stars come out of the [park] sky

[sydney grace clarke]

it was yet another late night sydney was spending in the art room. whenever the teacher stayed late she always allowed sydney time in the studio on her own. she had been working on a special painting for weeks now and she was almost done. there was a special contest that she was planning on entertaining and she wanted the painting to be perfect. the painting was supposed to represent what art meant to her as a person and to her it was freedom. her art was hopefully going to get her a life away from her parents. sydney wasn't sure how long she had been painting but her hand was starting to get stiff and she was covered in paint. stepping back from her painting she smiled at the progress hoping that she won and she'd get the scholarship money that they were offering. even though she still had another year of high school left she was still very serious about earning her own money to pay for school. sydney could always just go to the school her father wanted and he'd would pay everything for her and it would be simple. but then she wouldn't be doing anything that she really wanted to. this way she could pay for her own school and her father would have nothing to do with her future. even though she knew that he cared about her it was hard to have someone shoving their values down your throat all the time. with a sigh she rubbed her sore wrist and was looking around for her bag. spotting it under a nearby chair she looked through it for something to drink or eat. with a small frown she was sad to find that her bag was completely empty. grabbing her wallet she decided to check out the vending machine in the hall for something she could snack on.

walking through the art hall she could hear her footsteps echoing down the empty halls. it was hard for her to be in the school when nobody was around. she was just so use to the school being filled with students and everyone was constantly making noise. now it didn't seem as though anyone was ever here. sydney knew her art teacher was huddled in office but she still felt as though she was alone. she paused when she heard music. but it wasn't just any music it sounded like someone was playing piano. though who would be here this late playing? sydney knew that her curiosity was always getting her into trouble but she really wanted to know who was playing so beautifully. the sound that they were making just sounded amazing. walking through the hall she realized that the sound was coming from the fine arts lounge where there was a large grand piano. she always heard people playing around with it but she never heard anyone this impressive other than the piano teacher. finally getting to the door she put her hand on the knob and bit her lip as she slowly began to open it. she winced as the knob made a slight sound hoping that the person in the room didn't hear her. finally she got the door open and was relived to still hear the person playing. maybe they hadn't heard her opening the door. quietly slipping into the room she leaned against the wall and just stood and listened not yet sure who was the person playing.

[park]

If Park had to sit through one more of his parents' formal dinners or parties this month he was sure to explode. Of course the eighteen year old was used to the hustle and bustle of his elite family, but the month had just begun and Park didn't know how much more of this he could handle. It seemed with every year he got older the glitz and the glam of being New York City's royalty looked less and less appealing. God, what he would give for his parents to be free-spirited poets or teachers— anything but the nationally-known lawyer Bernard Evans and his socialite wife Alexandria. Park would never admit to that though- never. The Park Evans that everyone else knew enjoyed his families wealth and fortune. It wasn't necessarily that Park didn't enjoy it, he'd just... like a break from it every once and awhile. When you were constantly in the public eye though, that seemed like a far-gone wish.

But from time to time when Park was alone, he got the chance to take a little bit of time to himself. While his family was busy entertaining guests, after Park did his typical 'meet and greet' he politely excused himself to go "work on a project for school". He wasn't completely lying for once, because Park did plan on going to the school, but to take advantage of the lack of students and gorgeous grand piano in the fine arts lounge. Park had been playing the piano since he was four years old and it was one of the few things that his parents forced him into doing that he didn't completely hate. Actually, Park loved playing the piano. It was something that he now did for himself, and only himself. Of course the smooth senior could use his ability to play the piano, and play the piano well at that, into coaxing girls into his arms but that wasn't the case. Park could do that in other ways if he wanted to- he wasn't about to get his honest, real life mixed in with the silly front he put on for some reason at school. The older Park got the more he realized though if he could turn back time, he wouldn't have ever started trying to waltz in and become Belmont's well-known heart-breaker as he was today. It was all just pointless and covered up who he really was. Did this mean he planned on ever dropping the front and letting Belmont see his true colors? Hell no.

Park loved the feeling that playing and composing music gave him. It was an unexplainable rush that nothing could top- not even the best sex or the most gorgeous super-model women... and for Park, that meant a lot. His fingers flew over the keys as he pressed each one with as much preciseness as passion. Nothing in the world was more important than the song and the moment at hand when Park was playing a piece of music.

