Marching On The Club Book 3

Chapter 42

Chapter 42
The next morning I woke up from my alarm. This time it wasn't as early. I walked sleepy downstairs. "Hey, there you are! Jennifer the screamer; what happened last night? Did William try to scare you, or worse," Stephen asked. I ignored him. "Shut up Stephen," William said. "I wasn't asking you!"
"I don't care," William said in our defense? It was kind of strange for me to have that kind of response from my friends especially. 'Oh well,' I thought.
"I was thinking about being section leader, maybe," I said.                                                            "You'll be great at that," William supported my thought.                                                                        "You? Section leader?"                                                                                                                                    Stephen laughed.                                                                                                                                      "Of all people, and you want to be section leader?"                                                                               "All my friends are band officers, and if they can, so can I."                                                               "I'm sorry, but for you to be section leader is going to take a lot of time and dedication. I mean, you have the dedication in the band, but not in the section itself," Stephen said.                                    "Are you trying to bring me down again? This is no family when I've got literally everyone trying to push me down into a worse person! No; I refuse to go down! I refuse to bow down to that know-it-all, because you may seem like you know everything, but no; you don't know one single thing about me!"                                                                                                                           Stephen rose from his seat.                                                                                                       "Are you calling me a liar?"                                                                                                                              I remained quiet for I had nothing to say at this point.                                                                     "ARE YOU?! I BET YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING SMART TO SAY RIGHT NOW," Stephen yelled.                                                                                                                                       "Stephen," Brandon said.                                                                                                                              "Hey, hey, there's no need to yell. Not at my house. It's too early for that," Drew said. James looked from me to Stephen in a wide like a deer eyed look. William just had a straight face on the whole entire time. Ryan just stared at Stephen with the most insincere look on his face that I have ever seen. 'What is happening,' read the expression on his face. 'Oh how I wish I could just skip the last day of the season. I wish I could just leave and never return,' I thought.
I walked into the instrument room very cautiously and very slowly. I was having the blues in my mist, and I wasn't having a good day. Maybe my day will get better after rehearsal I hoped.           "Hey ya Jennifer," William said.                                                                                                    "Hi William," I said almost under my breath but gloomy. I realized how bitter my tone of voice sounded, but I tried to conceal it inside.                                                                          "You seem down today; do you want to talk about it?"                                                                    I hesitated for a long while before responding with; "I really shouldn't talk about it."                                  "You know I'm here for you if you need anything at all."                                                               "That's very kind of you," I opened my mouth to say more, but not one word came out.               "Today is our last day of the season. I know you're going to be great out there for our performance."                                                                                                                                  "I know you'll be greater!"                                                                                                                  "No, Jennifer; I know you'll do better!"                                                                                             I thought of just dropping it and leaving it to that. Besides, I don't like having the last word or arguing with the brass captain. I grabbed my instrument case followed by William. I carried my instrument case to the loading dock where everyone else's instrument cases were. I choose to sit alone in the band room. I can't believe that this is our last day. The last day of the season. Also, possibly the last day that I'll ever see William. William goes to early college, and I find it amazing how he is still able to come and perform for his technically senior year. Ashley came to sit by me. We didn't talk too much. "So how's the weather today?"
"Why do you always ask?"
"I'm just trying to make a decent conversation!"
"Well it's not working!"
William sat next to me as usual. I had became accustom to just being around him, and I had no issues here. Everything was completely normal. I looked around the room; looking at mostly the seniors as this is their last day of their last season. I looked at Erin with Connor, Johanna and Isabel all good friends! I saw David with Katherine (who wasn't a senior). I looked at Makayla with her sister Hannah. Then I looked at others who were not seniors. I saw Katherine, Savannah, Ashley, Haley, Stephen, Brandon, and Drew. I saw James with Kristen and Danielle. I saw Ciera with Adam. I looked around some more to see the rookies; the twins Victoria and Annabel. Claire and Benjamin, Philip and Nick. Oscar and Nicholas. I glanced over at William through my peripheral vision. I realized how much I'd miss him. I tried thinking of how marching band season would be like without him, but I couldn't picture it. I just couldn't. There is no better marching band than the marching band here today. It wouldn't be much of a Marching Band Family without William.
