Stuck on Replay

Chapter 7

@cjdearden and @cindyluwhowho will recognize this as it is based on what happened last year at school. 

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November 5th.

As usual, Harmony had left a note in all of our lockers, but this time, she told us to come down to the band room. She claimed she had some shocking news, but not as shocking as what happened when we reached the band room.

Band Practice today, but go to the band room, I have some news I need to tell you all.

-Harmony

Harmony had arrived minutes earlier, and she was sitting in front of the door, crying. Her knees were curled up to her chest, and her head was down. Her golden hair was in her face, and tears streamed down her face like a rushing river stream.

"What's wrong?" I asked, as we walked down the hall. Well, more like, ran down the hall. As we neared, we saw Harmony. I knelt down next to Harmony and hugged her tightly. She let me. Tears still rushed down her face, and she was now at the point where you gasp a bit but you can't stop crying no matter how hard you try.

"Guys, look at this." Kate sighed. She ripped a paper sign off the door. As we gathered around it, we could see why Harmony was sobbing very hard.

This room will be renovated as of November 5th.

It will permanently become a classroom. If there are any complaints

please take them to the office, not Mr. Klein.

"What?" I asked. James' fists clenched. Michael gasped. Kate shook her head.

"They can't do that!" James exclaimed, fuming over the sign.

"So you found the sign." Mr. Klein walked up to us. "I knew it would happen."

"They're just going to toss out the music program?" Kate said shakily, and we all could see tears rising in her eyes.

"I'm afraid so." Mr. Klein said quietly. "No budget. Not many students." He shook his head. "You're welcome to express your opinion at the meeting in February, when they start talking about it. The school hasn't announced it officially yet, but I'm afraid we only have a few months or so before they start tearing the room apart, piece by piece."

We all looked at the sign again. Kate burst into tears, and I brushed my hair in front of my face so that no one could see that I was about to cry.

"Who decided that?" James asked angrily.

"The administration. Seems like the arts programs are wiping out one class, one school at a time." Klein grabbed the keys out of his pocket. "Would you like to practice?"

"We should go home. Think about it, brainstorm on how we can help." Michael suggested. Harmony nodded and stood up.

"Thanks Mr. Klein." Kate muttered quietly.

We muttered out good-byes, then walked down the hallway, our heads hung low in a melancholy fashion.

We walked out of school and down the road to Harmony's house, where we sat in silence in the basement.

"Why does this stupid room matter so much to us?" Michael asked, breaking the long silence that had suspended us into our thoughts.

"It's our home, the place where we had our origin story. And now it's going to be demolished." Kate shook her head. "It won't feel right if it's gone."

As much as we all hated to admit it, she was right. It was our home, and it was where the first memories of the band was.

As my curiosity took over me, I sighed. "Harmony... You said you had news. What is it?" I asked.

"Oh. It's not any news." She shrugged. "Not as big as this. It doesn't matter now."

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A week later, during band practice, I asked Harmony what her news was last week.

"Oh man," She replied, "with all the sadness of the loss of the music room I forgot that I had some really cool news."

"Well, tell us!" Kate demanded.

"Okay, well, my cousin, he works at "Under 21", you know, that teenage hotspot a few blocks away?"

"Yeah, I've heard of that place before." I shrugged. "What's the big deal about it?"

"What's the big deal? That place is like where all the popular and rich kids hang out, what do you think the big deal is?" James replied.

"Sorry, I'm not popular, I don't know these things!" I protested. "You could ask me what was on T.V. last night on Channel 7 and I wouldn't know what the rest of the grade knows about that T.V. show!"

"Anyways...." Harmony continued, rolling her eyes,"My cousin booked us a gig to play every Friday Night. Weekly. And we'd get paid for doing what we love: Making music."

"Awesome!" James exclaimed.

"We're supposed to start on the first week of December. Sound good?" Harmony smiled.

We all replied with cheers. Yelling was one of the ways we expressed our excitement.

"We're gonna become an official band! AWESOME!" Michael yelled.

I started laughing. "We're already a band. We've been a band for a month by now."

"But now it's official." Michael pointed out with a charismatic grin that set everyone laughing until it hurt.

"You guys!" Kate yelled, and we all stopped laughing and stared at her.

"What?" Harmony asked.

"We forgot about the compromise with Melody, remember?" Kate shook her head.

"Wait... what compromise?" Michael asked. Harmony rolled her eyes, and Kate slapped her palm on her forehead.

"The compromise I made when I joined the group." I said, standing up. "If the first gig doesn't go well, I'm out. Simple as that."

The room had turned dead silent. Michael looked around. "Whoa.... Is it just me or did it get ten degrees cooler in here?"

"MICHAEL!" Everyone yelled.

He put up his hands in mock surrender. "What?"

"Well... That just means that we'll have to practice hard. The first gig will go well, I promise." Harmony stood up and hugged me. "Time for practice?"

We ran to the other side of the basement and set up.

"1, 2, 1, 2, 3!" Michael shouted, and we launched into the song.

We got a gig to prepare for.