29 FEBRUARY, MONDAY, CONTINUED
Now the guys were completely out of whack. They were so mad, they lost all sense of rhythm. Terrence was just crashing through everything - like a bull in a china shop, I mean in a recycling sorting center. The things he was wrecking weren't exactly quality china, but my point was that he was like a bull. His face was red, his eyes were crossed, and he kept trying to charge at us.
It didn't help that some of the girls had taken to jeering him on. I mean, seriously?
Liam and some of the other guys had to reign him in so that he wouldn't actually physically attack us.
Unfortunately, he did break loose at one charge and crashed head first into the chair closest to Ms Pitera. She screamed in alarm.
Then some of the girls on the other end of the studio screamed because they heard someone scream and thought it was a signal to drown out the boys.
This would be the point I wished I had the mindlinks to tell everyone the game's off. I kind of wished we had installed a failsafe in our plan. I was beginning to feel like one of Ben's computer virus that had run out of hand.
Because once the girls at the back started screaming, the girls in front started screaming too. It was like girl power and I've never seen Abigail's group and the cool girls bond together like today, but by now, even I could tell that this was no longer a drum off.
Marcus had long given up drumming to cover his ears. After all, his drum kit was ruined by Terrence the bull a few moments ago. But Troy and the other boys weren't going to back down, not even without their lead drummer. They screamed back till they were red in the face - louder and higher than any teenage girl could.
At which an internal sonic boom must have burst out from the combined sound, and felt my eardrum break like an egg inside my ear canal. I could actually feel a trickling sensation in my ear and wondered if they had started bleeding under my hands.
I checked my hands, but they were clean, so I put them back over my ears. WTH.
I think at this point Liam and Henry were yelling for everyone to shut up. At least it looked like it, I couldn't hear them, proving that their attempt wasn't just ironic, it was also a futile effort.
Just as I thought it wasn't going to get any worse, there was a long loud blast from what sounded suspiciously like an airhorn.
And then silence.
I blinked, at first thinking that the sudden silence was a strong indicator that my ear drums were really gone for good this time.
The strange siren sound started wailing at the back of my mind again.
And then I noticed, as with everyone else in the music studio, Coach Williams with an airhorn held above his head.
But it was quiet now. All except for his low growling, which I could hear. So I wasn't deaf. In fact, I also heard Marcus coughed into his hand, and some feet shuffling.
"What in tarnation is going on here?" Coach Williams bellowed.
I winced at his volume. I think he might be a prime candidate to pit against Troy.
Ms Pitera shrank back.
"We were having a drum off, sir." Henry stepped forward.
Coach Williams nodded a quick respectful acknowledgement at the young alpha, but his expression remained stern.
He looked at Ms Pitera as if needing her input. This would be the point where the typical female teacher (like the discipline master, or the shrill teacher from just now) would go, "Oh, Coach Williams! I'm so glad you're here..."
But Ms Pitera only nodded meekly, "Yes... the students were having a drum off..."
Coach Williams interrupted her with a growl, "I know you're new, but you need to control your class better. You can't just let them run wild like that."
Ms Pitera looked down.
Coach Williams pointed at us and ordered, "Eyes at your feet."
So we all looked down too. Coach Williams was so mad, it wasn't even a little bit funny when he said "tarnation".
"Listen carefully, if any of you give your lady teacher a hard time again, I'll put your whole class in detention. This is your last warning!" And then he left the music studio, slamming the door behind him.
I only looked up a moment later. I caught Jasmine's eyes and she managed to give me a weak smile.
Okay, that wasn't so bad, right? I mean, it could've been worse.
And then Abigail's sharp exclamation broke the awkward quiet in the studio, "Ms Pitera! Please don't cry!"
Yeah, this was worse.
Some of the girls gathered around Ms Pitera.
"Does anyone have tissue?" Abigail took it upon herself to ask everyone. I had a handkerchief, I think... I felt around my pockets and realized I was still wearing Harvey's jacket over my... Urm... I had no clothes under his jacket? I still hadn't quite checked it out under there.
Don't ask me how I could've forgotten! I just did!
Anyway, I felt quite sure my good beta would have clean tissues in his jacket. But I couldn't get them out without unbuttoning it. And I wasn't going to unbutton the jacket now that I did remember what I had under it. (Nothing!)
"Here." Marcus said.
Oh right. Somehow I felt relieved when Marcus handed Abigail a packet of tissues. It's always good to have a beta around.
But now that Ms Pitera was crying, it wasn't like I could excuse myself to go check what I looked like. At any rate, no one had said anything about the jacket - which, might I add was in navy blue and unmarked by graphics or large logos, making it rather school rules abiding.
"Sam! Do something! Ms Pitera is crying!" Abigail demanded of me now.
What did she expect me to do? Alpha command Ms Pitera to stop crying?
"Yeah, you girls really went too far this time." Ivan said.
Oh, was it my fault?
I stopped to consider this possibility, but Zara and the cool girls were quick to the defense.
"What?" Zara flapped her arms aggressively towards who I had thought was her crush, "Are you saying it was OUR fault?"
"If you point one finger, another three fingers are pointing back at you!" Krystal accused, ironically also pointing her finger at Ivan.
"Can't you people stop arguing for a moment?" Abigail exclaimed in exaggerated exasperation, "Poor Ms Pitera is crying and all you people can do is point fingers."
"Look who's talking." Leia goaded.
"I wasn't pointing!" Troy said (too loudly) in his defense.
"SHUT UP TROY!" Everyone, guys and girls, pretty much yelled back.
