Tsu Learns About Consequences

The devil is in the details. Does that make Rachmaninoff the devil? Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. Sixteen notes played over and over again for hours. Days. Weeks.

"Flight of the Bumblebee", whilst flashy, isn't the most enjoyable piano piece to learn. Still, it was chosen as one of the concert pieces, so learn it he must. Tsu looked through the window of the music room, hoping to get a glimpse of the luscious winter morning. Instead he saw two pairs of eyes peeking in at him from outside the school.

The first belonged to a short, toned, muscular and quite attractive sixteen year old boy. He had hazelnut hair and eyes. His hair was carefully brushed and gelled, and was pulled firmly to one side. He was an exact replica of Tsu… If Tsu chose to work out more often. Instead, Tsu himself was somehow both lanky and flabby. He was the poster boy for teenage shut-ins.

The other pair of eyes belonged to a girl with tanned skin and brown hair. Her eyes were so black you could see your reflection in them at night. She held herself neither proudly or shyly. She simply seemed comfortable with herself, and chose not to hide from the world.

"That's my twin. He's playing at the New Year's concert tomorrow. Isn't he amazing?"

"I know dummy. The school newspaper has been having a perpetual field day since he won the state wide competition last month."

"Let's go say hello."

The happy couple waltzed their way into the music room, stepping in time with Tsu, who had begun to play "Here Comes the Bride."

Tsu greeted them kindly, and requested they state their business.

"What are you doing this evening?" She spoke slowly, her breath heating up the air before dissipating into steam. She wore a flowing black hoodie, sleek leggings and a mendacious grin.

"It seems the both of you," he glanced at each of them in turn, "know that I should be practicing. I'm guessing you two have other plans?"

"Ion is taking me to see the fireworks. We were thinking you should chaperone us?"

"Ion? You already have nicknames for each other? Didn't you two meet on sunday?"

"It was love at first sight." Billion retorted. "Back to the topic at hand; as you guessed, we want you to accompany us to view the fireworks this evening. Gen and I would be extremely grateful."

"Listen guys, I'm honored that you asked and all that, but I really do need to practice. I cannot afford to be stale tomorrow. Have fun this evening without me. I'm sure I would only get in the way."

"Come on, you've been practicing nonstop for weeks. How much better are you going to get by tomorrow?"

Tsu sighed, knowing that they were right. In truth, he simply didn't want to watch them rushing their relationship to death. Billion was on his third girlfriend since the beginning of the month, and refused to take things slowly. Nitrogen had been in the same class as Tsu for the entire year, and he had always thought that she was rather adorable. She had dyed her hair purple for halloween, choosing to dress up as a glowstick. He thought it suited her nicely.

And here was Billion, about to ruin everything. Since the two of them happened to share a face, any time Billion broke up with a girl Tsu was in practice restricted from meeting with them. He understood the pain that he would bring, and chose to steer clear of rocky terrain.

"Fine. Pick me up from the house at ten. I'll be waiting."

Nitrogen smiled and hugged him from behind. "You're the best!"

Tsu sighed, breathing in her gentle aroma. She smelled nice, which was only natural since she was likely expecting to give away her first kiss at midnight. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and wiped away his mental tears. Time to pull yourself together.

Thirty minutes till midnight. The three students had set up a pristine picnic blanket in the park. Tsu's legs felt dead from sitting cross legged. His eyes were tired from using his phone to pass the time. It was preferable to listening to Billion and Gen having a flirtatious conversation.

"I'll be back in a sec. I just have to use the lavatory real quick. Don't try anything funny while I'm gone." Billion headed for the public restroom at a leisurely pace, humming the "Mission: Impossible" theme ironically as he swung his arms out comically far. Nitrogen chuckled as he left.

"Hey Nitro, I think I'm going to head home. You guys can keep the car, I'll just take the train."

Nitrogens's eyes began to gloss, sparkling like the night sky. "Please don't leave."

"Why shouldn't I?" Tsu's voice began to rise in volume and pitch. "Why should I stay here watching the two of you ignore me all afternoon? It's depressing!

"Do you remember science class? We were asked to pair up to do an experiment. I remember thinking it was the perfect opportunity to show off to you, me being the top of the class and all. I asked if you wanted to pair up, and you said you already had a partner."

Tsu did remember that day. Billion was running late since he had stayed out all night on a date. He had asked Tsu to wait for him to pair up in science class like they always did, but he ended up missing first period because he took a repulsively long shower. Multiple people had asked if he had wanted to pair up, and it was entirely possible that Nitrogen was one of them.

"While we were doing the experiment, you made a mistake because you never formed a group. You were working alone in the back of the class. I had been trying to get your attention all year and you dismissed me without a second thought."

A tear began to roll down Tsu's cheek. A light chuckle escaped his lips as a second tear rolled down his nose, tickling him. He began to laugh a little harder. The laugh turned into a sob. "I'm such an idiot. I've," He sniffled. "I've liked you this entire time too."

Without a second thought, Nitrogen grabbed Tsu's face and pulled him into a deep kiss. All the tension left his body. The color yellow seemed to flood his mind. Was happiness really this simple? To love and to be loved?

A light thud. Nitro and Tsu looked to see where it had come from. Billion was standing behind them, his palms open toward the floor. On the ground lay a bag of glowsticks.

Billion's teeth were clenched. His hands curled into fists as his eyes began to dampen.

"The one girl. The one girl I actually wanted to be with. The one I had been waiting for all this time. This is the one that never liked me to begin with. Dear God, you play some terrible tricks. You two have fun, you sick pieces of trash. I'm going home." By the end of his announcement, his voice was nearly unintelligible. The tears were streaming down his face like a waterfall, moistening his collar. He turned and ran.

Ten minutes till midnight. Tsu and Nitrogen pursued quickly, as Billion weaved through the streets heading for the train station. They arrived on the platform a hundred feet behind Billion, who had been holding on to their return tickets. Tsu rushed over to the cashier. "Two tickets, one way, please hurry." The words tumbled from his lips. Without questioning them, the cashier took the ten dollar bill from Tsu's hand, passed them their tickets, and looked back up just in time to hear Tsu mutter "Keep the change."

The train pulled out of the station, leaving Tsu and Nitrogen behind. "We need to talk!" Nitrogen yelled at him. "Wait at the next station!" They paced back and forth for three minutes as they waited for the next train to arrive, breathing heavily as the caught their breath. As the next train pulled into the station, they climbed aboard together, and gave each other a knowing look. Five minutes to the next station. They would arrive right before the fireworks went off. New Years was completely ruined.

Darkness. The train passed through a tunnel. Tsu's heartbeat was closer to thunder than a drum. His mind was running at the speed of light. Light. The moon shone through the cabin window. The station approached. Billion stood out from the crowd, his tear streaked face shining like a diamond. A man in a green trenchcoat stood behind Billion. Water leaked from the coat to the floor. His face was hidden by a baseball cap pulled down to cover his eyes. The emblem was for the Chicago Cubs. The way his hands were placed in his pockets didn't feel quite natural. It was as if he was embracing himself. He awkwardly wadled forward, pushing himself to the very front of the platform, in a position to be the first person to board the train. As the doors opened, screaming erupted. The man was yelling something over the noise of the crowd. As Tsu heard the words, he dove, thrusting Nitrogen out the door.

The sound of an explosion rang in Tsu's ears shortly before he lost consciousness.

The world erupted into a sea of flames.