them, and their view was, of course, completely obscured. Miffed, Shorty went outside to 'get some air'.
...
Coming in, wiping his eyes and cleaning his glasses, Shorty considered just walking away. He still ahd tickets for another concert, and NO ONE stands between a Masterwork and his music. Suddenly, as he trudged down the hall, he saw THEM... SCREAM SCREAM weep weep! In the flesh! Those godbeings of musical masterypieciness! They were arguing over who was paying for their cab ride.
Shorty considered running over and offering to pay for it, but he was paralyzed with awe and fear. He decided that he could not miss the concert. Seeing them was surely an omen!
As soon as he got into the crowd, they began his favorite song! He couldn't help but smile bright and broad. Unfortunately, he could just barely see one of the band members back where he was. And emogirl was way over on the other side of the room. Not that he wanted to ever see her again.
People started swaying around and getting animated. This is what concerts were all about to Shorty: opportunities to act ridiculous in dark rooms with other people swaying around mindlessly without getting weird looks (or at least being unable to see weird looks). The only problem was, he couldn't get to the fun people, he was surrounded by people just standing there, and of course he couldn't just start grooving around by himself.
He deftly dodged elbows and prada purses to drift up in the concert to where the dancish people were.... and then the next song was a really mellow one and everybody around him stopped swaying for the rest of the concert. He saw emogirl's emotail bobbing up and down in the crowd and thought hey, if he'd gotten a great view, and the concert for free, why not go for the girl?
"Hey!" "...hey" Abort! Look at the concert! The rest of the concert was probably amazing, but it had lost something for Shorty. It was also so... empty. Crestfallen, Shorty waited for emogirl and walked out. So what did she think of his favorite band of all time for ever and ever?
"I kind of liked the openers better."
"...you don't mean We Are Stupidists?!"
"yeah! they were really dancey. I like dancey."
That was the deathblow. He walked back in silence and cried himself to sleep.
BACK FROM FLASHBACK:
Shortness picked up his tray and left the cafeteria.
All names have been changed for the protection of their respective parties.
Shortness sat alone in the lunchroom. He kept telling himself he didn't need all to be like all those fake happy people, he was just fine on his own... a maverick, one might say, the mysterious loner. Anyway, he never really 'belonged', there was just some unspoken difference between him and everybody around him that everyone avoided explaining to him. ...maybe superpowers?
Adjusting his thick black emogoggles, he considered that maybe he was a ghost. He'd talk and people wouldn't hear him. ...or would pretend like they didn't hear him. Anything he'd say would always draw an, "...oh". People would shoot down his ideas just for bringing them up and the catch 22's they'd weave were more like catch 22... millions!
Across the way, he spied a vaguely familiar girl sitting alone. And wait, was she wearing emogoggles, too?! Maybe he should go over and talk with her -
FLASHBACK:
It was the night of the big SCREAM SCREAM weep weep concert. Shorty had been waiting all month in breathless anticipation. In fact, his face had gotten rather blue in doing so, much like his heart, come to think of it. He dished out some big bucks for the tickets and had picked out his carefully planned threadbare and retro outfit days in advance. His emogoggles were washed and shiney, except for the scratches that crisscrossed everything he saw like strands of the invisible web that binds us all.
At the last moment, he learned that the band was actually giving a FREE concert at his school! Holy whoa! But wait, didn't that he'd wasted his tight cash on tickets? He frowned for a moment, but he realized that if it was at his school, maybe he could just slip in alone and not feel embarrassed. But wait - he'd met this other girl, she was kinda cool, they'd had tea and talked music a little. He could ask this love of his life, and hopefully, he prayed, her grandma wouldn't have a catastrophic emergency to cut things short.
SHE AGREED! Shorty's world was spinning around his head. He put his glasses back on and blinked a little and the feeling passed. The night came and Shorty called her up half an hour before the doors were supposed to open - he wanted to get right in the front to see his idols rock out! She didn't seem too keen on seeing the openers, but he convinced her.
They slipped into the cool night, cutting an odd image, that couple, the guy in a faded drab hoodie with some patches ironed on and the girl in a giant furry rimmed coat. At the concert, he sat down right in front of the stage... but everybody had formed a bit of a semi-cricle around, so he drifted back. The openers came out, We Are Stupidists, some of by far the nerdiest guys Shorty had ever seen. And he'd seen some pretty nerdy people.
The bassist told the audience that they were free to take a seat several times, so one of the times, Shorty decided that he'd listen. His feet were sore because of his eight year old shoes without heels (they were the heighth of fashion) so he sat down on the floor. Everyone else looked around and kept standing. Even emogirl!
Well he couldn't just stand back up, that'd be admitting that he had made some embarrassing mistake. Instead, he'd wait out the song. But when he got back up and turned around to whine to emogirl about the band, she was nowhere to be found. Alone again?! He tried to smile and bob his head to the music like the bushy heads around him, but he felt so artificial.
He eventually spotted her in the back of the crowd. Surely she'd just not been able to push her way back to the front. She had gone back to put her coat away, she said. The openers left, and there was a pause, so Shorty went out to the bathroom and bought a candy bar. He came back and went right back to the front, drooling with anticipation for those gods of music, SCREAM SCREAM weep weep.
Emogirl, however, was drifting to the back... what was wrong? Oh I'm so tall, she said, I want to give other people a chance to see. But, but... Shorty had been waiting all month....
A couple big guys immediately filled in right in front of Shorty and emogirl, several inches taller than either of them, and their view was, of course, completely obscured. Miffed, Shorty went outside to 'get some air'.
...
Coming in, wiping his eyes and cleaning his glasses, Shorty considered just walking away. He still ahd tickets for another concert, and NO ONE stands between a Masterwork and his music. Suddenly, as he trudged down the hall, he saw THEM... SCREAM SCREAM weep weep! In the flesh! Those godbeings of musical masterypieciness! They were arguing over who was paying for their cab ride.
Shorty considered running over and offering to pay for it, but he was paralyzed with awe and fear. He decided that he could not miss the concert. Seeing them was surely an omen!
As soon as he got into the crowd, they began his favorite song! He couldn't help but smile bright and broad. Unfortunately, he could just barely see one of the band members back where he was. And emogirl was way over on the other side of the room. Not that he wanted to ever see her again.
People started swaying around and getting animated. This is what concerts were all about to Shorty: opportunities to act ridiculous in dark rooms with other people swaying around mindlessly without getting weird looks (or at least being unable to see weird looks). The only problem was, he couldn't get to the fun people, he was surrounded by people just standing there, and of course he couldn't just start grooving around by himself.
He deftly dodged elbows and prada purses to drift up in the concert to where the dancish people were.... and then the next song was a really mellow one and everybody around him stopped swaying for the rest of the concert. He saw emogirl's emotail bobbing up and down in the crowd and thought hey, if he'd gotten a great view, and the concert for free, why not go for the girl?
"Hey!" "...hey" Abort! Look at the concert! The rest of the concert was probably amazing, but it had lost something for Shorty. It was also so... empty. Crestfallen, Shorty waited for emogirl and walked out. So what did she think of his favorite band of all time for ever and ever?
"I kind of liked the openers better."
"...you don't mean We Are Stupidists?!"
"yeah! they were really dancey. I like dancey."
That was the deathblow. He walked back in silence and cried himself to sleep.
BACK FROM FLASHBACK:
Shortness picked up his tray and left the cafeteria.
