I'm With The Band
Chapter 1
This is not what I wanted. I'd rather be in the comfort of my computer light, writing stories and blogging, making summer plans that would never happen. Instead I'm in this crucial heat, sending telepathic messages to this girl, begging for her to let me go coward away into the shade where I could curl up in a ball and die.
Instead, I'm watching Elizabeth show me how the Rutherford High School Band marches. I thought I knew everything to marching, well I had been wrong, and now here I am at rookie camp, three days late, making a fool of myself in front of the rest of the rookies who were already much more knowledgeable than me.
"Did you hear me?!" Elizabeth yelled at me, her eyes and firm lips showed she wasn't pleased that I wasn't paying attention. I quickly nodded my head afraid of telling her I really hadn't heard her. "Okay, don't forget to make your movements poppy, and one last thing Haley, I know things are tough on you seeing as how this is your first day, but you have to pay attention or you're going to fail. So please, for me, pay attention to Ben."
I gave her a questionable look and asked,"Ben?" She kinda grinned and motioned her head to the right. I followed her motion to a rather tall and skinny teenager how was marching in his own row at the front of the band. I thought the boy was just a loner boy, but obviously he had some authority.
"That's Ben, the drum major this year," she explained with humor in her voice. I made an "Oh" facial expression and nodded my head. "Well let's go see your enthusiasm! Get out there and show them what you're made of!" Elizabeth, I found out, was the band captain, an overly peppy yet punk looking girl. She patted my back with slight force which caused me to lurch forward from where my feet were planted. I kept on walking until I joined the last line of the marchers. This is where the pain began.
After two excruciating hours of marching in the heat, we had our first water break. My shirt was matted with sweat and my breathing had a slight pant to it. My feet were sore and I hurried to my water bottle. I plopped myself down on the grass and sat by myself, it was middle school all over again. I thought going into high school and dropping 20 pounds would make a difference, but apparently it didn't, and I wasn't about to put myself in front of the group of other kids that were conversing to themselves, even if I did recognize a few of them from middle school.
So I sat there, surrounded by my own thoughts, scanning around the small crowd to learn the faces of everyone. All I needed to know now was their names.
One particular face caught me.
Instead, I'm watching Elizabeth show me how the Rutherford High School Band marches. I thought I knew everything to marching, well I had been wrong, and now here I am at rookie camp, three days late, making a fool of myself in front of the rest of the rookies who were already much more knowledgeable than me.
"Did you hear me?!" Elizabeth yelled at me, her eyes and firm lips showed she wasn't pleased that I wasn't paying attention. I quickly nodded my head afraid of telling her I really hadn't heard her. "Okay, don't forget to make your movements poppy, and one last thing Haley, I know things are tough on you seeing as how this is your first day, but you have to pay attention or you're going to fail. So please, for me, pay attention to Ben."
I gave her a questionable look and asked,"Ben?" She kinda grinned and motioned her head to the right. I followed her motion to a rather tall and skinny teenager how was marching in his own row at the front of the band. I thought the boy was just a loner boy, but obviously he had some authority.
"That's Ben, the drum major this year," she explained with humor in her voice. I made an "Oh" facial expression and nodded my head. "Well let's go see your enthusiasm! Get out there and show them what you're made of!" Elizabeth, I found out, was the band captain, an overly peppy yet punk looking girl. She patted my back with slight force which caused me to lurch forward from where my feet were planted. I kept on walking until I joined the last line of the marchers. This is where the pain began.
After two excruciating hours of marching in the heat, we had our first water break. My shirt was matted with sweat and my breathing had a slight pant to it. My feet were sore and I hurried to my water bottle. I plopped myself down on the grass and sat by myself, it was middle school all over again. I thought going into high school and dropping 20 pounds would make a difference, but apparently it didn't, and I wasn't about to put myself in front of the group of other kids that were conversing to themselves, even if I did recognize a few of them from middle school.
So I sat there, surrounded by my own thoughts, scanning around the small crowd to learn the faces of everyone. All I needed to know now was their names.
One particular face caught me.