A Fine Line (6 page)

Meredith, a sax player, said, “That’s not all – she also dated one of the cymbal players!”

Dating habits aside, seeing the stormy look on Lucy’s face as she pulled up to the Flueger residence, Bronwyn wasn’t sure if she wanted to get in the car with her favorite senior. Walking up to the house, however, Lucy’s face morphed into that of a pleasant, normal teenager.

“Hi there, Mr. and Mrs. Flueger!”

Mrs. Flueger extended a hand, “Hello, Lucy. How are you? Bronwyn said you were feeling under the weather this week.”

“Thanks for asking, but I feel much better now. B, you ready to go? We don’t want to be late for your first game.”

Bronwyn nodded as she gathered her garment bag. Her parents smiled as they looked at the picture of the model band student in their daughter, who was dressed in carefully pressed khaki shorts, a clean band shirt, and was already wearing her black shoes and socks. Lucy, the alleged marching band officer, looked the total opposite in her cotton shorts, tank top and flip flops. Bronwyn wondered if there was some secret uniform change that she didn’t know about and mentally started freaking out. She managed to sputter, “Bye Mom and Dad!”

“Nice meeting you!”

Bronwyn carefully hung her uniform in the backseat of Lucy’s car and got in the passenger side. The freshman smiled as she heard Lucy muttering to herself, “Stupid jock.”

Wardrobe questions to the side for a moment, Bronwyn was curious about which ‘jock’ Lucy could be referring to. However, at the last minute she chickened out and asked politely, “Did you have a nice day off?”

Unfortunately, it seemed that was all the ammunition Lucy needed to launch into a tirade about her day, “He is such a JERK! So, I’m all asleep or whatever and then I wake up and who is in my room? The crazy British transfer!” Lucy faked a snooty British accent, “Hi, I’m Wesley Mallinson the Third; it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Bronwyn giggled, “Did he actually say that?”

Lucy punched the radio presets on her car and continued her tirade, “No, but he somehow managed to talk my brother into letting him in the house and in my room to ‘bring me my homework.’ Finally, I get him the hell out of there, and as he’s leaving he actually backs directly in to my mailbox! Then my mom shows up! Then, they talk and do you know what my mom decides to do?!”

The freshman redhead was almost afraid to ask, but questioned, “What?”

“She decides the best idea will be to have him work off the damages by doing yard work AT MY HOUSE! I can’t escape him! He’s like a disease!”

Bronwyn looked shocked at the outburst. Lucy glanced at her passenger and felt terrible, “Bronwyn, please forgive me. I’m not sure if it’s the Benadryl talking or just my overall rage towards Wes, but I didn’t mean to unload on you like that. I mean, we should be talking about you – it’s your first game and you must be totally excited!”

Bronwyn nodded, “I really am.”

“Do you feel ready?”

“I think so.”

“You’ll do fine.”

With that, two-thirds of the female force on the Forrest Hills drumline arrived at the school. Bronwyn walked into the band room, eyes wide. Lucy looked over and saw things through Bronwyn’s eyes: uniforms, garment bags, sequins, secret pal gifts, glitter and instruments. The sound alone was deafening. Somehow, it made all the long hours of practice worth it. Bronwyn followed Lucy into the percussion room where things were a little different. The redheaded freshmen already loved the percussion room – it was like the VIP room in a club and she was always on the list.

Tom grabbed Lucy and pulled her aside, winking at Bronwyn, “I have to borrow her for a few minutes.”

The first march down the field of the season was always a blast. The band, proud at two-hundred fifty plus members strong marched in the following order: Drum majors, Auxiliaries, Woodwinds, Brass, and ended with the Line (snares, tenors, basses, cymbals, and Pit). In parades, sometimes they mixed it up with percussion in the middle, but on the march to the field, it was Line in the back. The percussionists had some new cadences they were trying out and Lucy forgot the rush of setting of multiple car alarms. It was even more exciting knowing that it was HER section that was responsible. Kevin and Thomas were all smiles as they marched. Even Mark and Lucy glanced across at each other and shared a grin.

On the field during pre-game festivities, the marching band played the Star Spangled Banner and the colors were raised. As the band filed into the stands, the drummers waited their turn and Lucy looked out onto the field and, without meaning to, immediately focused in on a familiar figure, the kicker, #11. Wes looked, well, undeniably good, in his green football jersey and black pants. After watching him stretch and warm up for a few moments, Lucy made her way up to the stands, silently questioning her mental health.

I have a boyfriend…I’m not supposed to be ogling football players who cause property damage!

After the warm up at the end of the second quarter, the band marched out onto the field, more than ready to perform to the packed stands. With military precision, Fred and Drew performed their salute near the fifty-yard line and Drew came running across quickly to climb the Drum major’s podium. Briefly making eye contact with as many players as possible, he brought the band to attention, then lifted his hands and the show began. Bronwyn couldn’t believe what a high she was getting from performing in front of the crowd. The opener was quickly over and Drew climbed off his podium and waited for Fred to begin the next song. With his back facing the stands he winked at Bronwyn and asked, whispering, “Where was Lucy yesterday?”

Bronwyn was shocked he was actually talking to her, in the middle of a performance no less, and replied with more wit than she actually imagined she had, “Misguided apology.”

Fred began the second song and the percussion feature began. Drew marched off in the direction of the smaller podium to Fred’s right. Bronwyn blinked and wondered, did that actually just happen?

Post-halftime show, Lucy and the rest of the Line walked off the field. After placing her drum in the stands and overseeing the rest of the basses do the same, Lucy walked over to the concession stand, with Gina and Mandy at her side.

