Author's note: This story contains some homosexual themes but isn't based on them. The main character is abisexual girl, but I don't think there's much in this part. i'm saving it all for part 2...

Symphony Suite Light
Part 1: The Star is a Stunt Boy

Cymbal-boy
Rayne sat casually with her saxophone on her lap. She felt more than compelled to look behind her. She turned halfway around to wave at Katy then turned her head around the rest of the way to the kid leaning on the cymbal.
“You know that’s really loud.” She said looking up at him.
“I don’t even play it,” cymbal-boy replied.
“Still…”
Rayne turned back around to the front. She still could feel cymbal-boy on her back and listened to the gentle serenade of his fingertips on the gold metal. His presence felt like a withered blanket to a cold traveler. She wanted to lean back and have him lean on her instead, yet on the cymbal he remained, tapping lightly what sounded like some sort of drum line beat. Unfortunately, cymbal boy, or better known as stunt boy, or Corey Feldman to Rayne, was Tobe Richards, her friend’s boyfriend. Rayne was introduced to him day three of band camp that previous summer with a rather jaunty handshake, and soon befriended him saying hi at times and sometime told him random things she had recently found out through experience or research.
After a while she noticed him staring at her from across the football field or the lunchroom or band room and she began to glance at him curious to know if he was looking back. Soon these quick glances became elongated stares. She wasn’t afraid that he’d pick up on her constant looking at him; she had plenty of things to look at back there in the pit. There was Tobias on the Marimba and here good friend Katy who moved back and fourth from the bells to other auxiliary. It seemed that every time Rayne looked at Tobe; Tobe was looking back. Rayne started to wonder if Tobe felt the same feelings she developed over the 5 weeks she had known him.

“I don’t think I like Todd like I used to,” Rayne said one day to Mathew George, her number one boy trouble consultant. He seemed to help more seeing as though he was one.
“Oh, that’s a surprise. Who’s the new one?” He replied.
“His name is Tobe.”

“Tobe who? There’s a million Tobe’s.”
“Tobe Richards.”

“Oh. Never heard of him.”

“He’s in the pit in band, and he kind of looks like Corey Feldman, my favorite movie star from the eighties. Well, besides Kiefer Sutherland. And I think I like him and this time I think he likes me.’
“How so?”

“He is always staring at me when ever I look at him. I think he’s the shy type, but I think I can win him over. I think I’ll invite him to the big get together I’m having with all my band geek friends on the Strip. Maybe I could get him to go to a movie with me.” Rayne added this last statement with a sly little elbowing gesture, obviously jokingly.

That morning, the Friday before the one she planned on getting together all her friends on at the Strip, the little strip mall everyone seemed to hang out at, especially in front of the movie theaters or the book/music/DVD/café store, Madeline, Rayne’s newfound friend from her homeroom at the beginning of the year, came up to her in the lobby of the High School where they all hung around before school with a big happy smile on her face.
“You know Tobe Richards? I’m going out with him!”

Needless to say, the rest of her day was less then enjoyable. In fact, her whole week was rather downhill after that, really, even more when she looked up to make eye contact with Tobe as he was hugging Madeline. Still plans would commence as usual for Friday. She was still hoping that things would work out her way.

The big day, Friday, the day they had off from band, Rayne found it to go really slowly. She talked to Tobe briefly last period but didn’t really see what he had for plans that night due to a rather awkward conversation direction where Rayne asked him what he was doing Friday in leading up to “we’re having a big band geek get together and hang out at the Strip day Friday.”
“I don’t know, I’m probably gonna go out with my girlfriend.” He knocked Rayne off guard. She quickly recovered with, “Oh, yea then you’re probably gonna be hanging at the Strip, yea.”

Rayne raced out of the west entrance, the outlet to the bus loop. Tobe was there, standing and waiting against the wall for Madeline. Rayne had observed many times this week walking out of school with Madeline. She’d always say bye to her and go over to him right where he’d always wait like and obedient little puppy dog. They’d hug or whatever and then go of to their respective busses. Rayne always took ample mental notes on things that could make or break her.

