Strings Attached

~Chapter 12~

There was a list of names selected for the band stuck to the notice board, but I was too preoccupied with talking to that butthead Poulomi that I totally forgot to take a look at it. Dang it!

My nerves take the better of me as I get closer to the music room. And by the time I reach the door, my hands are extremely cold and shaky. A humdrum of voices is coming from inside the room. A whole lot of voices. How many people are there in the band, exactly? Let's see, there must be a vocalist, a guitarist, a drummer, a violinist, a cellist, a bassist maybe, not to forget a pianist, ie, me. Not less than six or seven members, in total.

I don't know what to feel about that, but instead of ruminating on my nervous thoughts, I utter a quick prayer under my breath, I push the door open to go inside.

Everyone turns to look at me and I feel my nervousness increasing two folds. There are more people in here than I imagined. Apart from my possible band members, there are others around. Teachers make the most of the rest. But there are one or two people from the music club too. The secretary, a pretty girl with bangs, is talking to Mrs. Judy.

But when I enter, they too stop talking. Mrs. Judy turns to look at me and smiles. "Ah, Ms. Ali. You've arrived, I see. Come in, come in." Gaining some amount of courage, I step into the room and stand expectantly, waiting for her next command.

"My dear boys and girls, let me introduce you to Hidayah Ali, our pianist for the year," she says, pointing to me with a hand on my shoulder, addressing the rest of the band members.

"And now, let me introduce them to you, my dear girl," she says to me with another of her charming smiles on display. "That boy to your left, he's James, the bassist. The boy next to him is Morris, the drummer. And that's Paige, the one fiddling with her bag pack, the only darling girl besides you in the band. She plays the violin." The said girl chuckles a little to herself and waves a hand at me. I wave back.

"And oh, I forgot to introduce him. That boy, sitting in the chair and snoring like a big baby, is Albert, our expert cellist." Paige, who is nearest to him, gives him a nudge, and he quickly wakes up, scrambling to get up from the chair. "What? Who?" he asks, stupidly. He then proceeds to greet me weirdly and everyone laughs good naturedly, while Mrs. Judy shakes her head, mumbling something that suspiciously sounds like 'lazy bones'.

"And now, there's just one other person left for you to meet. But I'm afraid, he's not come yet." I look at her and nod to tell her that I understand and she need not worry. But I can see that she's already worried. Though not on my account. Rather, for the boy who's not arrived.

Mrs. Judy finally leaves my side, her mood suddenly thunderous about something. "I'm very disappointed with that boy!" she says to no one in particular, her brows drawn. "Emily, have you seen Daniyal lately?" she asks, turning to the secretary, who shakes her head in negative.

And for the first time in so many days, the wind is knocked out of my lungs. I never knew he was into music. What do you know about him? Nothing. Nada! I think to myself but shake the thought away quickly.

Meanwhile, the teacher keeps mumbling to herself, annoyed. "That boy has a knack of disappearing at oddest of times, I tell you! He never takes anything seriously. That attitude of his won't get him anywhere if he keeps at it for long..."

For the first since I arrived into this room, I try to initiate conversation with the other members of the group. "Hey, you're Paige, right?" I ask the girl who plays violin. "Yup, that's me," she replies, smiling. I don't know how to make my query so I'm rather direct with my question. "And you're Hidayah."

"Yeah. Do you know who's our vocalist?" "You don't?!" she asks me incredulously. "It's Daniyal Hasan, a senior. Gosh! His voice is heavenly, I swear. He'll be our guitarist too. I'm so excited to meet him," she launches into a monologue with gusto, without pausing for an answer. "I've heard him sing and play both. And I assure you, he's totes amazing!"

And my suspicions are confirmed. It's none other him. What have I landed myself into!?! What will become of me by the year-end? Will I be able to tolerate him? Or would it be too much for my nerves to see him everyday?

Suddenly Mrs. Judy shouts at someone. "Emily, give that boy a call." And I'm shaken out of my depressing thoughts. And Emily, fishes her phone out of her pocket, hastily swiping into her phone to do as she's told.

I pray that he doesn't pick up. Please Lord! I don't want to see him. Not today. Not until it is completely unavoidable. And my prayers are heard.

"He's not picking up, ma'am. His phone is switched off," Emily tells the music teacher in a small voice, probably trying to lessen the anger that could be directed at her. But instead of being angry and shouting at people, she looks worried.

"I'll see that boy myself. You should begin with the rehearsal, Emily. Mrs. Monroe will be here to assist you. I'll be back soon." And picking up her purse and coat, she quits the room.

And to my surprise, I realise that Mrs. Judy is something more than just a teacher to that goon. It's surprising because Mrs. Judy seems like a motherly person and the nicest teacher in the whole place. And somehow, the kind of popularity he has, I don't see Daniyal dampening his Adonis like image by being on confidential terms with an elderly lady.

And again, I remind myself. What do you know about him? Nothing.

A/N:

Dedicated to  , the newest addition to my Wattpad family. She also happens to be a very good friend of mine in real life, lol. Give her a rousing welcome, guys!

So? What did you think of the chapter?! Don't forget to tell me in the comments below and please vote and share this story with your friends... pretty please ;)

I have another announcement to make. I'm thinking of considering another girl as the main lead, since Sadia Khan is just too old for it now. Hidayah is just 17 and I wanted somebody who would look the part and seem a bit more cheerful instead of gloomy. So I found this pretty girl on the internet and I'm hooked to the idea of getting her onto the cover of this story. Here's a picture of the girl. Please tell me what your thoughts are on this...