And then he heard the door open.
Of course that didn't stop Park though, as he continued to finish out the sheet in front of him. Who would be at school this late? Other than him of course. He wrote it off as a custodian and continued to play... until in his peripheral view he spotted a petite girl with bright red hair. Super, he thought. As much as Park didn't want conversation, he didn't want to be rude. "It's good to know I'm not the only one that prefers to spend their weeknights in the arts wing," Park spoke, his eyes nor his fingers leaving the keys of the piano as he addressed the girl over the music he played.

[sydney grace clarke]

sitting and listening to him play was nice. sometimes sydney wished she spent some time to try and learn how to play an instrument. she had that popular phase when she wanted to play a guitar but it didn't last very long. she had more fun drawing people play guitars then doing it herself. but hearing him play made her think twice about that decision. tilting her head to the side she wondered why she never came upon him here before. every once in a while she was would stay after just because she didn't want to lose the inspiration she had for a painting. it was nice to have a teacher who really understood that about her. thinking of the teacher she knew he'd be confused to where she had run off too. but there was no way sydney was going to be able to get anything done if her wrist continued to hurt. she knew her limits when it came to painting and she probably had reached hers tonight.

she almost jumped out of her skin when the person began to speak to her. once her heart settled she was glad that they weren't looking at her and saw the expression she made on her face. here she was thinking that she was all quiet and secretive and she would be the one that was doing all the scaring but apparently not. sydney knew she was going to have to work on her ninja skills a little more so this wouldn't happen to her in the future. not that she planned on having these moments again anytime soon but she knew she had to be ready just in case. but the fact that he kept playing was maybe because he didn't mind her standing and listening? it would be a shame to not let anyone hear the sounds he was making. even though sydney was a little disappointed that she was caught when he spoke she realized why he seemed familiar. this had to be the infamous soccer captain she heard so much about from the other girls. apparently he was known for breaking girls heart and not seeming to care. but it was hard for her to imagine someone playing so beautifully could really be such a jerk. she wasn't sure what she was suppose to think about him but for now she just wanted to stand and listen.

i don't bump into many people here around this time she told him raising her voice so he would be able to hear her over the music. even though she was standing he continued and was able to have a conversation and continue to play at the same time. as much as sydney loved to talk when she was doing her work it was hard for her to concentrate and she'd rather just wait till she was done. him on the other hand seemed to have no problem with this. bitting her lip sydney wasn't sure whether she should speak up again and interrupt his playing. when she stared at her hand she noticed the different colored paint that was all over it. sydney realized she probably had paint covering her face too, it was impossible to not get anything on her. she just hoped that there weren't that many marks on her face, way to make a first impression.

[park]

Park's fingers glided over the ivory keys of the grand piano in front of him, never quite backing off in order to hear the small girl respond. He'd heard what she said though, so that was all that matter... right? With his free hand he carefully turned the final page of the composition in front of him. Park felt as if he wasn't doing the composer justice while playing the piece, as usual. When it came to most things, Park was extremely, overly confident. Although he was obviously good at playing the piano, he critiqued himself much more heavily on it than anything else. Inwardly of course, because with the people he usually boasted things to he wouldn't bother to mention he was a hidden pianist, nor would they really care. It just wasn't in Park's nature to be humble but he could contain his cockiness, especially when it came to something he critiqued himself as heavily on such as playing the piano.

He finished off the piece before angling his body to the girl, whom he realized was covered in paint. She was cute, probably a sophomore at his guess. "Well, I'm usually not here around this time, so I guess tonight's your lucky night." Park seemed to have a way about him in which he could say the most conceited, asshole remarks but play them off in a way that left girls giggling or blushing. Perhaps it was his tone of voice, which was a happy medium between a high "Oh my god I haven't hit puberty" and a low "I'm a big, scary manly man" voice. No, Park's was neither. It was rich; deep, yet not too deep- light, but not too light. His words dripped from his mouth and were exposed in the most elegant manor. Park could think his upbringing for that.

A slightly smug look crossed his face and a small smile rested on his lips. "Park Evans." He introduced simply, as if the girl hadn't the faintest idea who he was. Well, if she didn't recognize before she surely would now. That name alone could easily set off sparks in Belmont Prep. He offered a hand out to her as if to shake, his typical formal introduction.

The poor girl was probably intimidated by then, Park assumed as he never broke eye contact with her. That was the thing about conversing with Park- he wouldn't let his eyes leave yours. It was more of a politeness thing more than it was domineering. He wasn't sure how this girl would respond to him, or if she even would at all anymore. It was safe to say that now, Park Evans was probably equally as curious as the young girl before him.

