"WHO'S COMING TOMORROW?"
I flinch away from the sound that happens to be my best friend. Her shout causes the whole locker room to go quiet. I quickly slam my hand over her mouth and pull her closer to where I am sitting in my locker.
"Uncle Tom. Now be quiet before you draw any more attention to yourself."
"THE SAME UNCLE TOM THAT HAPPENS TO BE THE FREAKING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!" Grace whisper yells. Luckily, everyone has gone back to their own business by this point, so they don't hear what she says. They've learned that when it's Grace, you're better not to question it.
"I know that but" I tried to say but she wasn't done yet.
"You have to let me come with you tomorrow! You've never let me meet him even though he's been close to us almost a million times! He should come here while he's in town! Doctor Lighthizer would jump at the chance for the freaking President to come to school. He wouldn't even have to let anyone but her know before and then it's just an assembly and then you can see him. Oh, and can I come hang out with you while he's here and is he gonna come to the umm, the football game next week while he's here. He has to see our show! I know you've told him about it when you talk to him because your dad is always on the phone with him, and I've seen your texts to him. You text him almost more than you text me! And that's not fair! I'm your best friend and I shouldn't be treated like this! And another- "
I cut her off. "Grayson Maddison Scalia. Stop rambling. You know we're being called in as a security detail this weekend. The government wants the best heroes in the country to be there protecting the president. Besides, it won't just be Uncle Tom, everyone is coming."
"Including your annoying cousin Spencer?"
"Yes. The 'annoying cousin' is also coming."
An ear-splitting squeal escapes her mouth. "I can't believe it!! I'm gonna meet the President!"
"Well, technically YOU aren't meeting the President, the Elemental Four are."
"Yeah yeah, same difference."
"What's the same difference?" Someone asks. That someone happens to be Allan West. One of my co-drum majors and Glitch. He pushes me over and sits beside me.
"My uncle is coming to town tomorrow. Yes, that uncle," I say before he can ask. "We've been tasked with providing security and being there before his plane lands, preferably meeting it in the sky."
"Well, that's not too bad. As long as Spark and Flare don't start up again."
"HEY! We aren't that bad!" Gracie protests.
I raise an eyebrow.
"Fine. We aren't that bad MOST of the time."
"Much better. Also, when's your brother getting here?" I ask. Tyler is on leadership like his sister and they both tend to get here pretty early.
"No clue. He's a little ticked you got the better of him earlier, so he probably won't get here for a little while."
Allan laughs. "If he's mad about that then he might wanna get used to it. Hurricane here can kick anyone's butt."
"Will you two stop giving away all the information on who we are!" I hiss. "No one knows who we are because it's supposed to be SECRET!"
"Okay. No need to get all riled up." Gracie is probably the most relaxed of us. Unless she's around Tyler.
As much as I love the two of them and would do absolutely anything for them, they tend to drive me crazy. In uniform they aren't that bad. Out of uniform is another story.
"Just so y'all know, Adrianna was walking in the school when I pulled in the parking lot," Allan informs us.
"Lemme guess, she had her Starbucks and was hanging all over her boyfriend?" Gracie asks in a mocking tone.
"If she did, would that surprise you?" I shoot back.
"Honestly, no."
"Five bucks says she is sitting around doing nothing," I tell Allan.
"You know I'll lose that bet," he groans.
My mouth forms a smirk. "That's why I'm making it."
"I still don't get why she doesn't like the two of you."
"We took the spots from her little 'friends,' if you can even call them that, and since she can't control us, she's chosen to hate us. That and she thinks I'm keeping Allan from her when she already has a boyfriend."
"And in turn, we've chosen to be so nice to her that she hates us even more."
"If we weren't already friends, that would be the selling point for me."
"Honestly, being nice to people who hate you just because you know it'll tick them off is SO much fun," I say.
"AGREED!" Gracie and Allan say in unison.
~~~
So, the four of us have been best friends since literally forever. There's Gracie and Tyler Scalia, the twins, Allan West, and me, Celeste Arrington. Tyler is an alto sax, Gracie is a flute, Allan is a trumpet (and he sometimes has the ego to go with it), and I'm a French horn. Gracie and Tyler are their section's section leaders while Allan and I are two of the drum majors. We're all seniors and have been friends since we were babies.
I mentioned Adrianna earlier so I might as well give you some information on who she is and why we avoid her. She is the other drum major, but she doesn't like to do anything unless the directors tell her to. She's a bitchy flute who doesn't like anyone but is in band which makes no sense to me because band kids tend to like almost everyone, but we don't talk about that. She does not, I repeat, DOES NOT like that Allan and I got drum major (more me than him), so she just ignores us unless the directors are around. Even though all three of us are seniors, she's let the power go to her head since it's her first year as drum major. Allan and I are the veteran drum majors, but she still doesn't listen to us.
