Keeping in Line

by Courtney Brandt

  The guys were instantly quiet.

  Exasperated at their responses, Bronwyn continued, “I know you guys are the most sexually frustrated group in the history of the world, but we are not having someone on this Line because she looks good in a skirt!”

  J.D. said quietly, “I’ll talk to Tony, Pete, and Izzo tomorrow before practice. Tony can start as a snare as soon as Pete transfers into the class. I will personally work with Tony to catch him up to the part. So, until further notice, sectionals are cancelled.”

  * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN: This Means War!

  Bronwyn went home from auditions with a number of confused feelings. She supposed she should’ve been glad Pete was now on the Line with her.

  Let’s face it – you definitely could use more people on Team Bronwyn.

  But the Line, that’s my thing.

  Don’t feel like sharing, huh?

  Not exactly.

  It might not have meant a lot to anyone else, but drumline was Bronwyn’s thing. Even in middle school when everyone was just learning their instruments, being a percussionist was what Bronwyn was known for. It’s not that she didn’t like Pete, but now all the inside jokes and stupid things that went on weren’t going to be just hers. Also, since Pete didn’t know anyone else really on the Line, she knew it was going to be up to her to look after him for the rest of the season.

  Knowing she had a paper due in English, Bronwyn quickly typed an e-mail to Lucy.

  To: karatechop@state.edu

  From: FHHSsnaregrl@FHHS.edu

  Subject: No bueno.

  Lucy,

  Could this year get any weirder? To catch you up on what has happened over the past week – Kevin broke his wrist, then J.D. held auditions, and bada bing bada boom, my friend Pete (of the trumpet persuasion) is now an official member of the Line. Even worse, Tony is now on the SNARE line.

  Also, to answer your earlier question, nothing went anywhere with Drew. I totally underestimated what kind of guy he really is. No sooner does everything happen with us than he’s already dating Christina, the perfect Captain of the Guard. They make such a disgustingly gorgeous couple I want to throw up every time I see them. I’m just glad they’re both seniors and I will never have to see any of them after marching season!

  B

  To: FHHSsnaregrl@FHHS.edu

  From: karatechop@state.edu

  Subject: Re: No bueno.

  B,

  J.D. held auditions? Something about that doesn’t seem right at all… What is going on in the Forrest Hills drumline? Where was Henry in all of this?

  Furthermore, Drew sounds like a totally different person than how you originally described him / how I remember him. Now, did you ever actually TALK to him about what happened? Because from what you’re telling me, it sounds like the answer to that is a big fat NO. I think maybe you’d be surprised if you just actually sat down with him. Hasn’t enough time passed where you two can speak normally to each other?

  L

  To: karatechop@state.edu

  From: FHHSsnaregrl@FHHS.edu

  Subject: Re: Re: No bueno.

  Luce,

  What would there be to talk about? He made it perfectly clear the night in the parking lot when he COMPLETELY IGNORED ME. He should just go and be happy with her and go have a perfect time at Homecoming and I’ll just worry about marching a clean season.

  Can I come up for your Fall Break weekend? Please… I’m pretty close to desperate here. I think a change of scenery would do me a lot of good. Do you think my parents would notice if I transferred to State?

  B

  To: FHHSsnaregrl@FHHS.edu

  From: karatechop@state.edu

  Subject: Re: Re: Re: No bueno.

  B,

  Of course you can come up. See if you can score a ride from anyone and just bring a sleeping bag and plan on banishing ALL negative thoughts while you’re here. Pam does not allow them!

  Although, full disclosure, remember that guy in my apartment complex I was telling you about? Well, that guy is actually Joe, who is actually Drew’s older brother … !!! What tangled webs we weave, huh? I didn’t think it was serious, but I officially ended things with Wes recently and well, who knows where this relationship will go?

  I should also mention that Drew called me that night (well, he really called Joe, but we ended up talking for awhile). And even though I know you won’t want to, you might want to give the kid a break, he seemed pretty confused. I don’t know if that’s worth anything to you now, but deep down I think well, you should ask him yourself. If you don’t think it’s too late, there might be something salvageable in your crazy season.

  Luce

  Bronwyn slowly digested the information from Lucy’s most recent e-mail. She needed to know more than electronic words were going to provide. Without hesitation, she called her friend. Lucy answered on the second ring, “I was wondering if you would call.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The college freshman paused a moment before she replied, “Well, Drew neglected to mention the whole leaving you standing alone part, so I wasn’t really getting the entire story.”

  “Still…”

  “In my defense, Drew was calling his brother, and didn’t realize I was going to be there. It was a fine line of whose confidence I would be betraying. Plus, I think there’s some stuff you both need to sort through.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Look B, I’m serious. I think he got his pride hurt, and now he’s defaulting to his old tendencies. Do you think you can look past that? Is there something there that is worth all the crap you’ve been through?”

  Bronwyn paused and thought for a long time, before she finally said, “I’d like to think that there could be.”

