*A/N: Bet you didn't see this perspective coming! The gif^ Is Owen. You will understand his face expression as you read.*

O W E N ' S P.O.V

'Owen, what's your last name again, sweetie?' Grandma texted me. Swallowing back the lump forming in my throat, I texted her back as I walked towards the music room. 

'It's the same as yours, gran. It's Prietto.' I texted back. I felt my phone buzz before I could put it back into my pocket.

'That's such a lovely name. When are you coming to see me next?'

I frowned. 'I saw you yesterday. I'll probably come and visit in a few days.'

'You visited me yesterday?'

Stifling back a sigh, I texted her back. 'Yes. Look, I'm busy right now, I'll call you later tonight. Love you <3.'

'That's okay. I can't wait for your call. I miss you, dear. x'

I slipped my phone into my pocket. 

I rounded a corner. I was about to open the door of the music room when I heard a scream erupt from the girl's toilets.

'The hell?' I thought to myself. Nobody should be here after school. That's either a teacher or a student that's snuck in. Why are they screaming?

I inched closer to the bathroom. I began to hear muffled cries and the annoyed groan of another female. 

"He's not taking me to the dance. What a fucking prick. I told him I loved him - what else do I need? A dick?!"

Instantly, I recognised the voice. It was Bella. The second voice began to speak. It was Nicole. Whipping out my phone, I pressed record, just in case they said something interesting.

"Can you shut the fuck up, or at least, quieten down? Did you forget that he's, like, two classrooms away?"

Bella blew her nose. "Sure. Whatever. Fine."

"What do you even see in him anyway? Taylor isn't that attractive, and he has the social skills of a dying cat. What's he got going that I don't know about?"

Bella scoffed. "He's cute, and one of the sweetest boys in the world. But, most importantly, he's got talent. Have you ever heard him play the piano?"

There was a short silence. Either Nicole shook her head or stared at Bella blankly. Regardless of what she did, Bella continued to speak. 

"He's gifted, both instrumentally and vocally. One day, he's going to be fucking famous. Rich beyond anything I'll ever become."

"So what? You want to get in with him so you can mooch off of his success?"

"Not entirely, but yeah. I'm not working a 9-5 hour job - screw that. Plus, I'll be famous by association with him. There's literally no downside."

I cringed. Thank fuck I intervened - I would hate to see Taylor being used by Bella like that. That's horrible. 

"What do you see in Darko? There are a million things I could call him, but dateable isn't one of them." Bella said to Nicole. I assume she shrugged.

"I don't see anything, did you forget? He broke my heart by never talking to me; all I wanted him to do was notice me. This is all revenge."

I shook my head. Grudges are pointless and just make you seem like a terrible person.

Bella gasped. "I just came up with the best idea. Why don't you ask him out to the dance tomorrow?"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

Bella sighed. "Uh, for petty reasons? He's going to be super uncomfortable the whole time. Plus, it'll further instil the idea that Darko is straight in Taylor's eyes. It's a win-win situation for the both of us!"

I rolled my eyes. At least Bella doesn't know that Taylor knows how Darko really feels. 

"You're a genius!" Nicole said, squealing.

I heard a tap turn on. Nicole began speaking again. "Remind me - why are we waiting here? I really want to go home and make sure my outfit for the dance is perfect."

Bella scoffed. "We're hiding here to wait for the right opportunity for me to go and try and persuade Taylor to take me to the dance. You're here to keep an eye out for me-"

Suddenly, my phone began to beep loudly. The ringtone seemed to pierce through the silent hallway - and the female girl's toilets. I heard one of them gasp. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I mumbled, fumbling through my pockets. I heard the girls scramble.

"Shit, someone might have heard us!" Bella spat. Panicking, I stopped recording, silenced my phone, and quickly scrambled away, ducking into the closest classroom. Bella has seen me hang out with Darko before. If she catches me, she's going to link my eavesdropping to Darko somehow, and she's probably going to do something stupid. Hiding underneath the teacher's desk, I pulled out my phone and checked who called.

'One Misscall from Grandma.'

Ah great.

'Sorry I couldn't pick up,' I texted. 'What did you need?'

Loud clicking streaked past the classroom I was hiding in. "Damn it, what if that was Taylor that heard us?" I heard Bella say. 

"It couldn't have been. We can hear him playing the piano still. Someone else must have heard us." 

Bella groaned. "I swear to fucking God if it was Darko, I'm gonna-"

My phone vibrated loudly. Nearly shitting my pants, I turned it off before precariously covering myself in textbooks.

"Did you hear that?" Nicole said. Through the tiny gap I left for breathing, I saw Nicole poke her head into the classroom. I sat as still as a statue, muffling my breath with my shirt.

"Hear what? You're going crazy. Come on, let's just go back to the bathroom. I'm sure it was just a cleaner walking by, or something."