Mandy asked, “Did anything interesting happen on your day off?”

With their new Captainships, Mandy and Gina were both extremely busy before the game, so Lucy hadn’t had a chance to catch up with either of them. Also, somehow, getting the story out to Bronwyn had made her feel a lot calmer, so she merely replied, “Well, I took a nap and was woken by my ‘Prince Charming’…”

“Sam came home to visit?” questioned Gina.

“I was kidding. Wes came up to see me…”

“In your bedroom?!” Mandy practically shouted, loud enough to attract a few stares from passing band members.

Lucy clapped a hand over her friend’s mouth, “Shh!!! Anyway, he brought my homework and when he was leaving, managed to back into our mailbox. My Mom, in a complete moment of brilliance, decided that he would ‘work off’ the debt owed to our family in the form of yard work and maybe even personal coaching for Craig. ”

The trio’s attention was suddenly caught by the announcement which echoed across the stadium, “From across the pond, Wes Mallinson puts up his first field goal in the United States. Let’s give him a big Forrest Hills round of applause.”

Gina nudged Lucy, “So, you mean to tell us that guy was in your bedroom earlier?”

Lucy rolled her eyes, “The one and only.”

Sam called Lucy when she was on her way to Waffle House that night. He greeted her warmly, “Hey babe. How was the game?”

“It was a decent first official show. The freshies were so cute on their big first night.”

As Sam proceeded to inform her about his day of classes, Lucy’s mind started to wander.

You need to tell him about Wes. Like, now.

What is there to tell?

How would you feel if some chick walked into his room and woke him up?

You make it sound as if something actually happened.

So, why aren’t you telling him? What if he shows up one day and there’s Wes in your yard, what then?

So, my parents hired him to work—

Did you learn nothing from last year?!

I guess you’re right.

Sam’s voice brought Lucy’s thoughts back to her boyfriend, “Hey I gotta go, talk to you soon?”

Lucy replied brightly, “Sounds great!”

I’ll tell him next time…

* * *

CHAPTER SIX: Say Goodbye

The next morning, Lucy walked downstairs close to noon – her traditional waking hour after a long week of school and staying out after the game. Her mom was busy working on the computer. Craig and her dad were at her younger brother’s soccer game.

“So…Mom?” Lucy grabbed a carton of yogurt out of the fridge.

“Yes, honey?”

“It would’ve been nice if maybe you had asked me about Wes yesterday.”

“What do you mean?”

“For all you know he could be some crazy psycho that doesn’t even go to my school.”

“Nonsense, I remember reading an article about him recently in the paper. He just transferred here from the U.K.”

“And so that makes it okay for him to just start working around our house instead of paying off the damage like a normal human being?”

“Well, I figured he probably doesn’t have citizenship or time to get a job with being on the team and all. Plus, Lucy, he really did want to make things up to us. I thought it might be a good lesson in integrity for Craig.”

“Hmph,” Lucy stabbed her spoon into her yogurt cup.

“You don’t have to see him, so I don’t even see why you’re getting so bothered about it.”

“I have to go study.”

Lucy went up to her room, still frustrated with the situation. She was about to sign online and maybe talk to Cartwright about the recent developments, when she remembered her silly promise to Tom the night before. She went to her closet and changed. Heading downstairs, she called to her Mom, “I’m going to have lunch with Tom.”

“Have fun!”

“I will.”

“Oh, and Lucy, if you want to avoid Wes, he just called, so be sure to find something to do tomorrow afternoon,” Mrs. Karate added, watching her daughter walk out the door.

The next day, Lucy got out of bed, strangely sore. Thinking back to yesterday’s events, she knew the results were totally going to be worth it. Hearing Sam’s familiar ring tone, Lucy smiled and picked up the phone. As much as the whole long distance thing sucked, at the end of the day it was still fun to say, “My boyfriend? He’s in college.” Whether or not Sam was technically her boyfriend, remained to be seen.

“Hey, Luce.”

“What’s up?” Lucy detected something in his voice that seemed off somehow.

“Not much, how are things with you?”

“Good enough. Anything going on with you?”

“Well actually, there’s this girl on my hall…”

A girl? He’s only been there less than a month! Doesn’t our relationship mean anything to him?

When did you think it was going to happen? You didn’t exactly give him the most solid, ‘we’re going to be together forever’ speech when he went away.

“…and she has this thing for her sorority and has to bring someone. We’ve been talking and she was wondering if I would go with her, you know, as friends.”

As friends? Do you honestly think anyone sees Sam ‘as friends’? Fight for him!

Why? This day was bound to happen. I just wish I was better prepared for it.

“…what do you think, Luce?”

Shaking the negative thoughts from her head, Lucy said cheerfully, “You should go and have a good time. I mean, who can pass up free food, right?”

Sam, who, after close to a year of dating Lucy, knew her moods a little better than she wished he did, responded, “Lucy, it really is just as friends. I promise.”

“I know it is, Sam. I think you should go…and I appreciate you telling me about it.”

“Yeah.”

They both paused as an extreme awkward silence fell over the conversation. Lucy said lamely, “Well, I have to go and study.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”

Lucy hung up the phone and realized that this was probably the exact moment her relationship with Sam ended. Images of all the great times they had together flashed through her mind. Tears she wasn’t expecting clouded her vision and she had to get outside. The porch swing in the back yard seemed like a perfect place to think.

Why am I crying?

Uh, he was your boyfriend? Personally, I think you’re being melodramatic. One date with a friend does not mean Sam is ending things with you.

Maybe…but what if no one ever wants to date me again? What if Sam was it for the rest of my life and I totally blew it?

“Hello?”