The Team - Chap 7

[luvyalots]

Previously on The Team...

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Chapter 7: Different


?Your thumb goes underneath here,? Miss Haverhill instructed Dan, her hand shadowing his further up the keyboard. He briefly glanced at her modeling and tried to copy it, but hit a wrong note.

?Damn it,? he hissed, wincing at how wrong it sounded. He knew exactly what the music was supposed to sound like, but he sometimes had trouble translating it to his fingers.

?Don?t get frustrated, Dan,? Miss Haverhill soothed. Dan had been taking an independent study in piano with her for nearly two months now and while he was improving, his piano skills were still not anywhere near the level of his ear.

Apparently, perfect pitch was only the least of the musical gifts he possessed. According to Miss Haverhill, Dan could hear a piece of music once and be able to have total recall of every note, every rhythm, every phrase. It was like his brain was a tape recorder. The only problem was that even though his ear was highly developed, his music-reading and piano skills were only at the beginner level. He simply couldn?t replicate with his hands what his brain was processing.

?You?re getting better,? she assured him. Dan had to agree with her. He could read music now ? though very slowly ? and he was finding his way around the keyboard with fewer and fewer mistakes.

?It?s annoying when you have a perfect ear,? he complained, ?but your hands can?t do shit.? Miss Haverhill just smiled and peered at him. Dan sighed, shaking his head. ?I know I?m better than I was at the beginning of the year,? he said more quietly, ?but it?s not enough.?

?You want to just be able to play,? the woman diagnosed, ?the way your mind thinks you should.? Dan nodded. ?It?s like?being a quarterback,? she began.

?A quarterback,? he repeated skeptically.

?Yes, I?m making a comparison between football and playing piano,? Miss Haverhill said, smiling.

?Because I?m a jock?? Dan asked, rolling his eyes.

?Yes, because you?re a jock,? she chuckled. Was a jock, Dan silently corrected her. I?m not anymore, he thought.

?I bet that when you started playing football,? she went on, ?you realized you had a good eye. You were able to read the other players on the field, see immediately where they were, which direction they were going.? Dan listened intently, starting to realize where she was headed. ?But you had to learn how to not only throw the football, but how to throw the ball accurately. Eventually, you learned the technique of passing well enough that you were able to effortlessly complete a pass while analyzing the plays, even improvising a new play based on the defensive line?s reaction.?

?Ok,? Dan replied, raising his eyebrows. He wasn?t expecting that from a music teacher.

?I got my undergrad at Michigan,? Miss Haverhill explained, smiling brightly. ?I know my football.? Dan smiled back. He never thought about it, but her analogy made sense.

?Too bad Michigan sucks this year,? he jibed, giving her a dimpled grin.

?Seriously,? she continued, ?you have an amazing, almost Mozartian ear, but you just need to develop the correct technique to let that ear just do what it wants. You need to learn how to throw the football before you can make the play.?

?I get it. I?m not one of those dumb jocks,? Dan quipped, making her laugh. Just then, the bell rang. He looked up at clock. Shit, that period went fast. ?See ya,? he said, standing up and grabbing his backpack.

?If you need me to make copies of that music,? Miss Haverhill started.
?I have it,? Dan reminded her, pointing to his head. The teacher smiled again and nodded. He headed toward the door, but stopped. ?Miss Haverhill,? he said, turning back around.

?Yes,? she replied, looking up from her desk.

?Thanks,? he grinned. He stood there for a second before turning to leave again, but once he did, something caught his attention.

?Was that Dan Wilkins?? It was the band director, Mr. Levi, just returning from his lunch period judging by the empty brown paper bag he held in his hand. Curious, Dan snuck up right outside the door to listen.

?Yes,? Miss Haverhill answered without glancing away from her gradebook. ?He?s taking an independent study in piano with me.?

?Really,? Mr. Levi exclaimed, sounding surprised. ?You do know he??

?Yes, I know what he did,? she met the man?s eyes, ?and why he got kicked off the football team.?

?Then you know how he?s just like one of those jocks, the worst kind. He?s a cheater.? His voice was insistent, almost too much so. I am not a cheater, Dan thought to himself, feeling like he wanted to punch the man in the face.
?I honestly don?t think he?s that way. He?s very much different than that,? Miss Haverhill defended him. ?Plus, you told me yourself that you had jocks who did well in music at your previous school.?

