AFF Chapter 1 Part 5

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        School the next day was rather uneventful. That is, until Biology. The seats we'd "chosen" on the first day would be our seats for the rest of the year. So naturally, Aaron flirted with me the whole period. I was so eager to get away from Marco at lunch, that I practically ran to Biology and ended up being the first one there, even before the teacher. I set my bag down next to my seat and sat down at my chair. I let my thoughts run rampant, but before I could do much thinking, the door opened. I turned around to see who it was and Lilly immediately took over and stood up, bag in hand. She walked straight to the other door, but before she could leave, Aaron wrapped his arm around my waist and dragged me back.

        "Let go Aaron,"  she demanded furiously through clenched teeth.

        "Now why would I want to do something like that?" he whispered into my ear.

        I could picture his host screaming inside his head, begging and pleading for him to leave me alone, and finally settling himself in a corner to cry. <You stupid, sick freak,> I thought lividly, suddenly realizing why he put me through hell every day.

        "Why do you keep pestering me?" Lilly asked, barely able to contain the anger I could feel roiling through our connection.

        "Just trying to get into character," he mumbled into my ear, I could feel his lips moving, he was so close.

        "You know, I make a point of going through my host's memories after I feed. I would suggest you exercise the same caution. You never know what the hosts might be planning behind our backs."

        His grip laxed infinitesimally, but she let me take the opportunity to its fullest. <Go Miss Congeniality!>

        <Huh?>

        <SING woman!>

        <Oh!>

        "Solar flexes, Instep, Nose, Groin!" I shouted, bubbling with excitement as I copied perfectly a scene from one of my favorite movies, Miss Congeniality. I dashed out the door, bag in hand. I only returned when Ashely came with some other people I knew. Unfortunately, it appeared that Aaron had forgiven me already because he wouldn't leave me alone.

        I had band next and was grateful for the break from boys hitting on me left and right. I sank down into my chair and dropped my trumpet. I sighed, put my face in my hands, and just let myself go. <Stupid annoying, good-for-nothing boys!> I silently raged, <Why can't they just leave me alone?!>

        <You know, most girls would take it as a compliment.>

        <Yeah, well, most girls are stupid...> I stopped myself from using some kind of vulgar word, <yushnes that only care about popularity. Most girls need a nice slap in the face!>

        My head burst with Lilly's mental laughter.

        <What?!> I demanded furiously.

        <You are just so funny!>

        I would've replied, but I heard someone ask, "Jane? Are you okay?" I looked up to see Cory's concerned face in the chair next to me.

        "Hm? I'm alright. It's just there stupid--" I cut myself off and sighed. "I'm fine. Just--yeah." I grabbed my trumpet, which sat in-between out two seat, with a little difficulty and dragged it in front of me, accidentally brushing his arm against mine.

        He flinched away immediately and squealed, "Personal space!"

        "Wah?"

        "Six-foot bubble. I need my six-foot bubble," he gasped.

        I chuckled, the chairs were packed together, there was no way he’d get his six-foot-bubble. “Whatever you say Cory.” I put my trumpet under my chair and pulled my trumpet and my music out of my trumpet case. Mouthpiece in trumpet and I was done. It never ceased to amaze me how easy it is to put together a trumpet. I rolled my fingers over the valves, pressing them down at random as I watched the woodwinds struggle to get all of their millions of pieces to fit together. It was especially amusing to watch the reed instruments. Reed in mouth. Pull out mouthpiece. Rood on mouthpiece. Lick reed. Pull out shiny thing that holds reed. Reed in mouth. Shiny thing on mouthpiece, careful, twist, twist. Reed in-between shiny thing and mouthpiece. Tighten top screw. Lick reed. Tighten bottom screw. Mouthpiece assembly in mouth. Put together instrument. Make sure everything’s lined up properly. Mouthpiece back in mouth with instrument attached.

        As my eyes swept through the saxophone section, something tugged at my memory. I looked them over again. Something was missing. I scrutinized every inch of the section, but couldn’t come up with anything. <Help?> I finally begged Lilly helplessly.

        <Sorry, I can't find anything.>

        I waited a while and something dropped another hint in my head. <It’s a person. Who’s missing?>

        <Everyone’s there that was there yesterday.>

        <Try the saxophones of my past.>

        <Well, there’s Nancy…Zack…Olivia…oh.>

        <What?>

        <Might you be expecting Jason?>

        I turned red. <Oh yeah! He played saxophone at our elementary school, didn't he?>

        <Yeah, I wonder where he is?>

        <Hm...I dunno, let me ask.>

        “Hey Tyler?” I asked the boy to my right. I realized with a jolt that he was the only other trumpet there that had gone to my elementary school.

        He turned away from Logan, who he'd been talking too, and asked, "What's up?"

        "Didn't Jason use to play the saxophone? What happened? Did he quit?" I asked, voice full of concern, but guarded against too much concern or anxiety.

        He scanned the saxophone section and furrowed his brows. "I don't know...maybe. Why?"

        My pink turned red. "Oh...just wondering." Wait...something else is wrong. Tyler wasn't the only other trumpet in our grade that went to our elementary school..."And what happened to David?" I asked. There was no way the prodigy would band!

        "He has transcended our pitiful existence and moved on to a better place," Tyler stated with a hint of jealousy.

        Horror took a nice fist of shock and planted it in my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. "What? He died?!" And you've turned suicidal? I added silently.

        "Psht, no!" Tyler laughed, "He's ascended to jazz band." I let out a huge breath I didn't know I'd been holding and began panting, now realizing the real reason for the jealousy in his voice. He looked over at me, concern radiating in his face. "Jane? Are you okay?"

        I waved him off. "Just let me restart my heart--" I gulped in another huge breath and let the words "and I'll be fine" tumble out with it.

        He chuckled and began talking to Logan again. <Stupid, pathetic, annoying...> I continued silently seething about how ridiculous boys were.

        "Jane? Are you alright?" came a tentative voice from my left. It was a boy's voice. I snapped my head around to glare furiously at the male who dared interrupt my rampaging.

        I visibly relaxed. "Oh, hey Cory. It's just all the boys at this school are terrorizing me. They're all so annoying!" The words were caught in my throat.

        <You truly are an idiot,> Lilly commented lazily from somewhere inside my head.

        Cory's eyes began to fill with tears and his eyes took on traits similar to those of a puppy. "You...think I'm...annoying?"

        I rapidly backpedaled. "No! No! That's not it at all!"

        "What did I do?" he pouted.

        "Cory calm do--"

        "If its because of what I've said during marching band you know I don't mean it! I would never call you--"

        Lilly put my hand over his mouth and his eyes grew wide. "I wasn't talking about you Cory," she said.

        <I'm giving you control in three...two...one.>

        "I was talking about other boys...Aaron in particular." I glared at the wall when I said his name, picturing his stupid, mocking face. I let my hand fall from his face and picked up my trumpet to start practicing, but our band teacher chose that moment to call us to order.

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