When I walk into the band room I saw TJ. My wish of never seeing this guy again is not going to happen. Instead of waving like the last time he walk up to me.

"Are you stalking me?" He asked with a grin on his face.

"No, but you're bothering me." I said as I took out my flute.

"Oww...burn!" A guy said coming out of nowhere and elbowed TJ. "Hi, I'm Kory." he held out his hand.

"Baily." I shook his hand with my free one.

"OK class grab a seat and lets get started." Mr. Pennigton said. TJ walked to the percussion section and Kory went and sat next to some guy who had a tenor sax. Kory played the berrie.

I walk to the second row where the rest of the flutes sat. The string instruments occupied the front row. Then the wood winds had the second, brass had the third and percussion stood in the back. The four basic groups of music. On the walls were banners and posters. There were also some plaques and fabrics saying they were band of the year or something of the other.

"Ah, you must be Bailey." Mr. Pennigton walked up to me. "Here is your sheet music." he handed me several selected sections of music. "I hope it's not to hard for you. We just got this music a couple days ago so don't expect to hear anything that sounds professional."

"I wont. Nothing does at first." I laughed.

"All right today is pick your beat day. And for those of you who don't know what that means or forgot, it means I will call some ones name and they will improvise. For those of you who have not been paying any attention whatsoever this you that means you just play something that you think goes together. After I call some ones name and they start playing I will call on another person. Then both of them will improvise together. Yes I said together. I will keep calling peoples name until I get bored of it." I had a feeling I was going to like Mr. Pennigton. "TJ give me a beat."

Tj started playing an awesome beat on the drums. I wanted to join in so bad I almost did. But then Mr. Pennigton called Kory's name. When Kory entered and started playing along with TJ they fit together so good. Kory played a bad note and I flinched. Mr. Pennigton noticed and called my name. I took it as a challenge. I put my flute to my lips and when I started to play it was like a race between all three of us. TJ picked up the beat and made it a bit complicated. He was testing Kory and I. Kory moved faster making it harder for me. Fine, you want to make it harder I'll help. I thought to myself. I played harder and made it a game. Then it was like we where having an arguments between our instruments. It sounded fierce, angry, but together. Then I changed it on them and played like a little girl petting a fuzzy bunny. Sweet, childish and innocent. Mr. Pennigton laughed. Kory changed to mach me and TJ stopped and walked over to the bells. Know it sounded perfect again.

Mr. Pennigton couldn't stop laughing at what I had done so he cut us off. "All right, all right that's enough. I thought you guys would stop any second and start to fight for real. Then when Baily changed it, it was all I could do but laugh. Bailey how do you play like that. When I looked into your eyes I could see the emotion and music dancing in you. That's rare. Nobody really plays like that any more. But you, your so..." he trailed off.

"Different?" I offered.

"Not what I was looking for but it will work. For now. Anyway you have proven you can play and improvise, but can you sight read?" he asked.

"Give me a seconds and I can prove to you that I can."

"Your on. I'll give you...hmm...a minute to prove to me that you can sight read."

"OK" I looked at the first piece of music in front of me. Wow this is easy. I thought to myself. I smiled and started to play.

It was a beautiful piece but to easy. When I was done everyone clapped.

"Show off!" TJ shouted from the back.

"TJ showing off and playing are two different things. If I wanted to show off I'd do this," I said as a played something so complicated and made it look easy to do. "That's showing off. If I wanted to play I would. But when you play you make it so you can play and not make yourself look like a complete idiot."

"All right you two that's enough." Mr. Pennigton said as a girl walked in and took a seat next to another flute player. She took out her flute. "Ah Alexis so nice of you to join us. Bailey this is Alexis who is first chair."

"Hi Alexis."

"Hey," she said to me like I didn't mean anything and I was just another flute player and she was better. But for all I know she could be.

"Alexis I think you're going to have competition holding on to that chair your sitting in." Mr. Pennigton told her.

She looked at me and said " I hardly doubt that." Wow, was she a bitch or what?

"Ooh" the class said together.

"Mr. P, you should have them battle like Kory, Bailey and I did. Dude that would be awesome!" TJ advised. God was he a pain. But I like the idea of battling with Alexis. She was wearing a pink shorts leave shirt and tight light blue shots with pink flip flops. Some one who probably got spoiled rotten by her mommy and daddy. Uh that disgusted me.

"That's fine with me. What about you Alexis you up for it?" I asked all sweet. I was anything but that for sure.

"Sure, there's no point to it though. I'll just win." What a bitch!

"Why don't you wait to make your conclusion after we're done. That is if Mr. P will let us battle. Can we?" I asked him.

"Sure why not."

"Under one condition, winner gets first chair. Sound fair?" I ask.

"Fine. That OK with you Mr. P?"

"Perfectly fine. Just don't kill each other. TJ give them a beat."

TJ started with a soft beat. Then Alexis joined in. She was good. I was better. When I joined in it was great. I made it sound like she was better. Then when TJ noticed this he raced into as harder, faster beat. He got the hint. I played like I did trying to beat Kory at his tune. Alexis caught up. She played several bad notes. I saw Mr. Pennigton flinch. She dropped lower than me. I kicked the beat up a little (OK a lot). It was a race between her and I. TJ gave up trying to stay with me and threw his sticks in the air. I did a few more measures of the fast beat I was holding together and suddenly changed it to a slow pace. I was leading this battle whether she liked it or not. Then I played a few long notes and stopped with a crescendo and triplet. I was better and now she had to admit it. And give up her chair.

"All right you good. Better. You deserve this chair more than me. But be warned I'll get my payback." she said and the bell rang.

Class is over already? I was just getting started. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

"All right tomorrow we pick up with our music and hopefully wont have any more battles. See you all tomorrow." Mr. P said and walked into his office.