For the next few days, Jeanette went to school early and stayed at school
late to see the jazz band to their stuff while she quietly watched and
wrote on her pad of paper. Her eyes always gazed adoringly at Pete. And
whenever Pete quickly glanced at her, he would accidentally mess up and Mr.
Mifado would scold him.
Then the next edition of their newspaper came out. Mr. Mifado quickly snatched one from the stand and looked for the article about band. He was waiting for it all to be about him... "the greatest band director ever...having the best judgment in people.." but his jaw dropped when he saw that he was only mentioned once in the article Jeanette wrote and most of the piece was about Pete Marks. Suddenly steam trailed out of his bald head. "damn it!" He cursed.
Angrily, he stormed into the newspaper room and shouted at Mrs. Vertelli (the advisor of the paper). "What kind of crap is this?" He shouted, throwing the paper down on her desk.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"THIS!" He pointed. "See...there's practically NOTHING about ME! Only things about this person. I advise you get this girl punished! This is CRAP!"
"No it is NOT! She is our finest writer! This is FINE WORK. It's too bad if you have a problem with it. NOW LEAVE!" She pointed out the door.
"Hmm..." He thought aloud, scratching his beard. (it was strange he had no hair on his head, but so much on his chin) "She has to pay. But how?" He pondered for a second. "Ah...I know...even though she isn't going to be around anymore, Pete could STILL be distracted by her...so...MUAHAHAHAHA" He suddenly burst out in evil laughter.
Then that afternoon, when the band met again, he pulled Pete aside from the class. "Pete...you've been playing very well."
"Uh, thanks." He said holding his trumpet.
"How are things going with you and that girl of yours...Jeanette is it?"
"Oh, um. Things are good...why?"
"Well, I've noticed how you've messed up every once in a while when she was hanging around here those few days. And a boy with your talent can't afford to mess up. She has distracted you from your work...your concentration." He shot a mad glance at Pete, who was stiff as a tree. "And you DO like your position in first chair, don't you?"
"Yes, Mr. Mifado."
"If you fancy to keep it, I advise you to break up with her...only more bad can happen. You could forget your memorized pieces...she's not musical. She doesn't understand."
"She plays the piano..."
"That's orchestra, Boy! This is band...this is different. You need discipline. Now mark my words...you DON'T want to be performing in front of a huge audience and mess up, JUST BECAUSE OF HER! Think about it...either break up with her or you won't be first chair..."
Pete gawked. He didn't know what to do. So on the way back to his house, he could think of nothing but what to do. Being first chair in jazz band was his dream. But Jeanette was everything he ever dreamed of.
On the other hand, he couldn't afford to give up the good position. And girls come and go, right? He figured Jeanette would understand...and he would have to live with it no matter how much it hurt.
So for the next few days he didn't treat her the same. In the halls, when she said "Hi" he would say "hi" and didn't bother to kiss her or anything. In lunch, he didn't sit with her. But when he did, he didn't shower her with the sweetness he had done before. He figured it was an easy way to let her go. Little did he know it was tearing up Jeanette.
"Maybe it's just a phase..." all her friends said. "Guys aren't machines" Emmanuel said. Emmanuel was hers and Pete's friend...he was like the "wise- man". "Just give him time...I mean...he can't show love and affection ALL the time."
How wrong he was...if he couldn't do such a task, why had he been doing so for so long?
So the day came when Jeanette had to confront him.
"Pete...has something been bothering you lately? I mean, you seem kind of out of it. I just want you to know I love you." She said in the hallway next to him.
"I love you too...but as a close friend." He bit his lip.
"What?!"
"Well, see..Mr.Mifado thinks you've been a distraction. And I can't have any distractions while I'm in first chair. And you see, he thinks girlfriends who aren't in the music thing are distractions. So I can't be with you."
Jeanette's jaw dropped. "Oh..."
"Are you mad?"
"No, why should I be mad?" When I'm already torn up inside, she thought.
"Cool," he kissed her cheek and walked away.
Jeanette leaned against the lockers and covered her face with her books. "I'm so foolish. I knew he was too good to be true," she said softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Just then, Emmanuel came over and heard Jeanette sniffing. "Jeanette? What's wrong?"
Jeanette kept her book covering her face. "He broke up with me," sob. "he said that Mr. Mifado thinks I'm a distraction - and - and..." sob "HE CHOSE FIRST CHAIR OVER ME!" She began crying uncontrollably. "For all this time, I thought he loved me. But it was all a lie."