?You and I both know that?s not what I?m talking about,? he replied, lowering his voice a few pitches. ?Yes, I?ve seen jocks succeed in music, ones that are trustworthy, hard-working?but Dan Wilkins is not one of them.? He paused, looked Miss Haverhill directly in the eyes; she stared straight back at him.

?I think you?re wrong,? she fired back calmly, looking more serious than Dan had ever seen her. ?Dan has a gift, a gift that is only present in one in million ? maybe more. I really believe that he genuinely wants to change, to atone for his mistakes.?

?Mistakes?? Mr. Levi scoffed. ?As if you can dismiss taking steroids a mistake.? He leaned in closer to her; she didn?t flinch. ?Be careful with him,? he warned.

Dan blinked as he overheard the conversation. Not wanting to hear any more, he heading to his next class, disgusted.



?Keep going! Harder!? Jessie seethed through her teeth as Dan plowed her ass with his nine-inch cock, completely dominating her as always. ?Yeah, that?s it! Yes!? The sounds of his pelvis slamming against her butt-cheeks, her breasts slapping against the pillow, echoed through his head. But to him, they may have well been silence. Dan was tired. Not physically of course ? he was as strong as ever ? no, he felt like he was just going through the motions. Sex didn?t seem as ?fun? as it once was.

?Come on,? he grunted to himself, trying to fire himself up, despite the fact that he on the verge of orgasm.

?Yes! YES!? Jessie screamed as she climaxed herself. Dan forced the last few drops into her and, brushing his hand through his sweat-soaked black hair, rolled over onto his back. He let out a huge breath of air as he ripped the condom of his dick, tossing it into a nearby garbage pail. He felt Jessie?s warm breath against his pec as she cozied up next to him, her arm wrapped around his chest. ?The best yet,? she purred.

?Yeah?? Dan replied, not even looking at her, instead staring at the window. He wished he were somewhere else.

?I like it when you fuck me pissed off,? he whispered, bringing her face close to his. He could smell her lip gloss. He didn?t even know lip gloss had a smell.

?What do you mean?? he asked, finally glancing down into her eyes. Their green hue sparkled in the dim light of his bedroom. Jessie was hot, the hottest girl he had ever slept with. So why wasn?t he feeling anything anymore?

?When we first met,? she explained, ?when we first?did it, you were different.? Dan furrowed his eyebrows. ?You were cocky, you always looked at yourself in the mirror, especially when we were having sex.? He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. He really was ?one of those jocks.?

?What are you saying?? he stopped her before she could make him sick to his stomach.

?I?m saying,? she answered playfully, her tongue flirting near his chin, ?I liked you when you were cocky. But I like you even more now that you?re?moody.?

?Moody?? It seemed like an odd choice of words, even coming from Jessie. Her eyes shifted down toward his cock, obviously wanting it yet again. She never knew when to stop?or probably never wanted to for some reason.

?You?re tense, uptight,? she smiled enigmatically. ?Why do you think I invited Heather over to join us that first time?? Dan stared at Jessie in dismay. ?What are you so uptight about?? she asked, still grinning. ?Is it the fact that you no longer play football? Or perhaps that you may become drum major of the world-famous Allentown Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.? The way she said those words sent a wave of trepidation down Dan?s spine.

He always knew his life was about to become different, especially when he finally realized his football career was over. But when it was put as simply as how Jessie had just said it, it seemed frightening.



?The Jumbo ribs, please,? Dan made his order, his stomach growling fiercely.

?What kind of sauce do you want with that?? the girl behind the counter droned, expressionless. ?Mild, Hot or Red Hot Mamma??

?Just the hot this time,? Dan answered, immediately prompting a punch in the ribs from Marcus.

?Pussy,? he hissed.

?Shut up, fucker,? he retorted with a smile. Dan had just finished working out at home when Marcus called him up. He had just gotten off football practice and was starving, so they decided to go to the local rib joint. They hadn?t gone there in a while and they knew they could get a lot of food there for little money.

?And you?? the girl asked Marcus.

?The Mammoth ribs,? he instantly replied.

?And what sauce??

?What do you think?? he smirked, winking at the girl while leaning his own mammoth arm on the counter. Dan could?ve sworn he heard the wood creaking underneath his weight.

