The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth - Alexandra Robbins [15]
When Po, who still lived in California, was recently hospitalized with kidney problems, Noah was distraught. He leaned on Leigh. Knowing that someone wanted to spend time with him raised his spirits.
As the second quarter wound down, Noah and the rest of the band descended from the bleachers again to prepare for their halftime show. Each member of the Honor Guard was in charge of assembling a specific set piece. Noah was assigned to the drum major podium, a six-foot-tall pedestal for the student director. He was also supposed to help another manager set up the bass guitar and its various accessories.
This year, the band director had promoted Noah to section leader. Now that he was an integral part of the band, however, students at school not only associated him with the band geeks but also ranked him lower in status than the musicians. Noah always defended the band when people said it was stupid. “What instrument do you play?” they inevitably asked, and then called him “the band’s bitch.”
The visiting team’s band ran over its allotted time, but Noah didn’t have a chance to dwell on the discourtesy. The moment the performance ended, Noah and the other Honor Guards stormed onto the field, lugging equipment while the Redsen band members took their places. As Noah set up the podium, he came across an item that he had never seen before: a podium skirt, folded in a box. Already the setup was taking too long; the managers had practiced, but never in real time, and they hadn’t rehearsed taking the field together afterward. Noah yelled, “I need help!”, gesturing to four other managers. When they finished assisting Noah, they rushed to the sideline.
The band was ready before Noah was. Noah frantically opened the bass guitar case on the sideline as the managers lined up to join the musicians. He was plugging the guitar into an amp while the other managers strode in step to their spot on the field, arms crossed, front and center of the band. As Noah turned on the battery, the introduction began over the loudspeakers. Panicking, Noah sprinted onto the field. He noticed that he had accidentally set up the podium five yards to the left of where it should have been, which could cause conducting problems. But the band was playing now and it was too late to do anything about it.
Despite Noah’s concerns, the halftime show ended up running smoothly until a trumpet player fell down. The gaffe would not help the band’s image at school. Oh well, Noah thought. We still have nearly three months to get ready for Macy’s.
ELI, VIRGINIA | THE NERD
The girl who sat two seats northwest of Eli in government turned around as the teacher handed out quizzes. Eli thought she was looking at him. “I don’t know the sixth amendment!” he whispered to her, attempting to commiserate about the quiz. The girl returned her gaze to the front of the room without noticing. Eli then realized that a) she wasn’t looking at him and b) the people around him were smirking because they thought he was talking to himself.
After less than a week of school, senior year was just like any other year. Eli’s awkward moments were already piling up. Upon meeting his new math teacher, he said, “Nice to meet you . . . I like math a lot.” (A classmate told him later, “That was weird.”) Or there was the time Eli was chatting in the hall with a few friends. When Chan, one of Eli’s best friends (who sometimes played Dungeons and Dragons), came by, Chan said, “What is this, a gang?” Shortly thereafter, yet another friend approached. “What’s going on, guys?” asked the newcomer. Attempting to continue the conversation, Eli joked, “We’re having a Dungeons and Dragons gang meeting!” The others stared at him, confused. “Whaa? I don’t get it,” someone