"Ashley, go to your section; they're leaving to change in their uniforms."
Ashley found Elizabeth walking out to the door out the hall, and she followed her out to the hallway. I turned to William. "William," I said. He turned his head in my direction for his eyes to meet mine.
  "You are my family; please don't forget me. I don't want to just become fragments of long forgotten memories."
  "Don't worry; I won't," he said. I felt happier being just with William. I don't know. Maybe he chemically does something to me to make me feel the way I feel. "Inspection at 8:00," Mr.Smith called out. It was 7:15, we still had time to spare. I was tempted to go to Mr.Smith and tell him all about my feelings about the marching band and how it has changed, but I was too scared to. "William would you," I stopped myself.
"Hmm? What?"
"It's just... Oh," I stopped myself again.
  "What?"
"Do you mind riding the bus with me?"
"Sure."
  I got up to get my shako box and uniform; half an hour early. I learned it's best to be early than late. I started putting my uniform on. I was the only person who was putting on my uniform. I saw Connor write "halves" on the board. So I was over prepared for I had my whole uniform on.
  "Jennifer; you're an over achiever!"
"I try."
"You succeed."
  "William, I wanted to tell you something on the bus. It's kind of sad," I said.
"And what's that?"
  I hesitated again. "Well, it's got to do with the marching band. And," I paused a little bit.
"What happened Jennifer?"
  "I feel like it's going to take a while for me to explain why, so that's why I asked if you could ride the bus with me. But it- doesn't really feel. Much like a family anymore. I don't know what has changed. But something bitter happened." I never thought I'd ever say anything such cruel and bitter. It broke my heart when I finally spoke the words I longed to say. But this is something I wanted to say something to anyone about. There was still more that I felt like I wanted to say to him like something personal and formal.
  "What do you mean; 'it doesn't feel like a family anymore'? If this is about you and that so called 'Island' of yours your wrong! Or at least maybe you feel like you're alone on that island, but I'm telling you you're not!"
William sounded insincere. Now I blew it!
  "It has nothing to do with that island I sometimes call home to. It's the reason why I sometimes swim ashore to that island, but it has nothing to do with the island. And you're free to come and go to that island if you please to come and visit me."
  "I'm not visiting! I'm staying on the island with you and then I convince you to come home back to the house of baritones." Now I felt like crying. It wasn't anything that William had said, but it was the feeling and how it changed. It will never feel the same way ever again.
After boarding the busses, I told William everything that I feel in my heart about the marching band and how it has changed in detail.
"It's going to take at least five years for the marching band to be the way that Mr.Smith wants it to be," William said. William explained more in detail. I nodded and agreed with him.
"But like, this generation nowadays doesn't care about their education anymore! They're all just looking down on their phones; texting, playing games, who knows what they're all doing on their phones nowadays. Technology is ruining our generation."
William nodded in agreement.
"I'm kind of concerned that the marching band might turn into something like that my senior year, and I kind of want to quit because of that. Well, there's several reasons why I want to quit, but I'm no quitter. I'm not quitting; not now at least. I can't quit anyways because I only got today left," I said.
"Well, do what you want. You won't be hurting anyone if you choose to quit."
We rehearsed together at the back of the school. Our very last rehearsal together. I wanted the day to go by slow; not fast. I wanted it to go by slow so I could enjoy my very last time to see some of the greatest people who are my marching band family. We rehearsed sliding backwards and forwards; it was pretty fun on our last day. "LINE IT UP," Mr. Smith shouted. We all got into score order in two lines. "LOW BRASS," Stephen shouted, but it seemed as if no one was listening. "LOW BRASS," he shouted again, but this time I wasn't going to let him get away with it. "STEPHEN YOU'RE NOT BRASS CAPTAIN," I snapped in the most angered voice I ever spat out in such a mean tone. Stephen backed off and he got into line, but Mr. Smith was right next to me as we started to march our way onto the back of the football field. 'This is our very last competition. Our very last Saturday together. Our very last show... This is the very last day,' I thought. I tried to be happy about it. But I just couldn't believe that Erin was a senior already. So were Johanna, and Isabel. And even William.
The drumline was right behind me; which made it easier for me to hear the beat. Warren, the snare drum player, started to play, and we started to march out onto the football field for one last show as a family together