The Drum Major and the Clarinet

My Pain is His Gain

I stood at set in the 97 degree, humid weather. I stood on the black cement as set 27 in our ballade. Mr. Petek had Dustin play through his trumpet solo. I'm not used to this heat, and working so hard in this kind of weather.

I looked around at the others who looked like they could stand there for hours. Then again, they were vets, and I'm a newbie. I licked my dry lips. I looked up at Mr. Petek and Alex who stood on the drum major stand.

My vision became blurry, and I became dizzy. I continued to stand at set, fighting my urge to relax. I began to pant, and I kept my eyes tightly shut. Lindsey looked over at me.

"Girlie, are you okay?" She asked.

I looked over at her. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little dizzy." I responded.

"Maybe you should ask to sit down." She recommended.

"No, I'm fine, trust me." I smiled.

"Did you party to hard with Alex?" She asked me.

"What?!" I asked in shock.

"I'm just kidding." She giggled. "You don't need to be so serious."

"R-right." I stuttered.

I looked back up at the two on the drum major stand. Alex smirked, and waved at me from his wrist.I shook my head out of embarrassment, grinning slightly.

Whoa, I just got really lite headed. I shook my head even more...

***Alex point of view***

I starred at Sarah as she collapsed on the cement. I jumped down from the stand, landing then tripping. I pushed myself off the ground and ran over to her. I jumped over her broken clarinet. I picked her up and carried her over to the shade.

The guard director, Ryan, ran over to me and her. He carried a cold water bottle, and he opened it as he ran. I placed my finger on her neck where her pulse is. Her pulse was racing.

Ryan handed me the water bottle. I grabbed her wrist and poured water on them. It's supposed to drop her body heat a little. I laid her on her stomach and brushed her pony tail off her neck. I poured the water on her neck to cool her head a little.

"Mr. Petek, I'm gonna take her inside!" I shouted to Mr. Petek.

I picked her up again and ran back inside. I threw the door open frantically; my heart racing in fear.

I placed her on the floor of the band room. I sat up against the wall, and laid her head in my lap. I felt her forehead. It was a little warm but not as warm as it was.

I threw off my sunglasses, and placed my hands on her burnt cheeks. She laid there, her temperature dropped at a steady pace. 

I reached for a nearby water bottle. I poured some on my hands and rubbed my hand across her forehead. Her eyes twitched a little, and then relaxed again.

I placed her head on the floor, and then walked back outside to the parking lot. Everyone from the field stared at me. The sun shined down on my face as I walked to the rest of the band.

Mr. Petek walked up to me. "Hey I just called her mom, and I want you to take her to the hospital."

"Me?" I asked.

"Yeah, you can drive, and I need to be here for the band. So, if you would, I will pay for the gas it takes you." Mr. Petek asked.

"Um, yeah I guess I could." I responded.

"Why did you come back out here?" He asked me.

"I retrieve her clarinet, so maybe I could try to fix it." I fanned myself.