It was Friday. Of course the air smelled cleaner, and everywhere music swelled up. It was ten times easier to breath and overall there was a bright floating feeling. You know, a typical Friday. Rayne walked home from the bus stop like usual. When she got home and got to the door. She tried to turn the locked door and leaned in and slammed into the closed door.
She tried her key. That worked. She stepped into the spider web décor that adorned the back hallway of her home. She immediately walked to the freezer attracted to it like the many magnets that clung to the door holding age-old memories and more recent reminders of appointments for the numerous doctors this not-so-healthy family had to visit. She settled for a Rice Crispy Treat and began to work out what she was going to wear tonight.

Rayne’s younger brother and sister, Clairise and Thomas, both came home on their own busses that came and dropped them off at the door. They came home later than Rayne because they went to the Grammar School. Clairise, the older of the two, was in the Middle School side and Thomas was in the Elementary portion. Therefore they came home at different times.
It was a rather curious occasion that the parents of these three did not arrive home by the time Thomas had. Rayne sat on her computer, one of her most prized possessions, talking to whoever decided to IM her about the plans for that night. Almost everyone had asked her what time. I don’t know! It doesn’t matter, she though as she typed it along with what times she was going to get there.
Frightened screams fluttered around the house as Clairise popped into their bedroom door.
“There’s a big huge bee in the house!” She shrieked almost in tears.
Rayne sighed and went down stairs. She caught the bee in between a paper plate and a Tupperware dish. Out of curiosity, she put the bee into the microwave still trapped in the Tupperware prison and set it to five minutes. She watched for the first fifteen seconds as the bee withered and died. Over the next four minutes and forty-five seconds, the microwave emitted a deadly smell, yet Rayne kept it going hoping it would explode and she could report her findings to Tobe next time she saw him. He had seemed interested when she had told him about the first bee sentenced to death by microwave. That one she had only put in for 30 seconds and nothing really happened. She had told this to him last Saturday at band practice, right before she asked him about his plans. A horribly putrid smell pushed the awkward memories away as Rayne, not a naturally queasy person began to gag. She ran up stairs to get some air sanitizing spray.
After the little bee episode, she decided to take a shower. If her hair was wet then it was easier to work with. She picked out what she thought would be adequate clothing for going out which later she changed for her pin stripe pants and Ace of Spades shirt. She put egg whites in her hair to make it harden into place and sprayed it with green, blue, and back hairsprays.
“Dad called and then Papa called.” Clairise said to Rayne stepping out of the bathroom. By the time Rayne was mostly jazzed up for the big night, her parents still hadn’t come home. Shortly after her saying this, the doorbell announced that their grandfather had arrived to pick up Thomas.
Still hoping that she’d make it out tonight she tried calling her parents at the hospital. It really didn’t help much so she went back to her computer after talking to Mathew a while, her parents pulled in the driveway. Quickly she typed, “See you there.” and finished getting ready in the time it took for her father to get her newly surgery-endured mother settled and get into the car.
As soon as the van pulled up to the Strip sidewalk, Rayne spotted Renee and Dana walking in the opposite direction. She ran up to them and then called Scarlet, her number one best friend in the world on her cell phone. After at finding the location of her Scarlet, she turned about face and pointed forward.
“To the Old Fashion Hamburger!”

“Did you see Todd?”
“No, he’s here already?”
“Yea he was really depressed and antisocial. I never saw him like that before is he ok?”

“I don’t know. I should go and find him.” Rayne bit her nails. She was worried for her gay little friend now that Scarlet and Paige had informed her of his current mood.
“I’m going to find Todd you guys, I’ll meet up with you again later,” Rayne said as she got up and left the fast food establishment. She quickly headed to Endlines, the café/book/music/other media store everyone seemed to like to hang out in front of. She cut diagonally across the four-way intersection, and raced through the parking lot hot on her mission.

Arieda and Danielle walked into Endlines right in front of her not really noticing their black feather boa clad friend sneaking up and tackling then into a bookshelf. She stayed long enough to say hi and that she was on a mission before she was racing out of the door again. Scanning the whole sidewalk for her depressed Todd. Soon she rounded Smorky’s, she saw Mathew sitting on Cinamoe’s. As she walked toward him to say hi, Todd came and swept Rayne into a rather snug hug.

