Washington Blues
Chapter One
Doubt
The constant ticking of the clock drew my eyes in its direction. The time reads ten thirty. Where has the time gone? I swear it was eight just a minute ago. I suppose that happens when one gets completely engrossed into a good book.
Setting the book on my desk, I turn my attention on my computer. The online world has been rather dead lately, and other than reading fanfiction and occasionally talking to friends, it's been rather useless to me.
My email application is displaying a red notification. Checking it, I see that I have two emails from the band directors. It's about time. I've been waiting for this schedule for quite some time now. However, I suppose that they're running behind due to the fact that our band is now doubled in size, and I'm willing to bet they have been doing their best to make sure that we have enough uniforms and instruments.
The school zones were changed at the end of the year, resulting in our marching band of twenty-five to be boosted to over fifty people. To a lot of the band members this is something to commemorate. For me, this is slightly intimidating.
Why? I am the leader known by either the title field commander or drum major. Typically, I tell people outside of band that I am the field commander; otherwise they almost always assume I'm on drum line. As much as I love my percussionists, I know I could never be one.
The Easton High School Band has always been small. The largest we have ever been was thirty-six people. Even then, that was before our current directors worked at the school. The field commanders before me have no experience in dealing with this many people, so in a sense I'm on my own. I will not abscond though. This isn't just some conflict with my mother where that is acceptable. I will make sure that the directors know that they made the right choice in appointing me for this position.
I click on the email and begin to read it.
"Hello, everyone! We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer vacation. It's hard to believe that it is that time again, but Band Camp is here! Guard and percussion rehearsals were announced in our last email, and hopefully those students have been attending. We just want to remind everyone that the first week of band camp begins Monday and goes through Friday, July 15th. Everyone is required to attend from 8-12. Color guard and percussion students will attend from 8-3. The second week will be from July 18-22 from 8-5."
The rest of the email just lists a bunch of reminders of things to bring, and whatnot. Simple things that are more intended for freshmen.
I exit out of that email, and click on the other.
"Hello, Rose. As said in the reminder email, we hope you're having a wonderful vacation. As you know, the school zones were changed around, resulting in our band doubling. We trust that you learned a lot at the leadership you and the others went to in Seattle, and we are more than confident that you will do just fine. But, that is not what this email is about. Recently we met with the director of Ellensburg High School, and we learned that one of the students moving from there was actually their assistant field commander. Along with the fact that she is being ripped from her original band, she is going to be stripped of that title. We actually don't want to do that. She already served the position her sophomore year, and we think she would be a good assistant field commander for our band. Seeing as the band has doubled, it would be good to a field commander who has worked with a large number of students.
"We would like you to talk to Kanaya Maryam at pre-camp about being the assistant field commander for the band. We'll point her out to you on the first day. Until then, we hope you have a wonderful rest of your vacation."
Interesting. I'm not quite sure I how I feel about this. The feeling of intimidation comes to mind. This Kanaya girl will have more experience than I do, and she is a junior also, so this could give her an edge to becoming head field commander next year.
I think I'm overthinking this. Regardless, I will make sure I talk to her.
A flashing on my screen catches my eye, and I see that my Pesterchum is saying that someone is talking to me. Clicking on it, I see that it is John. We talk for a short time, but the subject of Kanaya comes up.
TT: Yes, her name is Kanaya and the directors want her to be the assistant field commander.
EB: wow! that's gonna be cool. i don't think we've ever had two drum majors before? she was an assistant at ellensburg right?
TT: Correct.
EB: oh! i think i remember talking to her and their other drum majors once. they have a weird style of conducting and i asked her about it. i think i remember her being really nice.
TT: Well, it is good to know that she is nice, but if she has an odd conducting pattern I suppose I will have to drill it out of her.
EB: haha! but don't the drum majors get a special instructor during band camp?
TT: Yes, but old habits are hard to break. I'm sure I'd have to spend a considerable amount of time with her working on it.
EB: sounds like loads of fun. though, you said she already acted as drum major before right?
TT: Yes. It leads me to assume that the field commander position is taken very seriously over at Ellensburg High School. I will not lie, it is a little unnerving to think the assistant will have more experience than the head drum major.
