Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad (25 page)

"
Ow
!" I cried as I stood up.  I looked over at Tamara, who was across the net, laughing at me.  "That hurt!"

Tamara stopped laughing and stared me down.  "You're lucky that's all I do to you, Rhodes.  You're such a thief."  She grabbed the ball and again threw it at me, but this time I ducked out of the way.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied.  I tried to serve the ball back to her as hard as she had to me, but she volleyed the ball without even looking.

"No, I think you know exactly what I mean," she said.  "So, what did you do to get into that orchestra, anyway -- blackmail Mr. Francis?  Sleep with the other conductor? 
Everyone
knows you stole Kathy's spot."  She slammed the ball back in my direction.

Oh God, I thought to myself.  She knows, she knows, she knows.  I gulped a couple of times and tried to stay calm.

"Look, I practiced, same as she did," I said carefully, but I could hear my voice wavering.  "I just didn't mess up during the recital is
all.
"  I tried to throw the ball at her again, but this time it missed and bounced off the wall ... hitting me.  Tamara cracked up.  "Not funny!"  I called out.

Tamara stopped laughing and held onto the ball.  She narrowed her brown eyes and gave me a strange look.  "Yeah, that was kind of weird what happened at the recital, wasn't it?  That weirdo standing in the window ... that dog coming in ... all of this happened right during Kathy's piece."  She pointed at me.  "You did something, didn't you?"  She brushed her short dark hair out of her face.  "I think you made Kathy mess up that night."

I backed away from her and felt the hairs on my neck stand up.  It figured that a witch like Tamara would come so close to determining the truth.  She'd probably done millions of evil things to people over the years so she'd recognize a scheme when she saw one.  "I... that's ridiculous," I managed to spit out.  "Kathy messed up
on her own
.  And she could've started over.  No one stopped her from trying again.  Part of being a good performer is being able to handle distractions."

"But you
did
something," Tamara went on, thinking out loud.  "I've seen that masked guy who was staring in the window before; I recognized his weird, curly hair.  He hangs out with Josh, doesn't he?  He was at the party the other night ... making out with your best friend!  And then your friend Lana was the one who told everyone
about the dog ... it all seems very suspicious, if you ask me."  She shook her head.  "You just couldn't stand that someone is a better flute player than you ... and prettier and more popular and ... and just a better person!"  She folded her arms.  "You're a total loser!"

"Am I?"  I walked up to the net and peered through it at her.  "I'm not the one who's Kathy's
groupie
.  All she has to do is snap her fingers and you and Clara come running.  I'll bet if she asked to wipe her ass, you'd do it!"

"You're such a freak," Tamara said, ignoring my comment.  "Well, don't worry, I'm
gonna
get to the bottom of the recital thing.  You can count on it, Moo-
linda
."

Tamara stomped out of the gym and into the locker room.  I just stood there, thinking that I was in
big
trouble.

###

That afternoon, I waited for Josh in the band locker room.  He flashed me a huge smile when he saw me.  "Hey," he said, giving me a hug.  "How's my favorite flute player?"

"Not so good," I told him.  I lowered my voice.  "We're screwed.  Tamara knows."

"What?"  His brow furrowed.  "What does she know exactly?"

Just then, Kathy entered the band locker room.  She threw me a sour glance and went to grab her flute.

"Let's talk about this later," Josh suggested.  "Will you let me drive you home from school?"

"Yeah," I said.  "That would be nice, actually."

"And uh, maybe we can, uh, talk about some other things, too?"  Josh asked.  His expression was hopeful.

"Yes," I said, taking his hand. 
"Definitely."

He hugged me again.  "I've missed you, you know," he murmured in my ear.  "Again, I'm sorry..."

I put my finger to his lips to silence him.  "It's okay.  I've missed you, too."

###

On the way home, I filled him in on my encounter with Tamara.  "So what if Heather Number Two suspects something?"  Josh said, shrugging.  "It's not like she can prove anything.  The recital was over a month ago."

"But she totally figured it out," I argued.  I stared out the window into the winter landscape.  The sun was out, but a light coating of snow still clung to the ground.  "Did you see the looks Kathy gave me in band?"  I shuddered.  "We're
dead
."

"If she tries to get us
intro
trouble, I'll get us out of it,
"  Josh
said.  He reached over and took my hand.  "I promise
,
I won't let anything happen to you.  You know that, right?"

"Thanks."  I sighed.  "But it's not just that we could get into trouble.  What if Tamara's right?  What if I really did steal Kathy's seat?  I don't know how great I feel going to the orchestra when I kind of feel like I cheated.  And let's face
it,
I did help Kathy mess up that night.  She was going to play a really hard piece, too.  One I know I can't even play."

Josh stopped the car and pulled over.  I noticed he'd driven us to the lake near his house.  "You know, it is possible that she took on something way above her head," he said.  "She failed, you did great, and that's all there is to it.  You're a fantastic musician.  You
deserve
to be in that band.  Trust me; you did not cheat to get in."

"Okay," I hedged.  I turned to him.  "But how do we make this go away?"  As it was, I knew I wouldn't be sleeping that night.  I knew I'd be up worrying that I'd been awarded something I shouldn't have been.

"Just go about everything like normal and keep working on your music," Josh said.  He faced me.  "You know, you really are a good person, Mel," he said, smiling.  "And I know I really messed up with Kathy and with getting drunk.  It was stupid.  I don’t have an excuse, it’s just when everyone was egging me on to drink and to be crazy, I got into having all that attention on me... and next thing I knew, she was kissing me.  But it meant nothing.  I
swear
.”

