I cracked my knuckles and placed the pads of my fingers on the piano's silky surface, eager to make beautiful music with it.

My fingers danced over the keys, tapping each black and white slab in perfect rhythm, mimicking the tune written down on the sheet music in front of me. My fingers stretched apart as they moved from note to note, the sounds enveloping me like a snug blanket on a cold winter's day. The beautiful blend of the bass notes and the clicks of the treble notes sent chills down my spine. Right here, right now, there was nothing else in the world except me and this grand piano.

I wasn't practicing anything that Miss Lauriana had given me. On Thursdays she let me stay behind after school to practice my own music in her classroom.

Instinctively, my throat began to hum the notes of the lyrics I had written for the song I was playing. My performance had to be perfect - this was one of the songs I was going to play in the coming weeks in front of the entire school.

My fingers picked up in speed, tapping the keys as smoothly as I could muster. Since it was nearly four in the afternoon, nobody was at Vale high school except for the odd teacher that stayed behind for marking, or the occasional cleaner or two swapping the lining for the bins. Having memorised this part of the song by heart, I shut my eyes as I began to sing the chorus.

My fingers, and my voice, halted as a loud cough came from the doorway. Almost instantly, I knew it was Darko listening - he poked his head through the door, smiling as we made eye contact. He coughed again as he walked to me, his black sneakers squeaking against the tiles.

"Hey," he croaked before clearing his throat.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, or did your pneumonia heal already?" I teased. Darko wiped his nose with his jumper sleeve, chuckling to himself.

"It's just the flu. Jesus, man," he said before smirking, "I came because I wanted to hear you play. You know that your music makes me feel better."

His eyes darted to the black grand piano in front of me, then to my fingers. His green eyes flitted up to meet mine as he cleared his throat.

"Well? Show me those fingers doing their thing, Tay. The thing you were playing before sounded great, play that one."

My hands quivered over the instrument, its pearly white keys suddenly reflecting the harsh afternoon sunlight that shone through the tall arched windows behind me. My hands knew what to do - they've played the piano in dozens of theatres, stages, and plays before - yet they sat there limply on the keys. I adjusted my glasses and swallowed hard. The timing had to be right. I couldn't play this to him.

The song is about him.

"What I was playing is a... surprise for the performance," I said, gritting my teeth at my shallow lie. "I'll play some Beethoven, you love him."

He furrowed his brow before nodding in agreement. He slid his hand softly over the instrument, wiping the trace amount of dust from it, before grabbing one of the chairs that had been stacked by a cleaner. He sat next to the piano, facing me.

'God, he's so fucking cute.' I thought to myself.

It was hard being in love with your straight best friend; I just couldn't be completely honest with him.

I couldn't even remember when we started being friends. From what I had seen from the childhood photos my mum kept around the house, we did everything together when we were little. We ate together, we played hide-n-seek together, and we even bathed together.

During my first year of high school, something just changed. I realized that I looked at guys the same way I looked at girls. Soon, I couldn't stop thinking about Darko - something in me needed to know what he was doing, where he was and how he was constantly. I was head-over-heels for him, my best friend. Ordinary people don't fall for their best friend... right?

The problem? Darko was straight - I knew he was straight. The number of girls he had hooked up with and the number of girls that were always flirting with him... it was unsettling, not to mention heartbreaking.

I supposed I could at least tell him I'm bisexual. In an ideal world, your best friend would accept you no matter what; my world was different. Darko would never understand.

"Hey," Darko said before waving his palm near my face, "You okay? You zoned out there for a second."

I quickly whipped out of my thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, sorry, was just uh... trying to remember the piece."

It took every ounce of willpower to stop myself from reaching over, kissing him while tangling my fingers in his brunette hair.

My fingers began to regain their strength, and I started playing a slow version of Für Elise. Darko closed his eyes and swayed softly to the sounds the instrument produced, humming to the parts he recognised. His mouth curled into a warm smile, to which my heart responded by fluttering like a hovering hummingbird.

He kept his eyes closed after the song ended. I looked up at him, and he was smiling contently, eyes shut, like he was in a trance.

"I fucking love your piano skills," he muttered softly, opening his eyes after his statement, "you need to teach me sometime."

I chuckled. "Mate, this took me years to perfect. I can't just teach you how to play; it takes dedication and discipline."

Darko frowned before he looked at the instrument.

"Besides," I continued, "Don't you have motor races to worry about?"

Darko looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I can ride my motorcycle whenever; it's not like it's taking up all of my time."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll teach you 'Für Elise' one day, all right?"

Darko's face lit up at the sound of my words. He nodded before a bright toothy smile appeared across his creamy cheeks. "I'll be the best pupil, my good sir."

I rolled my eyes before laughing. "Shut up, jackass."

