Sonder • Book 2 In THe Reality Series

Sierra

"Sierra do you know where your stand partner is?"

Fiddling with the end of my braid I shook my head.

Sighing, Mr. Chance scratched his stubbly chin, his eyes wandering the room before landing on Luke.

"Luke buddy, do you know where your step sister is?"

Sensing every eye in the room on him, Luke balled his shoulders up near his ears and shook his head.

Looking mildly pissed off, Mr. Chance reached into his folder and removing a packet handed it to Luke, "Give that to her please." He said slowly as if Luke were hard of hearing, "Our Christmas concert....I mean our winter recital, is a little over a month away she needs to know the material."

"Excuse me, Mr. Chance." The irritating voice of Sofia Lang spoke up, "As the first chair violinist, I think it's only fair that since what's her face didn't show up to rehearsals, she should be demoted to the third violin section."

"What do you mean demoted?" Madison Beard demanded, "The thirds are the back bones of the violin section."

"Don't kid yourself." Sofia scoffed, tossing her jet black hair over her shoulder, "You're a glorified viola section."

"That's just insulting." Janice Smith snapped, clutching her viola tightly.

"Only lesbian girls play the viola." Sofia replied.

"Okay I'll give you that one." Janice muttered.

"I'm not a lesbian!" her stand partner Erica yelped, "I have a boyfriend!"

"You're on the softball team." The boy sitting behind me pointed out.

"Yeah," Janice agreed, "And I've never seen you wear a bow."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Erica huffed.

"No bow, lesbo." A girl holding a flute piped up.

"I've never heard of that!" Erica shrieked.

"I knew you were straight." Janice laughed, "Sonya owes me ten dollars."

"You placed bets on my sexuality?!"

"Ladies." Mr. Chance interjected looking tired, "This is not a music related conversation."

"Mr. Chance." Sofia's stand partner spoke up, raising her hand.

"Yes Clara?" he asked.

"I'm a fermata." She answered, "Hold me."

A loud chorus of laughter filled the air, while Mr. Chance looked down at the ground embarrassedly, his cheeks a vibrant shade of crimson.

"You have to give it to her." Janice laughed, "That was music related."

Feeling a smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth I looked down.

The shameless flirtation with Mr. Chance, the youngest and most attractive teacher the school had to offer seemed never ending.

"Are you a mic pack Mr. Chance?" a girl from the cello question called out, "Because I want you in my pants."

"Okay!" Mr. Chance more or less shouted above the laughter, "Class is dismissed."

"Okay guys let's go." The boy behind me chuckled, "Let's leave him to take care of his tromboner."

"I am your teacher!" Mr. Chance cried, "Do you guys want detentions?"

"All of us?" Erica giggled.

"I'm in." Janice laughed, "Who's bringing the pizza?"

"Just leave." Mr. Chance groaned, "All of you, before you monsters make me lose my job."

"What about What's her face?" Sofia demanded, while everyone rose to their feet and began putting their instruments away in their cases, "You're going to bump her to third right?"

"Worry about yourself Sofia." I spoke up, clutching my violin under my arm.

Making a face, Sofia looked be up and down with disgust, "Who asked you Igor?"

"Fia!" Clara laughed.

Feeling my cheeks burn, I attempted to straighten my ever folding spine. It didn't really bother me that I had scoliosis, I'd learned to live with it, however when people like Sofia pointed it out it made me self-conscious.

"Sofia." Mr. Chance said firmly, "This is my class room, not yours and so where your fellow students will be playing is not any of your business. Furthermore, bullying is not tolerated in this classroom."

Rolling her eyes, she flounced away.

Feeling incredibly embarrassed that Mr. Chance had heard Sierra I started towards my case.

"Sierra." The tall, catalog worthy teacher, spoke up as I passed.

"Yes?" I questioned.

"Keep your head up." He answered, "Spines are over rated things, starfish and sponges don't have any spine at all. Look at Sponge Bob and Patrick."

Feeling myself blush I nodded.

"Good job today." He said before holding his fist out to me, leaving it there until I hesitantly touched mine against it.

"Thank you Mr. Chance." I mumbled.

Smiling, he nodded then sitting down at his desk, began riffling through pages of sheet music.

Realizing that our conversation was over, I shuffled away, wondering when Olivia would be back in class. I felt strangely vulnerable without her sat on my right side boxing me in, turning the pages for me, and cracking jokes about our classmates under her breath.

I didn't know how much I actually enjoyed her presence until it wasn't there.