“Has anyone seen Aaron today?” Mr. Harrison asked the class during our rehearsal. I was personally frustrated that Aaron wasn’t in rehearsal considering that our showcase was just two weeks away and Mr. Harrison and my dad were going hard on the dual majors for their performance. No one was able to answer him, and I could see just how annoyed Mr. Harrison looked. “Well, we have to get rehearsal started, so–“
The door to the auditorium bursts open and everyone is now looking at Aaaron running towards the stage.
“Aaron,” Mr. Harrison calls out. “Class began 10 minutes ago.”
“I am so sorry, Mr. Harrison,” Aaron quickly apologized. “I had to stay late in my last class to finish my midterm.” Aaron drops his coat and bookbag on a seat and runs up to his spot next to me on stage. I don’t even look at him.
“Let me remind everyone once more about rehearsals,” Mr. Harrison began to address the class. “You are all dual majors and I expect nothing less of professionalism while in these rehearsals. That means making it to class on time and if something comes up to prevent that from happening, please present me with a late pass from your previous teacher.” Mr. Harrison stops talking and starts the rehearsal.
“Ms. Waterbridge didn’t have a midterm today,” I leaned over and told Aaron. It felt good giving him a taste of his own annoying medicine. Aaron looks at me, clearly feeling some sort of way.
“How about you mind your business and stay out of mine, Kamalani,” Aaron spat back.
“You heard Mr. Harrison,” I said facing the front towards my music stand. “As a dual major, they expect nothing less of professionalism, and lying isn’t very professional of you to do.”
“Is your life that boring for you to make it your mission to tell me what I should be doing with my own?” Aaron scoffed and laughed under his breath. “Go worry about your little friend and why she hasn’t been in school for like a week.”
I immediately get angry at Aaron’s response; I know he was talking about Sophie. Sophie was still recovering from her injury, and it was bad enough that she already feels anxious about missing so much schoolwork and rehearsal. I couldn’t help but say something back.
“She’s been injured, you jerk. She has a legit reason,” I responded back to Aaron.
“It’s cool,” he began to answer. “The string orchestra is really just made up of people that aren’t talented in their craft anyway.”
“Says the guy who can’t even sing the correct notes in vocal,” I quickly threw back at Aaron. He looks at me, even angrier in the face. In a way, it makes me feel like I’m actually getting under his skin; again, giving him a taste of his own medicine. “So much for actually being good in your second major.”
“Says the guy who only got into the vocal program because his dad is the damn vocal director,” Aaron mentioned. “Seriously Kamalani, do you think any of the dual majors actually think you’re a dual major because of your fucking talent? Newsflash, you aren’t that great in either band or vocal.”
“How about you say that to my face?” I got up from my chair and walked towards Aaron. The class turned around to face us. Aaron gets up from his seat and gets in my face now.
“Of course! You suck in your majors and only got to be a dual major because your father is the vocal director!” The class started to talk among themselves about what was happening. I felt my face get hot with embarrassment and anger. “Again, get your priorities straight like being a better friend to your best friend instead of swooning over a talentless violin foreigner.” I couldn’t help but push Aaron back when he spoke about Sophie in that way. He quickly got back up and pushed me back until I fell to the ground. The other dual majors began to loudly talk and bicker as Aaron and I start fighting on the stage. I pushed him back hard enough so that he hit his body on one of the music stands. He quickly snapped back and from there I heard nothing but a ringing sound when Aaron pushed me in the face. I immediately fell to the ground, and I can vaguely hear Mr. Harrison trying to calm the class down.
…
“Milo?” I heard a voice in the distance. I tried to open my eyes, but my head was pounding and the light above was hurting my eyes. It took me a while to realize it was my dad talking to me. I slowly opened my eyes and immediately felt the pain in my face.
“Dad?” I called out, just to make sure I was hearing things correctly. I finally was able to open my eyes and saw that I was now in the nurse’s office. My dad sat in the chair next to me, looking at the nurse and then back at me.
“Hey, Milo; how are you feeling?” the nurse said as she walked over to me to take a look at my face. I winced in pain every time she touched it.
“It still hurts a lot,” I answered, trying to not react too hard to the nurse checking my bruises. “But I’m okay.”
“That’s good,” she answered. She looks at my dad and starts to talk to him. “Try to keep him awake for the next couple of hours, apply ice to the bruise and he should be okay to return to class tomorrow.” She walks away and exits the room when her cell phone rings in her hand. I look at my dad, whose face immediately changes now that the nurse is not in the office.
“Milo,” my dad finally said. I looked away, not really knowing what he’s about to say. “What were you thinking getting into a fight during the dual major rehearsal?”
“Aaron started it,” I quickly explained. “He was–“
“That’s not what Mr. Harrison told me,” my dad spat back at me. “You know than that, Milo.”
“Why isn’t Aaron getting in trouble for hitting me?” I asked, annoyed at the conversation already. “Why am I the only one getting in trouble for this?”
“Aaron isn’t my son,” my dad emphasized. “You’ve only been in school for three months, and you already ahve gotten in trouble one too many times. Mr. Harrison went to the principal about this. He was furious at the fact that he trusted both you and Aaron to attended these rehearsals and act like dual majors.” I didn’t even bother saying anything back; my dad already had his mind made up about who’s fault it was for starting this fight.
“So what now? We’re out of the dual major performance at the showcase?” I asked. I can only assume that’s the punishment we’re getting for disturbing the rehearsal.
“Mr. Harrison decided to keep Aaron in the performance,” my dad started out. I turned my head quickly to face my dad, shocked.
“What?” I said, frustrated at Mr. Harrison’s decision. “What about me? I was the one that got hurt!”
“Milo,” my dad stopped me. “You already had your warning the first time you were sent to the principal’s office. You were already told once that if you got in trouble one more time, you’d be-“
“Are you kidding me?” I quickly got up from the nurse bed, and yelled out. “I’m not performing at the showcase because of this?”
“Your dual major status is suspended until further notice,” my dad finally confessed. “And Mr. Harrison does not want you in his clas until that suspension is over.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Something that Aaron did got my dual major suspended while he still gets to go to band and vocal. I’ve only been here for three months and I already lost my dual major status because of someone else. I was more than angry at this point; I was furious. I wanted nothing more than to find Aaron and bashed his face into a music stand or something. How could my dad not fight this for me with the principal or Mr. Harrison? Why didn’t he ask more questions and why did he let them take Aaron’s word over mine?
“That’s bullshit!” I yelled out. My dad quickly tried to calm me down.
“You’re going to hurt yourself, Milo. Sit down,” he said sternly.
“I don’t give a shit! How can you let them take away my dual major and not Aaron?!” I was trying hard to understand, but I couldn’t see the fairness in this.
“Aaron got off with a warning because this was his first time getting in trouble. For you, you were already told that one more time you get into something, you will get put on suspension. If Aaron ets in trouble one more time, he will also be put on suspension,” my dad explained. At that point, I didn’t care. If it wasn’t for the murse coming back into the office, I would’ve definitely screamed my frustrations out. Once the nurse cam back in to tend to me, I walked out of the office, not wanting to be around my ad anymore. I wanted nothing but to go home and hide.
It wasn’t until I finally stepped out of the office that I realized that I will not be able to go to band class anymore. Wait, that’s the only class I get to see Sophie in. My anger immediately turned into sadness; I promised her I will be her friend in that class and to always have her back when the other band members would try to bully her strings section. I felt like I failed her more than I failed myself.
I’m so sorry, Scout.
Letters From Liz. 