?No wonder you?re getting fat,? he muttered.

?Hey, I?m dying of starvation here,? he fired back comically, no doubt in an attempt to make the girl laugh. No success.

?The red hot mamma it is,? she drawled with no change in her expression. Dan rolled his eyes. Somehow, Marcus just never had the charm that he had.

?Actually,? he butted in, leaning against the counter himself and subtly flexing his biceps, ?make mine the red hot mamma sauce, too.? He smiled and peered into the girl?s eyes. She blinked and lowered her head, trying to conceal her red face.

?How the hell do you do that?? Marcus shook his head as they took their seats in a booth, Marcus squeezing his huge body behind the table and making the bench groan.

?How much you weighin? these days, man?? Dan asked, watching his buddy?s linebacker gut press ever so slightly against the table?s edge. Marcus shrugged.

?260, maybe,? he answered nonchalantly. ?I know I?ve gained a little since?but I?m trying to get bigger for college ball, so....? Dan nodded, knowing he didn?t like to talk about his drug use. ?So what?s with these threesomes you been having lately,? he changed the subject. Dan laughed and bit his lip. ?That?s all the guys on the team have been talking about.? He arched one eyebrow up conspiratorially. ?You stopped playing football, but you obviously haven?t stopped playing around, if you know what I mean.?

?Well, not exactly,? Dan admitted, feeling his face go red. ?Jessie and I are dating pretty seriously, but Heather kinda?you know??

?Joins in every now and then,? Marcus finished the sentence for him. The two looked at each other for a moment before breaking in laughter. ?Bro!?
?Yeah,? Dan muttered. He didn?t really feel like talking about it.

?Come on, man,? Marcus said. ?Just the other day you were telling us how you were pounding Jessie up the ass ? I mean like nailing her?? He discreetly mimed the motion, making Dan practically squirt Coke out his nose. ?And then Heather came on top of you and started riding you like a frickin? bull.? Now that he thought of it, Dan couldn?t believe the action he had been getting lately?and he knew Marcus was jealous. ?Fuck!? he hissed.

?Man, that?s enough,? Dan broke in, trying to make him stop.

?She was, like, humping her pussy all over your ass,? he continued, ?and gettin? herself off on you, screaming at the top of her lungs.? He paused, giving his best friend a smirk. ?And then?? Marcus led him on. Dan bit his lip.

?I know,? he let out. ?I did both of them.?

?One right after the other,? Marcus said, shaking his head. ?And then you watched while they made out and fingered each other,? he added. Dan remembered bragging about the threesome to his former teammates, seeing the jealousy on their faces. He had originally told the story as if it was the most mundane thing in the world.

?Man, what would Carly say about that shit?? Marcus stated, shaking his head. Dan instantly froze in his tracks, stunned that his best friend would bring her up out of nowhere.

?What?d you say?? he asked, glaring at Marcus with hurt eyes. He hadn?t so much as mentioned his ex-girlfriend?s name in months, but even just thinking about her made him feel uneasy. She had just left him last spring with no explanation, moved to Texas. And now, he was trying to move on?

?Oh, sorry, man,? Marcus apologized, biting his lip and looking down at the table. ?It just?kinda came out.?

?It?s fine,? Dan muttered, shrugging. He felt his eyes getting heavy and clenched his jaw. Carly had been the only person he had truly connected with and he still hadn?t figure out why she abandoned him so suddenly. But he couldn?t let anyone else see that, not even Marcus.

?Well, there?s something my Gram always says??

?Oh, so you?re Forrest Gump now,? Dan interrupted, forcing out a laugh.

?Shut the fuck up!? Marcus blurted. ?If I?m Forrest Gump, then that must make you?Bubba?? The two boys laughed hysterically, no doubt eliciting a few turned heads from annoyed restaurant patrons. Dan jut his lower jaw out and attempted his best Bubba impersonation:

?So what yo Gramma always say, Forrest?? That only made Marcus laugh even harder.

?Bro, your Bubba sounds more like the Godfather.?

?Seriously, dude,? Dan said once they calmed down, ?what does your Grandma always say?? He was always game to hear Grandma Jo?s advice.

