Faith touches my shoulder. “And thank you for being here when I couldn’t be. They’re right, the season wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
I hug each one of them individually, squeezing just a little bit harder for Li and Faith. My heart is so full, andI couldn’t have asked for anything better than this. Having their support means everything.
We spend some time chatting and eating too many cupcakes. As the time winds down, Sire calls the room to attention.
“We have one final surprise for the end of our day,” Sire announces. “A special performance from some of our very own band members, led by none other than Max Coleman. An extra special performance, as I understand it.” Sire’s eyes flick to me and I freeze. “They’ll be performing on the practice field in a few minutes, and they’re requesting that we all come outside and watch.”
At that, Max heads for the door…along with theentireguard, plus Nova, Felix, and a few other miscellaneous band members. Even the majority of the percussion players follow. I grab Li’s arm as she passes.
“Li, what’s happening?”
She laughs. “As if I’d tell you. Just come on.”
Sire and Mrs.Lewis usher the rest of the band toward the exit. My heart pounds as I follow them. When I step out into the cool October afternoon, Max is waiting for me.
“You’re doing a performance for the band?” I ask.
“No.” He steps closer, his gaze roving over my face. “I’m doing a performance foryou.But the band is allowed to be here too. In fact, that’s kind of the point.”
“The point of what?”
“I’ve been trying to think of a way to show you how much you mean to me, and this is the best thing I could figure out. If you’re up for it? It’ll be very public. There are going to be a lot of people in those stands.”
There’s a humming in my ears and my whole body is trembling. I don’t know exactly what he’s planning, but I also know there isn’t a single thing in the universe that could pull me away from those rickety metal bleachers right now. I nod.
“Good.” He takes a deep breath. “Well…I hope you like it.”
He leaves me and I walk slowly up into the stands, unable to process anything but the practice field. There are at least twenty-five people out there. Nova is messing with the microphone she uses when she plays her solo for the competition. Are they about to perform part of our show? But they aren’t in the usual formations. In fact, they aren’t really in a formation at all. They’re standing in straight lines across the field, with all the color guard and percussion members intermixed. And…are the percussion players holding flags?
Max jogs over to Sire and takes the megaphone from him. “Hey, everyone. Thanks for coming out for this. So, I’ve had an awesome time being part of the Glen Vale band this year.” He scans the crowd until he finds me. “But the best part of being here has been getting to know Hazel again.”
Giggles fill my ears. People turn to stare at me, but I don’t pull my gaze from Max.
“As you’re probably aware, the percussion and color guard have had their ups and downs with each other. And Hazel and I have also had some ups and downs, mostly because I can never get out of my own way. I’ve done some really stupid stuff, and I know I don’t deserve her, but Hazel is my very favorite person in the whole world. And to illustrate that, I’ve put together something, with the help of some very hardworking people.”
My throat is tight, and I feel lightheaded.
Max runs back to the field, grabs his quad drums, and stands in front of the others. He smiles at me for a moment, and then begins to play. It only takes me a few counts to recognize the rhythm. I squeal before I can stop myself. He’s playing “I Want You to Want Me,” the song we danced to in the car when we were driving to the game store last month.
A few counts later, the rest of the group jumps in. Nova and some of her other clarinet players play the melody, and I laugh with delight. There are a few trumpets out there as well, and Socks is playing tuba. How did Nova learn this song? How didanyof them learn this? They’re missing a few notes, and the song wouldn’t win any Superior ratings, but it’s still remarkable that they’re doing this at all.
And that’snothingcompared to what’s happening behind them. Not only has the color guard seemingly choreographed their own routine to match the song…but the majority of the percussion section is performing it alongside them. My eyes bulge at the sight. With everything going on, I hadn’t cared enough to insist that the percussion follow through with the terms of our bet. But here they are, using mismatching flags, as they sneak glances at the guard and try to keep up with a series of windmills and figure eights. And the craziest thing is that they’re laughing while they do it. They actually look happy to be making fools of themselves up there. In a thousand years, I never thought I’d witnessthis.
I press my fingers to my mouth, trying to soak in the performance. Was this the reason that none of the guard members had time to hang out? I glance from Nova to Felix and Li, who can’t stop laughing as they perform drop spins nextto each other. Did the group cancel D&D last Sunday so they could work on this performance?
Max steps forward as they move into the last part of the song, which seems to trigger them to march into a new formation. I take a few steps down the bleachers so I can see his face more clearly. He doesn’t look cocky or proud like he often does when he’s playing. Instead, his eyes are locked onto me with the most hopeful, heartbreaking expression I’ve ever seen. My stomach lurches and I take another step closer to the field.
Everyone in the stands breaks into cheers andawws. I blink and force myself to take in the entire group again, instead of just Max, and yelp in surprise. They’ve left their straight lines behind to form a heart. I barely have time to clap in appreciation before they transition again to form…a triangle? That’s a weird choice. And then moments later, they march into another formation: the number twenty.
I blink in confusion and then laugh as understanding dawns on me. The heart is obvious, but the twenty must refer to a Natural 20—the highest number you can roll on a d20. And what goes with our D&D games? Nachos, of course, made with triangular-shaped tortilla chips. I shake my head, completely dumbfounded. The performance might very well be the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life…except my vision is too blurred from happy tears to know for sure. Everyone around me is laughing and clapping along. They’re having a great time, even though I doubt they fully grasp what’s going on here.
But I understand.
There’s absolutely nothing secret about me and Max now. Every single person in the band knows. Max literally announced how he feels about me into a freaking megaphone. I can barely breathe from the realization.
The group hits their final note, and the whole crowd cheers for them. There are exaggerated bows and high fives, while Max quickly lifts off the shoulder straps from his drums and runs toward me. I race down the rest of the steps to the field. We almost smack into each other because we’re moving so fast.
“Max. That was…” I shake my head in disbelief. “The song from the car ride? And all those formations? Are you kidding me?”