“Are you ok?” she asked, still concerned.
“Yea,” he said quietly.
“Are you sure?”
“Uh huh.”

Todd, Rayne, and Mathew then paraded around the arcade portion of Cinamoe’s until Mathew and Rayne joined Scarlet, Paige, Renee, and Dana to see a movie. Before they went in, Todd stole Rayne’s slinkster hat, so after the movie Rayne had to go find him, and as she stepped out of the doors of Cinamoe’s she was swept into a head rush that was the fast paced cheery-esque world that was just her kind, totally forgetting Tobe, and enjoying this world that was created entirely on the out-going shallow skins that adorned cold shattered souls.

The whole next week was rather normal. As it started, there wasn’t anything new to speak of. Monday and Tuesday, Regina, another one of Rayne’s new friends would not stop ranting over the next meeting of the Gay/Straight Alliance. Rayne had gotten Todd to come to the next meeting. Regina was a little obsessed with Todd. More so, Rayne noted, then she herself had ever been.

Rayne had spent all summer thinking about Todd while she was locked away in her beach house bedroom writing about the grand adventures she will have some day or listening to Todd’s favorite band, the Porcelain Figures.

At the end of Wednesday, last period band, Rayne sat in her usual seat in the middle of the row. It was nothing unusual. Really, just another run through of the opener and during a rather long ten measure rest, Rayne found herself looking around through the pit to the side of her from Tobias and whoever playing their mallet part that she had just realized was there almost directly behind her to Natalie playing the bells, but her eyes stopped when they met Tobe’s, carefully situated in a rather happy expression looking back at her as he leaned against the bass drum. She turned back to band major Brian at the front. Her face totally flushed. All the color drained form he face and along with it all the knowledge of saxophone playing.

At the end of band she took putting her sax away a little slow. Then she waited around for a while. She kind of wanted to avoid Regina. She said she was going to wait for Todd in the bus loop where really he was to be dropped off at the car loop. Rayne hung around the car loop for a half an hour waiting for Todd and hanging with all the people who either walked home or got a ride. Eventually, Regina got a clue and came up to the car loop. Rayne told her of the time she spent waiting for Todd and then decided to call his cell phone. As Rayne reached the middle of the car loop in search of cell phone service, Todd appeared in a blue car driven by his brother she assumed. She waved to his brother and then walked over and hugged Todd. They then both flew in trench coats and boots up and around through the school to the GSA meeting which was rather more enjoyable with Todd added in to conversation.

Afterwards Rayne was preceded by a four-body procession to the Strip. Rayne, Todd, Annabelle (a.k.a. Belle), Anne, and Scarlet all ended hanging out in Depot-Mart, where Rayne and Todd had a plastic Halloween weapon fight and went through the Halloween make-up with Anne.

Thursday and Friday the fun of Wednesday haunted Rayne. She thought of Todd. She knew she didn’t like him like that anymore but thoughts of Todd intermingled with the thoughts of Tobe.

After the football game, out on the bus loop where everyone waited to get picked up by who ever decided to pick them up, Rayne walked out and found Tobe standing right at the edge. She was nervous as all hell. She walked up to him.

“Who are you going with to homecoming?” She asked.
“I’m not going to homecoming,” he said totally shutting her down.
“Oh, neither was I.” She said as she turned and got into her awaiting chariot.

“Can I go to the Strip now?” Rayne asked as she got into the big van her parent’s drove around. It had many names, one of which was the “chariot”. Scarlet had made that one up and it just stuck. The “chariot” let her off in front of Cinamoe’s and she got out and headed straight for the Rock Rock Destination video game everyone hung around. She found herself in a drunken low. Miserable she felt shot down. She could feel herself spiraling.

She eventually found herself on the ground, all sprawled out, looking up at the one particular star she had taken a fancy to. Mathew and Greg who had found her there grabbed each one of her arms and lifted her up into a standing position. She jumped, startled but the sudden yet smoothness of her repositioning, yet the new feeling could not squelch the sorrow of being shot down from her sky high cloud that she could stare down at Tobe from. She had been so excited when she was sitting in French class and talking to her French class posse and Kittie had told her that Madeline ha broken up with Tobe and now she knew she might never have a chance of being with him.
Drugged up on Pixy Stix and humming The Dresden Doll’s Christopher Lydon she continues to mope along the Strip.

