Second Impressions (Izzy)

[Izzy James]

{4 days < 6 days xD}

"Oh wow, that does suck," said Izzy. He'd blink and stare at Jordan a bit, almost feeling ashamed. Sure, Izzy couldn't ever tell what time it was, and he had difficulties keeping a conversation line, but that seemed almost trivial compared to losing clothes. Maybe Izzy should stop pitying himself.

Follow along to the music. The popular Beatles/Joe Crocker tune should be familiar to most, and Izzy played it decently enough. Albeit, he hadn't the foggiest idea how well Jordan could play or follow music, but he figured this was a good place to start. Who didn't want to learn the awesome anthem of friendship?

{now comes the totally fake/loosely based on reality guitar stuff}

Izzy told Jordan the key, even reaching over and helping the other guy tune. That, Izzy knew how to do, having had far, far too much experience in that field. "You aren't gonna sound like crap. This song was, like, meant to be played drunk and high and stuff. So if you sound like crap, you're supposed to. Or something."

Izzy nodded, strumming a bit, moving slightly slower, hoping that Jordan was following along, paying attention to the fingering and beat. The tune was easy enough; Izzy hadn't been lying.

"Oh, baby I get (by with a little help from my friends)
All I need is my buddys
(By with a little help from my friends)
I said I'm gonna get high
(By with a little help from my friends)
Oh oh oh yeah"

Pretty soon, Izzy was losing himself in the music, forgetting that Jordan was even there. It happened, when Izzy really got into things...

[Jordan Scholl]

"It doesn't happen after just one bit, though, so it's okay. It mostly just means getting new clothes all the time, so I guess it's not too bad." Jordan liked to see the positive side of things, and realistically, it wasn't so bad having to deal with his clothes all coming apart at the seams since they'd never actually fallen off of him in the middle of training.

He wasn't overly assured by Izzy's comment, but he decided to try anyway. Just strumming a few chords, he tried to remember the tune and go with what he already knew. He didn't bother singing--he didn't have a particularly good voice, and he didn't even know the words to this song very well.

He picked it up pretty quickly and was soon starting to copy some of the other fingerings. He even experimented with some other harmony lines, but it didn't work very well, so he stuck to trying to do a fuller melody--playing lots of chords to help fill out the music.

At a certain point, Jordan hit a bad chord and stopped, frowning. "Sorry," he said to Izzy, but he wasn't even listening anymore. Jordan wondered if it was something from his powers or just the power of music or something. So he decided to give up on being so careful and just try to let loose more. Now that he knew the tune better, it was a lot easier.

When they finally stopped, Jordan was even smiling a bit. "Thanks. It was cool to play with someone else..." Even if he didn't necessarily feel that he'd learned very much. Oh well. There were always other people he could learn from.

[Izzy James]

Izzy could hear the other guitar coming in, supporting his and helping to build the basic melody. It fit, more or less, and Jordan was doing an admirable job of participating in the unfamiliar tune. Sure, it was a classic, the type of song that would be shouted from rooftops and stuff, but, as Izzy said, it was a classic meant to be played by just about anyone.

Jordan seemed to experiment for a bit, and Izzy could tell, if just. The swell of the music had caught him up, and he was even able to focus for a few moments. There wasn't any spazzing power or complicated roommate situation to deal with. Just for a few seconds, there was a music, swelling and taking over everything. Who cared if Jordan played a bad note or two?

Sorry? "Hmm?" said Izzy, looking over at Jordan. He blinked, trying to figure out what Jordan was apologizing about this time. "Oh, the wrong note thing? Don't worry about it. We're supposed to make bad notes and stuff when practicing and stuff. Just figure out where you went wrong and do it better next time."

Izzy let his fingers strum the guitar again, thinking. "Yeah, uh, don't mention it. Um," Izzy tried to think of something instructive to say, "just, uh, listen to the music and stuff. Practice helps too. Wow, that sounds really stupid and general, doesn't it? Sorry, I kinda suck at this."

Izzy adjusted again, chuckling slightly, even nodding a little. "Just don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's how we learn and stuff."

[Jordan Scholl]

"'Sokay," Jordan said with a shrug. "You don't have to offer all sorts of good advice or anything. That's what the teachers are there for, I figure. It's just, you know, kind of cool not to be arguing with everyone around."

He stood and started to pack up his guitar again. "I'm going to go play outside, I think. I have my mp3, and I'll probably just play along with that. Thanks again for the help."

As he started to leave, he turned back. "Oh, and thanks for not hating me. Sorry if it makes Rhett mad or whatever. He's kind of...well. Just try not to get on his bad side." Jordan knew he was lucky--he had protectors in the school, and was kind of shielded from some of the worst of the bullying. Other kids wouldn't have that kind of luxury.

He pulled open the door. "I'll tell Mia you're cool. You'll probably get left alone, but try not to get into any compromising situations." He stumbled only a little over the last couple words--he'd heard them from others but wasn't exactly sure on the meaning. Then he left.

[Izzy James]

Izzy shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not the best teacher. I kinda feel it."

He blinked, trying to focus and not let his mind slip. It didn't work out so well, and Izzy literally heard the bit about going outside and playing three times. He was pretty sure that Jordan wasn't saying it that many times, and Izzy more or less nodded along each time, trying for consistency. He got a little ahead for the third try though, and ended up saying his "you're welcome" just before Jordan started to thank him.

Could be worse. Izzy, embarrassed, tried focusing on his guitar again, trying to put his mistake out of his mind. Thanks for not hating Jordan? "I don't hate that easy," said Izzy, with a shrug. It took much energy to hate, and it really didn't gel with his beliefs, when you got down to it. The bit about Rhett though... that nearly put Izzy on edge. He'd always been treated well by Rhett; Rhett was the first one who'd welcomed Izzy to the dorm. Was there something worse going on there?

Tell Mia... wait, Jordan knew Mia? He also talked about her like she was a human being or something. That nearly had Izzy gaping, but he managed a stumbling "thanks." He spent a few seconds gaping at Jordan, his brain rehashing the words.

"Not a bad kid, really," muttered Izzy, before returning to the music and losing himself again.