I managed to stay up until 12 and then I fell asleep, I’m sure mom moved me because I woke up in my bed and I was sure I was in the living room. I woke up around 7:30 am, it was Saturday so I just laid there and looked my ceiling, it had a bunch of glow in the dark stars and planets over it. I don’t remember when they got put there but I love them. Glow in the dark stickers are beautiful.

Crap.

I woke up late. Things like this seem to happen only when you have super important things to do. Like today, our band is having seat competition, as we call it. I run into the band room, violin on me like a backpack as I slide into my spot at the second chair. Mr. Taylor walked in and looked at all of us “Good morning kids. As you know today we will be playing for chairs.” The group of band geeks got loud and excited. Well, Except for the pianos. They didn’t participate on the same day as us because they didn’t play for chairs exactly. I was aiming for first chair this year. Ella Langley has had the first chair almost her entire career as a violinist and it was infuriating. We did introductions and figured the pieces we would be playing, most kids try to go for easy pieces that they know they won’t mess up on but I chose Paganini Caprice, op. 1 No. 1 written by Niccolo Paganini. I have been practicing this for a year now and I think it sounds beautiful in a weird, ‘was he on drugs and/or high when he did this?’ kinda way.

I messed up a couple of times but so did Ella. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the first chair but I did! I met up with Jazmine at lunch and told him. “Jazz Jazz Jazz Jazzy!” I shouted as I ran towards him.

“Woah, what’s up?” He looked up from his Sudoku puzzle and gave me a grin as he saw how excited I was.

“Guess. What!”

“What?” He grinned even more.

“I got first chair!” I threw my arms up in victory, Ella passed by and gave me a high five on my exposed hand and just said ‘nice’ as she met up with her group of friends. “Thanks.” My thanks was kind of shyly given but I’m not sure how she feels right now about being pushed out of her chair...er my chair.

Heh, ‘my chair.’

That’s beautiful to say.

The rest of the day passed by pretty quickly, lectures and notes alllll day. I almost fell asleep in at least two of my classes. I hurried to my final class as soon as the bell rang, English with Mrs. Jenson. She was a different type of teacher, younger than most for one but she also had a different idea of how she should teach us. We did more interactive things to learn. Kinda difficult in an English class some would say but I think we make it work pretty well. Oh, she is also unapologetically a lesbian. She brings her wife and son to school sometimes, at first people were weird about it but now it is just another thing. That’s so beautiful to me. The bell rang and we all took our seats, she entered in with a bunch of papers.

“Hello hello! I was afraid of running too late, I had to print off more papers for today and my printer decided to stop working!” We all greet her as she makes her way into the room and to the front. “Today we will figure out what topics you all want to do for your persuasive essays.”

Tammy McDonald leaned close to my ear and smiled “What are you gonna do? Something over why Jazmine is your soulmate?” She giggled at me about that. It wasn’t in a malicious ‘haha I know you’re a gross gay’ way, but in a ‘I wish you’d tell him’ way.

“No, of course not...well kinda maybe? It’s kind of a weird, complicated topic.” I sigh and lean against my hand. “I’m writing about beauty and how everything is beautiful in some way.” Her smile grows as she looks at me, then to Jazz.

“I think that’s beautiful.”

“Me too.”