That nickname is horrible. He's been calling me that since I got back from a performance in Sydney. He claims I'm too posh, that I was some noble sir with high status. My annoyance towards it seems to make Darko say it more.

I refocused on the piano, while Darko closed his eyes again. I began playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, but a loud crash echoed from the classroom door, interrupting us. Craning my head around to see who made the noise, I realized it was Miss Lauriana, carrying a huge stack of orange papers that she was struggling to hold. Darko, who had opened his eyes and noticed Lauriana too, quickly shuffled to her and lifted the papers, causing her to sigh in relief.

"Stupid papers! I can't believe I walked into the door..." she mumbled to herself as she tucked a stray chocolate curl behind her ear. Darko placed the stack on her desk.

"Wait, Darko lifted that from me? I thought that was you, Taylor," She said before chuckling. "What are you doing here Darko? You haven't seen the insides of this room since you punched a hole through my drumset in year 8."

"Miss, I just came to hear Taylor. His music always makes me feel better when I'm sick."

Miss Lauriana instantly took three steps backward. "You're sick?"

Darko rubbed his nose. "Yeah?"

Miss Lauriana frowned. "Please stay away from me. I have younger kids to teach tomorrow; I'd probably quit if I have to deal with their usual behaviour while putting up with a cold."

Darko and I laughed as she checked her watch. "You boys should be getting home soon. It's past four thirty and it's beginning to get dark outside. Do you need a lift?" she said, gesturing towards the door.

"No thanks," we both said simultaneously.

"I have a car Miss," Darko stated. He turned to me. "Tay, you want a lift? The people on your bus are always up to something dodgy; I don't think it's safe."

The idea of being alone with just him, inside his car, talking about nonsense, made me smile like an idiot. He had taken me on car rides multiple times before, but the feeling never changes. There was something intimate about driving alone with him, I can't explain it.

I mean, it's intimate when I'm alone with anybody, but it's special when It's just me and him.

"Yeah, sure man. I'd love that." I said, smiling at him. He smiled back but quickly turned away. From the corner of my eye, I could see it - the faintest of colour change on Darko's cute face.

I turned to Miss Lauriana, who had just sat down at her desk. "Thanks for letting me stay behind after school, miss. See you tomorrow."

Miss Lauriana, who had just begun writing on the large stack of paper she had brought in, waved us a goodbye without breaking her concentration. "You're welcome here anytime. Close the door on your way out; I hate it when students leave it open."

#

"I think you just got a message," Darko said. Perplexed, I looked away from the window towards my phone in the central console, the screen alight with messages.

"Huh?"

"Your phone keeps vibrating, my good sir. Think someone's messaging you."

I glared at him. "I hate that nickname."

He nodded, a smug grin appearing on his face. "That's good to know, my good sir."

Groaning, I picked up my phone from the centre console and squinted through my glasses at the screen.

"Okay, three messages. They're all from Ana."

"What do they say?" he questioned.

"Three forty - Hey Tay, you still at Vale? Message me back ASAP. Three fifty-five - Taylor? Pick up your phone! It's an emergency! Ten-past four - For fuck's sake, you twit! CHECK. YOUR. DAMN. PHONE!"

Darko's eyebrows furrowed. "Is it something to do with your mum again?"

I shrugged at him as I dialed her number. I held the phone between us as she picked up.

"Hey, I'm on my way home right now. You're on speaker, Darko's in the car as well. What's wrong?' I asked.

Ana's voice was harsh. Her breath was rapid.

"Mum's collapsed on the couch and she's refusing to get up. She's conscious, but she's just ignoring me, staring at the roof, silently crying. She's been drinking a lot, Tay."

"Shit. Have you called an ambulance?" Darko suggested.

"I wanted to, but I don't think her Medicare card works anymore. Plus, I think the paramedics are getting sick of us. Just hurry home, I'm sure we can deal with this."

She hung up. I looked at Darko. He just shook his head, focusing on the road, speeding as much as he could.

The rest of the trip was silent, except for the rumbling noise of the asphalt road beneath us and Darko's random lung-hacking. When he pulled up to my house, he turned to me.

"Hey, I know this is an inappropriate time, but once your mum's feeling a bit better, you wanna stay over at mine?" Darko asked. I turned my head to face him, and he had that gorgeous smile on his face again.

God, that damn smile.

"Not inappropriate at all. I'd say yeah, but you might get me sick," I stated.

His face faltered a little at my comment, but like always, he had to say something to convince me.

"Well, my parents are out, and Stefan's at his friend's house. Please? I don't want to be alone while I'm like this."

I rolled my eyes. 'He's persistent,' I thought.

"Fine, fine, you ass. Come pick me up; I'll text you when it's over. I don't think you'd want me to catch a bus to your place that late at night." I said. He smiled.

I hopped out of the car and waved him goodbye as he reversed out of my driveway. He honked his car horn as he sped off.

Now, to deal with my mother.