The Line (18 page)

“For Jerm,” she murmured as she moved onto the next percussionist. The Line was all smiles as they marched onto the field.

From the stands, Jerm looked out over the field as the band began playing the Homecoming song – a decent arrangement of “The Way You Look Tonight.” He cocked his head as he looked at his section, noticing each member of the Battery was sporting a black armband over their uniform sleeve. The drumline captain smiled to himself, enjoying the display. He had a good idea what it was for, and most importantly, who was behind the prank.

To say Mr. Izzo was less than happy after the show was an understatement. The percussionists had quickly taken off the armbands before stepping off the field, but people in the stands had definitely noticed. He approached the drummers in the band room after the game demanding to know where the armbands had come from, “People were approaching me at the game asking if there was a member of the band who had died! Do you know what kind of position that put me in? Who was behind this?!”

Lucy knew the drumline was whole again when the group refused to say whose idea the armbands were or where they had come from. Whatever punishment Mr. Izzo passed down to them would be worth it. After the band director left, grumbling about pranks gone too far, Lucy left the percussion room with lots of congratulations from her section mates. The struggle between the band director and the drumline was old as time itself.

On Saturday morning, Lucy smiled as she woke up. After the success of yesterday, she had an entirely optimistic feeling about the day ahead. Now that things were permanently better between herself and Jerm, she hoped Sam and her captain would finally be able to get past their differences. Looking up at her dress and shoes, she rubbed her eyes and trying to motivate herself to actually get out of bed. Still half asleep, she reached over and checked her phone, unsurprised to see a text from Sam waiting for her.

>> Morning sleepy head.

Lucy smiled and returned the text.

>> Sorry I didn’t call you back last night…

>> No worries. We still on for 6 tonight, right? Pictures and all that junk first…?

>> Can’t wait!

>> Only two weekends before the real fun starts!

>> I know. So, I have to ask again, you’re positive it’s cool we go with Jerm?

>> I’m sure. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. Did you talk your mom into a later curfew?

>> Yes, I managed to get another hour out of her. Why won’t you tell me what you have planned?

>> Just wait and be surprised. I gotta go teach some lessons, I’ll see you later tonight.

Lucy sat back, looking forward to her upcoming day. Finally getting herself out of bed, she logged online to see if anyone had posted pictures of the ‘Armband Incident’ and found herself receiving an instant message from a friend.

Cartwright213:
Getting ready for the big night?

bassgirl17:
Not yet. How long do you think it takes for me to get ready anyways?!

Cartwright213:
Hey, I’m not implying anything. I just know how girls can be.

Lucy leaned back from the computer and smiled, obviously Cartwright was no longer in the funk he had been in the week before.

bassgirl17:
Well, what about you? Did you find a date?

Cartwright213:
Yes, actually, I did.

Lucy was pleased to see her anonymous friend chatting about his own romantic life. Their friendship seemed a it one sided, with her constantly asking for advice and him rarely volunteering details or asking questions.

bassgirl17:
That’s good news.

Cartwright213
: Sort of.

bassgirl17:
What do you mean, ’sort of’?

Cartwright213:
We have to go with her friend and her friend’s lame-o date.

bassgirl17:
Why exactly is he “lame-o?”

Cartwright213:
It’s complicated and too long a story for today.

bassgirl17:
Yeah, I’m not entirely too sure how my own double date is going to go. I guess we’ll both have to think positive.

After wasting some further time online updating her tumblr account, Lucy dug out her textbooks and attempted to study. Although Mandy had encouraged the drummer to get ready with herself and Gina, Lucy wanted some time alone. For once, she took her time getting ready, actually blow drying her hair and curling it. More of a lip gloss and go kind of girl, the junior dug out some make up she had managed to scrape together and carefully put it on. With her make up in place, she stepped into her dress and balanced herself to put on the 3-inch heels she’d selected. Finishing up with her signature scent, Clinique Happy, Lucy looked in the mirror, pleased with her reflection. She smiled to herself, and continued grinning when she saw a familiar PT Cruiser pull up in her driveway.

Lucy’s parents and Sam exchanged pleasantries while the brunette gathered up her purse, pashmina, and flip-flops to change into after the dance. Sam’s blue eyes almost popped out of his head when he got a good look at Lucy. The junior twirled in a circle so he could get a good look at the short black and white dress complete with strappy black heels. After posing for pictures, the pair hopped in Sam’s car and sped off to Asanebo, where the couples had agreed to meet for sushi.

Once in the car, Sam admitted, “Lucy, in case you didn’t realize it, and if I haven’t told you lately, you are absolutely beautiful.”

Lucy, always one with a smart-ass comment, was speechless. Tonight, with her boyfriend next to her, for once, she felt very beautiful. She looked over at Sam, who cleaned up very nice – he was wearing a black pinstripe suit, with a white shirt and gray tie, and finished off the outfit with two-tone black and white Doc Martens.

“You don’t look half bad either.”

“Thanks, but no one’s going to be looking at me. Oh, look in the back seat…I think you’ll find something you might like.”

The junior quickly turned around and started digging through practice pads, sheet music, and drumsticks that cluttered up the backseat, before finding a clear florists’ box, then squealed as she opened it. He remembered! Lucy’s favorite flowers were stargazer lilies. In a surprisingly romantic move, Sam had the florist to create a beautiful corsage; all centered around one large and awesomely fragrant lily. As they were going to dinner, Lucy knew she would have to wait until after they finished their sushi until she could wear it.