EB: i understand what you mean, but don't sweat it! you have to remember, she was the assistant so she didn't have the most experience. plus, on top of that, she's coming to a whole new high school. i'm sure that's gotta be tough.
TT: Agreed.
EB: oh yeah! I have to go meet karkat before practice. i'll talk to you later rose!
TT: Goodbye, John.
-ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]-
I sigh to myself. Socialization is not something I worry myself over. I enjoy time to myself, but after so long, it would be nice to have some friends who would want to be around me more. I love John with all of my being, but he can be very…in lightest terms, goofy. I much prefer serious conversations; ones where we can bounce ideas off of one another.
It is a shame that the only person I can seem to have a sensible conversation with is Aradia.
It is also a shame that we rarely speak now. Once, what seems ages ago, we spoke on a regular basis. It would be a lie if I were to say that I didn't miss those days.
Pesterchum makes another noise, and I see that once again I am being messaged.
-apocalypseArisen [AA] has begun trolling tentacleTherapist [TT]-
Well, speak of the devil.
AA: hey r0se!
TT: Hello, Aradia. I thought you had percussion camp today?
AA: we d0 but i wanted t0 talk t0 y0u ab0ut that actually
TT: What might that be?
AA: i think y0u sh0uld c0me up t0 the high sch00l at some p0int t0day. i want y0u t0 meet every0ne
TT: I may consider it.
AA: the new snare player is s0 c00l! th0ugh he can be a bit 0f an ass at times
TT: That settles it. How can I say no to meeting an ass?
AA: haha! well, i h0pe y0u sh0w up! we havent hung 0ut in s0 l0ng but i have t0 g0 n0w
TT: See you later, Aradia.
-apocalypseArisen [AA] has ceased trolling tentacleTherapist [TT]-
I wonder why we haven't hung out, Aradia? It couldn't be due to the fact that I am not nearly as interesting as the percussionists. That can't be it.
I really need another female friend…
"Well, well, look who decided to make an appearance!"
I should have known that Eridan would be the first to greet me.
Turning towards the tall brunette, I greet him with a smile. "Well, Aradia asked me to show up for awhile. I figured I'd better humor her," I simply tell him. I've found it's never best to give him too much information. As nice as he comes off, I've known him long enough to know that he likes having leverage over anyone.
He gives me a quick look over before saying anything. "Ah, well, they just finished with their inside rehearsal so they should be setting up the field by now. Guard practice just finished," he says.
I could have figured that on my own. Why else would be he wondering around the high school in shorts and a t-shirt?
"How is the guard looking for this year?" I ask him. I don't pay much attention to the color guard, but I suppose it couldn't do any harm knowing how they're doing so far.
He smirks. "Everyone seems promising. It's nice having a large guard," he says, running a hand through his hair, grabbing some of the blonde streak. "Though, nobody can toss a rifle like me," he jokingly adds.
I laugh just a tad, knowing that it is probably true. "Well, I'm going to go check on percussion now, so I'll see you later," I tell him, taking a step away.
Eridan nods, and says his goodbye.
I will not lie. I still have a hard time believing that he is in color guard for the right reasons. I think it was an attention-seeking thing. He is great at what he does; nobody can toss a rifle like him, but I will never believe that he actually joined color guard for the right reasons.
Walking around to the backside of the school, I notice a smaller girl pushing one of the marimbas up the hill towards the practice field. I don't know her so I can assume that she is either a freshmen or one of the new students. Regardless, I know that the marimba she is pushing has a messed up wheel, making it very difficult to move places.
As a field commander, I shouldn't just stand by, so I rush up towards the strawberry blonde girl.
She stopped as she heard my footsteps, and looks back at me.
"How about some help?" I offer. She studies me with her teal eyes only a second before accepting my help.
"Thanks! This stupid thing is such a pain. Though, I guess the ones back at Ellensburg were just as bad, if not worse." She tells me as we begin to start pushing the marimba.
"Ah, so you're from Ellensburg?" I ask though I already know the answer.
She nods. "Yep! My name is Terezi. I'm a sophomore," she informs.
"I'm Rose," I simply reply.
I notice that she seems to be in thought. "Drum major?" She says in a questioning tone.
Nodding yes, she proceeds to say, "oh! John mentioned you a few times. He was right about you being pretty."
