In the Key of Us: Week Three–Coda

I want to smack Channing in her smug face, but I don’t. For once, I just wish Channing could admit she’s working just as hard as everyone else. That she’s not the only one who has talent.

I’d almost forgotten about her little note trick when I got to art, but as I walked in, there she was, glowering at me from behind her easel.

“What even is that charcoal mess?” Amy Vanden-Vampire’s evil giggle snaked its way into my ears. I knew she was talking about me. My piece. “It’s so dark, so scary. Like, she might be clinically insane.”

“Well, uh, seeing as Amy did not deface another student's property, she has not been suspended, but has received three days of detention.”

But she used a classist and, quite frankly, racist term, which I believe is just as violent as, if not more violent and harmful than, defacing property.

“Well, no, now you’re twisting my words. Everyone has received an equitable punishment.”
“I don’t think you know what equitable means, Mr. McBride.”

We’re only learning the first two suites—Suite I: Andante (which means “played at a walking pace”) and Suite II: Adagio (which means “played slowly”).

I want to return Zora’s smile, I want to catch Christopher's eye, but more than anything I want the bluster of song I feel racing around my body to stay. For just a moment, playing had felt like flying again.

“You mean a Prodigal, Outstanding, and Cool squad?”

“We are not fighting, Andi. We are simply having a tiff.”

We manage to tie one around each end of the pillow-blanket roll, but only because Zora sits on it to keep it from unfurling.

“We’ll be sleeping under the stars for the next two nights!” Joanna yells as she gathers us into a circle and instructs us to lay out our things. “Al fresco! Won’t that be fun?”

I scan the area, looking for Coop, whom I have decided will be an ideal partner, since they’re from a big city and probably won't follow me into the woods when I sneak away.

You’ve come here from all walks of life, from near and far, not only to engage in the fellowship of music, but to build lasting connections with people from all across the country.

I take one last look behind me, and then I veer into a thicket of trees to the right of the glowing path.

The moon is a milky eyeball above, and a symphony of crickets crescendo from the nearby reeds.

Zora’s voice hums into my half dream like a subtle key change.

The crickets serenade us.

We went searching for the Glow Walk stragglers after most campers made it back in forty minutes.

“I’m good,” I say, as Christopher releases me from his grip and steps back with a sheepish grin.

I acted horribly. This would have never happened if we hadn’t fought, and I was being stubborn this morning at breakfast holding a grudge.

But just when I begin to miss them the most
To miss their voices laughing through their divisions
The sun goes down and turns the lake
The color of a freshly bitten plum
And up from the trees across the way
A faint wisp of smoke
Curls through the air like a wave

Eventually, the shell ended up on a shelf in my room full of other trinkets and souvenirs.

I wish I felt better, but as I hang up the phone, my gut churns at the thought of Kennedy being upset with me.

The fried chicken sandwich I have on my plate suddenly smells full of grease, making my stomach lurch.

“Andi told me what you did for her at the lake, helping her get back to the beach after the whole canoe fiasco.”

The longing in Julie's voice matches the pang in my heart: The only person I want to dance with is Andi, but I bet she'll never ask me now.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” Dad says, sniffing his recently delivered beer and then taking a small contemplative sip.

Dad, unlike Mom, isn’t a classical-music buff. He loves to hear me play, but he can’t really tell the difference between Vivaldi and Bach.

But there is quite an active Black dance community in Detroit, and gigs like this one help with exposure.

This is about distracting yourself with something that, quite frankly, isn’t going to get you very far. Zora, you chose flute, remember? We asked you what you wanted, and you decided flute was the more practical option.

We’ve spent all this time and money on your passion for flute and now you want to dabble in dance again?

High School Orchestra gets to rehearse here every day, but we only have this one morning to get used to the acoustics and build our confidence.

“Everyone makes a big deal about getting dressed up, but it’s still pretty casual.”

The roof of my amphitheater is vibrating
The wide-awake notes of trumpets
Wafting through the air like a prayer