Lucy leaned over and gave Sam a big kiss on the cheek, “Thank you, Sam. It’s beautiful!”

“Just like my date.”

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the restaurant. Lucy knew Mandy and Jerm were already there because her captain’s recognizable 1977 Ford Fairmont (known simply as The White Car) was already in the parking lot. Lucy took a deep breath, latched onto Sam’s arm for support and together they walked in. Mandy quickly waved them over. Her friend looked fabulous in a low cut black dress and elegantly upswept hair. Jerm, like Sam, could look good when he wanted to.

Dinner went better than Lucy expected or ever could anticipate. Everyone was acting very civilized and surprisingly the conversation flowed easily among the quartet. As they all were talented musicians in the off season, there were a number of similar acquaintances among them. When desert arrived, Lucy let out a deep breath she didn’t even know she had been holding. As they finished the last of their chocolate mochas, Lucy looked over at Mandy, who took the hint and commented, “Well, I need to put on some lipstick. Lucy, want to come with me?”

“Sure thing.”

“You two behave yourselves,” Mandy called out as the girls headed for the bathroom.

As Lucy applied a coat of Satin Secret, she told Mandy, “Wow, I thought things were going to go so much worse tonight.”

“Me too! But, I guess we’ve both been surprised. And hey, by the way, I am so proud of you!”

“Why’s that?”

“Uh, hello, Lucy? Have you looked at your date? He’s like, incredibly hot!”

“Hot as he may be, I mean, he’s cool too?” As much as she wouldn’t admit it, Lucy desperately craved the approval of her friend. With no one else having met Sam, she had no idea if what she was seeing in him was all in her head. During the dinner, he had been one part flirtatious, one part intelligent and two parts charming.

Mandy nodded her head and replied, “I can definitely see why you chose him over Nevada.”

“Well, Jerm cleans up nice too.”

The girls shared a smile in the mirror. At that moment, they heard a loud crash and dishes breaking. Lucy and Mandy shared a worried look and immediately grabbed their purses and ran outside. The sight which greeted them was not a good one – Jerm and Sam were violently wrestling on the floor. With a quick look at each other, the girls did their best to jump in and break up the fight. Given the dresses they were wearing, beautiful they may be, did not lend themselves to breaking up a scuffle between two teenage boys. Finally, some of the busboys were able to get in between the percussionists and hold them back. Breathing heavily, Lucy and Mandy, red-faced, surveyed the damage. Their section of the restaurant was in ruins: tables were turned over, drinks spilled, with soy sauce and raw fish everywhere. Jerm was holding his eye in pain, while Sam was shaking his hand.

Mandy looked over at Lucy and said, “I’ll handle the restaurant, you get this lot outside.”

Wordlessly, Lucy grabbed each of the guys by the arm and hurried them outside. The junior knew Mandy had access to her father’s platinum credit card and would make sure this whole situation was taken care of. Lucy was glad – she didn’t want to be blackballed from her favorite sushi restaurant.

As soon as they got to the cars, Lucy took a deep breath and was about to start yelling when Sam put a finger up to her lips and said, “Before we get into apologies, I uh, well, I think I may have mashed some wasabi in Jerm’s eye. We should probably take him to the ER and see if he’s okay.”

Jerm, hand still over his eye, nodded angrily. Lucy couldn’t even believe what was happening – this was supposed to be a night of romance and dancing, not trips to the emergency room.

Sam said, “I think it’s best if I drive.”

At that moment Mandy came out. She looked at Lucy, and her friend shrugged her shoulders and announced, “Mandy, your boyfriend’s eye is full of wasabi, apparently. We have to go to the ER.”

A lesser girl may have been more upset by the situation, but Mandy was made of tougher stuff. The young woman grabbed Jerm’s hand and said, “Let’s go!”

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT

If I looked up the definition of uncomfortable in the dictionary, I would probably find a picture of this car ride.

It’s not so bad.

Just look at us…

Mandy was in the back trying her best to comfort the obviously pained Jerm. Lucy was tense and angry. She had been waiting so long to have this romantic evening and now it was definitely on its way to being thoroughly ruined. Sam was trying his best to not only drive but also to staunch the flow of blood that was coming out of the side of his mouth. Lucy and Mandy were trying to exchange emotions through the rear view mirror and not having a lot of luck. After what seemed an eternity, they finally arrived at St. Joseph’s Emergency Room.

Sam got out of the car and opened the door for Jerm, who continued to glare at him from his one good eye. The guys had still not uttered one word to each other, or anyone else. The formally attired foursome drew some strange stares as they walked into the ER. T hey had just signed Jerm in when the Mandy’s cell phone started ringing. The two couples had told their friends they would be arriving at the dance around 9PM and when the appointed hour arrived and there was no sign of either couple, people started getting curious. Mandy had also put in a call to Jerm’s parents to tell them their beloved (and only) son was currently sitting in the ER. She was very careful not to elaborate on the details. Mandy, Sam, and Lucy had decided the rest of the parents were on a need to know basis and they definitely did NOT need to know exactly what happened.

Mandy hung up her cell phone, when it started ringing again. She mouthed the word “Gina” to Lucy and stepped outside. The drummer sat on the hard plastic hospital chair, very uncomfortably, between Sam and Jerm. The three of them, dressed to the nines, Sam bleeding from his mouth, Jerm still holding a hand over his eye in the middle of an ER triage area.