Keeping in Line

by Courtney Brandt

  No one argued, and in that moment, Bronwyn realized just how far she had come. J.D. nodded and moved to put the next judges’ tape in the deck. As the group listened intently, Bronwyn couldn’t believe everyone had so easily accepted her colossal mistake. She sat back in her chair and looked at the drummers. Ben caught her eye and smiled warmly. Feeling content, the snare drummer turned her attention back to the tapes, determined to make this weekend’s show the best ever.

  “Bronwyn?”

  “Yes?”

  “I want you to do something for me.”

  The redhead looked up at her boyfriend, and asked, “What?”

  “Remember how you still owe me a favor?”

  Over the past few months, she wondered if he had remembered the promise she had made to him at band camp, and nodded in response.

  “As much as I want to take care of things with Christina on your behalf, I think this is something you need to do. You can’t just let her or Dana get away with things. You need to confront her.”

  “Yeah, but remember last year? I don’t want to do anything that puts the Line, or me, in danger of not competing this weekend.”

  They walked silently together down to the practice field, each trying to think of a way around Mr. Izzo. A welcome distraction came as Bronwyn looked up at the band director podium and glimpsed a familiar brown ponytail. She said to Drew, “Don’t worry, I got this.”

  “Okay, well, just know that I’ll be around if you need me.”

  “Thanks!” The snare drummer zipped up her track jacket and caught Lucy’s attention, waving her sticks wildly. In response, Lucy smiled and came over to meet her friend. They hugged awkwardly over Bronwyn’s snare and Lucy said, “Sorry. I heard about Saturday. I was going to try and surprise you...”

  “Here’s the thing – you know what they did, and I can’t let it slide. I want to tell them off in front of everyone, but I can’t do that if Mr. Izzo is watching. Can you help distract him and give me a few minutes alone with those girls?”

  “Say no more,” Lucy’s eyes narrowed, “Consider it done.”

  Bronwyn ran through the halftime show, but in spirit only. She was too busy trying to go over what she wanted to say to her two favorite Guard girls. The redhead kept an eye on Lucy, waiting for the right moment to make her move. The time finally came and Bronwyn cracked her knuckles and slowly put her drum down. She walked over to where the Guard had stopped on the last set, and said loudly, “Christina. Dana. I want to talk to you. Now.”

  Between all the rumors and highs and lows of the season, the members of the marching band were well aware of the friction between the Guard and The Girl on the Battery. Those who were within earshot, hovered closely, waiting to see what the outcome would be. Christina crossed her arms and turned around, her back towards Bronwyn. She looked at Dana and said in a bored tone, “Did you hear anything?”

  Dana shook her head and followed her Captain’s lead, “No.”

  “You crossed the line,” Bronwyn challenged.

  Christina’s eyes narrowed and she spun around, exploding, “Are you sure it wasn’t you who crossed the line? You knew Drew was taking me to Homecoming!”

  “I didn’t ask him to come and see me instead! He did that on his own!”

  “Like I’m supposed to believe you? This coming from the girl who, well, I think given your reputation we all know why Drew likes you. I’m sure he’ll get bored with that eventually and come back to me.”

  Bronwyn felt tears of anger and embarrassment pricking the back of her eyes and willed them away. She turned her attention to her classmate and said, “That’s another thing I’ve been meaning to address, Dana.”

  Dana crossed her arms as Bronwyn continued, “I really don’t appreciate the crap you’ve been spreading about me.”

  “Whatever.”

  Although Bronwyn had wanted to keep this between the three of them, Megan and Meredith had joined the trio, and like true friends, they weren’t about to hold anything back. Megan exclaimed angrily, “Whatever?! Whatever! You made up some pretty disgusting stuff, all because of some grudge that you didn’t make the Line? Way to support Team Girl, Dana. Bronwyn is part of a six person section – all of whom helped decide that you weren’t good enough to be a part of it.”

  Meredith added, “From what I heard, you couldn’t even dream of making the Line.”

