Someone gasps behind me. Nova points to me, then to Max and back to me. “Wait. Are you two…did something…”
“Shhh!” I wave my hands wildly in her direction.
“Oh my god, you two are totally together!” she whispers. “I knew something was up at the fair!”
“You did?” Max asks.
She crosses her arms in annoyance. “You were so eager for time alone with Hazel you were practically vibrating.”
“I wasn’tthatobvious.” But Max’s neck is red and it’s so cute I might burst.
“That explains your use of punctuation yesterday. You never use exclamation marks when it comes to boys.”
“I’m nothing if not a supportive friend.” She pulls me into a hug. “But I need to knoweverythingASAP,” she whispers in my ear.
“I’ll text you as soon as we’re done here,” I whisper back.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“If I can have your attention,” Sire calls Monday afternoon after everyone has filed into the band room and gotten settled in their seats. “We’ve got two weeks until our last local contest, which means that another important event is coming up in October: the Most Valuable Member awards. These awards are granted to one person per grade level. They’re voted on by peers, in conjunction with ratings from myself and the other assistant directors. We’ll be opening up the ballots this Friday, and I know they mean a lot to students, so please make sure that you vote. Also, remember that this is not a popularity contest, but instead a way to acknowledge students’ hard work and dedication to our marching band. Please vote accordingly.”
Sire stares around the room like he’s forcing his words into our minds, but let’s all be real,of courseit’s a popularity contest. Just hearing his speech reminds me of why I was so set on winning at the beginning of our season, but that’smore of a long shot than ever, no matter what Mom wants to believe. We already know there’s one section that will not be voting for me.
As soon as Sire releases us, the guard heads to the auditorium for our rehearsal. All the members bunch together, whispering, and I join them hesitantly. Hopefully they aren’t angry about anything happening with guard. I’d really thought we were coming together as a group.
“I’ve been seething about it all weekend,” Callie says.
“Seething about what?” I ask.
“About the game on Friday,” she replies incredulously. A few of them nod in agreement. “I assumed you were too.”
I blink, momentarily confused, and then remember the stunt the percussion section pulled before our halftime show. After everything with Max this weekend, the football game wasn’t even on my radar. I get the impression that’s not what they’re expecting to hear, though.
“Uh, right, absolutely,” I say and roll my eyes like I’m so upset to be reminded of it. “Although it’s obvious Brody’s only organizing this stuff because he’s bitter and frustrated. We should keep ignoring him.”
I bite my lip, wondering if Max is having a similar conversation right now with his section. Not that I could ask him while we’re still on school grounds. We didn’t talk about it officially, but I’m assuming we’re continuing with the “play it cool” strategy today.
“Hazel, what’s with you?” Devin asks.
“What do you mean?”
“We thought you’d be extra fired up today,” Madisyn replies. “Devin was already complaining about all the extradrills you were going to have us do since the competition is coming up.”
“Who cares about drills?” Rosa says. “What we need to do is figure out a way to put percussion in their place once and for all. God, I can’t stand them.”
“I had to wash my shorts four times to get that vinegar smell out, and sometimes I think I can still smell it,” Yori says. “Those were my favorite.”
“We should do something,” Deja says.
“Maybe pour some vinegar in their hats so they have to smell it the entire time they’re marching.”
“Or hide all their performance gloves. Or their drumsticks! Sire will lose his mind.”
The others laugh, except for Li, who looks tense. I know she must be thinking about Felix. This is getting way out of control.
“Whoa, let’s calm down a bit on the vindictive streak,” I tell them. “That’s not going to do anything except have us sitting on the sidelines when Sire finds out what’s going on. We have to keep focused on what’s really important.”
But even as I say that, I know I’m not following my own advice. Devin was right—usually I would have spent any downtime during my classes deciding on which drills we needed to do today. I’d have every minute planned out, along with the rehearsals for the rest of the week. Instead, I spent my time imagining what Max was doing today in his college classes and wondering how everyone would take it if we announced we were dating.