I thank her. Even though I do not believe her, it would be rude to deny a compliment.
We push the marimba the rest of the way in silence, having to stop to correct its path every so often. I think I remember the directors talking about getting this fixed before the first football game. It would certainly make things a lot easier.
"So, which one of you made her push this thing up here by herself?" I ask the group of front ensemble members upon reaching the front of the practice field.
A considerably tall male with short black hair shrugs and casts his yellow eyes on John.
"Karkat was supposed to help her," John answers, his voice sounding very confused.
A nervous giggle draws my attention back towards Terezi. "He was busy with his little 'hate-date' with Dave, so I just decided to come up here on my own," she tells us.
John frowns. "Now I feel bad for making you do that! Next time just come get one of us to help," he tells her.
Terezi gives him a dismissive wave of the hand. "It's okay. Rose here isn't even annoying like Karkat."
John and the tall male laugh a little, only to be interrupted by the sound of the drum line cadence in the distance.
John gives a heavy sigh. "Great. The other three still aren't here."
The male shakes his head in annoyance. "Drew is gonna kill them. Whatever. They're a bunch of losers anyways." At this, I notice that he has a very pronounced lisp. It's almost distracting how pronounced it is.
I take it that three of the front ensemble members aren't very reliable. I know Riley rarely shows up on time. She's a prick, and I honestly don't like her at all. She thinks she's an amazing percussionist, and complains all the time about how Drew, the percussion instructor, won't put her on drum line.
Let's put it this way: I know nothing about percussion, but I can play a snare better than her.
As the sound of the approaching drum line becomes louder, I notice Karkat and three other girls, clad in various colors of shorts and tank tops, walking over the hill. Judging by the rolled up flags in their hands, I assume they're new guard members.
The male with the lisp laughs as Karkat draws near. "Such a player, KK."
"Oh, shut up, Sollux," Karkat grumbles. "You're so full of crap it's not even funny. They just didn't want to be alone while they waited for their parents. I wasn't just going to leave them at the front of the school."
Classic Karkat. He has to defend himself on every accusation, and it usually never helps his case.
"No, all three of us are completely swooning due to his grumpy demeanor! Aren't we?" The black-haired girl with glasses says, nudging the smaller girl next to her into Karkat.
The girl's green eyes widen, but she quickly recovers. "Oh, yeah, completely!" She says jokingly.
They better not think that one got past me.
Karkat rolls his eyes, oblivious to what just happened. "Whatever. Just go stand over there or something," he grumbles, walking over to the xylophone, acting like he is checking it for the proper mallets.
The girl who had shoved the other girl giggles, then looks at me. "Oh, you're new! I'm Jade! This is Nepeta," she points to the girl she shoved, and then towards the other girl, "and she's Feferi!"
She seems rather peppy and friendly. Normally I would be dismissive about this kind of personality, but Jade seems to have this air about her that is preventing me from feeling that way. Interesting.
We all fall silent as we watch drum line approach the field. Drew is in the front of everyone, speculating their marching. Aradia, being the center snare, is busy giving the beat for everyone to march to. Drew finally gives her the okay to release everyone.
"Take a couple of minutes to set up," he tells them.
Most of the drum line proceeds to take their drums off of their carriers, set them down, and start talking to one another. Aradia sets down her snare, then rushes over to envelope me in a hug. "I didn't think you were actually going to come!" She tells me.
I give a slight giggle, returning the hug. "Well, you asked me to, and I figured it was a good of time as ever to see how everyone was doing."
She rolls her deep red eyes at me. "Sure, sure," she says dismissively. "Oh, yeah! Practice ends early today since Drew has to go to Seattle for something, so we should hang out!"
I smile at the offer. "Sounds good to me. You can come over for the weekend. We both know my mother won't care." I tell her.
She continues to smile. "Awesome! I've got to get back to drum line, but we'll talk after rehearsal, okay?"
I silently nod, and watch her stride away. I cannot help but admire the way her brunette hair moves in the breeze. She's far too beautiful for her own good.
Once practice begins, the three guard girls and myself go sit on the sideline. We talk a little, and I must say that their company is rather nice. Jade and Feferi are complete bundles of energy. Just before their parents came to get them, Nepeta stopped, seeming to remember something. "Oh, yeah, I think you're going to get along really well with Kanaya!" She tells me.
