Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad (17 page)

Maya was first on the program, then Ken and then me.  I didn't mind being third; it meant that I could get my performance out of the way and then sit back and relax.

I waited in the hallway as they performed their pieces.  Maya made a couple of flubs in the Schubert “
Arpeggione
” Sonata, but I doubt anyone other than Kathy or
me
would've noticed.  Ken, on the other hand, won me and the crowd over with his clear tone and technique.  He didn't have the raw talent that Josh did on the trumpet, but could definitely hold his own.  When he finished, the crowd whistled and clapped.  Guess the rumors of him and
Dani
being over were wrong because she was sitting in the front row totally playing the part of the proud girlfriend.  In the midst of the applause, she waved at him.  Ken blew her a kiss.  Lana stared into space, pretending not to care.

Then it was my turn.  You'd think that after years of doing recitals I'd be used to it, but I always get hit by a wave of stage fright before performing.  My mom always says, though, that being a little nervous means that you care; if you're too sure and cocky, that's when you mess up.  I closed my eyes for a moment and took a couple of deep breaths.  I then marched into the band room, prepared for battle.

"And now Melinda Rhodes is going to play the sonata by Francis Poulenc," announced Mr. Francis.  The room became silent.  Lana and Josh, who were both sitting in the front row, waved.

I nodded at Mrs.
Bentz
that I was ready to begin,
then
plowed right into the opening notes.  For the first few measures, I still felt unsure, but as I got into the piece my anxiety melted away.  Much as I love the flute part of the Poulenc, the sonata sounds so much better with the piano.  Before long, I found myself getting lost in the complex harmonies.

And then it was over.  I hadn't even realized that I'd made it through the entire piece.  I blinked for a second and stood back, taking it all in.

That's when the crowd exploded with applause.  Seriously, the sound was deafening.  I couldn't believe it when everyone got up out of their chairs.  They were giving
me
a standing ovation.  Well, except for Tamara, who just sat there rolling her
eyes.

"Yeah, Mel!"
  Lana called out to me.  "You rock!"

Josh didn't yell, but he did give me
a big thumbs
up.

###

When I went back into the hallway, a bunch of the other performers were there waiting for me.  "You were awesome!"  Maya said, jumping up and down.  She gave me a hug.  "The orchestra guy has to pick you!"

"Yeah, that was really great," agreed Marybeth
Luczak
, one of the violinists in our school's orchestra.  "I really liked that piece!  And I love the dress," she added.

Even Mr. Francis was impressed.  "Good job, kid!" 
he
called out to me as he went back into the recital room.  "I knew you could do it.  I told
Chambourg
to watch out for you."

That made up for the whole second chair thing. 
Almost
.

Soon, Josh and Lana joined me in the hallway.  Josh ran over to embrace me.  "You were amazing," he murmured in my ear.  I shivered as his warm breath hit me, but then came back to reality as Lana also leaned in to grab me.

"I never had that much interest in flute music," she admitted, "but if it all sounds like that, I need to start listening more."

"Thanks," I said.  "That means a lot."

After the next performer, a trombonist, finished, I was ready to return to the band room to take a seat in the audience, but Lana and Josh just stood there.  "You're not coming?"  I asked.

"Well..."  Lana began.  By the way she kept giving Josh
looks,
I could tell
that this had something to do with the plan.  Really, she's about as subtle as a neon sign.

"I think we both need to stretch our legs," Josh said.  He flashed his lopsided grin.  "Kathy's not on for a bit.  You don't mind if we watch from out here for a while, do you?"

"No," I replied.  "But I'm going back in.  It would be rude for me not to."

"I agree.  Everyone will expect to see you there.  Just remember to sit near the window during Kathy's piece," he reminded me.  "Lenny will need to see you."

I nodded and entered the room, feeling even more anticipation than I had before I played my solo.

###

Three more musicians went on before it was Kathy's turn.  By that point, I was getting impatient.  I wanted to get this over with already.  I wondered how Lenny was doing, all crouched down in the bushes.  I considered peeking out the window to see if he was okay, but was afraid I'd get him going at the wrong time if I did that.  So I just hung back and waited.

At last, Kathy came out for her solo.  She gave the audience a big smile and strutted over to her music stand, but I could tell by the way her hands were shaking that she was faking her confidence.  As she placed her music on the stand, I lightly rapped on the window.  She started her piece ... and I was mesmerized.

Though she was obviously nervous, she floated through the opening runs and then launched right into the faster portion.  In fact, she was sounding so good that part of me began to wonder if I should stop Lenny from doing his thing.

But Lenny did appear.  About a minute into her performance, he stood in the window, looking like a crazed stalker -- with really unusual fashion sense.  He took out his ukulele and tried to play along with her.

"
Fa
la
la
la
la
," he shrieked in a falsetto voice, "La
di da
di da."

A woman in the audience stifled a scream, while everyone else tried not to crack up.  "Who is that?"  I heard someone next to me whisper.  A murmur broke out over the crowd.  "Maybe we should call security." 

Kathy attempted to continue her piece, but her flute let out a loud squawk in the middle of a difficult passage.  Lenny kept going on, as well.

"La
la
la
la
la
," he sang out. 
"Doo bee doo bee doo."

By now, everyone was openly laughing at the guest "performer," which just rattled Kathy; she ended up turning the page and skipping an entire passage.  Mr. Francis arrived with two security guards and was pointing at the window.  Lenny quickly ducked down and I hoped for his sake, was making a run for it.  The guards walked toward the window....