  Bronwyn smiled at her friends, glad for their support. She didn’t even realize that Tony and a number of the other members of the Line had joined them. Tony said bitterly, “By the way, who is so desperate, pathetic, and immature they have to use people to wreck the lives of not just one person, but an entire section?”

  Christina tried to speak, “I—”

  J.D. added, “You’d better not plan on showing up this Saturday, Christina. From one Captain to another, I really don’t appreciate what you did last weekend.”

  The two girls stared in shocked disbelief at the faces around them.

  Drew, as drum major, had wanted to remain impartial, but this far in the season he really had nothing to lose. He joined the group and asked, “What did you think would happen on Saturday? Did you think no one would find out? Did you think I would come back to you? I’m really sorry for the way things worked out between us and if I could take them back, I would…all the way back. It’s always been Bronwyn.”

  To accentuate his point, Drew walked up to Bronwyn and took her hand, which she was very grateful for. Drew’s actions appeared to be just too much for Christina to handle. She began to cry, which Bronwyn was partially saddened to see. She hadn’t really wanted to make someone that upset…

  Well, maybe just a little bit. Remember how she kept you out of Finals?

  Bronwyn said softly, “I’m sorry, Christina, but if you ever so much as look at my boyfriend or attempt to do something underhanded to corrupt me or my Line again, well, look who you’re really dealing with.”

  Christina looked up and saw a number of people, all glaring coldly at her, and walked silently towards the school. Satisfied, Bronwyn finished, “And Dana? If you’re still interested, let’s just say you’re going to have work really hard to get a place on the Forrest Hills drumline. If you hadn’t heard already, we’re one Line, one sound, and we don’t like anyone who jeopardizes that.”

  Bronwyn didn’t even both turning around to gauge reactions as she collected Stewie and went up to the blacktop where the Line was gathering for the Indoor run-throughs. As much as she was glad for her friends’ support, she didn’t really have the desire to be around anyone at the moment. Kicking the ground angrily, she didn’t feel this was her proudest moment.

  Watching Bronwyn’s distracted look as she walked, Lucy was able to sneak up on the sophomore. She linked arms with her friend, “You did the right thing.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “Look – you put those girls in their place. If you weren’t proud of yourself, then at least be proud of your own personal support team.”

  “You saw them?”

  “Let’s see, in one afternoon you’ve cemented your acceptance with the Line, stood up for yourself, claimed a boyfriend, and quite probably ensured your future as the Captain. You are a true leader.”

  “You think?”

  “I know. Listen, no one ever said it was easy to be a girl and be a drummer. There’s always going to be people on the outside, who don’t know all the facts of what’s actually going on. There’s always going to be people who think one thing or another, but you learned a valuable lesson out of all of this.”

  “I did?”

  “Be true to yourself. The rest will follow. I mean, are you going to look back at this season and have any regrets?”

  Bronwyn brightened and answered, “No. Not really, I guess, overall, it all worked out.”

  “Would you have rather had J.D. or Drew fight for you?”

  “No – you and Drew were right, this was my fight.”

  “Then go get em’ tiger, I can’t wait
to see this show.”

  Bronwyn joined the rest of the Line in a much better mood. After running through the show a number of times and fine tuning the most minute details, practice was over. Lucy called over to Bronwyn, “Great job out there. You want to join us at Waffle House?”

  “Nah,” Bronwyn said, and Drew walked up beside her, “Thanks for everything, Lucy.”

  “No worries.” She looked at her phone and said, “Well, I’d better get going so I can get my old seat. Take care, you two.”

  Drew called after her, “Say hi to my brother for me!”

  “You got it!”

  A few days later, on a clear Saturday afternoon in November, the Preliminary competition went better than anyone could hope for. The Forrest Hills drumline was not surprised to hear that they were going into the Finals in first place. During warm-ups for Finals, Bronwyn stared out in the crowd that had gathered to watch the Line and was surprised to recognize a familiar face looking back at her.