I shrug. "I hope so. See you three at band camp."
They say bye to me, just in time for percussion to go to break. I talk with front ensemble. The other three missing members finally showed up, and it's not leaving me with a good impression. They claimed to have good reason for being late, but when John asked them, they said they already spoke with Drew. That seems rather suspicious if one were to ask me.
The remaining two hours seem to go by fast, though I regret my decision of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Today turned out to be a lot warmer than I expected. It's probably close to seventy-five degrees.
At least it's entertaining to watch Drew yell at them for simple missteps. The music so far is coming along nicely. I can't wait to hear it blend with the rest of the band. It will be some time before I actually hear that, but it's a nice thought.
I help front ensemble back inside, and while I am covering up one of the vibraphones, I notice Aradia and Sollux talking in front of the director's office. The body language between the two leads me to safely assume that she is fond of him.
"You'll have to excuse me. My room is a bit of a mess," I apologize as Aradia walks into my room, her bag in hand.
"Rose, you're room is always messy." It's true. My room is rarely one hundred percent clean. Something is always out of place. I tried to clean up some, but I couldn't motivate myself to clean everything. There are other things of importance that occupy my mind at the moment.
Aradia places her bag at the foot of my bed, and proceeds to lie down.
"So, what's going on between you and Sollux?" I ask, sitting on my desk chair.
She sits up and giggles. "What ever could you mean?"
There is no sense in 'beating around the bush', so I just tell her like it is. "It's blatantly obvious you're fond of him."
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" She asks rhetorically. "He's from Ellensburg, he's pretty cool, and we have a lot in common! Oh, and he's such an amazing percussionist! He's even better than John with two mallets!" She continues to rave about him for awhile. It takes a lot of my patience to not stop her.
Aradia and I have been friends since I was in seventh grade. Naturally I've seen a lot of sides to her that nobody else knows of. She's a year ahead of me, so it saddens me to know that this is my last year with her. I need to enjoy every minute I get with her.
Also, in the grand scheme of things, I much prefer this personality from the one she had in eighth grade.
Aradia used to be very solitary, and very lifeless, to a sense. It wasn't until she moved up to the high school that she turned into the person she is today.
"What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?" Aradia asks, snapping me from my thoughts.
I laugh at her. "You should know me better than that. There are far more important things for me to be thinking about other than romance."
She shrugs. "You never know. Someone from Ellensburg may catch your eye and completely change that opinion. That's what happened to me!"
Doubtful, Aradia. Very doubtful.
Welcome to my fiction, Washington Blues! It is my first long-fic for Homestuck. Humanstuck if we want to be precise. Haha.
Since I got into Homestuck, I've wanted to make a long-fic. Humanstuck came to mind when I wanted to make a fiction that revolved around high school. I'll be honest, I have no clue what regular high school students do. My high school life has always revolved around marching band. I guess this fiction can qualify as Marching/BandStuck! haha.
A lot of thought has gone into this fiction, plot planning wise. All the marching, who is on what instrument, and things like that has taken a lot. I think it's going to be worth it though. :3
I will not deny the laziness on the trolls. I probably should have given them more human-sounding names, but I wanted to keep their names. I don't know why, I just did.
Rose is the field commander because I'm basing her role off of mine, and their marching show is going to be based off of my show from this season.
Later on, when we get into the football and marching competition aspect, I will be playing a game. Who's That Marching Band?
Basically, I'm basing a lot of the other high school's marching shows off of bands I have seen this year, and in years past. I'll put a little section down here, revealing the band, and giving a little information I know about the band.
Otherwise, a lot of the high school information will be made up. It's kind of hard working with an area you don't live in, but I've done as much research as I can.
This fiction will be featuring Rose X Kanaya, so if you do not like that paring, this will not be the fiction for you. There will be other parings, but this one will be the focus.
Oh, and the mass ton of "OC"s I will be using for the band, I would like to say that most of them will notbe based on my members. Right now, only a few will be based on my band members because they asked me to put them in this. They won't be introduced till later. haha.
I cannot think of much else to say. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope I wrote for Rose appropriately.
Until later,
~Victoria.
