My Dad is My Teacher // a.f.i

Chapter 2 - Schedules

*Rylie's POV*

"Rylie.. You seemed to be showing off to Mr. Irwin a little bit, huh?" My best friend Ski walked up to me. She played the trumpet.

"Not really. I was just.. well, maybe a little. I wanted to make a good impression on him since he's the new band and chorus director. Those are the two classes that I really enjoy, besides english."

"I understand, but a lot of people seemed to be jealous," she looked at me with her hand on her hip, holding her trumpet case in her other hand.

"They've always been jealous. And who cares? They could be super good at music too, if they tried really hard. Music is in my blood, and I try really hard and practice almost too much," I laughed, and so did Ski, "I agree.."

"Also, I don't know my dad really well, but the thing that I do know is that he loved music, so I feel that I need to be involved with music a lot. I'm glad that I love it as much as I do. Whenever I play music, I feel like I'm connected to my dad because that's really the only thing I know about him," I looked down.

"Have you ever talked to your mum about your dad?" She asked.

I shrugged, "a few times. She's changed the subject, though."

"That's terrible that you don't know about your dad. I wouldn't like it very much if the only thing I knew about my dad was that he loved music. That could mean so many things, though. Maybe he was a good singer? Maybe he played a lot of instruments like you? Or maybe he was just listening to music all the time? It could be all three. Who knows? But I'm glad that you feel connected to your dad when you play. That would make me a lot happier if I was in your situation. I don't exactly know my actual parents, but I do have parents that adopted me. I don't remember either of my biological parents."

"Another thing is that I don't even know his name, first or last. I have my mum's last name, so I've never known my dad's. Mum won't ever talk about him. Maybe it was a one-night-stand? She might not have known him that well. Possibly the only thing she knows about him is that he loves music."

"That could be. But I've got to get to chem. See you later," Ski waved as she walked to her locker, put her trumpet case on top and got her books out.

I walked to my locker after putting all of my instruments in the band closet to get at the end of the day. I'd probably only bring saxophone the next day. They seemed a little weak today, and plus, that's the instrument I'm the best at.

I walked to my locker and to English. I loved this part of the day because I had band then English then chorus, my three favorite classes. I loved it. I had lunch after chorus, also.

In chorus, we already started practicing for the upcoming concert, after Mr. Irwin introduced himself to the students who weren't in band earlier.

There was a solo in the one song, Silent Night. I raised my hand, saying that I wanted it. A few other girls raised their hands and so did one guy. The solo was the whole first verse, and the chorus would sing the first verse in round with the soloist, the sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, and bass singers, all in different parts.

We tried it with each soloist. I was a soprano, so I sang with the sopranos when it wasn't my turn for the solo. Mr. Irwin said that the five of us that wanted to be the soloist would take turns every time we practiced the song, and he would make a decision as soon as possible.

When it was my turn to sing the solo, I watched Mr. Irwin the whole time. His eyes grew wide when he heard my voice. I guess he was surprised, but I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

After my solo, Mr. Irwin clapped his hands. He smiled at me as I walked back to be with the sopranos, waiting for the other soloist to be ready. I was glad Mr. Irwin liked me. I wasn't trying to be a show-off. I was just trying to impress him. I wanted him to think highly of me.

I stood where I usually stood in the soprano section, right next to Ski in the back along with a few other students because we were taller than the rest of them.

"I don't doubt that you'll get that part," Ski nudged me, "Mr. Irwin seemed to love your voice and how you sounded singing the solo."

I smiled at her before we sang the song again with one of the other soloists trying it this time. It was awful, to be honest.

After chorus, Mr. Irwin stopped me just for a second to tell me some thing quick, "you have an amazing voice. You stick with it."

"I will. I know it," I nodded before walking to lunch with Ski. She had her lunchbag in her hand as she walked in the line beside me.

"He definitely adores you. I don't think he's ever been more impressed. His facial expressions hinted that."

"I'm glad. Mr. Logan wasn't my favorite teacher, but his classes were my favorite. Now, my favorite teacher is teaching my two favorite classes."

"Yeah. Mr. Irwin is a pretty great teacher. He seems to really know what he's doing," Ski nodded, walking next to me as I paid for my lunch at the end of the line.

We sat at our table that we had sat at the year before, and we began to eat. Ski took her food out of her lunch bag, and I opened up my milk carton.

"What class do you have after lunch?" She asked me.

"I have honor's chem," I told her, shrugging.

"Chem isn't too bad, I mean, not at first, at least. Maybe Honor's is harder," she chomped a bite out of her turkey sandwich and watched as I ate my burger.

"Honor's should be harder. I mean, it's an honor's class," I laughed, "it should be."

"But remember last year, you were in honor's English, and I was in English? We were at the same place, and once, my class was even ahead of you."

"I do remember that. But it doesn't matter. What do you have next?" I asked her.

"English. I think English and chem are just switched on our schedules since we had history and French together this morning. Do you have trig this afternoon, right after you have honor's chem?"

"Yeah, I do. Then I have my elective, Creative Writing, and last is my Physical Education choice, gymnastics."

"Me too! We have the exact same schedule except for periods four and seven!" She exclaimed, "period one: history, period two: French, period three: band, period four is English for you and chem for me. Period five: chorus, period six: lunch, period seven is honor's chem for you and English for me. Period eight: trigonometry, period nine: creative writing, and period ten: gymnastics. This year will be great!"

"I know! I'm so excited!" I smiled. It definitely would be a great year.

~

I just wanted to let everyone know that the name "Ski" is pronounced like the word "sky."

-Lizzie xx