  Jerm…?

  She watched Henry and the former Captain talking and it looked like they were involved in more than just casual conversation. After Henry was satisfied with the warm up, tuning, and final run through of the show, the Line was ready to go in and compete for the first place trophy. Jerm walked alongside the drummers. Bronwyn smiled as he fell into step next to her.

  “Looks like you took my advice,” she commented.

  “Looks like you took mine.”

  “So, what were you and Henry talking about?”

  “Well, don’t start any rumors, but I think Henry’s time with the Line might be coming to a close.”

  With her junior and senior years ahead of her, Bronwyn definitely did not want to hear that information. Seeing the upset look on the sophomore’s face, Jerm continued, “And since I’m a music major…well, it might be a good fit for me to come and take over. Or, at least to help out next season. I mean, Henry’s been with this Line for a really long time, maybe it’s time for him to move on.”

  “What about your college Line?”

  “As fun at it is, it might be a different challenge to write a show. Plus, another guy I know might be returning to help his Line. If he goes back, I’m going to have to make sure my Line beats his.”

  Henry signaled for Bronwyn to join the rest of the snares. She called over her shoulder, “So, see you next year, I guess?”

  “Something like that. Good luck out there.”

  As much as Bronwyn might have been distracted by the former Captain and what he’d told her, as soon as she entered the gym, she was all business. She was completely committed to her part and the next ten minutes. The announcer asked his familiar question, “Forrest Hills High School drumline, are you ready to take the court for competition?”

  J.D. beat out the familiar refrain and with quiet ‘duts’ the show began. As she wound her way through the intricate drill patterns, Bronwyn realized she enjoyed the previous season’s show, but there was something even better about being part of the snare line and Battery this year. After the final notes echoed off the gym walls, Bronwyn and the rest of the Line hurried off the court to thunderous applause. She rushed out to the truck and took off Stewie, placing the instrument carefully in its case. Wanting to simultaneously take a much needed trip to the bathroom, find Drew, and get a good seat for the final scores, Bronwyn found herself pausing in the early winter air. Somewhere between August and here, her season had turned out exactly how she wanted it to be. The highs and lows came together for something she would always remember.

  “What are you doing out here? Don’t you want to see how it goes?”

  Bronwyn turned around and saw Drew’s breath frosting in the air. She answered confidently, “I already know how it will go.”

  “How’s that?”

  She walked up and laced her fingers in his, “A happy ending.”

  Some time later, after saying a warm goodbye to Drew and promising to meet him at Forrest Hills, Bronwyn made her way to the buses and caught up with the rest of her rambunctious section. Tony exclaimed, “Hey, B! Got a seat right here.”

  The redhead shrugged and slid in next to her classmate.

  “Where were you?”

  “Someone had to look after the equipment.”

  Tony seemed too excited to really press for further details. He asked, “Guess what? We won!”

  Bronwyn smiled and replied, “I know. I didn’t have to be there to know that. We’re the Forrest Hills drumline, after all.”

  “Yeah, but did you know about this?” He proudly held up the Best Snare trophy and said, “You ready to get our initials on this thing?”

  Bronwyn nodded and pulled out her pink Swiss army knife, commenting, “I earned it, didn’t I?”

  # # #

  Acknowledgements

  So, as always, a gynormous thank you to the fans, readers, and friends who continue to motivate and inspire me.

  The Keeping in Line you’ve just finished reading wouldn’t have been half as awesome if not for the fabulous Joanne Hill. She really pushed it to the next level and for that I am forever grateful.

  Finally, as basically another thank-you-for-being-awesome, I’d like to include an additional couple of short stories and small character development pieces for you to read. As you may have guessed – I really like my characters! However, it’s sometimes fun to mix things up and write projects other than those which are novel length. Some fall in the category of ‘drabbles,’ which are basically 100 words about a particular topic. Another set of writing exercises is my quotes project, which are short scenes prompted by recognizable lines from different films and movies. Having read the other books in my series will be helpful, but not necessary, as most of these kind of stand alone. They are all pretty much self explanatory (I’ve given you a reference for the timing and which character it refers to if too vague), and hope you enjoy!

