wasn’t sure why people seemed as if they disliked him.
Neil interrupted my thoughts by asking me where I lived. I gave him the street name and he said, “Hey, I live there too!” He paused for a bit and seemed to be studying me once more, making me a bit self-conscious. Something about his eyes made them seem as though they really pierce deeply inside of you. “Would you like to walk home together?” he asked suddenly, so quietly I almost didn’t hear.
Until that moment, I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I would be walking home at the end of the day, but I now realized that I couldn’t quite remember the way back to the house. “Oh, that would be great,” I replied. “I’m not even sure if I can remember my way home!” I added. Neil laughed with me and said he’d meet me by my locker at the end of the day. The bell rang then, signaling that I must get to class. I went to tell Neil my locker number, but he had already gone.
Maybe it was such a small school that he wouldn’t have any problem finding it. I shrugged to myself and went to throw away my trash. It was sure to be a long afternoon.
Chapter 3
The only class I was looking forward to was my last class of the day: band. I had loved being involved in band since the moment I first got my hands on a French horn. My mother had played for a year or two when she was in school and had never gotten around to selling her horn. I took right to it from the moment I found it up in our attic several years ago. I was hoping Minster would have at least a moderately accomplished band, but my hopes for that were fairly dashed when I met the director, an ugly bald man named Mr. Hanover. After I introduced myself to him, he said with a tired sigh, “Look, we’ve never had a French horn in this band and I know very little about the instrument. If you need help, you better be able to figure it out on your own.” I didn’t know what to say to that, so I simply nodded and sat down in an empty seat next to the trombone players.
As Mr. Hanover began passing out music, I turned to the girls sitting in the trombone section next to me and said, “Is he always this grouchy?”
The short brunette directly to the left of me nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned her head and saw who had spoken to her. Her friend, a chunky girl with beautiful long hair elbowed her in the side and replied, “He’s always like this at the beginning of the year. He convinces himself every summer that this will be the year he whips the band into shape and we’ll win first place in the state competition. He’ll calm down by midyear when he realizes that we’re still hopeless. You’re Ellen, right?” I nodded, and she continued, “My name is Erin and this is Melanie. How do you like Minster so far? I’ll bet you hate it. It must be so boring here compared to Akron.”
I smiled and said, “Well so far it’s alright. I haven’t had the chance to meet too many people though.”
“I saw Lexie and her group talking to you before lunch,” Melanie said earnestly. “What did she say to you? Was it awful?”
I laughed quietly and said, “Lexie, huh? She and her friends didn’t seem to like me much.”
Erin grinned and said, “Forget about them... they’re so full of themselves. They won’t hang out with anyone whose parents don’t bring home loads of money. They’re so shallow. Plus they’re totally all anorexic.”
Erin’s tone turned darker as she added, “We saw you with Neil Reynolds at lunch. Why in the world did you sit with him? He is such a freak. Everyone is dying to know what’s going on between you two. I almost choked to death when I saw you two actually laugh together. I can’t imagine the things he must have said to you. Honestly, what were you thinking sitting with him?” My smile faltered and I was about to ask what she meant when Mr. Hanover called the class to order and started us on some
Neil interrupted my thoughts by asking me where I lived. I gave him the street name and he said, “Hey, I live there too!” He paused for a bit and seemed to be studying me once more, making me a bit self-conscious. Something about his eyes made them seem as though they really pierce deeply inside of you. “Would you like to walk home together?” he asked suddenly, so quietly I almost didn’t hear.
Until that moment, I hadn’t really thought about the fact that I would be walking home at the end of the day, but I now realized that I couldn’t quite remember the way back to the house. “Oh, that would be great,” I replied. “I’m not even sure if I can remember my way home!” I added. Neil laughed with me and said he’d meet me by my locker at the end of the day. The bell rang then, signaling that I must get to class. I went to tell Neil my locker number, but he had already gone.
Maybe it was such a small school that he wouldn’t have any problem finding it. I shrugged to myself and went to throw away my trash. It was sure to be a long afternoon.
Chapter 3
The only class I was looking forward to was my last class of the day: band. I had loved being involved in band since the moment I first got my hands on a French horn. My mother had played for a year or two when she was in school and had never gotten around to selling her horn. I took right to it from the moment I found it up in our attic several years ago. I was hoping Minster would have at least a moderately accomplished band, but my hopes for that were fairly dashed when I met the director, an ugly bald man named Mr. Hanover. After I introduced myself to him, he said with a tired sigh, “Look, we’ve never had a French horn in this band and I know very little about the instrument. If you need help, you better be able to figure it out on your own.” I didn’t know what to say to that, so I simply nodded and sat down in an empty seat next to the trombone players.
As Mr. Hanover began passing out music, I turned to the girls sitting in the trombone section next to me and said, “Is he always this grouchy?”
The short brunette directly to the left of me nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned her head and saw who had spoken to her. Her friend, a chunky girl with beautiful long hair elbowed her in the side and replied, “He’s always like this at the beginning of the year. He convinces himself every summer that this will be the year he whips the band into shape and we’ll win first place in the state competition. He’ll calm down by midyear when he realizes that we’re still hopeless. You’re Ellen, right?” I nodded, and she continued, “My name is Erin and this is Melanie. How do you like Minster so far? I’ll bet you hate it. It must be so boring here compared to Akron.”
I smiled and said, “Well so far it’s alright. I haven’t had the chance to meet too many people though.”
“I saw Lexie and her group talking to you before lunch,” Melanie said earnestly. “What did she say to you? Was it awful?”
I laughed quietly and said, “Lexie, huh? She and her friends didn’t seem to like me much.”
Erin grinned and said, “Forget about them... they’re so full of themselves. They won’t hang out with anyone whose parents don’t bring home loads of money. They’re so shallow. Plus they’re totally all anorexic.”
Erin’s tone turned darker as she added, “We saw you with Neil Reynolds at lunch. Why in the world did you sit with him? He is such a freak. Everyone is dying to know what’s going on between you two. I almost choked to death when I saw you two actually laugh together. I can’t imagine the things he must have said to you. Honestly, what were you thinking sitting with him?” My smile faltered and I was about to ask what she meant when Mr. Hanover called the class to order and started us on some
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