  “Well, there’s your answer.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “But what? There’s another girl? So what? There’s a convoluted history you guys have? Well, that’s one thing she doesn’t have.”

  Bronwyn sighed, and changed the subject, “So, Joe, really?”

  On her end, Lucy smiled and said, “What can I say? I love to be in love.”

  “And you didn’t meet him while you were at Forrest Hills?”

  “That’s the weird thing – we never crossed paths. I mean, maybe he came to see Drew perform once or twice, but nothing official.”

  “If I come up, can I meet him?”

  “When you come up, you definitely will.” Lucy continued, “So, are we cool?”

  “Yeah. But you’ll let me know if Drew says anything to Joe? I need all the help I can get right now!”

  “No problem. Take care, Bronwyn.”

  “You too.”

  To say the transition during the week following auditions was awkward was a huge understatement. J.D., in all his machismo, decided he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to personally tell the Brass Captain that someone in his section was deferring to the Line. Bronwyn, frustrated by J.D.’s leadership (or lack of) and apparent goal to make this season the most difficult ever, decided not to do or say anything. She felt the worst for the seniors in her section – even if this year was terrible, she still had two seasons left.

  Everyone in the band heard the argument between the Captains on Tuesday afternoon when the news broke. Geoff was in J.D.’s face, “I don’t know where you get off, man!”

  J.D. asked innocently, “What exactly is the problem?”

  “Stealing a member of my section this late in the season? Seriously uncool, dude.”

  “He came to us.”

  “You didn’t have to take him. You already have plenty of drummers.”

  “Well, he’s got the chops. He’s one of us now.”

  The repercussions of J.D. and Geoff’s conversation had made an even more uncomfortable transition within the Line itself. There was some obvious resentment directed at Tony from the basses, who weren’t entirely happy with his decision to become a snare drummer. Pete was going through
much the same thing from the Brass players. While Tony only had to deal with negative feelings from four people, Pete had to walk the gauntlet through the band room on a daily basis. When her friend finally switched to Advanced Percussive Techniques on Thursday, it was obvious to Bronwyn that he was second-guessing his decision to swap sections. Besides herself, he hadn’t received a particularly warm welcome from anyone on the Line. The bass drummers, already frustrated by losing one of their own, had short tempers when it came to the extra practices and sectionals required to get Pete up to speed.

  By Thursday’s practice, emotions in the band were at an all time low and Bronwyn wondered if it was too late to take things back. The brass players would have nothing to do with the members of the drumline. Whether or not they believed in J.D.’s decision to recruit Pete, their Captain’s actions forced the percussionists together to defend themselves as a section. Unfortunately, it was putting further strain on a season that had already seen its fair share of frustration. Instead of one band, one sound, it was like a silent war. The band director, instructors, Drew, and the other drum majors were powerless to stop the bad feelings from circulating.

  Although it had only been two days since the clash of the Captains, it seemed already every other section in the band was picking a side in the Line vs. the Brass battle. The neutrality from the drum majors just made matters worse – they refused to pick sides in the struggle between the sections, and wouldn’t address the situation. Looking up at the drum major podium at the end of the ballad, Bronwyn was pretty sure Drew was going to be pro-Brass.

  What would give you that idea?

  Let’s see, he used to play Mellophone, he hates me…

  Allegedly hates you. Just because he ignored you one time does mean he is full of hatred for you. Remember what Lucy told you?

  Either way, he also hates J.D. and who wouldn’t after what happened?

  True.

  So, it’s somehow going to come down to the Line vs. the Band. What an optimistic outlook for the competitions ahead.

  Maybe now is the time to talk to Drew. See if you can’t get him to be impartial at least.

  Once she had come to the decision that the peace of the band rested on her small shoulders, Bronwyn was determined to talk to Drew directly after practice that day. However, the entire afternoon session was an uphill battle that seemed to drag on for hours. There was constant verbal abuse between the leadership of the Brass and the senior percussionists. In addition to learning the new drill, Pete was also having to watch every step. Already irritated, Bronwyn’s last water break was broken by a rough tug on her shirt. She turned around and looked at who had rudely approached her.

  “What gives?”

  Bronwyn squinted her eyes, trying to figure out what the hell the girl in front of her was referring to. She finally asked, “What are you talking about?”

  Dana, in her matching maroon shorts and beige shirt, inspected her nails and said, “You know what I mean.”

  Bronwyn had had enough bad energy this week to last an entire season. She said tartly, “No, I don’t.”

  “Like, you could’ve helped get me the spot.”

  “And how would’ve I done that?”

  “You’re a girl.”

  Bronwyn sighed loudly and spoke slowly, “I’m a drummer first.”

  “That’s messed up.”

  “Well, Tony and Pete were the best players.”

  “Haven’t I seen you and Pete together before?”

  “He’s my friend.”

  “Really? A friend?” Dana’s tone implied that she didn’t believe for one second that they were “just friends.”

