| Kallie spent the next week puttering around the apartment and spending time at the Blue Note. Brian was absolutely great to her, showing her around the city and pointing out all of the great places to hang out. She liked the Blue Note best of all. She hadn’t seen AJ since their fight on the terrace, but she had heard him working on the song everyday. She also spoke to Strngalong everyday, but didn’t tell him about the fight. She was running around the house, making sure she didn’t forget anything. Today was she first day at her new job. She checked her bag for the fourth time, tried on 3 different outfits and put her brown hair in 4 different styles. With a final check, she smiled and headed out the door. She pulled up to Harmon High School with a little of ease, since she took a dry run of the place the day before. It looked kind of run down, but had a mythical ambiance to it. She saw some of the faculty enter through the side entrance as she pulled into the parking lot. She got out her bag and headed into the school. Kallie looked at the piece of paper she was holding and headed to the Drama and Music Department office, which was on the second floor. With another deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside. The office was on the small side, with cabinets filled with books lining one wall, a copier on another, with a small table in the center. There was another small door that simply said “Assistant Principal.” She noticed that 4 people were sitting around the table sipping coffee and eating donuts. Kallie stood back and watched them. She noticed a woman about Kallie’s age with short red hair and blue eyes. The man across from her had semi-long hair pulled into a ponytail with a goatee who seemed to be in his late twenties. Another woman had the curliest long brown hair Kallie had ever seen, with brown eyes and an older man with a receding line, wearing a shirt and tie that horribly clashed. “I’m telling you that the Cora would be perfect for Kim in the play!” the curly haired girl smiled. “I agree,” the red-haired girl sipped her tea and nodded. “She’s got the perkiness for the character.” “Don’t you think Bye, Bye Birdie is a little trite for the winter musical?” the clashing older man asked. “John, this is high school. Do you expect them to do Much Ado About Nothing?” the longhaired man shook his head. Kallie tried to recoil as to not interrupt their conversation, until a man came in the door. He was on the short side, with definite Latin looks, large brown eyes and a killer smile. “Well, hello Mr. Dorough,” the longhaired man smiled. “Have a nice term break in Puerto Rico?” “Muy bien mi amigo,” Mr. Dorough laughed as he slapped his back. He turned to Kallie. “You must be Kallie,” he outstretched his hand. “I’m sorry I’m late to not give you a proper introduction.” “That’s quite alright, Mr. Dorough,” Kallie shook his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you through our phone conversations.” “Please, call me Howard,” Howard smiled again and leaned into her ear. “They just like to call me that since I’m the youngest AP at Harmon.” He turned to the people sitting at the table. “Everyone, this is Kallie Leighton, the newest member of our Music department. This is Amy McGregor,” he motioned towards the red-haired woman. Amy shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I teach freshman and sophomore Drama.” Howard turned to the curly-haired woman. “This is Deana Almedo.” Deana shook her hand and smiled. “Hi. I teach Senior Drama and run the musicals.” “And that’s Kevin Richardson,” Howard pointed to the longhaired man. Kevin shook Kallie’s hand. “A pleasure. Senior classical music instruction.” “And this is John Montrose,” Howard motioned towards the older man. John shook her hand. “Sophomore Music and marching band,” he replied faintly amused. “Kallie will be teaching the Freshman Music Program,” Howard informed them. He turned to Kallie. “I teach Junior Music and run the orchestra with Kevin.” “Here, have a seat Kallie,” Amy offered her a seat as she sat down. “So what brings you to Harmon High?” “I came from New Jersey,” Kallie smiled. “Wow, that far huh?” Deana leaned on the table. “What made you come so far west?” “I guess a change.” “I used to live in New York City,” Kevin sipped his coffee. “Yeah but how could you live working in piano bars?” John snorted. “Bite me Montrose,” Kevin glared at him. “The fun never stops,” Amy sighed. “OK, OK, let’s get on with this meeting,” Howard took a seat at the head of the table. “First order of business is to welcome Ms. Leighton into our staff,” he started applauding as Kallie smiled and blushed slightly. “We hope