"Look, stop." Henry had enough of this, "If you keep this up, Coach Williams will be back. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to spend my last week in detention."
"Then why don't you just pay him off, huh, young alpha?" Ivan sneered.
"Sure, but I'm not paying for you." Henry smirked back.
Ivan looked like he was about to say something back but Ms Pitera stood up suddenly and clapped her hands together, "Alright now, that's enough class!"
Her eyes were red and teary, but she had forced a smile to face us, "This wasn't anyone's fault."
Which was as rubbish as our "drums".
And then Ms Pitera continued, "If it were anyone's fault, it... it would be mine."
I watched as her lips wobbled so very dangerously, I wished with all my heart she would stop talking in case she cried again.
But Ms Pitera didn't stop talking, "When I first started teaching here, I wanted... I wanted..."
That's okay, Ms Pitera, you don't have to tell us. We were just dumb teenagers. We wouldn't understand complicated grown up teacher feelings.
"I wanted to make music fun to learn." Ms Pitera managed to say, "I imagined lessons where my students will just... you know... blossom."
"I imagined helping my students discover their hidden talent and fall in love with music and... and become confident young individuals who would perform at the end of the year. We would raise funds and have a concert - maybe our school might submit for battle of the bands next year too..." Ms Pitera told us.
That'll be cool.
"I'd use music to tap into my student's potential and they would emerge so much more!" Ms Pitera sighed, "But it seems I'm not cut out to teach after all."
"I'd say." Ivan huffed. Liam jabbed him to make him shut up, and thankfully, Ms Pitera didn't seem to hear it.
"You're a wonderful teacher! Your lessons are so fun!" Abigail gushed. She turned to us, "Right everyone?"
I guess Ms Pitera's music lesson did come in handy when I had to sing A Whole New World in Lola's place. And even though I'd be lying if I said music lesson was fun, I guess it wasn't that bad. I found myself nodding with the rest of the class.
"Oh thank you, class." Ms Pitera sat down again, "But Coach Williams was right. I can't manage a class at all."
Oh, so it was Coach William's fault that Ms Pitera cried! (And not mine). Well, if that was all that was bothering Ms Pitera, I knew just how to help her! And before I even thought through what I was about to say, I blurted out, "It's always hardest the first time."
"What?" Ms Pitera dabbed the corners of her eyes to catch her tears.
"It's only your first year." I explained. I mean, whenever wolves shifted, we were always given a lot of leeway in our first year to make mistakes, "The first year of failures isn't counted. Just survive it and it'll get easier."
I remembered what Harvey said when we went on patrol with him at Morning Light, "It gets easier after the first time." And he would have been right, except that we had met the free wolf pups along lullaby route and didn't reset any more traps.
I remembered all my experiences and nodded because they tallied up, "It'll get easier. Like when I first faced off rogues, I was pretty injured, but the second time, the blood on my clothes wasn't my blood anymore... its not like I know for sure I won't get hurt when I face them, but with each fight I get better at it."
"Teaching a class isn't exactly fighting off rogues, Sam." Henry felt he should inform me.
"I guess not, but the basic is the same no matter what you do." I said honestly, "If you want to survive, there are two things you need to do - Never show fear, and never give up!"
I held up a finger at each point, so I ended with a peace sign and a wide smile, "You've got a dream worth fighting for, Ms Pitera. So now you need to fight for it."
"I guess its a werewolf thing." Janice said, "To feel like you have to fight for everything."
Jasmine shook her head, "I think its a Green Packland thing. You know with the war and all..."
The girls considered this and nodded quietly.
Wait, what? No! Don't make it sound like I was saying something weird! I was being inspiring, okay? INSPIRING!
Ms Pitera smiled.
You get it right, Ms Pitera?
"Don't worry, Samantha." Ms Pitera said (she knew my name!), "I won't give up."
And then she said, "Promise me you won't write off music without giving it a real shot too. You have a clear tone and breathtaking charisma when you sing. Maybe music isn't high in your priorities now, and you don't take it seriously..."
"I'm not good at stuff like that." I shook my head quickly. It wasn't that I wasn't trying... "I'm more of the fighting type."
"Well then, don't write yourself off." Ms Pitera told me, "Every lesson you come in, you hold out. It's like you are afraid to succeed."
"I'm not afraid of anything!" I flared slightly, but Ms Pitera didn't back down, "Then why do you do everything you can not to stand out in my class?"
Because it was mortifying to sing in front of your classmates. I thought the answer would be obvious.
"I won't be surprise if you sang even better than you fought." Ms Pitera told me.
I would. Like seriously, that would totally surprise me. But it wouldn't matter either way. Singing wouldn't stop a war or protect my wolves when they needed me.
"I promise I won't give up teaching." Ms Pitera smiled wider now as she promised the class, "I can't give up on any of my precious students. By the end of the year, I'll have this class performing on stage and loving it!"
Suddenly I regretted trying to inspire Ms Pitera. She had cried so meekly just now, I had not realized how frightening teachers could get when they felt passionate about something.
And then I remembered I wouldn't be at Winderhill at the end of the year. Haha! I was in the safe!
But the other girls promised to do their best at music class from now on, and some of the guys too.
"As long as you don't make us do anything embarrassing." Terrence said. But when had music class not been somewhat embarrassing? I folded my arms and stepped away.
And then I realized Ms Pitera was right. I had always done my best to participate as little as possible in music class. As a pup, I've always liked to sing. The louder the better. I used to sing everything from memory, from TV jingles to nursery songs, my favorite cartoon theme song of the season, and sometimes a random song I heard on the radio. I wonder what happened and why I stopped?