The boys apologized, saying they lost track of time. Nicole looked at the boys and said, "This is your first warning, there won't be another," obviously loud enough for us all to hear. "Give me ten and then fall in line."
"Yes sir," yelled the red faced, panting boys, practically on the ground already doing push-ups. Wow, so this is marching band. The boys rubbed their hands clean on their pants and then turned and ran to the back of the crowd. We were all relaxed, standing comfortably. Those boys however, stood at stand-by for the rest of the meeting.
After this little performance Stevens began again. Next order of business: band buddies. Every freshman would be assigned to a junior or senior as their "band buddy." This person would answer your questions, help you find your way around camp, they'd even eat meals with you, if you so desired. They were basically your new best friend.
"LEXI DONNER," Nathan yelled.
"Here… sir!" Do I always have to call him sir?
"Jo Liu, she's all yours."
Oh good! At least I knew her! And it wasn't a boy! And thank God it wasn't one of the creepy male drum majors, I felt sorry for their band buddies.
After all the band buddies were assigned Stevens started down his warning list. Cake yourself in sunscreen. Don't wander off. Drink lots of water. And don't lock your knees. What? Don't lock me knees? Why no—
"BAND! TEN HUT!" The command roared out from Nicole this time.
"Hut?"
"Well that was pathetic," Nathan mocked us. "Come on, this is the first impression your audience will have of you. I want to hear you scream! BAND! TEN HUT!"
"HUT!"
"Dinner starts in 15 minutes," Stevens stated. "According to my watch it is 11:45. If I were you I'd get there early." A long pause followed, with not a single person moving. "Dismissed!"
At that sound ever shoulder and chin on the field dropped. We all stumbled to find our band buddies. Jo and I knew each other, which made it easier. This was the first time I really got to get to knew Jo. She was my section leader, but she was so shy, quiet and withdrawn. Except when she was with Nicole. She seemed to loosen up around her.
Jo and I hurried over to the cafeteria. Jo was slender and a few inches shorter than me. She had long black hair, which she wore in a pony tail. Her eyes were brown, and she had a cute little button nose. Jo was oriental. Actually she was born in China. Pretty cool, huh? She seemed awesome to me.
Jo asked me how I liked band so far. I told her all the drilling made me nervous, I was always afraid of messing up, and it wasn't at all what I had expected. I mean, marching band was always thought of as those dorky kids with the taped up glasses, who wear goofy uniforms that never actually fit, with a funny looking hat and a plume on top. This marching band seemed hard, it took a lot of concentration and team effort. I told her it was new, but for some reason I enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the people, and being able to be myself around them. Jo told me I'd get used to all of the "yes sir"-ing and the "huts!" She explained there would be a lot more to learn as the camp wore on. She told me not to be scared of the drum majors. They were here to help, even if they did it in a very disciplinary fashion. Jo warned me not to cross them, or back talk. Just do exactly as told and I'd do fine.
Wow, here's a girl I hardly met a week ago, who is talking to me like she's known me for months. She could have spent this time with her close friends from last year, instead she took time to tell me how to survive the horrors of marching band. Jo had a good sense of humor, and she seemed to think I was cool too. I took an immediate liking to her. I had an ally! My new band buddy and I trotted off to the cafeteria talking and laughing the whole way there.
The cafeteria looked a lot like the cabins, except it had been painted red. The entire campus was wood, but very well built. It was an old camp, you could tell by the appearance of the beds, and the weather worn paint coat on the cafeteria. The trees in the camp were very tall and bushy, and had obviously been there for quite some time. Pine cones and needles littered the ground, even in the cabins. Everywhere we walked we made little crunching noises. Little concrete pathways had been cleared, serving as a walkway from the cabins to the cafeteria, and the cafeteria to the gym. The gym also had a rustic look, topped off by the battered basket balls hoops the christened either side of the court. The stands on the sidelines were wood and very well kept.
Jo and I got in line at the cafeteria. Meals were served buffet style. Everyone picked up a tray and moved down the line, collecting the food they desired. Jo and I gathered our meals and headed for a table of girls.
The topic at our end of the long table was the color guard skit. If you have ever been to a football game, you've probably at least noticed the band. Did you ever notice the girls who are separate from the band, who twirl and toss flags and batons? That's the color guard. Some people say the band showcases the color guard. The color guard says they showcase the band. The color guard girls are very spunky and very full of energy. Their section leader is known as the captain of the guard. The girls were working on an awesome dance routine to perform on skit night.
As they talked I noticed a familiar face sitting a ways down the table. It was Sidney. I had known Sidney since sixth grade. We had always been friends through mutual friends, but I don't think we'd ever had a conversation outside of lunch hour at school. Sidney was a skinny little brunette, with green eyes and a huge smile. She always wore her hair in a messy bun, and wore thick obnoxious shoes. The reason I was so surprised to see Sid was that she had never been in band. In fact, she was a choir girl. Oh, Sidney's sister was the instructor for the color guard. Oh, ok, she's just on guard, that makes sense.
Sid and I said hello and expressed our surprise to see each other.
"Well, what do you think so far?" Sidney asked, twirling her hair around a finger, and taking a bite of her salad.
"It's not what I had expected, but it seems cool. Did you see those guys who showed up late?"
"Yeah. Pretty harsh. It gets worse though. My sis warned me. Don't swear! They make you do push-ups for that too!" Well there's a warning I should listen too.
After lunch we had about an hour to go back to the cabins and get ready. We followed the little path, and one of the girls commented on how the boys' bunks were in the cabin right next to ours. That ought to be interesting. In the cabins the girls rolled out their sleeping bags and gathered a stash of candy everyone had brought as a food source. Alright! I don't have to eat too much camp food!
The girls also started to lather on sunscreen. I hadn't brought any with me. I thought I would be fine; I never burn, besides it was cloudy outside! Nicole offered me her sunscreen, telling me I really would want it, but scared of imposing on the drum major, I politely refused. Everyone in the room looked at me like I was insane. Oops!
"What? I don't burn!"
In a few minutes we were on our way to the field. We got there about 15 minutes early with a stop at the cafeteria to fill up our water bottles. I noticed once we got to the field, that the drum majors were all wearing whistles around their necks and white leather gloves. Shoot, were we all supposed to have gloves? As I knelt on the ground sloppily assembling my clarinet, I watched the three drum majors discussing business. Gees that made me nervous! As they talked they pointed to each other and then a random place on the field. Huh, strange.