I'm saying this once. I love Marching Band and this is partially made up, partially truthful story of marching. It will be mostly fiction, only because of the fact that I could never make anything totally fictional; I would put stuff in by accident.

Later I'm posting the completely real story of my first year in a marching band.

Prologue: A grave mistake

Kate walked away from the car, hands shoved in her pockets. She had her head down and was followed her friend Hillary.

"Why am I here?" she murmured to herself, shivering. Her red hair fell into her face, as she slowly walked forward.

"Kate, Hurry up!" Hillary called.

Kate broke into a trot, running after Hillary. She shivered again, looking around.

Hardly anyone was here yet because drum line came early to warm up, and Hillary was in drum line.

Kate had dark red hair, dyed multiple times. Her round face showed large, dark, soft eyes that gave her a permanent deer-in-the-headlights look. She had a soft nose that wasn't very prominent and her soft cheekbones accented her blue eyes. The one feature that clashed with the rest of her soft feminine face was her hard stubborn mouth, almost as red as her hair.

Hillary had that soft child blonde that usually darkens over time. Hers didn't. Her face was plump and innocent, only her troubled brown eyes mirroring her inner-self. She was whirlwind of mixed emotions and feelings and often didn't know how to deal with it.

Kate walked into the high school, shaking softly with every step. She felt like she was in a whole other world, a world she didn't belong in.

She followed Hillary like Velcro, not sure what to do, or who to talk to.

10 minutes later

Kate was standing outside the school, idly kicking stones. She blew out, rubbing her eyes. Someone tapped her shoulder. She spun.

Her eyes connected with deep dark hazel ones.

"RUBY!" she squealed, hands clapping over her mouth.

"I didn't know you'd be here!" Ruby said, putting her arms around Kate in an embrace.

"Neither did I." Kate responded, backing up. She smiled at Ruby.

Ruby and Kate had been close friends all of last year. Then the summer happened and after that, Ruby went off to high school. Kate hadn't seen her since.

"Why ARE you here?" Ruby asked, laughing. She set the large case beside her.

"I have no idea..." Kate said, laughing. It was nice to see Ruby again, she decided. She grinned.

2 Hours later

Kate sat mystified as they concluded the show. It was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen.

It wasn't perfect maybe, but it had been beautiful in it's own odd way.

After the walk back, which had been long because she had to walk back on her own, she was hanging around. Hillary's mother walked up to her with a case.

"here you go Kate, I took the liberty of signing you up for an instrument, mellophone!" Hillary's mother smiled.

"Y-you what?" Kate asked, her jaw dropping.

"You'll be a blank and learn to play over the season, the first practice is on Tuesday."

Kate was in shock.

She looked at Hillary's mother in utter disbelief.

"Y-you did what?" she gasped, her brain unable to grasp the concept.

"I signed you up" Hillary's mom smiled handing her the instrument.

Kate took it, her mind racing in a million different directions.

"Ho- Wh- HUH?!" she said, looking up at Mrs. Trepanier.

The older woman smiled, ushering her to the car. Kate could hardly breathe. She was blinking repeatedly, trying to wake up, trying anything to wake up. This couldn't be real, couldn't be!

When she got home, she pushed the case into the house, breathing fast.

"Uh, mom?" she called uncertainly as she walked into the house. She gulped.

There's no need to tell the conversation that follows between Kate in her mom. It involves lots of shouting and screaming and crying. But finally, Kate got her way and joined the marching band.