My stomach jumps into my throat.
“Good job tonight.” His eyes meet mine. “That’s the kind of improvement I’d like to see from the whole band.”
I bob my head and try to play it cool. Li, Rosa, and Deja high-five me with huge grins. “Nicely done!” I whisper to them, my whole body vibrating with excitement and relief. I’m embarrassed that my eyes are stinging from the threat of tears. It’s a small thing, this compliment, but Sire’s approval feels like an award.
Fingers graze my elbow, and I turn to find Max at my side. His expression is strained.
“Can I talk to you?” he asks quietly, his voice low and tense. “Alone?”
“Percussion doesn’t deserve your attention,” Callie tellsme.
“Your section is pitiful,” Madisyn growls at him.
I look between the guard and Max. I can understand their reactions, but I need to talk to Max.
“It’s okay, just give us five minutes,” I tell them. “I’ll befine.”
They cross their arms and glare at Max, but no one argues. Max leads me toward a quiet area behind the bleachers. It’s not exactly private, but most everyone is standing in line for concessions, so we have the space to ourselves for now.
“I’m sorry, Hazel.” The words rush out of him. “I know you don’t have a reason to believe me, but IswearI didn’t know they were planning on doing that.”
“It’s okay. I know you didn’t know.”
He stares at me in shock. “But…I figured you’d…”
Everything about him is so rigid. It’s clear he’s freaking out about my possible reaction. Li was quick to wonder if he was behind it, and it makes sense that I’d assume the same, but the possibility hadn’t occurred to me. As soon as I saw Brody, I knew Max had no part in it.
I shrug, trying to think of how to explain my reaction to him. “I didn’t assume anything. I guess I just trust you now.”
He takes a deep breath. “Hazel, there’s…” He trails off, tugging at his uniform. His hands clench and then unclench.
“What? Is something else going on?”
“No, it’s nothing.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Only that I’m glad you aren’t mad.”
“You can’t be expected to control Brody, especially when you’re nowhere around him.” I smile lightly. “And honestly, there’s nothing like rage to motivate people. That’s probably the best we’ve performed all season, and now the guard knows they’re capable of performances like that. I almost feel like I should thank Brody for making us better. I’m not going to, of course, but I could.”
“If you thank him, please let me be there to witness it.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Wow, I really thought we were about to get into a huge fight. I was preparing a whole speech in my mind about why you should forgive me.”
“I’d like to hear that.”
He steps closer, and his nearness sends sparks up my spine. “I could still give you the speech. It includes a lot of pleading, in case that’s of interest.”
It’s always of interest, but I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact that he cares this much. Speeches? Pleading? It’s obvious he’s more worried about my opinion of him than I’d dared to guess before. Am I the biggest fool in the world to trust him like this? But the fact is that Idotrust him now, without question, whether or not I should.
“Well, if we’re not going to fight, then do you want to get some food?” Max asks.
I’m hesitant to leave the security of the bleachers with Max still by my side. I don’t want any more attention, or for the guard to think I’m a traitor, but I’m hungry and I want to hang out with him. If they get mad, I’ll just explain he had nothing to do with it.
We head to the concession line and skim the menu sign while we wait. “Why don’t you save your speech for the next time Brody does something stupid,” I say. “It’d be nice if we could schedule that for directly before our third band competition since it’s such a great motivator for my guard. Not that we’ll need help blowing you out of the water with our upcoming best auxiliary trophy.”
“There are the fighting words I’ve been waiting for,” he says with a smirk. It’s amazing how attractive he can look while sporting a green-and-white band uniform and a hat with a big white plume. “Now you’re motivating me. I might need to call an extra rehearsal.”
“I’ve already called two.”
“And maybe more section dinners for extra bonding.”
“I booked a five-night cruise to the Bahamas for our bonding sessions.”
