fitzcarraldo

[LeslieFranc]

((Cecil Salazar-Loveless Pregame START))

Worksheet in Math solved. Essay in English typed and printed. PowerPoint presentation in History saved in his laptop.

Cecil had done his usual routine. He had arrived home, ruffled Drew’s hair as he passed by her, grabbed a can of iced coffee from the kitchen, went to his room, took a shower, changed to a black-and-white striped oversized layered sweatshirt and black sweatpants, downed the can empty in one go, pressed the newly made study playlist to blast in his Bluetooth speakers, and went through all the assignments due for the next school day back-to-back without any rest.

Answers in Math homework has been double-checked. Essay in English has been proofread. Key points for his discussion in History has been prepared.

He was well and truly finished with what he had to do for now.

Classical music is still blasting in the speakers, Mozart in particular is still playing, but it's already coming to an end. The classical piece rather clashes with the anime action figures, plushies, and drama and K-pop posters all over his room along his altogether rather disheveled state.

Cecil had his bare feet pushed on his desk, his chair only balancing on its two back legs, and his hair has been deprived of all that gel and was down in a mess. He was still on a caffeine high as he could feel his heart beating rather loudly in his chest while his hands are still restless. Feeling nervous if he had exceeded his caffeine quota for the day, the beating of his heart sounds a bit more pronounced in his ears. He exhales uneasily, poking his tongue in the inside of his cheek, and when he pulled up his phone to see the time, his hand was trembling.

Ah shit.

Toccata and Fugue started playing, and while it still doesn’t feel appropriate with his room and current appearance, it definitely fit what he had felt in that moment.

He drops his feet on ground along with the chair’s front legs, his left hand holding onto his right that's still holding onto this phone. He gripped firmly, and while it will tremble if he lets it go, it doesn't affect the force behind his fingers, so he could still press a button for the phone to light up and show him the time.

Finished all that in around four hours, huh?, he mused before unlocking his phone.

Opening up the playlist, he paused the music.

Silence reigned inside the room, and Cecil sighed as he lets his phone drop on the desk. Something felt like relief when the music stopped. It’s not like he hates it, it’s what he always used to listen when he was a kid. It’s also what he just decided to listen to when he’s about to study, but only because his actual music preferences would be too distracting for him. He tried it out once, and he ended up imagining about the opening animation or the music video or just hum alongside the English lyrics.

He hates distractions, as much as he loves those things.

Classical music, on the other hand, wasn’t as distracting for him.

Or maybe he just sucks at multitasking.

Must be why I screw up so easily, he bitterly thought, glaring at his hands and then at the empty can of coffee.

I’d admit I'’ve never seen the appeal of listening to music while studying though. I always need silence. But I tried it out because I heard it helps.

“Should I try it again?” he murmured to himself.

“Try what again?” a soft prepubescent voice asked.

Cecil jumped on his seat, his head turning back and seeing his thirteen-year old brother calmly standing behind him, a curious and innocent smile on his face.

“Angel!” Cecil exclaimed before pursing his lips and exhaling through his nose, as if calming himself. “You could’ve given me a heart attack. Couldn’t you knock?”

Angel blinked. “I did.”

Cecil narrowed his eyes. Angel never knocks, he just sneaks in.

“No, you didn't.” Even with the music playing, he still would’ve heard him knock.

But not open the door, apparently.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Angel finally caved in with a shrug.

“Yeah, I didn't.”

Cecil rolled his eyes, fully turning his body around to face him properly. “So, why are you here?”

Angel held up a notebook. “Algebra.”

Cecil looked at the notebook then back at Angel before smiling.

“Hm, let’s sit here,” he stood up and sat on the bed, Angel following his lead.

“Play some music?”

Cecil raised an eyebrow at the request, but still reached to his phone. His hand was still trembling, so he quickly snatched it and held it with two hands, discreetly hiding the tremors from his brother.

The playlist started where it left off, and Angel complained at the choice.

”Can’t you play something a little less ‘‘haunted house theme?’”

“That's Toccata and Fugue, you troglodyte.”

“I did not understand one word from that sentence.”

Cecil snorted and just went over other songs.

“Please don’t pick something similar.”

Cecil exited the playlist and tried to search for something else.

He finally settled on a certain playlist, and a Dreamcatcher song started playing.

Cecil doesn’t like distractions in particular, but he supposes he could make an exception.

“I can’t tell if that’s from an anime or a K-pop song.”

Cecil only laughs as he opens the notebook and starts scanning Angel's Algebra problem.

“So, where are you having trouble with?”

“All of them.”

“...okay. Let'’s—”

Three short knocks interrupt him.

Cecil smiled, recognizing who was outside immediately, and nudged Angel with his elbow. “That’s what knocking is. Learn from your sister.”

Drew knocks three times, then waits for me to respond.

“Come in, Drew!”

The door slowly opens, and the seven-year old girl peeks by the door frame.

”Mommy says it'’s dinner time—” she started to inform them.

“But we just started...”… Angel protested.

“—and Momma says we're only eating beans if you don't come down,” Drew finished with conviction, but the palpable worry in her face wasn't missed by Cecil. “Let's come down, please?”

Cecil doubts Ma actually plans to feed them beans for dinner, not Drew at least, but immediately paused the music all the same. The rather weird image of the five of them, especially a heartbroken Drew, glumly stuffing beans into their mouths from a can for dinner caused both ridiculous amusement and horror.

Great, now I imagined it.

“Well, we can’t have that,” Cecil fondly grinned and stood up from the bed, pulling Angel up along with him. “Come on, we'll do it after. Drew really hates beans.”

He has a lot of restless energy and a good amount of free time to give them after dinner anyway.

With both of his hopefully not trembling hands on each of his siblings' shoulders, they head downstairs to the dining room. Get the image out of your head, idiot.

((Cecil Salazar-Loveless continued to And Now, Our Feature Presentation))