The silence in the room was nauseating. Officer Frie must have
understood how important Cara was to all of us because he let the silences
live for at least a minute. Finally his walkie-talkie made a gurgling
sound on his belt; he picked it up, listened, whispered something, and then
turned to us. "The life flight just landed. If you want to, you have
permission to go outside in the parking lot to watch them take her away to
the hospital."
Before he could say another word the entire band had jumped up and raced out the door, out of the school, and into the parking lot. The helicopter was sitting as close to the accident as possible. Its huge blades were swinging around frantically. I was shocked when I saw what the accident looked like. The two mangled cars were strewn across the streets; some glass here, some metal there. Then I saw her. The paramedics had Cara on a stretcher and were rushing her to the life flight. It was the most gruesome thing I'd ever seen. Our little Cara was not moving at all. She had blood all over herself and a black eye it looked like.
The entire band huddled together as though to protect ourselves from the pain that was drowning us.
"This is all a bad dream," I heard a Bandie mumble. "Tomorrow we're all going to wake up and find out it's Friday morning. This just can't be real."
But it was real. It was really Friday evening, Officer Frie really had told us what had happened, it really had happened to Cara. Now we all really had to accept it.
The helicopter flew away, out over the tree tops and far away. Finally, Mr. Andrews turned to us and spoke up, "Come on, guys. Let's go inside and get ready for the game."
I looked around at my fellow Bandies as we slowly made our way back inside the school. I had been a Bandie for three whole years, and was halfway finished with my fourth. I could tell none of us wanted to go inside and get ready for the game. We all wanted to sit around and mope. Bandies mope very well. I know that much.
The band room was very quiet as we slid into our uniforms. No one went to the Commons to change, as many usually do. When the girls were changing into their under-uniform clothes in the bathroom, no one talked. No one talked throughout the entire ordeal. It was like, although it had been Cara who had been in the accident, we were the ones in shock.
Before he could say another word the entire band had jumped up and raced out the door, out of the school, and into the parking lot. The helicopter was sitting as close to the accident as possible. Its huge blades were swinging around frantically. I was shocked when I saw what the accident looked like. The two mangled cars were strewn across the streets; some glass here, some metal there. Then I saw her. The paramedics had Cara on a stretcher and were rushing her to the life flight. It was the most gruesome thing I'd ever seen. Our little Cara was not moving at all. She had blood all over herself and a black eye it looked like.
The entire band huddled together as though to protect ourselves from the pain that was drowning us.
"This is all a bad dream," I heard a Bandie mumble. "Tomorrow we're all going to wake up and find out it's Friday morning. This just can't be real."
But it was real. It was really Friday evening, Officer Frie really had told us what had happened, it really had happened to Cara. Now we all really had to accept it.
The helicopter flew away, out over the tree tops and far away. Finally, Mr. Andrews turned to us and spoke up, "Come on, guys. Let's go inside and get ready for the game."
I looked around at my fellow Bandies as we slowly made our way back inside the school. I had been a Bandie for three whole years, and was halfway finished with my fourth. I could tell none of us wanted to go inside and get ready for the game. We all wanted to sit around and mope. Bandies mope very well. I know that much.
The band room was very quiet as we slid into our uniforms. No one went to the Commons to change, as many usually do. When the girls were changing into their under-uniform clothes in the bathroom, no one talked. No one talked throughout the entire ordeal. It was like, although it had been Cara who had been in the accident, we were the ones in shock.