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[sydney grace clarke]

she raised her eyebrow when he commented on it being her lucky night. maybe the rumors were true because so far he seemed as cocky as they said. this was certainty a way to make a first impression that was for sure. i suppose it is said sydney with a fake smile and a hint of sarcasm in her voice. she wasn't sure what he was expecting but sydney wasn't the same as the girls he was use to dealing with. he was attractive she would give him that but that didn't mean she was going to fall head over heels for the guy. when it came to guys it took much more than looks to impress her. and she definitely wasn't the type of girl to fall for a guy who seemed to hit on everything that walked. he introduced himself and had a look on his face that sydney didn't like. she definitely liked him better when he was playing the piano. she didn't think that anyone who played that well would turn out to be…. well like he was.

sydney she told him not bothering to tell him her last name. he offered her his hand to shake but she shook her head. wouldn't want to get paint on you now would we? she told him holding up her paint covered hand. the one thing that she had to admit was kind of interesting was the fact that he was just staring directly at her. she felt a little weird with all the eye contact at first but it didn't bother her too much and she stared right back at him a small smirk on her face. she wondered if this was one of his methods in making all the girls fall for him. it would be interesting if he was going to try them on her. she could use a good swoon every once in a while. guys were one of the things that weren't one of her top priorities. all the girls were focused on getting a boyfriend in high school but sydney was focused on getting into a good art school. a person's priorities could really tell you something about their character. and park's priorities seemed as though he just wanted to sleep with every girl he found attractive. or he at least wanted every girl to fall for him.

how long have you been playing piano? she asked him curiously. it was just something that she needed to know before she left to go pack up. even though he seemed to be just like everyone said she was wondering if there was maybe more to him. or she could be wrong and he was a jerk who happened to have some good skills. she would find out soon enough. and the sooner she found out the sooner she could leave. her father would probably get angry at her considering she was staying after school for art instead of what he would consider a real class. slightly tilting her head she waited for park to answer her question.

[park]

Park was unsure what the student body would say about him if any of the 'popular' kids that he hung around with found out that he had skipped out on a dinner party held by his celebrity parents to come to the school and wear out his fingers on their grand piano. He would either get gushes or snide remarks, neither of which Park really felt like dealing with at the moment. Inwardly he was cursing himself for crossing the two in front of the redhead, realizing that she lied within the minority of girls that weren't phased by dickhead guys. Oh yes, Park could always count on the lesbians, the gothic girls and the artsy-type that straight up refused to fall for Park- including the hipsters, of course, that just hated to conform or jump on any sort of 'band wagon'. Park could easily be considered a 'band wagon' topic. So even Park knew that it was time to drop the facade for awhile, at least around this girl. Hey, it was worth a shot though.

"Sydney," Park repeated, dropping his unshaken hand back to his lap before returning it to the keys of the piano in front of him. He began to play softly as he let out a small laugh and shook his head- it wasn't often that girls blatantly turned him down like that, but he figured Sydney had a legitimate excuse. Unfortunately for her though, Park knew the real reason why she wouldn't shake his hand and it was simply because he was coming on too strong- so of course he eased off, focusing back on the piano.

So she was an artist, that was interesting. Aside from playing the piano, that was just about as artistic as Park got. He hadn't taken an art class since his parents forced him to when he was younger, hoping to 'broaden his horizons' and 'express his inner self'. Park just thought that was a bunch of bullshit, honestly, but art clicked with some people. He guessed that art must have clicked with the girl next to him- to each their own.

"Fourteen years? I can't be certain," Park replied, furrowing his eyebrows slightly to indicate that it had most definitely been awhile. Playing the piano wasn't something that Park instantly took to and was a protegee right there on the spot, it took many years of practicing for him, but he enjoyed it. Unlike sports, where it just came natural for him, Park actually had to work at the piano, and he found that much more rewarding over the years. If he was to receive some type of MVP award for soccer, Park would be almost expecting of it, but if he had received something for playing the piano it would be of a much higher honor. Not that one was more important than the other, it just had to do with his skill level and growth.