Now, back to current events.
~~~
I stay in my locker for a few more minutes before I decide to go check with the directors.
I hope down and wind my way out of the locker room. We only have two doors so sometimes it's like a maze just to get through everyone. After I get out, I head to the office and poke my head in the door
"Hey, before we start getting everyone in arcs, is there anything that you would like me to do?"
Mrs. Smith looks over at Mr. McNeal and asks, "Anything you have for her?"
"Just make sure everyone's uniform is on properly and that section leaders have gotten their clipboards from the library to take attendance," he said.
"Yes sir!"
I head across the hall to the band library and walk in to see Adrianna just sitting there with her boyfriend and best friend playing on their phones, even though it is the biggest mess you will ever see.
And I'm not joking when I say that it's a mess. There are stands tunes and show music strewn all over the table by the back wall and on the table in the center of the room, there is concert music out of their files on two tables pushed together, the section binders are all over the two tables, and the cabinets that all the music is stored in are open. I'm shocked at how she can just sit there and do nothing.
"What do you want? I'm kinda busy here," Adrianna says, obviously disgusted to see me here.
"I don't really want anything. I'm just making sure that leadership is doing what they are supposed to do. Luckily, they all have their clipboards and are making sure that everything is done. They aren't playing on their phones," I retort.
She rolls her eyes at my remark. Her boyfriend Chandler looks up at me and says, "Why does it matter what we're doing? We aren't hurting anyone or doing anything."
I lean against the door and put my hand on the side of my head. "That's the problem. You're never doing anything to help us. I don't even know why you're still here. I would tell the directors but replacing a drum major would make the band look EXTREMELY bad. You may be a senior like me, but it is so obvious you don't care about the band."
"Bold of you to say something like that. Everyone knows that you only got this position because of your parents," Katherine Banks looks ticked at me now. "I should have gotten your spot because my sister was drum major five years ago, but for some reason the directors chose you over me. Still don't know why."
"Maybe because she's a better conductor than you are," Adrianna and Chandler look at the door in surprise with me. Standing there was Tyler Scalia. "I auditioned for the position too. I didn't get it, but I'm not ticked off about it. She actually makes a better drum major than I would've so don't start going off on her. I'm not someone who uses their leadership position to order people around, but I am your section leader so go get your instrument and get in concert arcs now!"
"Yes Tyler," she says disheartened. Katherine reluctantly stands up and leaves the library.
Adrianna stands up, gets right in front of me, and puts her finger about an inch from my nose thinking it will faze me. "I don't know what game you're playing but I don't like it. You think you're 'little miss perfect' but you are nothing more than someone who just showed up and took over my spot. I will find something on you and don't think I won't."
Like she'll find out anything. Very few people actually know a lot of stuff about me because my family stays out of the public eye. When your parents run one of the largest tech companies in the world, people try finding out everything they can about you.
"CELESTE! WE NEED YOU OUT HERE!" Someone calls from out in the band room.
"Think whatever you want Adrianna. No one will blink in your direction if you do find something out so if you don't mind, I'd like to make sure the band is ready." I walk out of the library then stop and call over my shoulder. "Oh, don't forget, you're on warmups tonight. You've barely done them this season and you need to show the directors that you're actually doing something. They did just mention how much you've been sitting around lately."
"They did not," she gasped in surprise.
"They did," I say on my way out.
I run into Allan, literally run into him. I'm too busy trying to find who's looking for me so we collide head on.
"Watch where you're going much?" He asks with a smile on his face.
"You know that when I pay attention is highly unpredictable. Running into you was a complete accident. I just happened to be focused on something at the moment." He starts to look excited. "And it was not your face. Someone needed me and I was trying to figure out who before you just happened to get in my way."
"I swear the two of you act like you are married," Nicholas McNeal says walking up. "Or at the very least dating."
Allan mutters something under his breath. I can't make it out, but I'm sure it's nothing.
"But anyway, I have a slight problem Cel."
"Why do I think this is going to be something I'm not gonna like?" I ask him.
"Because you won't like this. We have a freshman who just moved here and needs a t-shirt and Will just broke where his pinkie goes on his mellophone. The directors said to go to you for the shirt, but I thought you would like to know what happened to the horn. You are the person who completely broke part of a mello last year," Nick informs me.
