Bass Case

Chapter 7: The Festival

"Daniel! For the millionth time I said look up at measure 147!" Mr. Forte yells, slamming his hand on the music score. My hand shakes at the sudden boom, nearly causing me to drop my bow. I look up at him apologizing once again for my fatal error. His eyes narrow at me in annoyance. I feel as though I'm looking into the eyes of a demon deciding the next punishment to bestow upon me.

"You're making him nervous!" Sarah protests, directing the professors attention away from me. He looks over the principal player for a moment and then the rest of the orchestra. His face is cold and emotionless as he sighs, waving a hand at the class in dismissal before heading into his office. The class is still and silent. I catch a few glancing stares followed by whispering before Dana continues to play her part in a flawless manner. A few people rise to put their instruments away while others continue to work on the piece individually. I hang my head in shame and embarrassment. It was a simple mistake I was making. A counting error. Even the few people behind me got it right. I scold myself internally. I feel Sarah's hand on my shoulder. I didn't even see her get up from her section. "Hey, honey, it's okay. We all make those mistakes." I just look at her and say nothing. I can feel the uncomfortable stares from the freshmen behind me. "Let's go out somewhere. It's our break after all."

Here at this college the performing arts department works year round. Though finals are over we still must prepare for our next concert. There's a bit of leeway during the holidays, so this months audition will carry over for the new semester while they do auditions for the new students. If I keep messing up like this who knows if I will even make it past this next semester... We're still at Phoenix West Performance Academy for now. The school is putting together their final preparations before the grand reopening of the school. We will be switching over in January, and to be honest I've been feeling kind of uneasy about returning to our old classroom. I think a lot of people are, but I'm just worse at hiding it.

    I shake my head at Sarah. "No. I'm not leaving until I've fixed my problem." I say, raising my viola to my chin and returning to the rehearsal number closest to my error. She sighs, dragging her stand over beside me and sitting with her cello in hand. The long vibrant orange instrument shines from the fresh coat of polish. She holds her carbon fiber bow, pressed firm into the string. I stop and look at her skeptically. "What are you doing?"

    "It'll be easier for you to practice alongside my part. I give the beat during that section." She states.

    "Don't you like practicing on your own though?"

    "Well, I like practicing with you as well." She replies with a slight tint of red on her cheeks. I smile at her warmly and peck her on the lips. She really is the best girlfriend that I could possibly ask for. We work on the issue for about ten minutes, and by the end I can perform it without fail. It doesn't take too much to solve a problem, just the right mindset. Most of the class is packing up now as Mr. Forte exits the office urging everyone to hurry up. I sling my viola over my back while waiting for Sarah to hoist her instrument from the ground. It sits in a silver case with wheels at the bottom. As we exit the crimson building we see the marching band doing their daily routine and examine their majestic display. All the emerald uniforms glistening in the sun along with the brass instruments held up high in unison. Mr. Forte turns past us at an alarmingly fast pace.

    The conductor turns to us with a bright energetic smile upon his face. "Hey! Forte! You're looking sour as ever." He has a tall lean figure and is rather muscular. His dark curly hair shines in the sunlight, and his amber eyes hold a golden hue.

    The Professor turns to his colleague with agitation clearly in his voice, "Do you need something Vibrato? I'm kind of in a hurry." He holds a black briefcase at his side. He never was one to use a backpack.