“Even though you once asked her out?”
I wondered.

He shrugged.  “Kathy is attractive, okay?  I came on to a pretty girl.  But her personality sucks.  And for what it’s worth, she’s a terrible kisser, too.”

I laughed, despite all that had happened. 
“Really?”

“Really,” he said.  “It was like being accosted by a wet rag.  She isn’t who I want to be with.  I can’t change what I did that night, but I can promise that it’ll
never happen again. 
The excess drinking and my general, well,
stupidness
.
  More than anything, I want to be with
you
,” he said quietly.  “You’re smart, talented and beautiful, and she has
nothing
on you.  And I have a confession to make."

“What?” I asked, his compliment ringing in my ear.

“The thing is, I’ve liked you for a long time,” he said quietly.  He looked into my eyes.  “I noticed you last year when you were playing that Hindemith Sonata at the recital.  You were just so into the music –- like I get sometimes –- and I wanted to get to know you better.  But you kept to yourself a lot so I wasn’t sure how I could approach you.  You’re not like some girls who just put themselves out there –- which is a good thing.  So when I came up to you with the Kathy thing, it was more than just that,” he admitted.  “It was an excuse to spend time with you.”  He ran his hand through his hair.  “Man, I can’t even imagine what you’re thinking of me right now...”

I took his hand, my heart hammering in my chest.  “I think it’s sweet,” I said.  I lowered my eyes as I told him, “I’ve liked you for a long time, too –- since we started hanging out, actually.  I just ... I didn’t know how to let you know.  You’ve dated so many girls and I figured that if you were interested, you’d just ask me out.” 

“I wanted to ask you out, but didn’t think you’d give a guy like me the time of day,” he explained, “so I decided to go for something I did know you cared about: doing well in band.  And then the more I got to know you, the more I fell for you... you do know how I feel about you, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered, feeling the hairs on my neck stand up.

His voice became gruff.  “Is it okay if I kiss you, Mel?”

I nodded, but couldn’t make any words come out of my mouth.

With that, he leaned in and kissed me, only this
time,
it wasn't like the peck he'd given me in Central Park.  This was a
real
kiss.  His lips were soft and moist, and his breath smelled of mints.  At first, he pressed his lips to mine gently, but then added more force.  As our tongues danced together, I could taste his sweetness and I relished the way his hands slid over my body.  I tingled with chills as his fingers caressed my cheek, then tangled in my hair and moved slowly down my back.  As I pulled him toward me, I felt a surge of electricity zip up my spine, and for a moment I couldn't breathe.  When we finally pulled away, we looked at each other in awe.  "Whoa," he whispered, his cheeks flushed.  "That was ....
wow
."

I couldn't answer
him,
because I was too busy grinning from ear to ear.  My fears about
Kathy and Tamara were forgotten.

CHAPTER XVI

Now that Josh and I had gotten our first real kiss out of the way, we got plenty of practice.  We made out in the hallway by my locker, in the school parking lot, at the lake and at the movies.  We even spent a half hour kissing in his car in front of my house ... until my dad came outside and rapped on the windows.  I know, I should've been embarrassed, but this whole kissing thing was still new to me.  I relished the sensation of having Josh's mouth pressed against mine and the way his hands would gently glide over my body.  I loved the way he tasted, smelled ... I just couldn't get enough of him.

When I wasn't with him, I wandered around like a zombie because, well, then I could at least
think
about him.  I hardly slept or ate anything; instead, I drifted through the day in an exhausted, but nevertheless, beautiful haze.

###

Josh couldn't take me to school on Friday morning because he was helping his mom take care of an errand at the diner.  However, Lana was more than willing to discuss my boyfriend —- I loved saying that word:
boyfriend
—- with me.

"So, is being with him everything you dreamed it would be?" 
she
asked as we waited for the bus.  She had this all-knowing smirk on her face.

"It's great," I said, grinning broadly.  Truthfully, I'd been smiling so
much,
my jaw was beginning to ache.  But the joy was worth the pain, I thought.

"Yeah, the first couple of weeks are always fun," she said.  She stopped smiling.  "Enjoy it while it lasts.  Pretty soon, you'll get to know the real him. 
The real person who forgets your birthday and farts during dinner."
  She shook her head.

"Ken did all of that?"

"Well, no..." 
she
said.  "But my dad totally does stuff like that to my mom.  I don't get what she sees in him."

"See, that's the thing," I said.  "Josh and I have been friends for a while now and we've been through all this stuff, so it's like I know him already.  I mean, he's seen me crying and angry —- at my worst!  So I feel like it can only get better."

"
Awww
," Lana cooed.  "You're so cute! 
So cute and delusional."
  She giggled.

"I'm not delusional," I argued.  "I'm just ... how do you know if you're in love?"  I asked.

Lana thought for a minute.  "Well, what are you feeling like?"

"A little jumpy.
  Maybe a bit nauseated."

"That could be love," she mused, "but then again, it could just be heartburn.  Honestly, Mel, I don't know," she said quietly.  "I've never been in love with anyone before."

"Oh."  I hadn't been expecting that.  With all the guys she'd dated, I figured she must've loved at least one of them ... Ken, perhaps.

"I think I could've been in love with Ken," she went on as if she knew what I was thinking.  "But
then you know, things happened...
"  She took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry if I was teasing you before.  You know I'm happy for you guys.  I like Josh.  I think he's good for you."

"He is," I said, linking arms with her.  "But you're good for me, too.  And don't worry," I added.  "You'll find someone great.  You're too good to pass up!"  
             

As if on cue, a red Honda pulled up to the curb.  Someone was shouting at us.