I've known Felix Corbel my entire life.

We lived on the same street, grew up only a few months apart, invited each other to our birthday parties until the age of eight, went to the same school, rode the same school bus, had the same classes, played a lot together when we were younger and...

Besides those things, we haven't done anything to actually know each other quite well.

I had my own set of friends. He had his music.

So I can't really say that I've known Felix Corbel my entire life.

Chase Logan,
You have terrible taste.
sgd. Felix Corbel

Of course, he had to actually say that. I couldn't blame him for not liking my playlist. I made that up out of the blue, just the night before I gave the memory card to him. It was a desperate move to make him like it. It was my only chance to actually know him after years of trying to push him away.

I've known Felix Corbel my entire life. I've known that I liked him more than I wanted to admit.

None of that was a lie.

Sighing dejectedly, I took the memory card and inserted it to my phone. I opened the music player, plugged in my earphones, browsed the only available playlist and listened to what he deemed was terrible taste.

Felix, my own voice cracked through the earphones.

Like I said, I made the playlist up the night before I gave the memory card to him. There were no songs in it. There was only one recording.

It's me. Chase. I know this isn't some sort of playlist with music in it, but please listen. I'm...I'm sorry if the guys are being mean to you. I can't stop them. What will they think if I did?

I clutched a pillow to my chest, knowing how ridiculous I sounded.

Everyone will hate me. They will think I'm...I'm...

I actually paused in the recording. There was just the sound of static.

Felix. Please don't hate me, but...I don't know what to do anymore. I wanted to talk to you for so long, but I couldn't. Everyone will think I'm a... Everyone will hate me. I'd lose everything.

I hated myself for saying that. Somehow, it wasn't my voice I was hearing. It wasn't my usual self.

I'm so sorry. Can we be friends? Outside of school, I mean. I don't want to lose anything. But...I like you, Felix. I really, really like you.

The sound of my voice stopped. The static continued.

Felix had heard my playlist. He had heard everything I wanted to say. Not everything, perhaps. But it was a start. Reading the note he'd given me once again, I wondered what he meant by saying that I had terrible taste. Was it because of me liking him? Was I supposed to like someone else and not him?

Closing my eyes, I let the recording continue, wondering how long I actually put it on record before stopping it. Was this how Felix felt? Just hearing the sounds through his earphones and being deaf to the world? Regardless of how he felt, I just felt horrible inside.

Chase Logan.

My eyes opened wide as I quickly sat up on my bed. It wasn't my voice I was hearing. It was Felix talking right from my playlist!

I put the volume to maximum and waited anxiously for the next syllables I'm sure he spoke in there.

You have terrible taste.
Signed, Felix Corbel.

`That's it?' I thought. The sound of static once again filled my ears. It stretched to almost a minute. I had to tap my phone on to see how many seconds were left of my own recording, now tweaked by Felix's own voice. Surprisingly, there was still a full minute before it was supposed to stop playing. I waited and waited for each second to count down.

P.S.
I'm not that hard to find, right?
Then find me.