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Many people would describe Keyleth as determined, strong-willed, hard-working, she was always striving to be better, to be more. But that was her issue, you see, she was perpetually desperate to be something more than she was. No matter how good she was at something, how many compliments and reassurances people threw her way, it never seemed to be enough. She never seemed to be enough.
It was these particular trains of thought that got her down so often; she would spiral into the dark depths of her mind, plagued with insecurities and distress. The walls of this specific mental-rabbit-hole were steep, and it was near impossible for her to recover on her own.
This is how she found herself weeping quietly on the floor of one of the many school practice rooms, hands sore from continually playing the creaky, old, piano; from pushing herself above and beyond her limits, with little to show for it. The bell would ring soon, she knew, and she’d have to face her friends with puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
Keyleth needed to prove herself, to prove that she was worth something, that she brought something of value to the table, but her so-called ‘talents’ kept failing her. A wrong note here, a miscounted rhythm there, and some shoddy, frustrated sight-reading all led her to believe that she no longer even deserved a seat at the table, let alone participation.
A short, sharp, few knocks at the door, awoke Keyleth from her state of sorrow.
“Keyleth, are you in there?” A familiar voice, Percy, called out from behind the thick wooden door. His tone was kind yet concerned.
It was Vex who had originally introduced Percy into the friendship group, after meeting him through Mr Gilmore’s jazz band. Percy and Keyleth had become fast friends, of sorts. Keyleth would chat to Percy in the mornings, wittering on about her day and her plans, but Percy was not one for talking. He much preferred listening to Keyleth’s ramblings than trying to join in himself. It was evident that Percy found lots of comfort in her presence, and trusted her wholly and truly, which was rare for him these days. Musically, Percy believed in Keyleth like no one else; he had seen her skills as a pianist and was blown away by her incredible progress in such a short amount of time.
Embarrassed of being discovered, Keyleth hesitated a moment, “Yeah, ‘m in here,” she called back, although much quieter, her voice hoarse.
The door was carefully pushed open, and she could see Percy’s eyes scanning the room, before landing on her small frame crouched in the corner. He stood more a moment, bewildered at finding her in such a vulnerable state, but soon found his voice,
“Are you alright?” he spoke tenderly, and he reached out a hand to help her stand, which she took.
Once upright, she responded, “Yeah I’m fine, don’t- don’t worry about it,” she didn’t meet his eyes, instead using the sleeve of her jumper to wipe her face.
“I know I’m not the best at all this ‘emotions’ malarkey, but even I can tell something’s wrong.” He sat down on the piano bench, gesturing for her to sit next to him.
“It’s just-” she paused, feeling caught off-guard, “I don’t think I can keep up with the rest of them anymore.”
“What? I don’t follow.”
“You’re all just so good at what you do, you know? Vex is the best trumpeter in the whole school, by a long shot, Vax is phenomenal on the drums, Scanlan and Pike are amazing, Grog is great on percussion, and you’re, like, the best pianist I’ve ever met. Where do I fit into that?”
“Is that what you think? That we don’t need you?”
“Yeah, and maybe you guys don’t need me, and never needed me, but I guess I’m scared that you’ve all stopped wanting me to be part of this as well, is all.”
All Percy could do was stare at her, a mixture of disbelief and anguish overwhelming his expression.
“Keyleth, I don’t think you can even begin to imagine how much we need you. I assure you, we would all fall apart without you with us. And don’t neglect the fact that you are a marvellous pianist either. How long have you been playing?”
She sniffled slightly, “2 years.”
“And you’re in Gilmore’s band already, that’s practically unheard of, you know. I’ve been learning for most of my life, and you are not far off catching up and overtaking me.”
“Seriously?” She met his eyes, and his expression softened to one of fondness.
“Seriously. You are my best friend, Keyleth, and I can’t stress enough how much you mean to not only me, but our whole group. Vex loves you, Pike loves you, Vax definitely loves you,” this makes Keyleth snicker a little, and Percy smiles, “I love you. Don’t forget how important you are, how strong you are.”
“Thanks, Percy, that means a lot.”
“Anytime.”
“You’re my best friend too, by the way.”
Percy laughs, “I’m glad to hear it.” He comes up with an idea, “I could teach you, if you’d like?”
“What?”
“I could help you, learn something together? If you want to, of course.”
“You would teach me something?”
“Didn’t I just tell you that you were my best friend?”
“Fair point. What would you teach me?”
“What would you like?”
“Anything?”
“Anything, we could both learn it at the same time.”
“Hold on,” Keyleth begins shuffling through some of the sheet music she has with her in her bag, until she pulls out a few pages titled: ‘Hungover in the City of Dust’. She hands them to Percy, and he scans over them quickly.
“Looks good. I’d love to start now, but the bell is about-” He was cut off by the shrill ringing of the bell, making them both laugh slightly.
“Soon though?” Keyleth asked once the sound had stopped.
“Whenever you’d like.”
###
Three weeks later, Keyleth finds herself in the same room, though in an entirely different headspace. She’s practising the piece Percy and her had been learning, and it was almost perfect, and as a matter of fact, this current playthrough was going flawlessly. Her hands glided over the keys, fingers dancing like delicate flowers, the soft sound of the music emanating from the instrument like sunlight, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Unbeknownst to her, the rest of the Party stood just outside the door, listening in on her flawless rehearsal.
“She’s amazing,” Vax’s voice spoke softly, barely heard beneath the sound of the keys. Percy looked over to see his eyes full of tender pride, and a similar expression was worn by the rest of the group.
Percy knew Keyleth had been working astonishingly hard on this piece, determined and strong-willed as ever. He too felt the warm touch of pride blossoming in his chest as he heard her play the piece with precision, not a single wrong note. Hard work pays off, it seems, and Keyleth was the hardest working of them all.