AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey everyone! Thanks for picking my story to read! I just wanted to let you know that the first few chapters are going to be kinda boring since it's just laying all the basics of the storyline out, but I PROMISE it will get better! I don't know how long it will be, but please don't ditch it just yet, I've got big things planned for this! And sorry if it's bad, I'm only in 8th grade, I'm not SUPER skilled, but I'll try! So here you go, the first chapter! Please review, it's greatly appreciated and will make a better story for you! ;]
Summer. Generally, summer is supposed to be hot, or at the very least, warm. That's what I'd grown up in, the heat. I should be soaking up the sun down in Jacksonville with Renee right now, but instead, I was driving home from the Thriftway in the pouring rain.
Sigh. The rain was a big con on my pros and cons list in my decision to move to Forks with Charlie. Although the cons outnumbered my pros by quite a bit, one of the few pros was the reason I was here. It will make Renee happy.
Renee married Phil last year and when he left for Florida, she stayed with me in Phoenix. She wasn't happy, so I made a list of the pros and cons of moving to Forks. It was pointless really, I'd do anything for Renee, but it helped me to see all the bad things I was going to face: rain, Charlie, finishing out the last year of my high school education in a new school, wet socks, rain, no sun, new people, Gym class, RAIN, etc. Did I mention the rain?
But there were some good sides to this. Renee is happy and I was a little excited to go to Forks High. I had a secret motive that I didn't tell anyone. I did a little research on the Forks High Music Program. Last year, about a third of the school was in the Marching Band. So around 120 people out of the high school's population of 357-now 358-students.
Band has been my elective and favorite hobby (outside of cooking) since I was in 5th grade. Renee had convinced me to go for it, that trying new things would be good for me and that I might like it. That was probably the best advice she's ever given me. I started out on clarinet then decided I wanted to switch to bass clarinet when I was in 6th grade. I love my bass clarinet. I've never told a soul, but I even named it, Becky the Bass Clarinet. I couldn't imagine where I'd be without Becky, without Band. Probably stuck in some boring elective like Spanish.
When I was in 7th grade, I had joined the Marching Band, which was surprisingly really fun considering you couldn't even laugh without the instructor glaring at you and then come over to you and stare you down. I did that once during my first year. I laughed when the Drum Major's voice cracked when he called us to attention. That was probably the scariest thing I've ever experienced.
And then there was Drumline. I hadn't considered ever joining because I have no clue how to drum, but when I was in 8th grade, my friend Bobby, who played snare in Drumline, wanted me to be a part of the line. I had nothing to lose, so I joined the Pit, due to my lack of drumming ability. There really was nothing like playing the xylophone. It had a beautiful sound and I could play runs easily, but flying through them never failed to enthrall me. And when I was at Drumline, I felt like a different Bella. One who was more carefree and playful. It was awesome to be a drummer; it made you an incredibly chill person.
I love Marching Band just as much Drumline, maybe more, I hadn't decided.
I pulled in the driveway just as I finished my thinking. Charlie still wasn't home from fishing on this Saturday afternoon. I grabbed the groceries and brought them inside to the kitchen to put away. When I was almost finished, I looked at the calendar on the fridge. July 11th. School started on August 20th. But the school's Band Camp was August 10th through the 14th. I thought about the audition music and how many other people were going to be audition, just like me. They only let so many people in….
I quickly finished arranging the last of the Ramen noodles stack, and sprinted up the stairs to practice the piece with Becky for practically the hundredth time this week.