Note: My first ever Class of 3000 fanfic. New student Alexis (Lex) Durfrense comes to Westley School of Performing Arts not knowing what to expect but makes new friends easily with the students in the band. Not only is she a beatific mezzo-soprano in the choir but she also plays the bassoon and the oboe. She falls for the eccentric Philly Phil, which could lead to some jealousy in the normally blissful Madison, who happens to have a crush on Phil.
My what now for my who when ?"--Sunny Bridges, Class of 3000
"Your whats are dangling over your where ?"--Principal Pixie Frog, My Gym Partner's a Monkey
"So much reality TV that life becomes a sitcom, if you ain't got no rhythm, we'll show you how to get some."--last lyrical bar from opening of Class of 3000
Chapter 1—The Doe-Eyed Piper
Only just recently had Westley School of Performing Arts get the memo that a new addition was about to make her entrance into the school. Her name was Alexis Durfrense, and she played bassoon and the oboe. She also had a splendid mezzo soprano voice, so she had been exceptionally gifted in music. Not only that, but she was quite intelligent, could speak a multitude of languages and was a superb student. This is why she had been transferred in the first place. What the other students didn't know was that she was a knockout.
Alexis Durfrense was a brunette bombshell with dark Bambi eyes, long legs, and shapely lips. If she had been older, she would've made a perfect model, but at least if her ambition to become a great performer didn't pan out for her later on in life, she would know what direction to take her career. Her nickname was "Lex", and some people even called her "Ally". But, when the students at Westley saw her, the only thing coming out of their mouths was stunned silence.
Music class was just about to begin when Alexis entered. The minute the boys saw her, their mouths dropped, particularly the jaw of Philly Phil.
"Who is that vision of the metaphysical ?", Phil said in a smitten voice.
"I don't know, but maybe she's an angel !", Madison commented, with her usual spacy grin.
"She sure is fine, I give her that.", Lil' D added. Tamika balled her hand into a fist and smacked it into her hand.
"Not as fine as yours truly, right ?", she said, pounding her fist into her hand a second time.
"Oh no. You're the bomb, Tamika girl. You know that.", Lil' D responded, a bit nervously.
It was at that precise moment when Sunny came through the door and introduced Alexis to the class. She bowed politely and smiled sweetly: the perfect portrait of a proper lady.
After Sunny introduced her, she played a solo on her oboe that was nothing short of breathtaking. Eddie appreciated it most of all, considering he played oboe as well.
"That sure was some mighty fine playin', Alexis.", Eddie said, in that honeycombed drawl of his. Clearly he had been struck by the love bug as well, since his eyes focused more on Alexis than on the teacher. All Sunny was trying to do was teach his students, and with a concert coming up, this was a problem. With a stern and firm "ahem", Sunny had been able to retain control of his students, and there were no more outbursts for the day.
Chapter 2—Musical Showdown
Alexis had become very popular in a short amount of time. She had never been popular before, but she hadn't let the sudden onset of faux celebrity stardom go to her head.
Phil, who was normally outspoken and eccentric had turned suddenly romantic around Lex.
She had an attraction to him as well and wanted to be taken out on a date by him sometime in the future. However, the brooding Madison, who secretly harbored feelings of love toward him, wasn't liking the prospects of Lex being around her "carrot top". In order to settle her differences, she was going to have a showdown between Lex and herself. Whomever played the best would have the chance to date Phil. But, she wasn't going to go quietly. This battle was going to be big, brash and loud.
There would have to be some witnesses to view this contest of reed versus strings. Madison knew exactly what to do. Atlanta was a rather large city. All she would have to do is set up a tent, put up chairs, erect a stage, and put up a sign to designate what the "concert" was going to be. There would be no fee, just an applause meter to measure who received the most plaudits. This would take some time, but she wanted to make it clear she was serious and maybe Phil would notice her for a change.
"What's all this ? I didn't know there was going to be a concert in the park...", Sunny said, going over the itineary that Principal Luna had given him for the week. The concert he was planning wasn't happening until Friday of next week but everything was going so well. Yet, this surprise seemed to have knocked him a bit for a loop. Madison, in her innocence, stood with her hands behind her back, not even looking tired.
