Band Camp

Chapter Two

I crack open my copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and begin to read it from the beginning in my head...

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem's  fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at a right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn't have cared-

But I'm interrupted by a nudge into my arm. I glare at Bailey, but her eyes are fixed on something else. I whip my head around to see Mason looking at me. His eyes widen when I see him and he turns back to his Edgar Allan Poe collection, his face looking as if it's on fire. I look back at Bailey and she has a wicked grin plastered on her face. She wiggles her fingers in front of my face, brushing my nose softly. I smack her hand away but she just giggles. "I think he's got a thing for you," she coos. "We can barely stand being next to each other, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a thing for me." She shrugs her shoulders, "Whatever you say." I shoo her away and try to focus on my book, but every movement Mason makes breaks my attention: when he turns a page of his book, when he scratches his nose, or when he scans the bus. I check my phone for the time and to no suprise we've been on the road for an hour. I'm already exhausted, so I put my book back into my bag. I want to try to sleep so I pull my hair up into a bun and pull my blanket over my legs. I take one last glance at Mason who has his finger on his eyeball, pulling out one of his contacts and placing it in his soloution. The other contact comes next, the exact same routine as the other eye. After closing his contact case and slipping it into his bag, he pulls on his glasses that have a thin metal frame. Simple and sleek. I sigh and turn forward, closing my eyes in hopes of sleep taking control of my numb body.

I'm awakened by a familiar nudging that's starting to wear my arm out.
"Quit it," I mumble as I turn my head the opposite way. But two hands clutch my shoulders and shake me vigorously. I'm now awake completely and flustered, "What!" I snap. Bailey clutches her stomach as she falls back into her seat in a fit of laughter. I run my eyes and sit up in my seat. I look over at Mason who is talking to his buddy next to him, "Looks like Oscar the Grouch is awake this morning." I close my eyes and flare my nostrils, "Not in the mood, Jones." He snickers as he starts to talk to one of his goons.

I turn back over to Bailey and a yawn escapes my mouth. I rub the sleep from my eyes once before before questioning her actions of waking me up, "Why did you wake me up?" She has a small grin lights up on her face, "We're here!" I furrow my brows, "We're here?" I ask in a confused tone. I look out the window to see the blurred outlines of cabins, trees, and bridges that cross over the river. I take one last glance at a sign that hangs between two sturdy poles. I know we're at camp when I see that sign that reads 'Camp Braxton'.  She shakes me once more, "Yes! We're here now get moving before I leave you on the bus!" "I wouldn't mind leaving you on the bus," I grumble soft enough that she cannot fathom my words. I pull my fuzzy grey blanket off my legs and wad it up into a ball and push it into my black pillow case. I yawn once more while I gather up my items and throw them in my sling back. I ponder the thought of having a caramel frappé right now, but I know I won't get one for a long time. I'll miss the taste of bitter coffee mixed with sweet milk and caramel with whipped cream and savory and sweet caramel drizzle. My mouth waters at the thought of gulping down one right now. But I know as soon as I get home, I'll get my delicious frappé.
I'm standing up waiting for people to pass and as soon as I notice gaps beginning to form, I take my spot in the line. I'm walking in a straight line, keeping my eyes focused on the back of Jackson Dervy's head. Jackson is a really sweet person and is center snare. He's nice to look at with his black hair and brown eyes and he's a downright kind and genuine person. He's the type of person you would bring home to your parents. I continue to walk at a steady pace until I can feel something hit the back of my heel and my body flies forward. The colors around me blur and blend together as I come to realization that I'm falling and there's nothing to do besides collapse. I fall face first into Jackson's back, making him stumble forward onto the floor. My heart rate picks up as I can feel him move underneath my helpless limbs that are tangled with his. I feel a strong grasp pull me up and onto my feet, letting Jackson pull himself together and get back to his feet. My face flushes as he turns back and looks at me, "I'm so sorry! It was an accident and I didn't mean for you to fall down. And I didn't mean for me to fall on top of you. I'm so sorry!" I spill that out like word vomit, not knowing where it's going. His eyes are wide as his jaw clenched together, "It's fine, Anna!" My face is still on fire as I stare at him, "I'm really sorry," I mumble. He brings his hands up to his face and groans, "I said it's fine!" I sheepishly nod my head and look down at my feet. I pull my hands up to my cheeks to feel the tingling sensation that burns into my hands. "Did you have a nice fall, Annabelle?" I hear someone pronounce, a comedic quality to their voice. I turn around to see Mason and Johnathan, Mason's best friend, clutching their stomachs as the chuckle among each other. I feel two heavy clasps on my shoulders that push me forward, "common, ignore them. They're just asses." I want to fall to my knees and cry from the embarrassment that he's caused, but I continue to push forward towards the exit.