that you enjoy our small, but slightly dysfunctional little family here. Now Amy,” Howard nodded towards Amy, “will help you get around and the lay of the land until you’re settled. I’ll be meeting with you later, on curriculum and such.” Kallie nodded. “Second order of business…” The staff spent an hour going over the new policies for the term as Howard broke off with them for a break. Howard and Kallie then met in his office. Kallie sat opposite him as Howard leaned back in his chair. “So you like the rest of the staff?” “Yeah, they seem alright,” Kallie smiled. “Good,” Howard gave her a set of folders. “Here is the curriculum for the freshman program. Add whatever you need to, because we don’t have a state test for the end of the year, which means you can run with whatever you need to, but those topics in your packet must be covered.” “Gotcha,” Kallie opened the file and looked over the outline. “Um, Howard, can I ask you a question?” “I’m all ears.” “Why did you pick me? I mean, I was all the way across the country.” “Well, your resume is one that most educators would drool over: Princeton grad who worked in a great prep school. But I liked your fire. You seemed that you were the type of person who takes charge of a situation. That’s what these kids need.” He got up out of his seat and came around the desk. “Kallie, I just want you to be prepared here. A lot of these kids didn’t grow up with money stuffed in their pockets. There is a lot of diversity here. You have kids who want to learn this stuff, and you have others who don’t give a damn about it. They’re here because it’s either this or spending a day at Juvi Hall. Can you handle that?” “I’ll try my damnedest Howard. I like the challenge.” “That’s what I like to hear,” Howard stood up. “I’m really glad you’re here.” “So am I,” Kallie smiled, but inside she was a nervous wreck. ~*~ Kallie sat at the computer, her files on the side of her so she can write her first week’s lesson plans. She had her old curriculum to compare notes to the new one, and they seemed similar to each other. She didn’t have to do any tweaking at all. While she was planning her lessons, she heard AJ’s song through the wall. She hummed to the melody as she was working. OK, so he was a jerk, but he was one hell of a guitar player. She hadn’t heard playing like that in a long time. She walked to the terrace in her bedroom, leaning on the railing as AJ continued to play. She folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. She drowned in the sound his hands were making with that guitar. She swayed to the imaginary beat in her mind and continued to sway as the guitar stopped. She hummed the melody as she swayed and was interrupted by him. “What are you doing?” Kallie stopped and looked at him. “Uh, nothing.” “You were listening, weren’t you?” “OK, so I was,” Kallie crossed her arms again. “There’s no crime in liking a song.” AJ rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but its privacy that’s my problem.” “Then get the headphones like I told you.” “I wouldn’t need them if I had neighbors who don’t but into my life.” “It’s music.” Now AJ crossed his arms. “Music is my life.” “Oh get over yourself,” Kallie started to walk away but turned around. “You know, if you bring up the bridge a half step, you wouldn’t have to add the extra beat in the third bar.” She left the terrace, totally disgusted with everything. She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door. ~*~ “You were right, Brian. He is an asshole,” Kallie sipped her coffee. Brian laughed. “He’s just really into his music is all.” “So am I. It’s what I do, but he’s rude.” “Don’t let it bother you,” Brian patted her hand. “I told you he’s selective with who he hangs out with.” “But what makes him king of Cooper Street?” “Who knows,” Brian stood up. “I’ll be done with my shift in an hour and I’ll walk you home.” An hour later Brian and Kallie were walking home when she saw a motorcycle pull up to the front of Kallie’s building. She recognized the man with as he took his helmet off. “What’s up AJ,” Brian walked over to him and shook his hand. “Sup man,” AJ tucked his helmet under his arm. “How’s the song coming?” “It’s coming,” AJ glanced at Kallie. “I’m sure you know Kallie,” Brian smiled at her. “Of course,” AJ said. “Look I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” “Later man,” Brian watched as AJ went into his building. Brian sighed. “What am I gonna do with that boy?” “Who cares. He’s not my problem,” Kallie kissed Brian on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” “Hey, good luck with your new job.” “Thanks,” Kallie smiled. “I’ll need it.” Chapter 4 Contents Chapter 3 |