1. First Practice of the Season.
It was the middle of July, the sun burned at temperatures over 100 degrees everyday. Inside of the High Plains High School, the 2006-2007 marching band was currently setting up for the upcoming season. They all had their music memorized. The flutes had the many complex note runs almost complete, sure, it would take a few more months to iron out all their faults but that was to be understood. The clarinets were in almost the same spot as the flutes, except their part was a little less complex. The other instruments all had their parts mostly complete, and in the baritone section, I knew my part 0. Turning to my fellow baritone player, and best friend since 5th grade I asked: "So you ready for our sophomore year Mike?"
"Yes I am Alan, I have almost all the opener memorized, and the closer is completely done."
"What about the ballad?" I asked, Mike never was much for "slow" music.
"Yeah…..about that……"
"You didn't play the ballad any did you?"
"I looked at it, and played through it once or twice." Mike confessed.
"You have to have that played off before camp dude, you have less than a month!"
"Don't worry, this happened last year too, and did I not manage to pass it off?" Mike asked, trying to avoid the rant that was coming.
"Yes, and Durma threw a fit and told you that you better not do the same thing next year. I mean c'mon man it's not like it's that hard of a song to learn, it only plays for about two and a half minutes, that's the shortest section of the entire piece."
"Don't bug me about this man, I heard it last year, and I guarantee you I will hear it again next year. Why don't we change the current topic of discussion to something more appealing. My, my, that clarinet player looks awful fine…"
"If you are talking about anyone else but my sister then we are fine, but if she is the "fine" clarinet player you are referring to, you are in for a beating."
"Well, turn around and look for yourself." He said, satisfaction evident in his voice.
"Alright," I said, still not turning, not giving into his game, knowing full well that he tried this all the time last year, when my sister was a sophomore herself. "but if I turn around and the only person that your mentioning toward is Rachel, I swear the next time you……….come…….."
"So you see her now don't you, I told you." He said.
I couldn't see the smile on his face, but it was probably more of a grin, an evil malicious grin that practically screamed "I TOLD YOU SO!!" The spectacle of beauty I was viewing was not my sister, it was not any of the clarinets I had ever seen. The girl stood about even my height, which was about 5'9 and had black hair that extended about three inches below her shoulder line. Currently she was letting it hang freely, but I had little doubt that it would look good any way she decided to put it. She was wearing jeans that actually fit to a good degree, they didn't stick to her, and they didn't sag off, a rarity these days. She wore a black tee shirt that surprising left a lot to the imagination. From a distance I could tell she had her ears pierced, and on her left wrist was a charm bracelet that had more charms things on it that I had feet of small intestines. Complementing her figure at the very bottom were a pair of red Converse sneakers. Which seemed to complete the beauty that was………….
"Who is that?" I asked, realizing that I didn't know her name, I had never seen her before.
"I have no idea, I'm as surprised as you are to be honest." Mike said, making no effort to hide the fact that he was staring at her too."
"Did I miss something here?" I asked, slightly perturbed that he was staring like me, "you already have a girl friend, you should be looking at her." I said, nodding my head towards the flutes, where Cate sat, oblivious to our conversation at the moment.
"Hey! Just because your on a diet doesn't mean you can't look at the menu every now and then." Mike said, the malicious grin spreading across his face once again.
"As funny as that is, I cannot believe you just said that." I said, my head shaking all the while.
"But seriously dude, you better go talk to her, before Jon sees her, because you know he's going to be all over her." Mike said, referencing Jon Bluemet, a French Horn player, and womanizer.
"Well isn't he on a diet too?" I asked.
"Well, for him it isn't really a diet, it's more of a focus on one food until something better comes along, and in case you forgot, Sarah isn't as good a entrée as that fine piece of-"
"Alright stop!" I commanded, "you don't have any right to refer to anyone like that."
"I didn't mean it, I was just trying to make a point." Mike said, evidently hurt.
"Seriously or not, that's not any way for people to talk. I know everyone does it, but I thought you were better than that."
"I am man, c'mon, I was just joking."
