Forward March by Skye Quinlan
Author:Skye Quinlan [Quinlan, Skye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Published: 2022-02-04T00:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE BAND ROOM HAS YET TO FEEL LIKE HOME AGAIN. It doesnât feel like I belong here. It doesnât feel like this band is my family and this room is where I go when I need to be surrounded by the familiarâfamiliar walls, familiar faces, familiar soundsâa room where Iâm part of a whole and no one cares about who makes up the bigger picture, just that the picture exists. But itâs different now, all hushed whispers and curious eyes and a chair that isnât mine.
Rebecca is slouched against the back of my old chair, her face smug as she idly taps against her saxophone keys. Mrs. Devereaux is working with the flutes, nailing down their feature in next weekâs halftime show, and Rebecca doesnât care enough to look over the sheet music that Bellamy passed out to us. We wonât be rehearsing it until next week when we finally retire âBad Guyâ by Billie Eilish and replace it with âAll Along the Watchtower,â but sheâs made herself comfortable and is confident that no one will challenge her.
Sheâs right.
Iâve been fumbling through our music since the start of rehearsal, my fingers slipping down and pressing keys that arenât meant to be pressed. My saxophone honks out each note, slides through rests, and lingers too long at every downbeat, a far cry from the smooth, rich sound Iâm accustomed to. I wonder if someone has tampered with it, or if theyâve plucked off my keypads or shoved something inside the bell. But itâs not the instrument thatâs broken, itâs the player, and Iâm huffing into the mouthpiece as if Iâve forgotten every aspect of breath control.
My reed is chipped too, which doesnât help.
Mrs. Devereaux returns to her podium at the front of the room and sighs. The clock reads 7:56 p.m.; thereâs not enough time for another run-through of our set list. âAnyone want to challenge for a chair?â she asks. The look on her face is damn near begging us to keep our hands down, so we do, keeping our chairs as they are. Mrs. Devereaux sighs again, relieved. âGood. Pack up your shit and get some rest tonight. Harper, can I see you for a minute?â
My insides twist into something foreign, something painful and aching that sucks all the air from my lungs. No one gets called into Mrs. Devereauxâs office unless sheâs planning on taking away their marching privileges. Thereâs a game on Friday and since Iâve already missed two rehearsals this week, sheâs within her rights to tell me Iâm not allowed to play.
Suddenly, Bellamy is at my side, hunching down with their hands on my knees to keep balanced. âHey,â they say, taking my saxophone case and sliding it beneath my chair. âDevereaux knows youâve had a rough couple of days, okay? And I put in a good word for you this morning. She gets it, Harp. Sheâs gonna let you march on Friday. The band needs you.â
My hands are shaking as Mrs. Devereaux knocks on her office window, motioning me inside from behind the glass, and twists the blinds shut.
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