Many band instruments are friends or sisters. Clarinets and saxophones both use single reeds and pads, and it is relatively easy for a player to move from one to another. All brass instruments use the same style mouthpieces and embouchure, percussion instruments all involve striking, and so on. These similarities resemble tight friendships.
Closer relationships such as flute and piccolo, are more like siblings.

I enjoyed playing a variety of instruments...

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10:00 PM Saturday, April 22, 1981.
Cast party,
four months later...

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"Ray, you creep! This will never happen again, and you better not tell anyone!"

She adjusted the skimpy bathing suit top that had accidentally revealed her small, very perky breasts to me during our short makeout session in the pool house. She continued with a head shake that whipped her long, fine hair into my face, "What, did you think just because you got me drunk, I'd let you fuck me? I'm not a slut!"

The severe acne was going to leave some deep scars, but even without them, Samantha's face would never be her best feature. The current irate and drunken expression made Tessa's best friend downright ugly.

Somehow, she's still sexy. It makes no sense...

Offering my best shrug, I conceded, "Ok, Samantha. That was fun. Thanks."

Next, she fixed her bikini bottom. She had pulled it up between her sublimely padded, yet prematurely cellulite pocked buttocks, to mimic a thong. Well-primed Samantha had seemed to enjoy all my groping a few minutes earlier, until I untied her side knot with a tug, then pulled down my own swim trunks.

Damn, I really thought it was going to happen this time...

Seething, she slapped my bare chest. "You're really awful, Ray. You pulled the same shit with Tessa at Disneyland, and didn't even care how she felt."

Every bit of sense screamed at me to just leave. I ignored it, and confidently stated, "Samantha, I didn't hurt Tessa."

I reached towards Samantha to assist with the stringy garment, but her glare stopped my hand in it's track and chipped away at my certainty. "Uhh, was she upset?"

Samantha spat, "Of course she was, dork, when you only said "Hi" to her on Monday morning, just like I told her you would. Then she cried, when I explained that you had asked out so many other girls, and how you just used her for... for what? Why did you do it?"

Shame cast no shadow on me. "I wanted a girlfriend to share my last Disneyland trip with. Tessa was a good choice."

I could almost see steam boiling out of her oversized ears. "That's all she was to you? A good choice?"

My pondering expression provided a truer answer than anything I could have said. The complete lack of repercussions afterwards had allowed me to frame my experience with Tessa as completely positive for both of us. High school romances seldom ended up as lifelong marriages, so I figured it really didn't matter if Tessa and I lasted for a few hours instead of a few months.

Samantha hissed, "What is wrong with you, Ray? You can't treat girls that way, especially when you're three years older than her. She was only fourteen!"

Ok, it sounds pretty bad when you put it like that...

"Samantha, Tessa never seemed mad whenever I talked to her."

Her ruddy face heated to an even angrier shade. "Saying hello once a week isn't talking to her, jackass. You're the reason she switched lockers with Alison, so she wouldn't have to be near you every day."

Alison! Thank you, Tessa...

Samantha's rage seemed to have burned itself out. She softened, and became appealing once more. "Ray, for some strange reason, Tessa doesn't hate you. She doesn't want to be your girlfriend, but she really loved being with you after the parade. She still has that picture in her locker, the one where it looks like you're fucking her. When she first showed it to me, I thought for sure you had."

I unconsciously touched my neck at the thought. Tessa had only shown a reserved interest on that Monday morning, so returning to our cordial relationship flowed naturally to me. Still, I liked knowing that both us kept souvenirs of our short-lived romance.

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June 13, 1981
Graduation day.

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Her hands lingered on the back of my neck, and my fingers caressed her slightly rounded hips. "Ray! Whoa, I can't believe you just did that. I thought you liked my older sister."

"Alison, you're the prettiest girl in band. I've always liked you, and I only asked Debbie out, because... well, I ask a lot of girls. But I've been wanting to do that with you all year. You're, I don't know... uh, special to me, I guess."

Alison licked a finger and wiped her lipstick off my mouth, "You're very unusual, but I'm glad you did that. I don't think you're completely lame, like everyone says."

Ok, I'll take that...

I had thought the petite, stunning freshman's friendly year-long flirting had been just teasing, but with nothing to lose, I had led golden-haired Alison to the dark side-exit hallway of the band room, held her against the wall, and kissed her deeply. Her lengthy, passionate response had pleasantly surprised me, but I had no plans to do anything else with her. Besides being yet another one of Tessa's friends, bright-eyed, popular Alison had just turned fourteen and barely even looked that age. Nonetheless, I had a real fondness for her, and would miss her. Maybe I would come by the school on a Friday night in September after the football game, and see if Alison would be up for another round.

No! Don't be that loser who still hits on high school girls...

She flashed her perfect-toothed,  heart-melting smile. "Well, Ray. You made it through high school in one piece, so congratulations. I guess I'll never see you again, right?'

I shrugged, "No, probably not, though I'm going to our community college in the fall. Hey, thanks Alison, you're awesome. I really enjoyed that!"

She lightly kissed me goodbye, then skipped away on her tanned, shapely legs, framed by revealing Dolphin shorts.

I still lacked a girlfriend, but had made out with six girls in the last year, with three of them ranking as hot. Perhaps my romantic journey would follow an unusual, yet thrilling path.

Nah, I'm going to find a girlfriend this summer, fall in love, then get married...

Returning to our band room for the last time, I waved to Tessa, who pulled me into a friendly embrace. "Ray, congratulations. I hope you do well in life."

Her sincerity moved something in me, and I sniffled. "Thank you. Tessa. You were one of the best parts of high school for me."

Since our night together, she had started using makeup, and wearing more flattering clothes and hairstyles. Though still plain and chubby, guys had noticed the change, and she had even acquired a pimply-faced sophomore violinist boyfriend for a few months.

We looked at each other for a minute, while I considered calling her "Babe," or asking if I could phone her, just because it seemed like the right thing to say.

I tried to guess her thoughts, until the pain behind my eyes put an abrupt halt to Empathy's intrusion.

Gently stroking her cheek, and kissing her hair, I simply whispered, "Goodbye, Tessa."

The End.

A/N: Thanks to my friend Peter for inspiring this book. I recently played him a song I had written thirty-five years ago, and it had the lyric, "They hug and kiss, by the midnight waterfalls. Fireworks shoot off in the sky."

He asked where the lines came from, so I told him all about our band trips, and how Natasha had spurned me. Offhandedly, I added that I had found a much less attractive freshman girl to make out with, and how fun it was. Peter had said "Ray, that's the story you need to tell, how you heinously sought comfort in the arms of a homely girl! You dog!"

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