"Oh, it's a contest. Not a concert.", she said, with a lighthearted giggle. Fairly soon, Alexis had arrived there, and then more people appeared.
"Must we really do this ?", Lex asked, thinking the whole thing was foolish.
"Yes, we must, Ms. Durfrense.", Madison responded, with a bit of hostility in her voice. Sunny was shocked at that display. Never would he have considered Madison to become angry.
The only emotion she had shown was happiness in the past, but jealousy changed her demeanor.
Madison began her solo first and played some bars from Fiddler on the Roof, which were quite impressive. She would have to pull out all the stops. She knew she wasn't good enough to play lines from The Red Violin, but if she wanted to beat Alexis and win the heart of Phil she would have to play until her fingers bled.
It was time for Lex's performance, and she had even clapped for her rival. In all actuality, she admired Madison for her virtuosity and thought her performance was outstanding.
"Why are you clapping for me, silly ? This is a contest !", Madison asked, as she stepped off the stage and walked past.
"Because, Madison, you're my friend. What kind of person would I be if I didn't support you ?", she asked, with a smile. Madison was surprised by Lex's answer but she knew that Alexis was being straightforward and honest.
Out of the bassoon came the most beautiful, lyrical lines, and it was unreal what the audience experienced. The bassoon was usually a base intstrument, playing unusual parts, holding the rest of the piece together. But she was playing arias, even parts of Vivaldi's Gloria. When she had finished there were gasps of glee coming from everyone and a roar of applause washed over everything. Clearly the meter favored Lex, which Madison had predicted. She had tried hard though.
Phil stepped up to Madison.
"Was this all because of me ?", he asked with a slight tint of pink to his cheeks.
"Yeah. It was...", she said, bashfully and a little upset at the same time.
"I admire that. Don't let me break your heart though, Maddy. There are plenty of other aquatic creatures in the great blue waters.", Phil said, patting her on the shoulder. Admittedly, she was a little hurt but knew how he really felt. But there had been one dancer, sitting in the back row, rather shyly, who had adored Madison's violin. His name was Samuel, and he was quite talented. Not only did he play trumpet in the band, but he danced ballet, tap and did a bit of Irish clogging on the side. She wanted to hear him play sometime, but he was a bit shy to play for her at first. The young blue-eyed, dark haired semi-goth boy decided to play a bit for her, and it was love at first song.
Chapter 3—Resounding Cymbals, Martial Drums, Music Everywhere
The concert had finally come, and it seemed like half the state of Georgia had come to hear Sunny Bridges class play. In fact, a last minute addition to the performance was none other than Samuel Castle, the slightly-goth boy that could play one mean horn. Madison had heard him play before and his song put a slight spring in her step. Sammy was a natural and he adored playing music. In fact, it was the one thing that kept him calm and he loved sharing his talent with others.
Kim and Kam had played together and Kam had been able to become a little less formal in his piano playing. Sunny had taught him that he didn't need to be so stoic and stodgy in his playing all the time. The music had to come from within, from the soul. Kim was taught to be less brash and play her cymbals to match the sound of the rest of the ensemble. Their overtones were nothing short of astounding.
When the concert had ended, the crowd was bursting with applause and cheers. There had been a good will offering for the school, and it was much appreciated since Westley had been falling down from the inside in years past. With the money they raised, they could repair it, and keep the musical programs going. Needless to say, Sunny was extremely proud of his students, though he showed it in a rather laid-back way.
Epilogue
Though Westley Performing School of the Arts had been known for its delapedated condition, this was no longer the case in current months. Only recently, it had been repaired thanks to the goodwill donation that was given during the last concert Sunny Bridges' class had done. A ridulous amount came in from Eddie, who said he didn't need the money anyway and knew it could be used for something better than upgrading his theme park. Nowadays, Westley was pristine and it was getting a lot of press. Sunny didn't care too much for the media attention and many times he had to kindly turn them away for fear the school would get too much hype.
Luckily, the media knew when to back down and Westley continued to be the gem of the state.
In time, though, Sunny would have to say goodbye to these kids when they graduated, but he wanted to hold on to every last minute to teach them all he could. They were maturing day after day, and one day they would be tremendous performers. For now, they still had much to learn, just as he had to teach and in turn be taught by them.
The End