With a huge smile plastered across my face, I stood with my fellow band and guard members outside of MetLife Stadium after our stunning final performance.
"Can we just hurry up and get these pictures taken so we can go change?" My teammate S asked, shivering and rubbing her arms, clothed only in the thin silky sleeves of our uniform.
I half shivered, half laughed. "Nope! Standing around waiting for pictures is always the worst part."
She exaggerated rolling her eyes and I turned away from her, noticing that my partner was standing directly behind me.
We'd gotten into yet another fight right before our performance and I didn't feel like dealing with them so I walked away to go stand next to Z.
Of course, they followed me, so instead I went and stood near a few freshmen.
Once again, they followed me. I didn't want to be near them so I walked away again and this time found myself beside R.
"Lizzie's mad at me so she keeps walking away, but I'm following her anyway," my partner, standing directly beside me again, announced in the most annoyingly sweet voice.
R's eyes widened in surprise and she stared at the two of us as my jaw dropped.
What?!
I didn't know where to go or what to do. They would just follow me again.
Thankfully our band director saved me.
"Alright, everyone line up by height and section!" He yelled across the mob of teenagers and we all shuffled into positions.
I, being the tallest, ended up at the very front of the color guard line with a handful of other people between my shorter partner and I.
We all shuffled in front of the camera and the hundred-something band members smiled for our picture in the cold, late night air.
——
After a congratulatory pep talk from our coaches, my guard and I gathered up the huge pile of flags and carried everything to the four big West Shore Marching Band trucks in the parking lot.
"I'm gonna need a few people to stay behind and make sure all the flags get put in their bags and loaded onto the trucks," our coach, A, said.
I saw my friends MC and S raise their hands and immediately added mine to the mix along with a sophomore girl.
Everyone headed back to the bus to get changed into warmer clothes whilst the four of us stayed behind. We sorted all the flags and started shoving them all into their respective bags.
While we worked I told my friends everything that happened.
"That's awful," S said, handing the last of our equipment to one of the band dads who stood at the door of the biggest truck.
"Yeah, I decided I'm breaking up with them," I said. "I just need help keeping them away from me for the rest of the night."
We started walking in the direction of our bus.
"Don't worry. We're here for you," MC assured me.
The second we got on the bus though, it was chaos.
While most people were lounging around, wiping off makeup, or putting on layer after layer of warm sweaters and coats, my partner was in the back of the bus hysterically sobbing.
A few girls sat with them trying to comfort them, but I just ignored them all. I picked up my backpack from the floor and put it in my seat, digging out a warm long sleeve shirt. I didn't know what they were crying about and I didn't care anymore. They wouldn't be my partner this time tomorrow.
I spent about a minute gathering all my hand warmers and winter clothing before Mia came over to my seat and leaned in close to me.
"They need you," she muttered.
"No they don't. I don't want anything to do with them."
"There was a car accident," MC explained. "Their family's in the hospital and their sisters are dying."
My heart skipped a beat and I froze for a moment, but all I could think of was an argument from the week before.
They'd told me that their grandpa was in the hospital and they needed to leave right away, but it was a lie. He was never in the hospital. They just wanted to get out of the argument. This was probably the same thing wasn't it?
I shook my head.
"They're lying."
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" my partner screamed between their sobs, apparently having heard me. "I'm not lying! How could you say that?! You're a horrible person! A monster!"
I rolled my eyes as they continued sobbing.
"I know we can't change completely out of our uniforms because of awards, but can I at least put something warm on underneath it?" I asked R.
She looked surprised at how easily I could ignore the screaming mess in the seat across from me, but she responded anyway, "no, A said not to."
"Seriously? It's like two degrees out there!"
R shrugged. "It's not my choice."
I looked down at the black Under Armour in my hands and then up at the charter bus's corner bathroom.
"Alright, I'm just gonna pee then," I said and scurried into the bathroom with my clothing.
When I came out, with a second layer underneath my uniform and hand warmers tucked into every crevice of my body, they were still crying.
MC sat in her seat, giving me a pleading look and finally, I gave in. I threw all of my stuff into my seat and sat down next to my partner.
"Hey, don't worry. It'll be ok," I whispered, taking them into my arms and holding them tight against my chest.
"I don't want them to die," they cried, getting tears all over my shoulder.
"They won't. They're gonna be fine," I reassured them.
I held them until they were able to stop crying.
——
It was only an hour later that I learned that I had been right. There never was any car accident.
My partner had lied.
YOU ARE READING
Look What You Made Me Do
Non-Fiction"Don't tell anybody about this." "If you just ignore it, it'll stop." "There's nothing I can do to help you." And so I did everything I was told. I shut up. I put on a brave face. I followed all the rules. But that was the past and it's not who I am...