Emmanuel took the book away the book from her face and saw her red eyes. "Don't worry," he said. "If Pete has any common sense in him, he'll take you back. Trust me."
Jeanette smiled and breathed heavily. "Th-thanks."
Then the next edition of their newspaper came out. Mr. Mifado quickly snatched one from the stand and looked for the article about band. He was waiting for it all to be about him... "the greatest band director ever...having the best judgment in people.." but his jaw dropped when he saw that he was only mentioned once in the article Jeanette wrote and most of the piece was about Pete Marks. Suddenly steam trailed out of his bald head. "damn it!" He cursed.
Angrily, he stormed into the newspaper room and shouted at Mrs. Vertelli (the advisor of the paper). "What kind of crap is this?" He shouted, throwing the paper down on her desk.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"THIS!" He pointed. "See...there's practically NOTHING about ME! Only things about this person. I advise you get this girl punished! This is CRAP!"
"No it is NOT! She is our finest writer! This is FINE WORK. It's too bad if you have a problem with it. NOW LEAVE!" She pointed out the door.
"Hmm..." He thought aloud, scratching his beard. (it was strange he had no hair on his head, but so much on his chin) "She has to pay. But how?" He pondered for a second. "Ah...I know...even though she isn't going to be around anymore, Pete could STILL be distracted by her...so...MUAHAHAHAHA" He suddenly burst out in evil laughter.
Then that afternoon, when the band met again, he pulled Pete aside from the class. "Pete...you've been playing very well."
"Uh, thanks." He said holding his trumpet.
"How are things going with you and that girl of yours...Jeanette is it?"
"Oh, um. Things are good...why?"
"Well, I've noticed how you've messed up every once in a while when she was hanging around here those few days. And a boy with your talent can't afford to mess up. She has distracted you from your work...your concentration." He shot a mad glance at Pete, who was stiff as a tree. "And you DO like your position in first chair, don't you?"
"Yes, Mr. Mifado."
"If you fancy to keep it, I advise you to break up with her...only more bad can happen. You could forget your memorized pieces...she's not musical. She doesn't understand."
"She plays the piano..."
"That's orchestra, Boy! This is band...this is different. You need discipline. Now mark my words...you DON'T want to be performing in front of a huge audience and mess up, JUST BECAUSE OF HER! Think about it...either break up with her or you won't be first chair..."
Pete gawked. He didn't know what to do. So on the way back to his house, he could think of nothing but what to do. Being first chair in jazz band was his dream. But Jeanette was everything he ever dreamed of.
On the other hand, he couldn't afford to give up the good position. And girls come and go, right? He figured Jeanette would understand...and he would have to live with it no matter how much it hurt.
So for the next few days he didn't treat her the same. In the halls, when she said "Hi" he would say "hi" and didn't bother to kiss her or anything. In lunch, he didn't sit with her. But when he did, he didn't shower her with the sweetness he had done before. He figured it was an easy way to let her go. Little did he know it was tearing up Jeanette.
"Maybe it's just a phase..." all her friends said. "Guys aren't machines" Emmanuel said. Emmanuel was hers and Pete's friend...he was like the "wise- man". "Just give him time...I mean...he can't show love and affection ALL the time."
How wrong he was...if he couldn't do such a task, why had he been doing so for so long?
So the day came when Jeanette had to confront him.
"Pete...has something been bothering you lately? I mean, you seem kind of out of it. I just want you to know I love you." She said in the hallway next to him.
"I love you too...but as a close friend." He bit his lip.
"What?!"
"Well, see..Mr.Mifado thinks you've been a distraction. And I can't have any distractions while I'm in first chair. And you see, he thinks girlfriends who aren't in the music thing are distractions. So I can't be with you."
Jeanette's jaw dropped. "Oh..."
"Are you mad?"
"No, why should I be mad?" When I'm already torn up inside, she thought.
"Cool," he kissed her cheek and walked away.
Jeanette leaned against the lockers and covered her face with her books. "I'm so foolish. I knew he was too good to be true," she said softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Just then, Emmanuel came over and heard Jeanette sniffing. "Jeanette? What's wrong?"
Jeanette kept her book covering her face. "He broke up with me," sob. "he said that Mr. Mifado thinks I'm a distraction - and - and..." sob "HE CHOSE FIRST CHAIR OVER ME!" She began crying uncontrollably. "For all this time, I thought he loved me. But it was all a lie."
Emmanuel took the book away the book from her face and saw her red eyes. "Don't worry," he said. "If Pete has any common sense in him, he'll take you back. Trust me."
Jeanette smiled and breathed heavily. "Th-thanks."
