“You don’t think they’ll choose me?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Max’s jaw flexes and I have to bite my cheek so I don’t burst out laughing at his expression. I’m pretty confident that Max is about to be the new section leader, but the way he tenses when I question him is too funny to ignore. He makes itsoeasy to mess with him.
He takes a step closer to me. “Fine, we’ll make a bet out of it.”
“Of course we will. And what will I get when I win?”
“We don’t need to worry about that since it’s clear you’ll be losing.” He glares at me, but there’s no heat to it like there used to be. Or, at least, there’s no anger in his expression. His eyes drop to my mouth for a moment, and a whole other kind of heat fills me. “And when you lose—which you will—you have to buy me ice cream before the home football game next Friday.”
I wasn’t expecting that. My cocky swagger drops away and I shuffle backward. We’re going out for ice cream together now? Is he…asking me out on adate?
Chapter Nineteen
I linger after school on Wednesday even though we don’t have band practice. I know it’s silly—it’s not like my hanging around will have any effect on Sire’s decision about the percussion section leader—but I guess I want to be nearby to find out the news as soon as possible. I tell myself that’s for the sake of the guard, so I can be prepared if Brody is on the warpath tomorrow, but that’s not the complete truth.
Either way, I take my time outside, rolling the competition flags just so and storing them in our outside shed, making sure to keep my new key close at hand. There’s no way I’m making that mistake again. By the time I walk back into the school, I’m one of the last people here. Brody, Max, Sire, and the assistant directors are all huddled in the back of the band room.
Sire’s head whips around to me. “Sorry, Hazel, the band room is closed right now.”
“Oh, sorry, my fault.” I point to a stray practice flag that someone left leaning against the wall. “I just wanted to, um, get a little more practice in. I’ll go to the gymnasium.”
“I’m pretty sure the cheerleaders are practicing in there this afternoon. But you could try the auditorium stage. There shouldn’t be anyone there.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
Brody eyes me warily, and Max gives me a small nod. I cross my fingers behind my back and hurry out.
I don’t really need to practice, but I head to the auditorium and wander around. I’ve never been on this stage before because we don’t practice here, but it’s actually not a bad space. The ceilings are super high, so we could practice tosses, and I even notice mirrors along the back wall, hidden by heavy curtains.
It feels kind of weird lurking in this empty cavernous space, but I decide to stay for a while in case Max comes to find me when he’s done. Twenty minutes go by while I mess around with some harder flag tosses and try to fill my mind with thoughts of our D&D campaign. I’m just starting to think that I misread this situation and Max isn’t coming, when the door at the back of the auditorium squeaks open. Someone steps inside, silhouetted by the bright light from the hallway. I catch my flag with a snap, then lower it to the ground. My heart thumps uncomfortably in my chest. I don’t need to see his face to know it’s Max. Somewhere along the way, I seem to have memorized the outlines of him—long legs and broad shoulders and the perfect waves of his hair.
“How’d it go?” I ask.
“Bad news,” he calls from the back. He strides down the aisle until he’s close enough that I can make out the smirk on his face. “We share a common enemy now. And you owe me ice cream.”
I yelp. “It happened? You’re section leader?”
Max jumps up onto the stage with me. “I am.”
I don’t think, I just throw my arms around him and squeeze. He squeezes me back, holding so tight that my feet almost lift off the floor before he releases me.
I step away, a little shaky. “Congratulations!”
Max sits down on the edge of the stage, and I lower myself next to him, careful to leave enough space between us that he couldn’t suspect how my pulse has sped up since he came in.
“Thanks. I was getting worried that Sire and Mrs.Lewis would be reluctant to make the change so far into the season. I have a feeling Brody didn’t react well when they talked to him, though.”
“They know how talented you are. Actually, I’ve been wondering, how did you get so good at the drums?”
He snorts. “I feel like I should take offense. Are you that surprised?”
“Let’s just say I don’t remember you being entirely diligent when we were younger.”
“One of the best things about our move away was that the new house had a soundproof basement. My parents weren’t always fighting, but there was enough tension that I liked to hang out down there and practice. It’s amazing how good you can get at something if it’s all you do.”
Oof, now I feel like a jerk. The last thing I want to do is bring up more drama about his family now that we seem to be moving past that. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
