Transferred
The new high school was becoming the talk of the town, with friend groups being torn apart because of zoning issues and denied transfers. Luckily for me, all of my close friends were moving over to the new high school. The new high school was modern and state-of-the-art. I could see why everyone wanted to transfer there.
“Hello?! Earth to Jade?!?”Great. Here we go again. “Yes, Mrs. Dylan?” I replied.“Jade, are you ready to do your sightreading now?”I sigh and head over to her office. With finals and STAAR tests, choir placement is the last thing I can think about right now, especially with the way this year went down. For a bit of context, I was put in the select women’s choir group, which drained the life out of me because of the amount of drama we went through. I still remember the way my head throbbed after sixth period. The tension between us was louder than our voices. I wanted to sing, not navigate a minefield. If I were put in a select choir next year, I hope it’ll be drama-free and stress-free.
*TIME JUMP TO JULY*
I got an email saying I was chosen for the select choir. I’m actually a lot more excited now that I know our director is going to be the same director I had in middle school, Mr. Jones. We were requested to show up to at least one of the summer rehearsal dates to learn our school anthem and our rendition of the national anthem. I saw some familiar faces from the choir I was in at my previous high school, Asher, Rob, and Beth. I spotted Asher sitting in the bass section, his hair messy but well-kept. His golden brown eyes met mine as I walked in, and he gave me a slight nod; a kind, small, polite nod that said we knew each other but didn’t really know each other. Next to him sat Beth. The last time Beth and I spoke was when we decided to be cordial with one another after our big fight last year. The rehearsal was quick; we just introduced ourselves and practiced our songs. After practice, Mr. Jones let us know that we’ll be a part of the grand opening ceremony for the high school. I had to be there anyway for dance, so one more performance couldn’t hurt.
After what feels like a long two week of dreading going back to school, the first week of school comes to an end, and the grandeur of it all is just starting to settle. By the first week, I’ve already had a routine established for me by my boyfriend, Tyler. Tyler is a quiet guy, with medium-length curly hair, dark brown sunken eyes, and tall and slender. Tyler and I have been together since my sophomore year of high school. It all started when my old best friend Nina started dating his best friend Mike. It was, I guess you could say, a “two-man.” Tyler and I get along for the most part, honestly. At the beginning of our relationship, I was head over heels for him; now it feels like I’m being suffocated and molded into a different version of myself every day. Tyler can’t stand being apart, even for an hour. So we have lunch together in the choir room, along with some of the choir students. Most of the Elites would be in the choir room, along with some of their friends outside of choir, varsity, and junior varsity members hung out there as well. I got to know most of the Elite members pretty well, including who they brought with them during lunch. Asher was always in the choir room during lunch, and sitting beside him was his girlfriend, Brielle. Gosh, what can I say about Brielle? She is quite the controversial figure and has a big reputation from our old high school. From getting into verbal and physical altercations at school to not leaving Asher’s side, she is a hot mess, but hey, who am I to judge? Most lunches in the choir room were pretty relaxing, of course people like to act out a few times to “stir the pot,” but nothing too crazy ever happens in there.
*2 MONTHS LATER*
October has to be one of the most exciting times of the year. October is when we start transitioning from our fall concert pieces to our winter pieces. The Elites were starting to form deeper bonds and really start to feel more like a family.
Mr. Jones clapped his hands to get our attention. “I have an announcement, everyone!”
I turned to the tenors who were still arguing about their video game activities over the weekend.“Hey, guys, settle down.”
Mr. Jones nods at me and continues, “Thank you, Jade. Now I have some very exciting news for you guys. We’ve been invited to the Heart of Choirs Winter Festival in Colorado for this winter break!”
“COLORADO?!?” All the Elites erupt into cheer, confusion, and start raising questions.
Asher speaks out, “Last time I checked, we’re in the middle of nowhere in Texas. How do we have the means and funds to get there?”
Mr. Bailey: I invited the festival’s executives to our fall concert, and they sent over their Texas representatives. They loved your performances so much that they wanted to provide us with transportation, a cabin, and an extra for us to attend.
If there was anything I’d learned about Mr. Bailey, it’s that he’s always one step ahead. Mr. Bailey is technically the assistant director of the choir, but I like to think of him and Mr. Jones as equals.
Zak: So when will this be?
Mr. Jones: The first week of winter break, the festival takes up Wed-Sat. We will need at least two driving days.
Rob: So what I’m hearing is we’re getting a party bus?
Mr. Bailey: You’ll be getting a charter bus.
I’m so excited to go up north, I haven’t been around real snow in a long time. Before class wraps up, I head to the binder cabinet to put my binder away and grab my belongings. As I search for binder slot 20, Asher stands beside me and gives me a slight smile.
“Colorado, huh?” Asher turns to look at me beside him and leans his shoulder against the cabinet. “I hope you have a heavy coat, Jade. Texas girls usually freeze up there.”
I chuckled, still struggling to put my binder in its slot, ” I think I’ll manage, Asher.” I turn and look at him, “Besides, anything is better than spending another week in this humidity.”
As I walk out of the choir room, I see Tyler already waiting for me at the end of the hall. I instinctively fixed my emerald top and lowered my gaze; the smile from my conversation with Asher dropped before I even reached him. Fuck, should I tell him about Colorado yet? I think I’ll wait until dinner tonight.