"Why did I never hear about you breaking an instrument Cel?" Allan asks.
"Because I took it to the directors the day after it happened, and it was never mentioned to anyone outside of the section. You didn't find out because you tend to be overly dramatic when the smallest things happen. It really wasn't all that big of a deal." I make a quick U-turn and walk back into the band library. Ignoring the death glare coming from Adrianna, I quickly locate the box of shirts sitting in the corner.
"What size do they need?"
"Um, I think they said they needed a medium," Nicholas says.
I quickly find one. "And here it is! You deal with the situation with the mellophone, I'll run this to her."
"Got it."
Finding the new band member was not too hard. While everyone is in concert arcs chattering, they're off to the side, clarinet in hand.
I carefully approach them. "Hi. My names Celeste. I'm guessing you're new to the band?"
"I am!" Someone coming up and introducing themselves must've been a shock. "My name's Campbell Ricci."
"Nice to meet you Campbell!" I say in a cheery voice. "I brought you a show shirt. We wear them for the first few games with jeans. By next week we should hopefully be in uniforms."
Their facial expression shifts from nervous to worries. "How do I get one of those?" Campbell asks, absolutely petrified.
"Sometime next week during your band class they'll get you fitted. This is a pretty good week to start because if it was any other week, we would have to get you fitted tonight."
"Oh, okay."
"Come on, let's go find your section." I motion for them to follow me, and we find where the clarinets are in concert arcs.
Pulling out the section leader Noah, I say, "You have a new clarinet. Their name is Campbell Ricci."
"Hey! Nice to meet you dude. What grade are you in?"
"I'm a junior." Poor Campbell looks scared of Noah. Frankly, I don't blame them.
"Sweet! Guess we have two years together. I'm a junior too." Noah is from California. Think typical tan, blond surfer dude and you got him.
"Don't mind him. He calls everyone dude no matter what."
"That makes me feel a little better. Back home, No one respected who I am. It still scares me sometimes."
The poor baby has trauma from where they're from?? That sure isn't going to fly here.
"Well don't stress about it anymore. The last thing we want you to feel is uncomfortable." I lean a little closer to Campbell and whisper, "Word of advice, avoid Adrianna. She's not very accepting."
"Who's that?" They ask.
"She'll be the center drum major on warmups tonight. Allan is the other one. He's a good guy and is very protective of everyone."
"He's more than protective dude. He's basically the dad of the band. And everyone says you're the mom."
"Since when have they said that?"
"Literally since forever."
"Sure, they have." I look down at my watch really quick. "I've gotta go. Have fun tonight, Campbell! If you need anything, please let me know."
"I will!"
~~~
The night goes smoothly. Every time I check in on Campbell, they're having a blast. Adrianna only caused a few problems, and no one decided to attack anywhere around Nashville tonight.
"At least we can get some sleep tonight," I say to Allan as we work on tidying up the band library. Almost everyone has cleared out of the band room, so we'll get to go home soon. Like always, Adrianna is missing. She probably went home so she could get out of doing any work.
"But not much. Isn't he flying in tomorrow morning?"
"Ugh. I forgot he likes to get everywhere bright and early." We have to meet Uncle Tom's plane in the air and play escort as soon as the plane enters Nashville airspace.
"Better make sure you get your coffee then. I know you can't function without it."
"I wonder what would happen if I mixed in Red Bull?" I think out loud.
Allan's face morphs to horror. "Please. Do NOT do that."
"If you did that, your powers would go out of control. And we don't want to learn what kind of damage that would cause." Gracie stands in the doorway. "That or you would die."
I shoot her a look that says, 'I'm gonna do it out of spite."
"Are you going to stand there, or can you come help us?" Allan asks her.
"I think I'll stay here and watch. You know I'm not a drum major."
"But if you don't help, we have to stay here longer. And if we stay here longer, I'm going to mix Red Bull and coffee tomorrow."
Her eyes widen. "I'll help. You don't need to die before you graduate."
"Aww. But I want to."
"No. You can't die. We'll all bring you back and kill you again." Allan doesn't even look up from sorting music into its respective binders. He's heard this for so long it's nothing new to him.
"We aren't going to keep talking about this. Let's finish it up and go."
An idea comes to me. Checking to make sure no one is near, I close the door. Wind fills the room causing all the papers left out to swirl around us. Letting them all fly in front of my face, I sort them by song and section. A quick flick of my wrist sends every last piece of paper into their binders.
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Allan groans.
"There were too many people around. And I didn't think of doing it" A final breeze lifts the binders up and I direct them into the cabinet. "Now we can go home."