“Technically you never asked him out.”

“Ehg… I still feel rejected.”

“… But still you never really asked him out”

“I guess not, but I’m not gonna try again”
“You never really tried in the first place.” Mathew was beginning to get on Rayne’s nerves, but unfortunate she knew he was right. If she saw an opening anywhere she knew she was going to fight for it. That and Mathew threatened to ask him out for her. Rayne looked over the conversation in her health notebook over again trying to find a loophole to weasel out of asking him or rather trying to ask him again.

“Fine,” she wrote. “I’ll ask him later today… I hate Mondays…”

It was band last period yet again, and once Tobe Richards was in the back of the room and in the front of her mind. They whole band played through the same four songs over and over again and Rayne lost interest and her whole mind was completely focused on Tobe Richards. She knew exactly what she was going to say and soon enough it was the end of band.

“So Tobe, not going to Homecoming?”

“Nope,” he said walking away.

“Do you want to?”

“No, it’s just a bunch of people and black music.”

He had a point, and Rayne hated that. She had to agree, and she decided not to try again, even though Mathew would later tell her that she still never asked him out.

It was the day of Homecoming and Rayne had band practice. The whole band went out incredibly early in the morning to practice. It was pouring rain out. Not good practicing conditions, yet they still practiced. After an hour or so, the band director decided to bring everyone in. They had an indoor practice. The rain was crazy. They were talking about canceling the big homecoming football game against their archrivals, Catholic Chastity High School. The band stayed inside until it was decided that the game was cancelled, and then they went home.

Rayne went to the Old Fashion Burger with Scarlet and other people from the band. Then she went home.

“Dad, I have to go to the stadium!”

A sudden change of heart had made Rayne decide to go to homecoming. Scarlet had told her that Tobe was going to the dance after all while the band was huddling under the stadium bleachers. Later, in the band room she had learned that he was going because Lucy Smith asked him to go with her. I can still win him over. I still have a chance. They don’t go… Rayne knew it was wishful thinking, but still she believed she might have a chance.

Rayne was going to get her ticket at the football game. The football game was cancelled. Rayne heard that tickets would be sold at the stadium from 2-3. She registered in her mind 1-2, so as soon as she got home she woke up her father.

They drove up to the stadium and saw no one around. Rayne tried to get into the field house and the hockey rink wasn’t selling them either. Completely lost, Rayne decided to just go home. The girl at the concession stand suggested that she go to the dance any way and tell them her story. They would let her in, right?

WRONG!

“Papa, they won’t let me in, can you come pick me up?”

The phone was losing service. And she managed to get ”Pick me up at the bus loop” out before she lost the call and handed Scarlet back her phone.

“You guys can go in now.”

“Aw…I don’t want to leave you.”

“No really, it’s ok. I got my grandfather coming to pick me up.”

Rayne sighed as Scarlet and her boyfriend disappeared into the field house. Her grandfather soon showed up to pick her up. She got in the car, and he asked if she was ready. After a second of careful thought she jumped out of the car with a quick “no”. She had one last idea.

“There’s got to be someone at home with a ticket that didn’t come, did you count how many went in?”

“No as a matter of fact we didn’t.”

“Oh,” Rayne finally gave up pleading with the doorman. “Well that’s something you should do in the future. You know, suggest it to your supervisor or whoever, yea.” Rayne retreated back to the car with her tail between her legs. She looked up to see the silver lining in this great big dark cloud, and saw a security guard and told him her story.

She played cute and her grandfather even added that she was in the band. She got him to go look into the situation and he even told her that he wanted to tell her to just sneak in but his hands were tied. There were about 20 others in her situation. She wanted to cry as she pulled out of the high school driveway. Along the way home, she remembered a conversation between her and Todd about something to do, so she called him.

“Hello?”

“Hey Todd? It’s Rayne.”

“Oh, Hey!”

“Yea, anyway, you want to go do something?”

“Um, I’m already out with my friends.”

“Ok then, maybe some other time.”

“Right, Bye”

“Bye.”

God did not want Rayne to go out that night.

To be continued...