I walked into Gilbert's office and handed him a cup of coffee from Starbucks that I had gotten on the way
" Thank you, Ms. Jones." He handed me a 10 bill.
"I hope that pays for yours as well."
"Yeah, it's all good."
"So…we have a new guy." He said.
"A newbie?"
"Yes, Mr. Evan Mason just moved here from Seattle. He's going to be a senior, says he was in marching band at his old school. Just signed up yesterday."
"Seattle? The Arizona summer's really gonna kick him in the ass during rehearsals." G laughed.
"What does he play?"
"He's a fellow boner…you two will have loads to talk about. Well, at least I hope you will. I want you to make him feel as welcome as possible, like he belongs here, okay?"
"I can do that."
"So, why don't you go tell everyone the plan?" I nodded.
"Will do, G-Man." Someone knocked on the open door to the office.
"Oh, Evan, come right in! I'd like you to meet someone. This is Riley Jones, she's the senior drum major here at Desert View."
"Hi, Evan." I smiled at him.
"Hey." It was then that I got a good look at Evan. He stood at about 6'0 with light brown hair and electric blue eyes. He was definitely gonna be fun to look at.
"So, go ahead, Riley, lead your band." I smiled and walked out into the band room.
"Hey guys!" I said, firmly.
"Hey, Riley." A few of the guys said back.
"Who's ready for band camp?" Mostly everyone in the room cheered.
"So, you should all have your bags on the busses by now, but if you don't worry if you don't, you can do that when we break. So, you guys can go ahead and load the busses! If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask." They all nodded and stood up.
30 minutes later, I finally walked onto Bus 3; the only one with seats available.
"Riley! Sit here!" A few people said. I smiled and began to walk through the aisle. Mr. Gilbert's words rang in my ears.
'Make him feel as welcome as possible, like he belongs here.' I stopped short.
"Can I sit here?" I asked Evan.
"Sure." He said, unenthusiastically. I took the aisle seat next to him. There was awkward silence as the busses began down the road.
"So, where'd you move from?" I asked, making small talk.
"Seattle."
"And you play trombone…? Right?"
"Yep."
"Boners for life!" I said, smirking.
"Look, I know Mr. Gilbert probably told you to make me comfortable or whatever, but I really don't need it."
"He didn't tell me to do anything…" He looked at me.
"Okay, so yes he did, but that's not the only reason. I know what it's like to be the new kid without any friends." We didn't talk for the rest of the bus ride.