Fire Emblem: High School Years (High School AU) - Junior Year

Chapter 30: Her Decision

Chrom

"Are you serious? Only two upcoming freshmen?"

"I know... And there's a possibility we won't even have two since one of the girls hardly expressed any interest in spinning," Anna sighed. "We have five seniors leaving this year. If we have only one freshman this next season, the Guard would have the lowest numbers it's seen in years."

"That's awful..." I truly felt bad for my girlfriend and the Colorguard itself; they've been dwindling in numbers for years, and this next season already appeared to be the worst. Drumline never faced those problems, as it was a popular choice for upcoming freshmen, but there was not a single thing I could do for the Guard.

"How many clinics do you have left?"

"Three. But if we have no interest, we'll stop them."

"Are any of the current members expressed that they want to leave?"

"Not that I know of, but I wouldn't be surprised."

"Will they cut the program if you don't reach a certain number?"

"No, there have been smaller Guards in the past, but our funding would be dropped significantly." 

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. "Is there really nothing you can do?"

I could hear Anna choking up on the other line. "Unless Livi and I get authorization to recruit at the middle school again, we're out of options..."

My heart broke as she spoke. "I'm so sorry, babe..." I knew it was one of her biggest dreams to help run a large and eager Guard -- it was her ambition since she was a freshman! But now, that could be ruined and there was nothing that could be done.

"It's not your fault..." she muttered. "Talking about it does help, though. Thank you for that."

Smiling, I replied: "Of course. I love you."

She giggled and I could tell she was blushing. "I love you, too."

A knock sounded at my door, the knob already turning. "I'm coming in!" Lissa exclaimed, barging into my space.

I glared, quickly covering the speaker on my phone. "Hold on just a sec, my love." Groaning, I turned to my sister. "I'm on the phone. What do you want?"

Lissa stuck her tongue out. "You call her 'my love'. Gross," she giggled. "Anyway, I just came in to tell you you don't have to drive me to cheer practice anymore. I give up."

I set the phone down, rotating my chair to fully face Lissa. "I'm sorry to hear that. How are you feeling about it all?"

She shrugged, taking a seat on my couch. "Relieved, honestly. If I would have fully committed to it, I would have felt awful," she sighed. "I'm still sad that I won't be able to do anything in the fall, but I'm sure I'll think of something."

"Yes, well-" My eyes widened, an idea piecing itself together in my brain. She's already strangely athletic and has trained with Anna multiple times. Maybe she could...yes, yes! That might just work! 

"Hey, Liss, are you completely against the idea of joining the marching band?"

My sister raised an eyebrow. "I gave up clarinet years ago. What would I even do?"

Anna, I might be able to fix your problem. "Would you by any chance be interested in trying out for the Colorguard?"

"...What?" Her green eyes went wide.

"Anna told me there's a shortage or members and is looking for all the help she can get."

"Hey, Lissa," my girlfriend greeted Lissa through the phone.

Lissa looked torn, her brow furrowed. "Would I even be any good at it? I mean, those flags are bigger than me!"

Before I could get a word in, Anna replied, "One thing I've learned throughout my years is that no one knows what they're doing at first. You just gotta keep practicing and it'll come to you," she said. "And I was hardly taller than you when I started and I'm still shorter than the flags. You'll be fine."

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well...I don't see why not..."

"At least go to one clinic? You can make a decision after you try it out," I explained. 

Lissa thought hard for a few moments, resolve flashing in her eyes. "Well...alright. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Anna cheered. "I'll text you the information later. I hope to see you there!"

"Wait," I countered, "why do you have Lissa's number already?"

"Don't worry about it." Lissa smirked as she stood up. "It's not like we text regularly to tell embarrassing stories about you.

What?! "Babe, is this true?!"

"Bye, Chrom!" She hung up and Lissa has already left the room.

"This was a mistake."

*****
Plot twist (kinda). I'm gonna be honest for a sec: I'm worried about the marching band season. I think it's likely to be canceled. But, I can't think about that. I can only focus on the present and what I'm currently able to do. And that's all we can do right now. Once again, stay safe, stay healthy, and wash your damn hands. See you next week. <3