Author's Note: This was an extra credit assignment. The task was to write a backstory for any character, to explain how they are in the novel. It may seem cheesy at times, as an attempt to make the explanation obvious, and the ending is a little rushed, so I apologize for that.
"Jack, really, it's not that hard," Mr. Jones begged. "You know the notes, but you have to believe it. Have confidence." The task seemed so simple. Mr. Jones was going to sing lower than him, and it was Jack's job to sing higher, in order to replicate the sensation of singing against a choir of twelve. But it was easier said that done. Jack had just learned the song yesterday, and he barely knew what he was doing. "You need to be sure of yourself." The other boys around him snickered. It was not a good thing to have a public correction. It was a sign of weakness, and humiliating.
Jack looked down at his sheet music. "What do you want me to sing?"
"Measure thirty-one."
"Measure…thirty…one…" He flipped through the pages, trying to find thirty-one, but it seemed invisible. It was as if the numbers had shrunk. In his frantic search, his hands fumbled, sending the material to the floor. "Uh…"
"Never mind, we'll just do the beginning. Surely you have that memorized."
Jack nodded, and bent down to collect his papers, wishing there were something to conceal the embarrassment on his face. His cheeks paled.
When Jack was ready, the teacher began to sing. Jack followed along. "Oh where, have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?" Mr. Jones stopped. "No, you need to go lower on the first Billy Boy, you're a little sharp." Every word he spoke had a dramatic flair. "Do you understand?"
"Yes." The response was curt. Jack wanted the interrogation to be over with.
"So do it again." Jack nodded, and sang with Mr. Jones. "Oh where, have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Jack, you're sharp again." Jack cursed under his breath. Mr. Jones sighed. "Can you sing the notes at all?"
"Oh where, have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Oh where, have you been, charming Billy?"
"Good. Now do it with me. Oh where, have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Oh where, have you been, charming Billy? Good." Jack hadn't made a single mistake. "Next time, make it sound more smooth. It was a little shaky." Mr. Jones raised his voice. "This is a correction for all of you!" And the boys decided not to laugh.
Choir was over a few minutes later, and it was time for Jack to go home. He was waiting for his mother when Daniel, another boy in his class, appeared. "You can sing high."
"Thank you."
"Who said that was a good thing?"
"Well, isn't higher better?"
"Shut your mouth."
"Well isn't it?"
Daniel started towards him, and tacked Jack to the floor. Jack had tried to push back, but his scrawny arms were no match for Daniel's muscles, and he fell easily. A sharp rock pressed into his arm. Luckily, before there could be much damage, his mother arrived. "Jack!" She rushed over to him, helped him stand up, and told the other boy to leave. "What happened?"
"He started it."
"Then you need to stand up for yourself!" She brushed the gravel off of his arms. "Let's go home."
It wasn't the first time Daniel or one of his friends had bullied Jack. Jack thought about it, puzzled over what to do. He was ready to leave the laughing and teasing and bruises from fighting. There was a big indent in his arm from the rock earlier that day. He knew that he had to do something. He just wasn't sure what.
His father had taught him from a young age to consult those older and smarter when confused. Addressing problems at school with his father was not the ideal option. It was best to discuss it with someone who already knew what was happening. He decided to talk to Mr. Jones, who simply replied, "Treat it as if you were singing. Attack your notes, show your dominance, and don't let anybody faze you."
Jack thought that problems would disappear the next year, when he started boarding school. Unfortunately, they didn't. One of the choirboys teased, "He can sing higher than us. That makes him like a woman."
"But I can also sing lower than you, that's how a range works. Clear biology. That makes me more a man."
"I doubt it."
Jack gave the boy a black eye, and was taken away from rehearsal for a week. However, no one questioned him ever again. Jack avoided violence, and eventually became chapter chorister and head boy, due to his particularly large range, including the high notes he had loathed so much, which developed his pride. After his first punishment, he, for the most part, abstained from violence. Mr. Jones had once told Jack that singing opens oneself to new possibilities and freedom. It wasn't long before the savage in Jack was destined to come out once again