A/N: I'm so so so so so sorry it took me so long to update. Life's been crazy but I'm going to get back into the story so hopefully I'll be updating around once a week.

Practice the following Tuesday was murder. The heat was so bad that Prenton was forced to giving the band water breaks every forty five minutes.

Everyone was lying around on the concrete of the parking lot to exhausted from the heat to move.

"Today on the next edition of band practice the heat continues to pound on the innocent band students. The sun is slowly closing in on them. Will they survive or will the heat melt them all to oblivion?" One of the trombone players (Matt) started saying in an announcer type voice.

"Just when we were all beginning to get over the heat you had to go and not only remind us about it but make it feel like its 30 degrees hotter than it is. Thanks Matt." Amy, one of the drum majors, scolded at him.

"Any time Ms. Drum major mam." Matt hoisted his head up long enough to wink at her than dropped it back down.

Jo was over with the rest of the clarinets on the imaginary 20 yard line. Her clarinet was resting peacefully on her stomach while her New York hat was covering her eyes. She heard someone clear their throat, and felt a shadow above her. She removed her hat and saw Andrew standing over her with two cups of water in hand. She sat up while he sat down next to her and handed her one of the cups.

"Did you know that you're a god? I'm going to have a statue in my backyard built for you." Jo began praising him while gulping down the water.

He chuckled. "Well you don't have to go through all that. But you could go out with me on Saturday night."

"I think I can manage that." Jo replied with a bright smile on her face. It would be their first date and she was already excited. "Where are we going?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out." Andrew smirked and took a sip of his water.

Just then a loud voice began booming over the speakers. "Okay guys it is to hot out here to continue practice so your done for the day." Band students began cheering and calling Prenton the greatest man that ever lived. Prenton smiled at this and added "Before you all run off the comforts of the A.C in your cars I ask that you meet me in the band room in five minutes for an announcement."

Everyone jumped up grabbed their instruments and cases and ran to the band room to take refuge in the cool room.

After Prenton was sure everyone was piled in he began his speech. "First off I just want to say that I love all of you and you are without a doubt the best band that ever graced South Carolina." Everyone looked at each other with worried glances. This couldn't be good. Prenton drew in a deep breath and continued. "As you all know I was in the hospital this past summer and because of that I will be retiring earlier than scheduled. This will be my final year with this band. My doctors think the stress is too much for me and if I continue I'll be signing my own death certificate, and after what happened this summer I'm afraid their right. So I have said my peace and I hope you all understand." Prenton walked off the podium and entered his office while his students stood their shocked and unable to move.

Jo looked around and perceived all the said faces around her. Prenton was a great man and a wonderful director. He cared about his students. When Jo's dad lost her job earlier that year and couldn't afford to pay the band dues Prenton arranged to have the boosters pay for her fair share and uniform rental, and got them to agree to pay for her private lessons so she could remain in the symphonic band. She loved this man like a father and looking around she realized she wasn't the only one.

After about ten minutes people's feet began to unglue themselves from the floor and they began to pile out of the band room. Andrew met up with Jo outside and hugged her tightly.

"It's to not fair." She mumbled into his chest.

"I agree. But it's his health; it's not as if he wants this." He didn't want to admit it but it was tearing him up inside to think that his senior year would not be spent with that bright old man.

"I know." She let go of him and began to gather her stuff off the ground.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride." He offered to her while trying to grab some of her things.

"No thanks I'm good. Besides you've got a lesson to get to mister."

He laughed but nodded his head in agreement. "Okay I'll call you later."

She pulled him down and kissed him lightly on the lips before heading off. When she was by the pool Craig stopped her.

"You want a ride home?"

"No, its okay Craig. You know I live around the corner."

"Please." She looked at him and realized there was a trace of desperateness in his eyes. She knew that he didn't want to give her a ride home to be polite he needed someone to talk to and he didn't know how to.

"Which way to your car?" And they started off towards the parking lot.

Once inside Craig went to start the car but Jo stopped him. "What do you think about all this?"

Craig didn't reply. He didn't know how. This was too much for him to handle. Jo noticed his eyes beginning to glisten over and immediately wrapped him up in hug. He began to resist at first but then gave in and cried his heart out.

Jo knew this was more than just about Prenton. Craig's mother had been in Iraq fighting the war for a year now and she still wouldn't be coming back for another year. His dad was hardly ever home. He was a social worker and was barley around. Jo knew Craig was crying for his loneliness. He was crying because Prenton was another person on the list of people who had walked out of Craig's life.

Okay a few minutes Craig's crying slowed down until it was a mere sniffle. He pulled back and looked at Jo with gratitude in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I opened all this on you."

Jo simply smiled. "I'm not. It's good to show emotion every now and then. It reminds people that you are actually human. And there are plenty of people are here for you to listen to you if you need to talk."

"Thanks." He started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Anytime."

It is difficult to describe Jo and Craig's friendship. They had known each other since sixth grade and they have always been rivals. They both played equally at the clarinet but they have always tried to get one step ahead of the other. Of course it was all clean fun and they were friends but there was more to it than that. They could sense each other. They knew each other's emotions, feelings, fears. They never really hung out outside of school but something about the clarinet, about their music had given them that gift. Jo was the only person Craig would let see cry they never talked about it, and she never told a soul. The night Craig's mom was called to Iraq he showed up at Jo's house 2am and she just held him in her drive way while he cried and cursed the world. He kissed her that night and both felt nothing. They knew no romantic involvement could ever happen between them and that kiss confirmed it.

They pulled up to Jo's house and Craig grabbed her backpack before she could protest and walked her to the door.

"Thanks you know for that." Craig muttered nervously.

"You're welcome. You know if you need to talk I'm here." She said stressing the word talk. She was grateful Craig came to her to at least cry but he needed to do more than that. She was worried if he didn't talk to someone soon he might explode of pent up emotion.

"Yeah I know. Any maybe I'll take you up on that." With that being said he handed her, her back pack and drove away. She trudged inside and went straight to the shower to remove the sweat that was covering her entire body.

When Jo got out of the shower and dressed she heard her cell phone going off and dashed to the living room to retrieve it from her backpack.

"Hello?" She sounded completely out of breath.

"Hey sexy. Why so out of breath? Where you doing the nasty with Andrew?"

"T.J shut up." They both laughed. "I was running to get the phone but if I had known it was you I wouldn't have bothered. "

"Ouch! I'm hurt and here I called for math but fine I'll hang up."

Jo laughed at his childish antics. "I'm only kidding. Let me get my algebra book and we'll get started."

T.J and Jo have been friends since 2nd grade when Jo first moved from New York to Sound Carolina. They were super close. Since they had the same math class they did their homework together over the phone. It was convenient since if one didn't know a problem the other was right there in their ear.

Once they were done tackling evil math problems they hung up. Jo decided to give Dan a call. Daniela was Jo's best girlfriend. They both played clarinet and knew everything about the other. They considered themselves sisters and it was rare to find one around without to other one to far behind.

"Hey Dan." Jo greeted when Dan picked up.

"Hey Jo!" Dan always did have this unknown endless energy.

They chatted for a half an hour just on the game and the surprise announcement at practice. Dan was just ad upset about it as Jo and both feared what the new band director would be like.

Around 9 Jo got a text from Andrew saying he was stuck with his parents and wouldn't be able to call her tonight. She replied that it was okay and wished him goodnight. It was early but Jo was exhausted from such an emotional day that she just crawled under her covers and passed out.