Mr. Fisher stood at the front of the band room on his director's platform, waving his arms in the air like a madman at the entire band. Piper, per the usual, was standing to the right of Mr. Fisher, a smirk on her face and her right eyebrow cocked up.

"Do you think this is all a joke?" he yelled. "We've got a game at the end of the week! Have you people all forgotten?"

Piper rolled her eyes and whispered towards her section, "God forbid we actually were left alone long enough to forget." Her section laughed, but the others didn't dare for the fear of their leaders attacking them; Isabelle's flute section was the most fearful, for even though the girl looked sweet and innocent, she definitely wasn't.

Mr. Fisher looked at the clarinets, "Apparently, this is where it has all started. Where's Pipper?"

Silence. Followed by silence. Followed by Piper air-slapping the back of Mr. Fisher's head for mispronouncing her name yet again. Followed by even more girlish clarinet giggles- it was the only all-girl section, there was even a male flute player.

Mr. Fisher took a few minutes of the laughter before he spun around and saw Piper, "PIPPER!"

"How would you like it if I called you something that wasn't even your actual name all the time?" she replied sweetly, trying to get her teacher to turn back around so she could continue her mocking.

"Piper," he shook his head and ran his hand through his very short hair. "God, what am I going to do with you?"

"That's the ever-asked question." Piper knew that while Mr. Fisher acted as if he despised her, he probably wouldn't know what to do without her. She was his leading senior, and she'd been leading her section and all the others since her sophomore year, even though the drum major and the other section leaders yelled at her. Mr. Fisher would do anything to keep his precious Piper out of trouble, which was something he often had to do; she was smart and clever, but she often used her great wit and sarcasm against her teachers when they irritated her, landing her in the principal's office almost once a week.

Mr. Fisher turned back to the class, checked his watch, and threw his arms up dejectedly, "Oh, forget it. Class dismissed."

Piper grinned, and ran over to Audrey. She stood waiting for her friend to pack up so they could leave for home. "Piper, I sometimes wonder if Mr. Fisher is ever going to actually yell at you," Audrey mused.

"He yells at me all the time," Piper said. Audrey tilted her head to the side, and Piper cracked a smile. "I just never get in trouble."

"Oh, honestly."

-----

"You are so not cooler than we are," Amberly said stubbornly into Piper's cell phone to Jack and the other boys. His sister, seated behind Amberly on Piper's bed, let out a yell of agreement.

"Are too," her egotistical boyfriend replied, just as inflexible as she. "We're so much cooler. So cool that we're best friends with polar bears."

"We're so cool that we march with penguins," Piper said wittily- making a double joke on marching band and the movie March of the Penguins- earning a chuckle from her boyfriend on the other line. She also heard Jack hitting him for it.

"We're so cool that we're the penguins' section leaders," Michael offered.

"Michael!" Audrey cried out. "Don't get yourself caught into this."

"Oh, Audrey, now you have to come up with one!"

"I don't think so."

"Come on, Audrey! It's fun!" Piper pushed her friend slightly.

Audrey shook her head and her hair hit Isabelle in the face. "Ew, Audrey. Your hair smells like raspberries, but it sure as hell doesn't taste like one."

"Isabelle, you're trying to distract her. Stop it, she has to come up with one."

"Did you guys forget we were here or something?" Jack asked.

"Kind of," Amberly replied, "But hush, we're having a girl-to-girl argument."

"You're on the freaking phone with us, how are you having an argument that isn't with us?" James yelled.

"James, you could have said that in a quiet voice and we'd still have heard you."

"Shut up, Piper."

"Omigod, you guys are trying to distract me from getting Audrey to come up with a 'we're so cool-' remark!" Piper realized suddenly, jumping up from the bed. "Audrey, now, come on!"

"Piper."

"It's your turn, Audrey. You have to make one up. I've done it, Jack and Michael have done it."

"Then make Isabelle or Amberly do it, or your boyfriend!"

"Audrey."

Audrey sighed deeply, exasperated with Piper as usual. She was in no mood to argue with her. "We're so cool, ice cubes are jealous." Piper smiled, pleased, and Amberly and Isabelle laughed. Michael was laughing on the other end, but Jack was quick to hush him. As usual, always the competitor.