What's A Mellophone?

A New Friend

I watched the buses pull out of the parking lot through the windows in the band room. Practice didn't start for another hour, so I decided to try to complete my math homework.
Ten minutes later, the band room door opened and I looked up to see about ten kids streaming into the room. Uninterested, I focused my attention back on the homework.
"Hey, you."
I glanced up for a second then went back to solving the problem I was on.
"I'm talking to you. Get up."
This kid obviously wasn't going to leave me alone, so I stood up. I actually looked at him this time, and realized that he was much older than me.
"Are you the band director?" I asked. How awkward would it be if he had been the director?
He laughed at me. "No, I'm Max. Senior, saxophone section leader. You are?"
"Why should I tell you?" I started to sit back down to finish my homework, but Max grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.
"Because you look lonely and I thought you'd want an upperclassman friend, and we can't be friends if I don't know who you are."
Wow. That was nice.
"Fine. I'm Megan. Freshman, mellophone. But I'm normally on flute."
Max glanced at the mellophone case next to my feet. "And why aren't you on flute now?"
I sighed. "My dad wants me to play a brass instrument because 'brass is the best' or whatever. He was in The Blue Devils in 1984. Have you heard of them?"
Max's mouth dropped. "YOUR dad was in The Blue Devils? That's so COOL!"
I was shocked that someone actually knew who The Blue Devils were. Everyone I've ever met has had no clue who they are.
"Seriously? I thought my dad and I were the only two people that knew about them."
Max looked at me in shock. "Megan, everybody here knows about The Blue Devils. We look up to them. We dream of joining the corps."
I shook my head. "I don't."
"Are you kidding me? You don't want to be like your dad?"
"No! I don't want to be here right now!" Max didn't get it. His parents didn't force him to join this stupid band.
"You'll change your mind soon. And when you do, I'll be here saying 'I told you so'." He smiled.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."
Max grabbed my arm. "Come over here." He pulled me over to a group of three other students.
"Megan, these three are Ciara, Cassidy, and Keyanna. Girls, this is Megan, my new friend."
I recognized Ciara, she lived a couple of house away from one of my best friends, Charlee. She smiled at me. I thought I also recognized Cassidy, maybe from elementary school? But Keyanna's fave was a new one to me.
"Uh, hi." I stared at my flip flops. Cassidy followed my gaze.
"Are you planning on marching in those?"
Confused, I said "What's wrong with flip flops?"
Max shook his head. "Flip flops don't provide the support your feet need to march. You'll march right out of them. Do you have any other shoes?"
Today was a band day, not a P.E. day, so no, all I had were flip flops. I shook my head.
"What size shoes do you wear?" he asked.
"What are you gonna do about it? I highly doubt you have a pair of girls' sneakers in your backpack."
Max laughed. "I don't, but I have a sister who does. Shoe size?"
I reluctantly told him my shoe size. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. I looked over his shoulder as he texted his sister.
Five minutes later, a brunette girl walked into the band room carrying a pair of shoes. "Here, Max. You owe me. I was about to order my coffee at Starbucks when you texted. Now I have to go back and wait in that line all over again. Bye."
When she was gone, I turned to Max. "Well, she seems nice..."
Max laughed. "She's terrible. But she loves me. Notice that she put the shoes before her coffee. Oh man, I forgot. Do you have socks?"
Luckily, I hadn't taken my socks from P.E. yesterday out of my backpack. I pulled the shoes onto my feet. They fit perfectly.
"Come on. We still have thirty minutes until practice starts. I want to learn more about you," Max said as he pulled me to the corner of the room.