His Lifeline

Chapter 4: I Fail at Dodgeball

Thankfully French didn't end too badly for me. Most of that class is oral, so I had a better grade than some of my other classes.

My next class, I wasn't too worried about. Music always came pretty easy for me.

The class mostly consisted of a teacher teaching kids how to read notes, giving out songs to master, and sometimes making us perform our songs. Also, the class has an end of the year performance that every kid in the different periods compete to play in.

One kid per period gets to enter into the performance, which is really just a competition. The kid who gets the most votes from the judges and the audience gets this prize. It's different every year, and most of the time, it's a dumb five-dollar gift card, but if you win, you technically get to call yourself the best high schooler musician at school. So I guess bragging rights are worth embarrassing yourself.

But not me. You wouldn't catch me dead on stage, much less a competition for something as petty as bragging rights.

The whole every-student-at-each-other's-throats thing isn't for another month or so. But once it starts, being in Music class becomes a massive game of Who Can Bully This Person Better?

Thankfully I can normally find an excuse not to play during that time of year. Saying the string on the guitar broke, or the piano isn't tuned. Things that can be fixed easily but waste enough of their time that they move on.

The whole bullying thing only lasts for a day or two, though. Then everyone is done testing the other students' will and goes into mad practice of whatever song they decided for their audition.

Recently we've been given a different instrument to try out. We have to learn the basics before the Every Student For Themselves catastrophe. In my free time, I tend to play many instruments, like when I'm avoiding Gabe. I know he'll hit me harder, but some days it brings peace into my life when I play a song.

I've mastered a whole lot, including the guitar, piano, and violin. But the teacher assigned me the drums. I guess I never really thought of playing them because I enjoy music that brings a peaceful feeling. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure drums can give you a peaceful feeling, but they're mostly used for high-energy concerts and music.

Anyway, I picked up the drums pretty fast and can do most of the basics. Today the teacher was out handing sheets of music out. I calmly accepted mine and looked over the title. Your Gonna Go Far Kid by The Offspring. Looking over the music, I can see it's a high beat and high energy song. Also, the little genre in the top right corner that says Alternative Rock helps with my assumption. I sigh; maybe I'll enjoy this, get some energy in me. I close my eyes and open them. Setting the music on the stand, I ready my drumsticks.

Going slow, I read through the music and try to get down the little techniques I need to do while playing. The tempo is fast, so I'll need to be quick when switching drums. Presently I was sitting at the full set of drums. Those you see at rock concerts? Yea, I was in complete control of one.

I took a deep breath and shakily let it out as I felt pain race through my abdomen. Closing my eyes, I saw the music and hummed the tune quietly. Then lifting my drumsticks, I slowly restarted the song in my head. I played slowly, hearing how it was on the page in my head as my hands glided across the drumset.

I went over the song numerous times, still with my eyes shut, not daring to open them and look around the classroom. I didn't want to be distracted from what I was doing.

A tap on my left shoulder made me flinch back, so I dropped my drumsticks and almost fell out of the chair. My eyes shot open to see my teacher, Mrs. Fin smiling at me.