BAD OMENS ✬ luke hemmings

4.0 | stage set up

Friday afternoon. Also December first. Snow has yet to fall, not even a little sprinkle. Although the weather has been cold as hell, people come to school in their puffer jackets, and it seems everybody and their mothers own a north face.

And for some god awful reason, the band has a recital at five. Quite a shame really, there won't be that big of a crowd, simply because nobody cares if it isn't sports. Also, nobody, other than parents or really good friends would think of going to the recital.

It's been marketed for two weeks, and everybody that Aria has talked to said they aren't going. It's not the play, and none of the seniors do band as there are better things to do.

Nevertheless, this recital has resulted in Luke and Aria getting given the privilege to set the entire stage up. Oh, let's not forget that they have thirty-minutes to do so before the band kids come out to rehearse – which is something that is extremely needed, based on what the two saw on Monday afternoon.

It's quite inconvenient really, setting up a whole drum kit, and a stand alone bass drum. Though, there aren't that many students in the band, so setting up the chairs and music stands doesn't pose a big issue.

Aria carries in four music stands, two on each hand, banging into each wall that she passes by. And Luke carries in a stack of chairs, carefully watching the floor below to make sure he doesn't trip.

If you ask them, having two students set up an entire stage with no proper direction is inhumane. And the people up in the tech booth are doing nothing except untangling a bunch of wires that will not need to be used.

At least they don't have to carry in those big amps. Luckily, the high school band doesn't contain any bass or guitar players, but rather a drummer working the snare and a percussionist who has to hit the big bass drum once every five measures.

The girl places the music stands in a row, from what she remembers from Monday, there are at least four flutes and four clarinets – that's the front row. The rest, she'll have to guess, or ask the music teacher how many stands will be needed.

Though, again, it can't be a lot. With one french horn, three trumpets, one trombone, and one bass clarinet. The total students on stage is a whopping fourteen students, sixteen including the percussionists. The middle school band had more students than that, and it was a very small middle school at the time.

Moving on, Aria and Luke haven't spoken much since she ditched the knitting club and went home. Luke tried to ask her why the hell she just disappeared without telling him, breaking the pact they made, but she shrugged and said something he wasn't going to question.

Although, he knows that what she said was a lie.

It doesn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that Aria was spooked, uncomfortable, or fighting some internal battle about him. Luke will admit that he went home that day and laid in bed for a solid hour contemplating – not only the events of knitting club but – the last couple weeks, dating back to the music room.

He felt that shudder down his spine.

That harsh realization that he might actually enjoy the girl's company, and that she might even feel the same.

Still, she doesn't want to talk, and for once, he's going to accept that... that is, until they're done setting up. Twenty-minutes of silence is enough for him, and will be enough time for Aria to get over whatever shit is going on in her mind.

After that, after these twenty-minutes, he's going to get her attention and force her to stop ignoring him. They've done too much to go get pushed back to stage one.