  Also, if you wanted to keep reading about Bronwyn, Lucy, and the rest of the adventures with the Forrest Hills drumline, be sure to check out the other novels in the completed series – The Line, A Fine Line, and The Line Up.

  * * *

  “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

  Freshman Lucy Karate was so nervous, her teeth were literally clattering. It was the worst case of nerves she could ever remember. It was her first Indoor competition, minutes before they would take the court for Prelims. The Line had rehearsed enough that she knew her hands would be able to go through the motions, but was afraid of what her mind would do.

  Rush the tempo…

  Play during a rest…

  Strike the wrong notes…

  They were in the staging area, closely clumped together in the vaguely damp hallway near the gym. Lucy’s trembling hands were on one side of the marimba, but she couldn’t stop them from shaking. The Forrest Hills percussionists listened to the muffled beats and notes on the other side of the wall. South Washington was playing, and they wanted to hear their rivals.

  Lucy, on the other hand, only wanted not to throw up.

  “Nervous?” Cameron asked.

  Now I am…

  “Umm…” Lucy was incapable of forming an actual word, especially this close to her season long crush.

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “Will I?”

  “Just remember, what we do in life echoes in eternity.”

  She blinked a moment and replied, “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  His answer was the whispered, “No, it’s supposed to make you remember you are a member of the Forrest Hills drumline.”

  The applause thundered on the other side of the wall. South Washington had finished and it was their turn to play. Calmness set over Lucy, and she finally understood what all the attitude was about. Confidence replaced her nerves and she smiled at the upperclassmen.

  “I am.”

  * * *

  Mistletoe

  Fourteen-year-old Forrest Hills freshman Lucy Karate paused at the door to the giant
mansion in front of her, feeling like a complete and total loser. Her parents (with her dorky younger brother in tow) had just dropped her off at her first official high school party and she was pretty sure everyone inside had seen her “grand entrance.” She contemplated turning around and getting right back in the car. However, it was too late as her family was already on their way to tour the holiday lights display in the upscale neighborhood. Lucy had a sinking suspicion it was so that they could be close by “in case anything happened.”

  Getting her Mom to agree to let her go to a party where there were going to be upperclassmen (emphasis on men) had been an uphill battle, but there was no way she was going to miss out on the fun – especially when her best friends Gina and Mandy were eagerly awaiting a full report on the festivities. She had briefly debated smuggling her pals in for confidence, but if there was once thing she had learned this season, it was that she was definitely becoming a stronger, more assertive individual. Besides, the drumline Christmas party was legendary and the only way of being invited was if you were a member of the Line, dating one of its members, or were an alumni home from college. The local percussion teacher (and father of three prominent Forrest Hills percussion alumni – two Captains no less), Mr. DiBonaventura, was a very wealthy man and loved entertaining. This party was a way to show his young drummers how much he appreciated them and how pleased he was of another award winning season.

  Lucy felt proud of trophies she had helped win as part of the Pit. The season had been long and demanding, but worth every second. Still standing at the front door under the twinkling white lights, Lucy found herself wondering if she had a chance of making the Battery during auditions in the spring.

  What a difference a semester makes…

  A year ago, if asked what a ‘battery’ was, she probably would’ve thought about the device that charged things, now…she could only think of drums…and the boys that played them. Lucy looked down and questioned again if she had chosen the right thing to wear. Because this party was such a big deal (Mr. DiBonaventura’s house was in the only gated community in the school district), Lucy’s mom had taken her shopping for a real dress. After looking in practically every store in the mall, Lucy had lucked out and found a beautiful dress. It was a gorgeous silver halter dress that made her feel amazing – and was also on sale! The satin felt delicious on her skin, and with the combined efforts of her best friends, she knew her elegant upsweep was not going anywhere.