Jake shrugs. “I did it for the ladies.”
“I’m telling Shannon you said that.” Nate grins.
Jake looks at him like he’s stupid. “She’s a lady. I met her in band. This only proves I made a good choice. Twice.”
Aww, he thinks my BFF is a good choice! I officially ship it now. What should their ship name be? Jannon. Shake! Oh my God, I dub them Shake!
Nate waves his hand in front of my face. “Why are you shaking like a leaf? Did you not even drink the protein shakes you promised us you would get today?”
I tamp it down. Somehow, I don’t think Jake would share my excitement. “No, no. I’m fine now. Really. I have a great idea though.”
“Well, spit it out already,” Nate says, narrowing his eyes just slightly. “I’m a little afraid you’ve finally recovered enough to get back at Jimbo, and I want to know what kind of nuclear meltdown we’re about to deal with.”
“I am not getting caught in that fallout the way you got mixed up in the beef between Jimbo and Jared.” Tim raises his hands. “I’m very happy with the truce. I think we should all stick to that.”
“We are sticking to that,” I promise him. “And we’re sticking together, and we’re not going to stick it to our band just because we’re not going to be around next year.”
“Well?” Jake makes a get on with it motion.
“Let’s come up with more ideas to replace the hazing. To replace the competitions between groups in the band. We need something else to bring the whole band together, something everyone can participate in and feel like they’re part of a family beyond the rush we get from performing as a large group on the field.” This might be my best idea yet, and even though it is sort of a competition, it’s something to benefit us all. “Each of us comes up with an idea, and then we use that as our campaign platform for the rest of the week to get votes.”
Tim doesn’t look convinced. “So, what? We’re just gonna spitball ideas here for the next twenty minutes then draw straws to see who has to campaign the best or the worst idea?”
“I thought you weren’t competing with anyone but yourself anymore?” Jimbo raises his eyebrows as he approaches the table with a large bouquet of flowers gripped in his hand like he wants to strangle them. “Or is this just your way of leaving me out in the cold, so you can get a leg up on me?”
He sounds so hopeful. So hopefully annoying.
He’s been following me around all day to all of our shared classes, and it is wearing me down. I should be grateful he’s genuinely sorry for what happened and enjoying this change for the better in his behavior, but instead, I’m struggling not to scream at him to leave me the fuck alone. I just want him to go away. I do not want to deal with him anymore. Not even a little.
I close my eyes for a beat and inhale a deep breath, trying to channel even an ounce of the yoga I do not have time to practice on a regular basis. When I open my eyes again, I am calm. I am peaceful. I have relegated all my old ways of imagining his slow, torturous demise to the void where they belong. My centered mind has no room for memories of orgasmic dancing either. Everything is Zen. “I’m not competing with you anymore, Jimmy.”
He squints his eyes and thrusts the bouquet at me. “Here. These are for you.”
I have no choice but to accept them in the calmest manner. I also have no idea what I’m going to do with them since I do not have a vase in my hotel room. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that. It was a mistake. I get it. I’m fine now.”
“You could throw them in that trash can over there.” Jimmy gestures to the waste bin two feet away with a stage whisper. “That’ll really show me.”
“Jesus, Jimbo,” Jake scoffs. “This is so pathetic. It’s embarrassing to even watch.”
“Shut up.” Jimmy points at him. “I know what I’m doing.”
Nate slowly shakes his head. “I don’t think you do, man.”
“I think you’ve finally lost it,” Tim adds.
“I haven’t lost anything yet.” Jimmy turns to me. “So, what’s this new idea of yours? Giving us terrible ideas to campaign for?”
He’s still hoping for something that’s not going to happen. I can’t change Jimmy. I can change myself. He’ll get over it in a week. I’ve just got to make it through a single week. That’s all.
I release my nails from my thighs with another calming exhale. “No. Sit with us. We’re all going to actively come up with whole band-bonding ideas, then everyone gets to decide for themselves which they’ll campaign for.”
Ideally, I’d like to get started on the campaign trail, but we’re running out of time to even brainstorm. The first bandies are already arriving for practice.
“Hey, Jimbo!” The flute section leader waltzes in. “Can’t wait to see the prize you have for my section after practice!”
Jimmy gives her an early-bird special—one of his famous megawatt smiles. As soon as she’s out of sight in the instrument room, he turns to us with a panicked expression. “Shit!”
I wince.
He notices. “Sorry. Crap!”
I wince again.
“Fuck!”
He gives me a confused glance when I wince at that, too. “I don’t have a prize! With everything that happened over the weekend, I totally forgot!”
Tim leans back in his chair, crosses his arms over his chest, and shoots Jimmy a smug grin. “I know we agreed to not play dirty anymore, but does it count if one of us fucks up so bad that they kill their own chances? Because Jimbo has been an expert at that lately, and I’m here for it.”
Another brilliant idea blossoms in my brain. I’m on a roll today. And maybe, just maybe, if I play my cards right, this can also ease Jimmy through this transitional week. I haven’t really had enough time to dig my heels in, so this could benefit me, too. Kind of like hate and love being opposites, instead of trying to about-face and retreating from the war, I could do the opposite and … be his friend.
“Why don’t you take the whole section out to dinner after practice?” I suggest.
He looks at me like I’m nuts. “All twenty-three of them? Even if I could get a restaurant on campus to accommodate us at the last minute, I just paid my share of rent on the house. I can’t afford that.”
“It’s not about the place or the money,” I explain. “It’s about giving them something special. So, give them your time. Just take them to one of the dining halls. Some of the flutes might have already eaten dinner anyway. Maybe ask them to meet you for dessert. Ice cream is the way to a woman’s heart.”
Awareness washes over Jimmy’s face. “Oh, okay. I see what you’re doing here.”
“Great! I’m glad you like the idea.”
Awareness changes to smugness. “You know Lilah’s been after me since last year, so you wanna throw me into the lioness’s den.”
The flute section leader isn’t the only woman in band after Jimmy. I can’t keep up with all of them anymore. “If you want to date her, then that’s nice. A bonus prize, I guess.”
He nods. “So, you can be jealous.”