[sydney grace clarke]

he repeated her name and hearing him say it gave her an interesting feeling. he dropped his hand and sydney felt bad for a moment for not shaking it but then she knew what his intentions were and it was for the best. at least she wouldn't be grouped with his fan girls and he could stop his charming playboy act. this school seemed to be chock full of boys who thought they could have their way with girls as long as they were attractive. sydney was glad she wasn't the type to fall for those type of guys. then again there weren't many guys that she was interested in. she had friends that were guys and that was about it. there was nobody who she could actually see herself being with for any long period of time.

she raised her eyebrows surprised when he said fourteen years. that was a rather long time for someone to continue with something. the boy could handle fourteen years of piano but couldn't handle a relationship for a few weeks? his priorities were becoming a rather interesting topic that sydney wanted to know about. it bothered sydney that was so interested in this type of guy. she didn't want to bother with a guy who only seemed to care about sleeping with girls. but there was just something about him that just made her want to continue talking to him. maybe sydney was hoping he wasn't really how everyone made him seem out to be. she wasn't sure what it was but her curiosity was really starting to annoy her. you play beautifully she told him honestly. if there was one thing sydney appreciated in a person it would have to be honesty. even though she wasn't his biggest fan she wasn't going to deny that he had amazing piano skills and everything he seemed to play was beautiful.

sydney was curious to why the fact that he played piano hadn't been brought up once when people were talking about him. they seemed to be talking about the most intimate rumors but piano never seemed to come up. she did know he was captain of the soccer team and that was probably about it. sports were something sydney was never really interested in. maybe it was because of all the rules and pressure which put her off to it. she loved art because she was able to do whatever she wanted and didn't have to worry about pleasing anyone but herself. she brushed some hair out of her eyes as she stood and continued to listen to his fingers softly brushing against the keys.

[park]

Park continued to let his hands float over the keys while the two teens didn't bother to exchange words for a brief moment. It was kind of nice though, Park had to admit. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd actually held a decent conversation with a girl, that wasn't about sex, parties, drugs or alcohol. Was that sad? Park smirked at the thought, somewhat shamefully. Is this really what his life had came down to? Sydney was a cute girl, Park knew that much, but she definitely seemed like the type that wouldn't fall for his ways, and even someone like Park knew his limits from time to time. Still though, his naturally charming personality was sure to shine through.

He lifted a hand up to turn the page of the music in front of him before returning that had back to the piano. Park heard the girl's small voice returning to ring in his ears as he revealed a small closed-mouth grin, not bothering to look back at the redhead just yet. She was complimenting him; that meant that she wasn't fully turned off by him, right? It was nice knowing that much. Park just inwardly assumed that every girl that wasn't drooling over him probably thought that he was the biggest slob in the entire school... Sydney didn't really seem to fit under either of those categories. At first, when she had denied his handshake, Park could have swore that she fell in the category of girls that secretly wore "I hate Park Evans" t-shirts under their everyday apparel. Park secretly loved those girls even more though, which is probably what intrigued him to Sydney in the first place.

"Thanks," Park finally replied before finishing off the second piece of music in front of him. "You paint beautifully as well," He mentioned, still not making eye contact with the girl as he switched the music in front of him, "And probably even better on a canvas." Park smirked, clearly teasing the girl with paint covered arms and hands. He turned around slightly to face her, hunching over slightly on the piano bench. It was a hidden compliment though, and Park was wondering if Sydney would catch it. For one of the very few times in his life though, Park wasn't trying to flatter her in an attempt to get something out of her, he just wanted to flatter her period. It was an odd pang inside of him, but Park just decided to go for it. Besides, what harm would it do?

[sydney grace clarke]

he continued to play his music and sydney leaned back and listened knowing that she would have to leave soon. it wasn't as though they were having the best conversation and she wasn't sure if he felt comfortable or not with her standing there.

she smiled for a moment surprised at his response. it was actually amusing and not something you'd say just to get into a girls pants. this was different. well i try she said with a small shrug. she was probably going to have to go and clean up soon. she wasn't sure her dad would like it if he came to pick her up and she was just covered in paints. he wasn't a fan of her painting in the first pace and knowing that she stayed after school late at night to finish wasn't something he liked to hear. he tried telling her he wouldn't pick her up and she'd have to walk home which he thought would scare her out of it. but then when he realized that she had no problem walking at night through new york and she' do it if she had too he realized his plan wasn't working. so instead he just gave her a certain time that she had to be ready for him to pick her up. it was working out rather well for the both of them but mostly her because she seemed to get so much more work done.

how you spend your nights are rather interesting she told him with a small smirk. who would think that the infamous park would be at school playing the piano. she expected him to be at some big house party instead or a nearby club. that seemed to be the popular way most students at this school spent their time. sydney was constantly hearing stories of crazy experiences that happened when they were drinking. it seemed as though something funny was always happening. not quite so funny to the people it was happening too but really funny for sydney who got to hear all about it at school. the more they drank the better the stories were. sometime sydney wished she could be there to see these for themselves but if her father ever found out she went to a party she didn't know what he would do. other than exploding and being angry with her she had no idea what kind of punishment he would come up with. it was easier for sydney to just go along and not risk anything like that happening to her.