Let's Do This

Uil Region Contest

The sound of squeaky shoes filled the hallways as we ran back inside from marching rehearsal. This was normal. Change as quickly as possible into our black uniform pants and race to the cafeteria to get food. No running of course. Only fast walking because the rule of no running in uniform.

I'm usually the last ones along with my friends. Why? The tangled mess I like to call hair is the reason why. My hair is stubborn and prefers to be wavy when I try to put it into a high bun. It takes about ten bobby pins to keep it up on good days.

It wasn't a good day. I thank The Lord for hairspray and brushes. In one of the earlier football games, I had to use water and sixteen bobby pins. After a while I found a trick to it. Damp your hair, brush into a high pony tail then bun, then hairspray. By hairspray, I mean use half the can of hairspray.

Tip: there's no such thing as too much hairspray.

I left the restroom to meet my friends at our usual spot in the cafeteria. I just listened to their conversation instead of joining in. They were talking about sloths and they conversation seemed to random to just join in. As the line to get food shortened, I stood up along with Anthony and got the usual from the band moms; pasta, a roll, beef, and vegetables, along with sweat tea.

I pat my hair to make sure everything stayed down as I sat back down at the table.

"Grace!" I looked up to only see a packet of salt thrown at my face. "Assault!" It was Anthony.

"Get it? Because assault, a-salt..." He said, trailing off.

"Yeah, yeah" I replied, peeling off the damp salt packet that got stuck to my arm.

I went through the rest of the dinner silently, like usual. I'm not a big talker when I eat.

Today was the UIL region contest. Meaning that if we get all ones on our marching show, we would advance to Area, where they determine who gets to go to state.

It wasn't too nervous though, since we aren't competing against anyone. She just do our show and get judge to see if we are worthy to go to state. I wasn't nervous though, the first year my school had a marching band, we went to state. Then every year we were eligible went advanced to state. (Since we were 4A, our state years are odd numbers aka 2009, 2011, 2013...)

But, to some extent, I was nervous. This could be the last time we ever perform this show again. I would not be ready for that.

I went into the band hall along with my uniform jacket and hat box to see a rap battle between one of the saxophone section leader and the drum major.

A bunch of 'oooh's came out and I smiled. This is completely normal, and I know I will see it again somewhere on Facebook.

I sat down in the woodwind arcs where our section leaders would inspect us for our water jugs, LONG black socks, hat box, and instrument. You would be surprised by how many people leave their instruments at school for football games.

Soon later, I was on the bus.

~

Heck no, heck no, heck no I repeat in my head. There are always those people who stay behind because their instrument case slid somewhere into the hidden world of the bus floor.

I happened to be one of those people in my bus today.

Only two people were on the bus, besides the band mom who was waiting for us. I was searching for my flute while this other girl searched for her hat. It's weird how you can lose your instrument so easily.

Minutes passed and we still couldn't find our stuff.

In the corner of my eye, I saw something.

"Are you saxophone 17?" I said, looking at the hat box tag. Her head shot up and screamed yes.

She ran to me tripping over something at the process. I laugh while I passed her the hat and the gloves inside the box.

"I think that was your flute case I tripped over."

I didn't know whether to feel mad, that she could've harmed my flute, or grateful that she found it. But I yelled thank you over and over again anyways.

She waited for me, thank goodness. I didn't want to walk up there alone. I got my instrument and ran for my life (breaking the no running rule) to where the band stood. They were still in the parking lot setting the vibe.

I got to my spot, near the front of the woodwind line along with the flutes as they were ready to leave.

"Why are you late?" The band director's voice filled my ears. He was right beside me.

"Couldn't find my flute." I answered calmly.

"Find it faster next time."

"Okay."

Then we headed to warm up.

~~~

We did our usual warm up where the brass, woodwinds, and percussion split up. The woodwinds did Remington, concert F, tuning, then some our show including marking time. Afterwards, we went back with the brass and drumline to play some of our show.

Then it was my second favorite moment of the day (first being performing); section time.

Section time was a time of encouragement, and to set the mood. It helps us be fired up and determined to do our best. It was Jessica who spoke first.

"You know, this could be our last time to perform our show. The last time we step on a field playing these pieces of music and this drill. If we don't get a One, we won't be able to go to area nor state. If we don't get a one, it is time for halftime during football games to be one set and play a random tune."

"But that won't happen" said Nate. "We will get a One, but that all depends if we work hard enough and strive for perfection. That one set you always miss? Fix it. That one note you never play? Just try. Just put ten percent more effort."

I smiled. These are the times where I wonder how my brother felt when he was a freshman. When he was a freshman, it was the first year our school had a marching band.

And that year, that first year, they made state. There's a video of that exact moment on YouTube, and every time I see it, I just cry a little bit. I may cry in my head, or for real, but the emotions that were expressed in that video makes it feel like I was there.

My brother was in they video, on the side, hugging his best friends and screaming with joy.

Maybe that will be me. Screaming with joy and hugging my best friends.

~

That night, we made a One and advanced to Area to determine if we will make state.

~~~~~~

THIS SO DELAYED. IM SORRY.

I didn't have time to write a legit chapter here cause of school, so I wrote mini ones on my other books. School has been frustrating, but hey, summer is here soon! May camp passed here, and I'm basically a few months late (like...7 months late) to keeping this as recent as possible. But it isn't at all.

I'll try to catch up in the summer which starts on June 6th! But that means I only have around two months to get caught up cause of band camp.

Till next chapter. :)