A Musical Mayhem

3 - Arielle

Gosh, Breanne was so cool. She was so calm, collected, and smart. Not to mention crazy-good at piano. I also loved her beanie and pink of blue streak of hair. She had a cool style.

We had just finished talking about the Eiffel Tower Music Festival Summer Camp Program. I was super excited about it, and I couldn't stop thinking about it as I made my way to the cafeteria lineup. There was a pretty low possibility of me getting accepted, but I had to try anyway.

I had long dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, and I had a pale complexion. I was pretty tall and had a fairly athletic build, because I played quite a few sports with my friends. I usually wore my hair in either a messy bun or loose beach waves, and I loved dancing besides playing the flute.

I loved art and classical music, and I liked to wear multiple simple rings whenever I could. I was pretty well liked by everyone, especially because of my optimistic and thoughtful personality. People I knew well usually called me Ari, although most people said they liked my real name because it was "pretty". Up until seventh grade, I had liked "pretty" and shimmery stuff, but my style had changed when I started attending Seaside Heights. I had become way more cool and calm, and I started wearing darker and looser colors.

I knew Breanne from the school band, where we played flute together. We weren't very close, but if we both got accepted into the summer camp program, we would have a chance to get to know each other better. From what I knew, Breanne was pretty reserved and didn't really like socializing, so it had always felt kind of weird to just suddenly go up to her and start a conversation. But I was glad this program would maybe give us both an opportunity to become friends.

"Hey, Arielle!" I turned and saw Yvonne hurrying across the cafeteria to reach me in the lineup. "Can I budge here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, for the hundredth time," I said. "And you know I don't like it when you call me Arielle."

You see, my friends sometimes called me Arielle and accented the "Ari" instead of the "elle", like how it should sound. When someone put emphasis on the "Ari", it sounded like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. But it was supposed to be Arielle for me. Like Darienne or Brielle.

"Whatever you say," Yvonne said, cheekily rolling her eyes. "What are you getting for lunch?"

"Probably the poutine," I replied. "You?"

"Same," Yvonne grinned. "With apple juice."

"Hey, did you hear about the Eiffel Tower Music Festival Summer Camp Program?" I asked, lighting up.

Yvonne blinked at me. "Woah, that's a mouthful. Yeah, I did hear about it, but I don't even play a musical instrument. While I was reading the flyer, I couldn't help thinking, Wow, this would be great for flutist Arielle."

I rolled my eyes again. "Thanks for the support, Yvonne. Now, um, would you mind stepping up in the line? I think it's already your turn to get lunch."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had just asked my mom about the Eiffel Tower Music Festival Summer Camp Program, and she had just said that she and Dad could find a way to make it work if I earned a spot in the program, which I was really happy about.

"Hey, Arielle! It's Bree. Have you told your parents about the summer camp yet?" A text had come from Breanne on Instagram, and I picked up my phone to reply. Wow, she was even cooler when her nickname was Bree. It suited her.

"Hey, Bree! Yeah, I just asked my mom about it. She said she would make it work if I earned a spot in the program, so I'm really excited." I texted back.

"Oh gosh, my mom said almost the exact same thing! I hope we both get in :)" Bree said.

"Yeah, me too." I replied.

"Well, I'll ttyl! I've gotta run for my tennis session," Bree said.

"Ttyl!"

I thought about all the different stuff I could do for the entire summer break if I got enrolled into the program. And not to mention that I would see and be able to perform in the real Eiffel Tower! Besides, Paris was the most romantic city in the world. The whole atmosphere and vibe would be totally different from the one here in California.

I went back downstairs to practice flute. I loved the sound of flute when my practicing was going well, but it sounded pretty horrible on my bad days. I hoped today was one of the good ones.

Which pieces was I going to audition with? The video submission required three contrasting pieces and a three-octave C major scale for flute, so I was going to have to pick my pieces soon to prepare for the auditions.

After some thinking, I decided I was going to audition with Carmen Fantasy by Georges Bizet, Concertino in D major by C. Chaminade, and Caprices by A. Stamitz. Carmen Fantasy was probably the hardest piece of the three, so I got to work on that first. It hadn't been long since I had first learned it, so I really needed to step up my game if I wanted to earn a spot in the program.

I wondered who else was auditioning. Nobody around seemed that excited about auditioning, probably because they thought the competition to get accepted was too fierce. But I had heard about a guy in my grade named Claude, although I had forgotten which instrument he played. I was pretty sure it was a string instrument - violin? Contra bass? - and it would be nice to talk to someone who had a possibility of auditioning for the program. I would have to ask Bree about it at school tomorrow.