  “You weren’t good enough. Get over it and practice for next year.” Bronwyn walked away, more than ready for the current week to be over.

  Less than a half hour later, Bronwyn put Stewie away, then caught Ben and asked, “Can I meet you at the car? There’s someone I need to talk to.”

  “Don’t take too long.”

  Trying to put everything out of her head, Bronwyn walked calmly across the parking lot to a familiar car. She didn’t want Drew to think she was stalking him, so she waited until he was halfway across the parking lot before she started walking towards him.

  “Hey Drew!”

  The drum major turned around, silently cursing the smile that broke across his face when he saw Bronwyn approaching him. He immediately tried to replace it with a nonchalant look, “What’s up?”

  “Well, so…I know things in the band are a little stressed right now.”

  “No thanks to, once again, your section.”

  Bronwyn shrugged and answered, “Yeah, I guess.”

  “So?”

  “I was wondering if well, maybe you could—”

  “Drew…” a female voice called from behind them.

  The pair spun around and Bronwyn watched helplessly as Christina came walking across the parking lot.

  “Oh…”

  Drew crossed his arms, “Well, it’s not like—”

  At the same time Bronwyn said, “I’d better go.”

  Ben shouted across the parking lot, “Come on, B!”

  Drew tapped his foot impatiently and said, “Shouldn’t you be going, wouldn’t want to keep your—”

  “I’m leaving!” Bronwyn interjected.

  As the sophomore walked away, she heard Christina tell Drew, “That’s the girl who wouldn’t let Dana on the Line.”

  Bronwyn was more than glad the following day marked the end of the week. Friday lunches were traditionally “cadence days” for the Line. The tradition had started long ago where the Battery would march into the Commons of the school and play as loud as they could for each lunch period on the day of a big football game to get everyone pumped up. For a few minutes, Bronwyn was able to forget the disastrous season so far, and concentrate on having fun – losing herself in the infectious beats. When they weren’t worried about every note being clean, or precision marching, being a member of the Battery was actually an enjoyable experience. All eyes of the Commons were staring at the Line. Although she wasn’t supposed to smile, Bronwyn couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

  By the last lunch, everyone on the Battery was relaxed and despite the week they had all shared, were actually having a good time together. Bronwyn looked out into the crowd and unexpectedly met Drew’s blue eyed stare. Her heart momentarily stopped. There was so much more she had wanted to say to him yesterday. Without thinking through her actions, Bronwyn flashed a quick wink at him. At the very same moment, from the corner of her eye, she saw something whizz past her left side and SPLAT! right in the middle of Pete’s bass drum head.

  J.D. abruptly ended the cadence and the Line walked back silently to the band room. As soon as everyone had their drums off, they were busy looking at Pete’s drum, which was now home to a large slice of cheese pizza. Their Captain yelled, “Stupid brass players! Who do they think they are?”

  Bronwyn took a deep breath and, attempting to control the situation, asked calmly, “Did anyone actually see who threw the pizza?”

  The band room was silent. Everyone looked around at each other. Bronwyn continued, “Then how do we know it was a brass player that threw it?”

  Tony muttered, “Well, we know you wouldn’t be a reliable source. You were too busy making eyes at Drew.”

  Bronwyn sputtered, “I was not!”

  Tony said skeptically, “Sure.”

  J.D. glanced at the clock and put his hands up, “Enough, you two. I know for a fact Geoff has this lunch period, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a good-for-nothing brass player. Keep your ears open, if you hear anything, let me know. Now, everyone needs to pack up their instruments. We’ve got an away game tonight.”

  Bronwyn walked into the snare section of the percussion room and pulled out her instrument case. She heard J.D. whisper to Lance, Scott, and Adam, “Hey guys…emergency meeting. Pre-game at Waffle House. We need to talk retaliation.”

  The three other s
nares nodded.

  Adam nodded in the direction of Bronwyn and Tony, “What about those two?”

  J.D. responded, “Upperclassmen only.”

  Bronwyn turned away, livid. After everything that had happened, after the many hours she had put into things, the time wasted trying to get their acceptance, there it was – obviously never going to happen.

  * * *

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN: If You’re On Time (You’re Five Minutes Late)

  Bronwyn caught a ride with Ben to the game that evening. She was still in a funk from being excluded from the snare emergency meeting and in a horrible mood from the overall crummy week. Bronwyn brought Stewie outside and went immediately to the buses, surprisingly relieved to ride with the rest of Line. Last year, she had felt so much at home in the band, but now…everything was a big mess. Pete had also managed to switch buses, which was good considering Jared was already drilling his section and running through the show. Bronwyn looked around for someone to sit with and Ben gave her a sympathetic look. She sighed, relieved, and sat down next to her chauffeur.

  The bus cranked up and Bronwyn looked around, realizing she was missing a few members of her section. She asked Mark, “Where’s Lance?”

  Mark shrugged, “He mentioned something about meeting J.D. before the game.”