Sighing in relief, I turned my phone back on as the sound of their footsteps faded away. Peering down, I shook my head, burying it in my free hand. 

"What was your last name again, Owen sweetie? xx'

~~~~~

T A Y L O R ' S P.O.V

I plonked my head onto the keys of my piano. Repeatedly. Sharp twangs of sounds exploded from the instrument. Why is it so hard to learn this damn song?!

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. Mere moments later, Owen opened the door to the room, letting himself in. 

"Sorry I was late, had to call someone. Warning, Bella may show up soon. Just caught her sneaking into the bathroom."

I grunted in response. He grabbed his guitar from a rack, and a chair, and sat next to me. 

"Okay, let's take it from the top. You start, and I'll join in."

"Sure, whatever."

I flicked back to the first page of the sheet music and began to play. For about ten seconds, everything was going smoothly. I closed my eyes.

I imagined myself playing this on stage with Owen by my side. I scanned the crowd. Everyone was booing us. Darko locked eyes with me, a frown forming on his face. He shook his head before turning away. 

I snapped back to reality. I was playing the wrong notes. Angrily, I shoved the music sheets off of my piano, scattering them on the floor beside me. I ran my palm down the side of my face before grunting.

"Woah dude, why so angry?"

I let out a long sigh, before shaking my head. "It's... it's nothing. Ugh."

"Are you sure? Are you maybe... worried about fucking up on stage?"

I shrugged. Owen shook his head. 

"Mate, nothing in this world is perfect. If you're worried about getting it wrong on stage, forget about it. You're really good at playing the piano, and -"

"You know how much pressure that puts on me?"

Owen lifted a brow. "What?"

I folded my arms, glowering in my seat. "I always get shouted with praise by everybody when it comes to piano playing. 'Oh, wow, you're so great!' 'You're so talented!'! You know how much pressure that puts on me to not fuck up? One mistake and I'm reduced to nothing. Not to mention, that this performance is going to change everything between Darko and me. If I screw it up, it's not gonna be as special. It's gonna ruin everything!'

I placed my elbows on the keys, resting my face on the palms of my hands. "Ugh. You're right. I don't want to screw things up."

"You need to let go of your worries, or you are gonna mess up," Owen said. He played a chord on the guitar, making me sit up. "Stop with the self-pitying, Taylor. This isn't like you. "

'This isn't like you,' I thought to myself. He's only talked to me for less than a day, how could he know what I'm really like?

"And before you start with the 'How isn't this like me? You don't even know me,' garbage, you're right. I don't know you. But, I do know how you are on stage. You are amazing, Taylor. You could make up a #1 charting song on the spot if you tried. Your insecurities are the only thing that's stopping you."

"Well then," I began to ask, side glancing him. "How do I stop worrying?"

"Simple. Channel your emotions for Darko into the piece. Don't focus on the future, don't think about the crowd - just pretend you're alone in your bedroom or this class, just practising. If you do that, you'll do amazing."

"All right, fine. I'll try it."

Owen grabbed the sheet music from the floor and put it in front of me. "Just, breathe," he said.

My hands quivered over the instrument. I inhaled slowly, then exhaled sharply. "I can do this," I mumbled to myself. 

I began playing again. Unlike before, my fingers seemed to dance on the keys, hitting each one with perfect precision. I closed my eyes, foregoing the sheets, playing by ear. I caught myself smiling when a comfortable warmth flooded my veins. I let out a long breath of air, one I didn't realise I was holding, as I heard Owen join in. His guitar chords synced perfectly with my playing, even though I wasn't following the sheet music anymore. 

My feet alternated between the pedals at the bottom of the piano as the song picked up in pace. Owen's strumming added a new layer of bliss to my ears - soon, I forgot that I was at school. All that I cared about was the piano and Owen.

We played the final notes. Hearing a small applause start suddenly at the door, I opened my eyes. 

"Colour me impressed, boys," Miss Lauriana said, smiling. 

Owen turned to me, a wide grin on his face. "Told you you'd do fine."

I grinned. "That was the best thing I've ever played. We are going to smash this performance!"

Miss Lauriana shut the door before walking towards us. "I'm sure you two didn't notice, but while you were playing Bella and that Nicole girl were waiting by the door. They ran off when they saw me. You have any clue why they're here?"

Owen and I shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe she wanted to talk to me?"

She shrugged. "Oh well, they're both gone now. Keep practising."

"If they come back," Owen began, "please don't let them, no matter what they say. We don't like them."

"Sure thing." Miss Lauriana said, smiling warmly. She walked over to the other instruments, making sure they were tuned and working correctly for the performances tomorrow. 

"All right," I announced, earning Owen's attention. "Let's play again - I'll try to work on the vocals this time."