The Drum Off

~Jordan 1:15pm

"Umm, Kelcey," Jordan said walking over to Kelcey. "Did you look at this soli part?" He handed her a copy of the music.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kelcey asked slowly taking it from him.

"Well, we were just wondering who you wanted on each part."

"Oh, right. Which part do you want to play?"

"Whichever you put me on. I don't care."

"Okay, why don't you and Shawn take the top with me and Ben, Ann and Erik can play bottom, and we'll see how that goes for today."

"Okay, that's great." Jordan smiled and walked back to his snare thinking it wasn't as hard as he thought it was going to be.

~Nick 1:30pm

"Okay," Tyler yelled to get everyone's attention. No one payed attention. He blew his whistle and Nick covered his ears. "B-flat concert scale." He counted off and Nick tried to get his ear to stop ringing.

He looked around the band room and his gaze fell on Kelcey. She had the most intent look on her face and she was only doing a simple quarter note warm-up. He started to wonder if he looked that serious when he was playing. He would have to remember to ask Kelcey later.

When it was finally Nick's turn to conduct he was nervous. No one knew that the song he was conducting was one he wrote. It started with a drum feature and slowly built up by sections. The brass came in first then low woodwinds, then the snare duet part. Then everyone was in then it faded to the snare solo. And even the person who helped him write the song didn't know that he wrote the solo especially for Kelcey.

He made eye contact with Kelcey then counted off and hoped for the best. He kept looking around the room, not about to focus on Kelcey, he didn't want to throw her concentration off. When it came time for the snare solo he couldn't look away from her. The last note from the snare rang out and Kelcey looked up and Nick's eyes locked with hers. She smiled and he nodded. He knew that she would be amazing the first time.

~Kelcey 2:10pm

Kelcey played the last few notes of the solo and looked up at Nick almost expecting the song to keep going. When he put his hands down she wondered why the song ended with a snare solo. She smiled up at Nick, hoping he approved of her solo. He nodded and she hoped that that meant she did well. She knew she missed a few notes, but it was the first time she had ever seen the music. Nick finally turned away from Kelcey and she had the funniest feeling that Tiffany might have been right about Nick. At least she hoped she was because all of the sudden she felt differently about him.

All through the last song, which Tyler conducted, she kept thinking of why it took her so long to see that she did like Nick. She met him when she was a freshman, but he was just her friend, her snare partner. She never really even thought it could have been more than that until last year when Tiffany kept making up reasons Kelcey should like Nick.

At three, when rehearsals were finally over, Kelcey ran over to talk to Tiffany.

"Tiff, we have to talk!" Kelcey yelled trying to pull her away from her seat and out of the vision of the drum majors, but Tiffany wouldn't move. "Fine, I'll meet you in the band hall."

Kelcey practically skipped out of the band hall, but stopped herself before it actually happened. She sat down on one of the chairs in the band room hoping Nick wouldn't walk out. She wasn't ready to see him yet. She had to think things through. What if he didn't even feel the same way.

"That was an awesome solo," a voice said next to Kelcey. She looked up and saw a tall brown hair guy that she recognized from the saxophone section.

"Thanks. I'm Kelcey Jensen."

"Josh Walker. Can I sit here?" He pointed to a chair next to Kelcey.

"Sure. So is this your first year here?" It felt weird for her to have such a normal conversation when she was dying to tell someone she liked Nick.

"Yeah, but I'm a junior."

"Don't you play sax?"

"Yeah, but I'm not that good."

"That's what everyone says. Believe it or not, I'm not that good either." Kelcey smiled thinking about her first year and how much she had improved, especially with Nick helping her.

"Yeah right. Didn't you sight read that solo?"

"Yeah, but still. I'm not that good. Nick, the drum major. He's an amazing percussionist. You should hear him play sometime."

"I'm sure I will."

Just then Tiffany walked out of the band room.

"Hey, Josh. It was great to talk to you, but I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you later."

Kelcey got up and practically dragged Tiffany down the hall so they could talk.

~Josh 2:10pm

Josh turned back to see who was playing the amazing snare solo and for a minute he was in awe that it was a girl. After he got over the shock he knew he had to meet her.

