Book, Club, Best friends

Walking down the 300 hallway at Dryden high school, my heavy backpack making my back ache and my tongue swiping over my teeth trying to dislodge the food stuck there from lunch, my eyes were roving over the new faces all around me. Why on planet earth did they put band class right after lunch?! My reeds are going to be made of mold, and my clarinet too! I thought angrily. I was a short freshman in Dryden high school. I had my straight, blonde hair back in a braid as usual, my gray, college sized backpack painfully hanging from my shoulders. 

As the small, red, half lockers on my left turned into windows the crowd thinned to the few other students on their way to the band room at the end of the hall. Mr. Sudduth, the young new band director, stood at the door. 

“Good morning Lillian,” He said when I was a few feet away.

“Good morning,” I replied. 

As I made my way to where I normally sit on the far side of the half sound-proofed room, I spied a book on a music stand. Is that a christian fiction sticker on the spine?! I thought excitedly. There is a christian among us, and they read too! I had been trying to find a friend since school started a week or two ago, but I hadn’t found anyone that I related to (there was no nerdy girl group like the one I was apart of at my middle school); And here is evidence that they had been right in front of me this whole time! 

I put my backpack down and went to get a chair and music stand, then I journeyed into the instrument locker room with its creepy white walls, and cage-like lockers to retrieve my clarinet and music. A few other band members were in there too, including the girl who played the baritone saxophone. That is so cool! I thought as I tried not to stare at the massive gold colored horn. I followed the Bari Sax girl out of the locker room and went to see who would claim the book, and to my surprise and great joy, she did! Moving my music and clarinet case to one hand, I summoned the courage to ask, 

“May I look at your book?”

“Sure,” She replied and turned the music stand so that I could reach the book more easily. 

I grabbed the book and flipped it over to read the summary on the back. 

“Lady Selene Has Come into Her Family's Power. But Has She Inherited a Gift or a Curse?” It reads at the top in bold lettering. I continued reading, getting more invested in the story as I went.

“Sounds interesting,” I told her truthfully as I put the book back on the music stand. I went to set up my instrument for class, and I could feel hope and joy rising in my chest. This might be it! I might have just found my life long best friend! 

After this we would talk before and after class as we put our instruments away. Mostly about books. I remember the time when we found out that we both wanted to become part-time authors. 

“You know,  I’m actually writing two books right now,” I said.

“What?! I’m writing a book too!” She said excitedly.

“Cool, I wrote a prophecy for mine, what to hear it?” 

“Sure,” 

“So that it's not confusing, my book is about owls,” I warned. Then trying to make my voice deep and dramatic I recited want I called the prophecy of Flame, 

“For 70 orbits around the sun,

The war in fought, but never won,

Till the darkest hour of the longest night,

A warrior hatched to end the fight.

Evil comes on wings of ink, 

In his lies all will sink.

In light of unassailable Flame,

Forgotten peace shall be reclaimed.” 

“Wow, that's so good, maybe you could help me write a prophecy for my book?”

“Ya, that would be fun!” I exclaimed.

Another time, Josclyn told me that she had been wanting to start a Christian club at the school, but had not summoned the courage to actually start it. 

“What?! I’ve been wanting to start one too! Let’s do it!” I replied with excitement. 

“We need to have a teacher sponsor it though, I think  Mrs. Maday is a christian, but I don’t have her as a teacher,” Josclyn said.

“I have her first hour…” I started but the long tone of the bell stopped me. “See you tomorrow,” I called instead as I left the room. 

I did talk to Mrs. Maday that next morning and she was thrilled! When I got to band class, Josclyn told me that Mrs. Maday had stopped her in the hallway to talk about the club. We were going to meet in her classroom during the third hour to plan it. 

At this point, Josclyn and I still were not true friends, more like friendly acquaintances. This is why before the meeting, I felt the need to ask whether she wanted me to help lead the club with her, or if she wanted to lead it herself as an upperclassman. She made it clear that she wanted all the help she could get, and the barrier keeping us from being friends began to fade. 

At the meeting, it was decided that the club would be called Weekly Encouragement and would meet every Tuesday at 7:00 am for 15 minutes. Mrs. Maday, Josclyn and I would meet every Friday to discuss the lesson for the coming week. Thus was the beginning of Weekly Encouragement at Dryden High school.

It was not until after that first meeting that I started considering Josclyn my friend. We started sitting together at lunch, in band class, and during library hours. We found that we shared the same birthday - We are exactly one year and 19 minutes apart - and celebrated together with Mrs. Maday. We have matching cross necklaces and a secret handshake that is almost three minutes long. I started going to the youth group at her church on Tuesdays. I did eventually read the book that I saw on her music stand that started it all. Even now that we are at different high schools and I can rarely get to her youth group because of cross country, we remain the greatest of friends. Josclyn is my closest friend by proximity and in friendship, I don’t know what I would do without her.