Alright, here is chapter 2. I think I realized like, 2 seconds ago that I didn't use all of the characters on last chapter's character list. Aaron will definitely be brought into play here. This is definitely a fun chapter to write; the bus to band camp. Note that my band camps have always been onsite, meaning at our school, so my creativity is flaring here. I'm basing band camp off of stories I've heard from offsite band camps from friends over the internet. If you have any suggestions as to what happens at an offsite band camp, please, do tell. The only reason I am doing offsite and not onsite is because onsite is not nearly as fun to write or as interesting as an offsite camp would be. I took a nap, so this chapter might seem a bit off. If its really bad, I might rewrite it and change it, so keep an eye on that. If I do, I will make sure to note it in chapter 3.
Also note; I changed the title. I love using "The 50 Yard Line", but I realized "Enharmonic" fit the storyline better.
This may not be as good as chapter one. For which, I apologize greatly. If its horrible, I can always rewrite it. But I started working on this after a nap and then finished it after a parade, despite my current splitting headache from playing the same 3 songs nonstop for three hours.
P.S I need names for the camp they go to. Like, its going to be kind of a summer camp dedicated to hosting high school band camps, so I want something either musical, goofy, or evil sounding(since we all know band camp is hell).
New Characters:
Aaron Hicks- Senior Drumline Captain, likes to hang around Justin
Marshall Hunter-freshman sousaphone player
Lucy Barry- lieutenant of the front ensemble, a senior
Andrea Olvin(Drea)-senior clarinet section leader
"Welcome to everyone, especially all of the freshman we are receiving this year." Michael Taft, a short stump of a band director, sat on a stool at the front of the large group of excited students.
Rini sat with her Pawns on each side of her, staring at her director from their spot at the front. Toka, who like most of the band was almost two feet taller then petite Rini, fingered through her score, trying to decipher the sousaphone part from the rest of the early unintelligible mess. Justin had managed to hide headphones in his ears and was mouthing words to some unknown song. Meanwhile, Rini distractedly fingered her scales in the air.
"Drum majors, can you come up here and introduce yourselves?" Mr. Taft asked. All three drum majors heard nothing. Mr. Taft cleared his throat. Rini looked up and blinked, nudging her Pawns.
"What was that Mr. Taft?" Toka asked, dropping her score in surprise. A look far too close to amusement dotted the directors face, and giggles erupted around the room.
"Introduce yourselves?"
At once, all three drum majors jumped up with red faces.
"Sorry." They chorused. Rini looked around, obviously, she was the only one willing to start.
"I'm Rini Carvin, and I'm head drum major. I play clarinet."
"Something interesting about yourself Rini?"
"Um, well, at this moment I have a total of five instruments at my house."
It was true; Rini had a total of five instruments sitting in a geeky row next to her music stand. The alto sax was courtesy of Kayti, and that was added to her three personal clarinets, her plastic marching instrument, her wooden concert and her spare, as well as the oboe she had taken up the previous concert season. It was her goal to learn all the instruments by the end of her high school years.
The other drum majors continued on to introduce themselves, with Toka noting how she was a triple, and Justin noting how he was a "trumpet god" , much to Rini's disgust and causing a round of groans from the 30-strong clarinet section.
"Thank you Drum Majors. Now, when we arrive at the camp, your section leaders will assign you a cabin. Each cabin holds up to ten people, and we are trying to keep it split into sections. Horns will be sharing cabins with the saxes, since you are so small. When assigning you rooms, I tried to keep freshman integrated with upperclassmen so we don't have full freshman cabins, although our front ensemble cabin is a bit over populated with underclassmen. By that, I mean congratulations Lucy, you get to be in a cabin alone with a group of freshman." Mr. Taft shot an amused glance at a slim-Jim of a girl in the back, who protested loudly. "Now, time to load the buses. I will be on bus one with the low brass, bus two will be clarinets and trumpets, bus three will be the remaining trumpets and flutes, saxes and horns will take bus four, and finally guard and percussion will take bus five. If there is no room for you on a bus, go to bus four. When we get to the camp, find your section leaders and they will lead you to your section's cabins."
With that last statement, Mr. Taft dismissed the band, and the group of excited teenagers headed for the door in a rather disorderly fashion. The clarinets grumbled about riding with the trumpets, and the same comments could be heard from the groups of trumpets. Kayti quickly caught up to Rini.
"I hope Taft realizes what a bad idea bus two is."
"Yeah I know." Rini squinted and shoulder checked a freshmen trumpet, partially on purpose and partially on accident. "They are going to rip each other to shreds."
"And you are in charge of them."
Rini shivered at that thought. How am I supposed to control them when I support my clarinets and the trumpets won't listen to me?
"Save me." Rini whimpered, reaching up to grab her friend around the neck. Kayti pushed her off.
"Don't forget you still owe me for the ride this morning."
"I told you, blocking me out with the radio totally took away my debt."