After rehearsal he paced the band hall, hoping that she would come out and he could talk to her. He knew that she had to leave sometime. He just hoped that he wouldn't miss her. She finally came out and it took him a few seconds to get enough courage to say anything to her. When she said that he played sax he almost couldn't believe that she had already noticed him. As she walked away after talking to him he kept thinking that he had to talk to her again and get to know her better.

~Kelcey 3:15pm

"Who were you talking to?" Tiffany asked as Kelcey dragged her down the hall.

"Josh, something. That's not important. Guess what?"

"You finally realized that you like Nick." Kelcey's smile faded. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I don't know, but it happened after I played that snare solo. I don't know." Kelcey knew she wasn't making much sense, but she didn't care.

"You really like Nick?" Tiffany asked a little to loudly for Kelcey. She immediately put her hand over her friends mouth.

"Shh, not so loud."

"What? Don't you want him to know that you like him?"

"No." She uncovered Tiffany's mouth. "I mean not yet. I'm not even sure if he likes me back."

"Oh he does. Trust me." Tiffany smiled.

"You know something I don't know about Nick, don't you."

"Sorry. I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Oh fine. I'll get it out of you one way or another."

Kelcey said good-bye to Tiffany and actually skipped down the hall towards the band room. She turned the corner and saw some guys throwing an orange bouncy ball against a locker. She stop to watch then realized that one of the guys was Nick. He grabbed the ball and told someone to run down the hall. Then he jumped, turned around and threw the ball behind him. It bounced off the wall and only went about five feet. Nick shrugged and picked the ball up. When he stood up he notice Kelcey standing by the band room door.

"Hey Kel," Nick said. "Do you want to play?"

"No, I think I'll pass. Besides I need to practice."

"Okay, but you don't know what you're missing."

Kelcey just nodded slowly and went to get her snare.

She came back out of the band room with her snare at just the right time for the ball bounced off her snare and down the hall. Nick ran past her to get the ball. When he came back he told Kelcey to take a step away from the wall. Kelcey took a step away and look at Nick.

"Hold really still," Nick said looking down the hall.

"I'm going to die," Kelcey said softly.

Nick threw the ball and Kelcey saw it fly past her a few inches from her nose.

"One more time," Nick said when he got the ball back.

Kelcey stood still again and this time when Nick threw the ball it was about a foot away from her.

"That was better," Kelcey said starting to walk away.

"It was supposed to bounce over your head the first time."

"Right." Kelcey decided that she better get away while she still could. (A/N: This actually happened in my band hall and I couldn't leave it out. Only there was a lot more to it, and we actually ended up breaking a locker. Anyway back to the story.)

Kelcey wandered around trying to find a good place to practice. She finally went outside and found some shade. She propped her music up and concentrated on memorizing it. Twenty minutes later she had the first song memorized. She stood up and stretch and looked around. She saw someone walk out of the music building. It took her a few minutes to realize it was Nick. He had a snare and two pairs of sticks.

"Ready for a drum off?" he asked grinning.

"I thought you forgot. Since your drum major and everything."

"Me, forget? Never. Besides we've been doing this for two years now, haven't we?"

Kelcey stopped to think. She remember the first day of band camp when he walked over to her and asked her if she wanted to have a drum off. Kelcey was so surprised she wasn't sure what to say. Before she could say anything Nick had played a rhythm on his snare. Kelcey played it back then added to it. After about five turns back and forth Kelcey got confused. Nick told her that she was by far the best freshman he had ever met on snare. After that it was tradition for them to have a drum off after the first day of band camp was over.

"Hey," Nick said waving his sticks in front of Kelcey's face. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go. Just so you know you better get ready to lose. I practiced this summer."

Nick laughed then counted off four beats. He played a two measure rhythm then looked at Kelcey. She looked him in the eye, played his two measures then added two of her own. Half an hour later Nick gave up.

"You're right, you win." Nick threw his sticks down in defeat.

"Loser buys sodas, remember?" Kelcey said taking off her snare and sitting on the grass. Nick sat down next to her.

"I'll have to get you one tomorrow. I didn't bring any cash today."

"Yeah, whatever. You better not forget, you haven't ever let me."

"I won't, don't worry." Nick stretch and laid down on his back.

Twenty minutes later Nick stood up.

"Sorry to run off, but I've got to get home." He offered Kelcey his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. They grabbed their snares and headed towards the music building.