?She says it every time I break up with a girlfriend or something,? he continued. ?Every relationship shows you what kind of person you are and what kind of person you aren?t.? He paused for a second, staring into space. ?I?m still trying to figure that one out.?

Dan smiled. He got it; it made complete sense to him. Carly, Jessie, all the other girls he had ever slept with ? they had all showed him who he was. But he now knew what kind of person he wasn?t.



?So, this is it,? Jessie said, gesturing toward the building, some random high school seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

?Why does this drum corps always practice in the middle of nowhere?? Dan wondered out loud. Jessie smiled as she shut off her car engine.

?Actually, we?re just outside the city of Allentown,? she explained. ?I know, it?s still really far away,? she added, seeing the look of perplexity on his face. ?You nervous?? Dan grinned.

?Of course not,? he said, opening the door and climbing out of the car. In reality, though, his stomach was churning. He was venturing into uncharted territory for him. From now on, his life was going to be drastically different.
?Remember,? Jessie began to prep him, ?you?re a musical genius. You were born to be a drum major.? Dan smirked and shook his head. Just like I was ?born? to be a quarterback, he said to himself.

?A musical genius?? he mocked his girlfriend?s choice of words.

?Be cocky,? she urged him. ?You know, just be yourself.? Dan jerked one eyebrow up and puffed out his chest, making T-shirt stretch around his pecs.

?You think they?ll just like ?cause of my looks,? he bragged. Jessie laughed.

?That?s better,? she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning in for a kiss. Dan felt her hands grab his ass as their lips locked, their tongues wrestling with each other inside their mouths. His cock grew beneath his shorts, cueing her grind her hips against it. ?We should go inside,? she purred, pulling away from him.

?Yeah, we should,? he whispered, peering into her eyes and gently taking her head in his hands. She moaned and smiled. He knew she would?ve love to have him fuck her right there in the parking lot.

Jessie led Dan into the school. Despite it being a Saturday in December, the hallways were packed with people, mostly Dan?s age or a little older. Many of them held instrument cases in their hands, others flags and rifles. Dan immediately was reminded of his brief stint in the corps last summer and wondered if any of them recognized him?as the guy who had the fight with that other truck crew kid ? he couldn?t remember his name now.

?Let me introduce you to the director,? Jessie said, pointing at a burly, middle-aged man with snow white hair and a scraggly beard. Instantly, Dan felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter like crazy, a feeling he hadn?t had since his first day in pee-wee football. Jessie grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the man. Swallowing hard and taking in a deep breath ? making sure no one else saw it ? he followed her.

?This is Dan Wilkins,? Jessie introduced him.

?Hi,? Dan said, sticking out his hand. The man was as imposing as his old football coach. His eyes were deep and sullen, his nose thick and large and a grey five o?clock shadow covered the rest of his face.

?Ron Kingman,? he greeted him gruffly, his voice the consistency of sandpaper. ?You look familiar. Have you marched before?? Dan shifted awkwardly. Obviously, the guy had recognized him ? hopefully not for the wrong reasons.

?No, I??

?He wants to be the drum major,? Jessie cut in. Dan made a side-glance at her. He didn?t exactly want to be drum major, he wanted to tell her, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.

?Really,? Kingman arched an eyebrow, looking Dan up and down and making him feel uncomfortable. ?You read music.? The question was more of a statement than a question.

?Learning,? Dan answered.

?He has perfect pitch,? Jessie informed, beaming. Both of the man?s eyebrows moved upwards. ?He?s a musical genius.?

?Well, not??

?Really?? His voice sounded smoother all of a sudden. ?We could use a real musician as drum major,? he said. ?Our last one got busted on drugs.? Dan froze, trying not to look as shocked as he felt. Drugs? ?You don?t do any, do you?? the man asked, getting closer to Dan?s grill as he was smelling for pot or something. Dan gulped and fought the urge to flinch.

?No?sir,? he answered obediently.

?Good,? came the reply. Dan began relax again. ?I guess it wouldn?t hurt to try you out for a week or two.? He held out his hand, giving Dan a grin, a gold tooth glinting in the fluorescent lights of the hallway.

?Welcome to the corps.?

[tagsnola]

... is some seriously good writing! Looking forward to the next chapter!

[bobman]

Absolutely entranced by this story. I was going to prod you about it yesterday, but magically you posted! Thanks!