"No, it didn't."
"Fine, I'll repay you sometime." Rini grumbled. "Just remember this next time I give you a ride."
Kayti grinned and bumped Rini in the shoulder. A pair of freshman clarinets jogged past, apparently trying to get a good seat. Rini rolled her eyes. Ignorant freshman. Don't think I will go easy on you just because I share your section.
"You can repay me by not making me run laps."
"Don't make me have to."
"You are my friend! You shouldn't!"
"I am your drum major, its my job."
Kayti opened her mouth to reply, but the words escaped her, and the pair traveled to the buses in silence. Rini took a seat at the front on the wheel, a few seats behind the driver. From there, she could see the rearview mirror and keep an eye on the other students. I see you. She thought, smiling to herself.
Justin, to Rini's annoyance, had chosen the same bus, instead of taking the chance of riding with the prissy flute players in bus three, although Rini couldn't blame him; Soaring Hills flutes were obnoxious pricks. Despite the warnings against, each and every one found make up to be an important band camp accessory, as well as frilly tops that looked uncomfortable to wear even outside of band. Not to mention their short skirts and booty shorts, which disgusted Rini to no end. It would be a joy to kick those flutes up and down the field.
Even better, the tense male drum major sat just a few seats behind her, yelling loudly out the window towards a familiar pair of drumline members; the captain, Aaron Hicks, and Lucy Barry, lieutenant of the front ensemble. While Rini didn't mind Lucy, Aaron was on her list of people she could do without, right beneath Justin.
"Can he be any louder?" Rini hissed to herself.
"Rini, you know he is a trumpet. He can only go forte." A voice noted from the seat in front of Rini's. The drum major leaned forward to double check her notions. Andrea Olvin, clarinet section leader, grinned back at her, giggling at her own joke.
"To think, I always believed that only referred to music."
"Of course not. They have to talk loud to make themselves sound less annoying. Their tiny brains can't handle the fact that it only makes things worse." Drea leaned against the window and crossed her legs, bouncing her foot as if stating a well-known fact.
"Trumpets have brains?"
"That's a debatable theory. I'm still waiting for the tests to come back, but I'm sure they will be positive. Until then, we have to accept their idea that they have brains, even if we stretch it and say they are tiny as a grain of salt."
As Drea finished the last comment, an object soared past Rini's ear. She whipped her head around to glare at a suspicious looking Justin. Aaron and Lucy had disappeared, probably to their own bus, leaving Justin to entertain himself in whatever way possible.
"What was that for?" Rini snapped.
"What was what for?"
"You are a horrible liar."
"You're a horrible conductor."
"What does that make you? After all, I beat you out, didn't I?"
"Like I told Keshi earlier, you beat me by luck. I can conduct better any day."
"Which totally explains why that particular day, you know, the one of auditions, I beat you." Rini crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Give it up. You aren't going to win." Without waiting for a response, Rini sunk into her seat.
Her head barely showed above the bus seat thanks to her short body, but soon enough, something hit her in the back of the head. It bounced and landed in her lap. She shot up and flung the broken pencil back at the other drum major, but missed and watched it sail out the window, narrowly missing Mr. Taft. The director glared at the bus. Somehow, he managed to realize who had been fighting, and his gaze flicked between Rini and Justin through the window. The band liked to call his intuition his Band Director Instinct, or BDI. He always knew who was causing trouble.
"Justin, go to the back of the bus. I want both of you to focus on your sections alone. If I hear anything about arguments between trumpets and clarinets, you will all be given some very special responsibilities during camp, as well as extra laps every morning until the end of the season." As his orders echoed around the bus, both sections grew quiet, exchanging glances with the others on the bus.
"You would think Taft's BDI would have told him not to put us on the same bus." Drea noted, plugging headphones into her iPod.
"I think its on the fritz."
"Lets hope they have a repair shop on the way, or we will have a long band camp."
Alright, second chapter done. Was it too short? Also, I just realized that two chapters have gone a total of like…two hours. My my. Looks like next chapter will have to be a skip. So I think I will skip around a lot in the next chapter. you've been warned. Also, be prepared for pranks galore. And more Keshi POV. Also, no offense to trumpet players. Two of my best friends are trumpets. In fact, that's why I made them the clarinet rivals. I like trumpets and wanted them to have a strong part in the story. Don't worry, I'll be trashing on my own section a bit in later chapters, including a prank on both sections as well as some Rini vs. Justin sabotage. That part, though, I have yet to decide which one will be the sabotaged. Might put a bit of a sabotage war in there.
Anyway, question for the chapter(decided to post on each chapter, or a suggestion thin. It will always be at the bottom AN, last chapter's was the pov thing)
Should I rewrite this chapter, or is it fine as is?
I will also be putting a fun question each chapter. This chapter's question is;
What two sections in your band argue the most?
(For me, we don't have cross section rivalries. Our rivalries are all within section, the worst being the tubas and clarinets)