That's when I heard Lana let out a shriek that could've been used in any horror movie.  Everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing.  Kathy just gave up and threw her music on the floor, quietly cursing.  Her eyes filled with tears.  No one noticed, though, because of the commotion.

"Oh my God, oh my God!"
  Lana was yelling.  "There's a rabid dog in the hallway!  Stop him before he bites someone!"

A tiny terrier dog ran into the band room.  Seriously, he was so
small,
you could probably fit him in your pocket.  He was just about the cutest doggie I'd ever seen.

"
Aww
," called out several of the audience members.

"Oh, he's
sooo
adorable!" 
said
one woman.  She tried to pet him, but he backed away.  "He's such a little baby."

A few other people tried to catch him, but the little guy was quick.  He scurried and scampered around the band room, sniffing in every corner.  Mr. Francis and the security guards joined in the chase as the terrier did laps around the room.  Mr. Francis was bright red and dripping sweat from all the exertion.  "Someone," he panted, "stop ... that ... animal."  Pant, pant.  "He's ... causing ... too ... many ... dis ... tractions."  Pant.

With all the panting, Mr. Francis was beginning to sound like a dog himself.

The audience roared.  Our conductor and the dog hurried around and around the room in what looked like a bizarre game of tag.  A few members of the audience tried to grab the terrier, with no success.  He scampered out of the band room and went next door to the orchestra room, where the refreshment table was set up.  We all followed.

"Come back here!" 
one
of the security guards bellowed.  "I'm
gonna
get you, you little sucker, and then it's the glue factory for you!"

"That's where they take horses," someone pointed out.

"I don't care," he yelled.  "This little guy's already caused enough trouble."

He spoke too soon.  The guard nearly had the dog, but the animal got away
once again.  In an effort to escape, he ran with all his might ... right into the refreshment table.  Within seconds, the floor was covered with cupcakes, candy bars, and fruit punch.  The terrier happily licked up the food.

Just then, a young blonde girl appeared and ran up to the guard.  "That's my dog!" 
she
cried.  "That's
Poocher
.  He's always running away."

The guard checked the dog's tags and handed him over to her.  "I guess he got in with some of the guests," he concluded.  "Please take him out of here.  And kindly tell your parents that if they don't chain him up or keep him inside, he's going to end up at the pound."

"
Nooo
, don't take him to the pound!" 
the
girl yelled.  She began to sob.  "He didn't mean it.  I thought I'd lost him forever!"

"It's okay," the guard said, a little more gently.  "No one's taking your dog away.  Just bring him home."  To Mr. Francis and the rest of us he said, "I think we're done here.  You guys can go back to your recital.  Tell that young lady that she can continue with her solo."

But it was too late for Kathy, who was clearly in no shape to play.  She just sat hunched over in one of the chairs, refusing to look at anyone.

###

After the recital, my friends met me in the parking lot.

"Dude, that was awesome, man," crowed Lenny. He'd changed back into his normal clothes.  "Did you see the look on her face when I showed up?  HA-HA, HA-HA, HA-HA!"

"I know, right?" said Lana, giving Lenny a high-five.  "But what did you guys think of my scream?  Pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, my ears are still ringing!" 
said
Lenny.

Lana laughed.  "But seriously," she asked Josh, lowering her voice.  "What do you think people are
gonna
say about all of this, about the freak in the window?  Will they come after us?"

"I doubt it," Josh answered.  "I mean, it's not like anyone will know who Lenny is because he goes to another school.  And it's not like he threatened anyone.  They probably just think it's a stupid prank.  It'll blow over in a few days."

Lana nodded. "You're probably right."

"Aw, man," sighed Lenny.  "I was hoping they'd put my picture in your school
paper." 

The little blonde girl who'd claimed the dog emerged from a blue car and approached us.  "Okay," she said to Josh, "hand it over."

I watched, astonished as Josh handed her a five-dollar bill.  "Are you serious?" 
the
girl asked, critically eyeing the money.  "I did a great job in there.  I deserve an Academy Award."

"You're right, you're right," agreed Josh, fishing in his pocket.  He gave her two more dollars.  "There, are you satisfied?  It's all I've got."

The girl stuffed the bills into the tiny purple purse she had on her.  "It'll have to do," she said, "but next time I do a favor for you guys, I want more."

"Okay," said Josh.  We all watched as she returned to the car and hopped into the passenger's side.  Josh, Lana and Lenny smiled and waved to the driver as they rode off.

After they were gone, I turned to Josh.  "Uh, who
was
that?" 
             
Lenny smiled. 
"My friend
Chaz
.
  And that was
Chazzy's
little sister, Laura. 
Poocher's
her dog.  Isn't he cute?  I was playing with him before Josh picked me up."

Lana and I exchanged a look.  No wonder he'd smelled bad!

I frowned.  "But how old is that girl, 10?  It must be past her bedtime."

Lenny snorted.  "Dude, are you serious?"

I just shook my head, still not quite processing all that had happened that evening.  I stretched my arms over my head and let out a loud yawn.

"I think
it's
past Mel's bedtime," chuckled Josh.  He unlocked his car's doors.  "Come on, everyone, let's get home."

Lenny returned to the front seat, while Lana and I took the back.  As we were buckling our seatbelts, Lana leaned toward me.

"OMG, Mel, we have so much to talk about," she whispered in my ear.  "Josh
likes
you.  I can totally tell."