"Right, but back to what you were saying, I can't just go up to her and talk to her. What am I gonna say? 'Hey, your cute, I don't know you, who are you?'" I said, joking.
"Why don't you try that one? Tell me how it works out." Mike said, knowing full well how shy I am around attractive girls, "just like that one time last year at Emily Calahans party…"
Tired of giving him warnings, I turned and punched him square in the arm, leading with my middle knuckle extended to maximize damage.
"Ouch man, what the hell?!" He said.
"I told you, that was a mistake and an accident.!" Last year, at the end of the year party, Emily Calahan decided to bring alcohol. Myself, believing that alcohol is for the stupidest people, refrained from drinking any, but that didn't stop me from making a move on her when she had downed around six beers. She shut me down, hard. But she didn't stop there, she even went so far as to bash me for the next three hours at the party, telling all sorts of lies what I won't even bother to repeat, because I myself am still haunted by a few of them. I assume she did it even more, but I left after that, fed up with her drunken stupor.
"Okay, I didn't mean to bring that up, it just seemed appropriate for the situation." Mike said, raising his hands in an "I surrender" gesture.
"Looks like you were right," I said, gesturing towards where the new girl was standing. None other than Jon Bluemet was currently conversing with her, "he doesn't waste any time does he?"
"Nope, and that's why you will always lose." Mike said.
"Not if I can help it." I said, starting to walk towards them. Knowing full well that Mike's eyes were fixed on me, I tried to imagine the look of surprise on his face as I veered off to the left, towards the flutes, towards Cate specifically.
"Hey Cate, what's up? I asked, glancing a look back at Mike, and giving him one of his grins that I hate so much. He was gesturing towards the girl, and mouthing "are you stupid?"
"Not a whole lot Alan, just getting ready for another exciting practice," She said, putting down her flute and looking past me at Mike, who was still holding his hands in suspended animation above his head, "okay, so spill, why is Mike giving you that look?"
"What look," I said, turning and pretending to see him for the first time today, "I thought he was giving you that look."
Looking up at me with a no-nonsense face, she calmly said "Alan Oliver, I know you, you have been Mike's best friend since we have been dating, and even before that. Something is going on between you two, and I am not directly involved, but I am his girlfriend, so I must be involved SOMEHOW, and the gesture that he was just doing leaves you little room to dodge the question."
Knowing full well the wrath I was going to bring upon myself, I said "So, have you memorized the ballad yet?"
"ALAN OLIVER!" She bellowed, loud enough to turn heads, even the heads of Jon and the girl, which is what I was trying to do, "what were you two talking about?"
Giving in, and not wanting to get the other half of my ear drums blown out, I decided to yield to her. "So who is that new girl?"
"Ahhhhhh, I see now, that's what this is about, well, I don't know who she is, she moved in from out of state a few weeks ago, and now she's here, but it looks like Bluemet beat you to the punch." She said, observing what I had already known.
"Yeah, I was hoping you could do something about that."
"What do you need me to do then?" She asked, not knowing that I was about to make her mad again, but not as bad as last time.
"Bellow out my name, so she knows it, and has to think to herself 'what did that kid do to warrant his name screamed so loud?'"
"I hate you sometimes Oliver." She said, not really meaning it.
"And that's why your dating Mike, and not me," I said, patting her on the shoulder, "but there is one other thing you could do for me."
"Haven't I don't it already?" She said, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Nope, I just want you to mention to Sarah that Jon is thinking about ordering from the menu."
"I can't believe he still uses that joke," Cate said, "Alright, hold on."
I turned from her and began walking towards Mike again.
"What was that all about?" He asked.
"Oh just stacking the deck in my favor" I said, as I calmly watched as Cate walked over to Sarah, whispered in her ear, and walked away.
And as Sarah walked briskly towards Jon, each footfall echoing louder than the last, the grin that I hate so much I loved to see spreading across Mike's face. And as Sarah was talking to Jon, with herself positioned between Jon and the new girl I could hear Mike say "You sly bastard you."
A smile spread across my face as I thought to myself your not getting this one Bluemet.
