Allegro

A goose-like series of asthmatic, bronchitis-ridden coughs resounded in my living room, drowning out the Scooby-Doo movie currently playing on the screen and making Ming, my Siamese cat resting on my chest, mewl in protest. I cursed my lungs.

Though I'd only been sick for two days, I missed the way my mallets fit in my curled fingers and the sound my marimba made when I hit it just so. My eyes, relaxed from watching every Scooby-Doo movie known to man, were going to kill me when I began sight reading again. I groaned at the thought.

My mom, having heard my latest round of coughs, came into the living room to check on the vaporizer when someone knocked on the front door. "Clayton, what a surprise!" she said, her voice carrying into the living room. My face flushed. Anyone but him! "Did you come to see Raeanne?"

"That's right, ma'am," said my section leader. "Cara and Mandrell tag-teamed me to deliver some concert music to her. You know Cara…" He trailed off, making me giggle slightly as he rounded the corner and came into the living room.

I immediately wished Clayton were anywhere else. My hair was frizzy and unbrushed, and I was wearing my Challenge to Excellence T-shirt over my flannel pants with the word PIT written across the butt. His naturally straight brow hair was flopped under his glasses and in his grey eyes, and he was wearing the pink-camo-shirt-and-grey-and-and-blue-plaid-shorts combo he wore to make Lizzie mad. In short, I had a not-so-little crush on my section leader, who was three years older than me and was about to go away to college. Way to pick 'em, Raeanne…

Mom continued, "I thought they would've had Lizzie bring the music over."

"Lizzie's an instrumentalist, Mom," I groaned, sitting up in the brown recliner I'd been napping in. "She's not in pit after marching season."

Clayton let out a short laugh as he moved towards me, sheet music extended. "Suzanne wants you to play the vibes on this one to get you ready for next season—I can help you out during sectionals. On this one…"

"Who're you?" my father practically growled, lumbering out of his room like a bear that was woken up too soon from their hibernation.

"Clayton Summers, Raeanne's section leader. I just stopped by to give her some sheet music," Clayton explained.

Dad's eyes narrowed. "I know a hundred ways to kill someone and they all hurt."

"Dad!" I protested tiredly, coughing. "He's just a friend!" He grumbled something incoherent and staggered into the kitchen and I turned back to Clayton. "Sorry about him. He's just protective."

"Dad's the same with Kate," he said.

"I can see why, what with Alefix flirting with her every chance he gets."

Clayton cocked his head. "Alefix?"

"Oh, sorry! I meant Alex Orr—Cat and I call him Alefix." I flushed. Another round of coughs racked my body, and a concerned look crossed his face. "Oh, I'm fine. It always happens in the spring. Trust me, it was way worse last year."

"If you say so." He started towards the door, but stopped and smiled at me. "Get better soon, okay? I want to see you in sectionals on Thursday." He put the sheet music on the entertainment stand and strolled out the door. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.

Mom gave me a knowing look. "He's just a friend?"

"I'm working on it," I moaned.

If this moment were a score, the time signature would be allegro.

This story is actually kind of based off my little crush on my section leader, and all the names are the same. (Yeah, I have a weird name...)

Anyway, here are some of the references made in the story:

Clayton and I are in pit. Clayton is a senior, and I'm a freshman.

Kate is Clayton's little sister who's in eighth grade and is in pit.

Lizzie is in pit during the marching season but switches to sax during concert season.

Alex is an eighth grade sax player.

Cat is my best friend in band, a freshman horn player.

Mandrell is Mrs. Mandrell, our band director.

Cara is the drumline section leader, a senior, and very pushy.

Note: I MAY continue if you want some more, but it will get way more dramatic and less about band than I wish it would be.