Free Only Everything by Kieran Scott

blocking them out. This was the one part about playing that I didn’t love—the audience. I’d never lovedbeing the center of attention. With two superheroic older brothers, it had never been my natural state of being. But as long as I closed my eyes and felt the music, it didn’t matter. And now, I was in the zone. When I was done, I reached out to steady the cymbal and sighed. That felt good.
    A few people applauded. Mostly girls, I couldn’t help noticing. Instantly I thought of Katrina, and those offhanded comments the girls had made at lunch. I couldn’t believe she’d lost her dad. It had sounded, in fact, like she’d lost a lot more than that. I wished I’d said something to her in the hallway before, but what?
    Oh, hey. You don’t know me, but sorry your dad died ? Not likely.
    “Fantastic, Charlie. Absolutely fantastic,” Mr. Roon said.
    “Thank you, sir,” I replied, trying to focus.
    The guys from the corps snorted, like they’d never heard anyone use the word “sir” before. Mr. Roon glanced at them. “Looks like you gents have lucked into a talented new member.”
    “Great.” Phineas and Ferb sneered at me. The other two said nothing.
    I got my stuff together and headed for the door. The three corps members stood close enough together that I couldn’t get through. I stared each of them in the eye.
    “Excuse me,” I said.
    “Excuse us, sir ,” the short one said pointedly, backing off with his hands in the air.
    I shook my head as I blew by them. So much for making friends in orchestra. At least they were good. That was something. Not that I’d ever tell them that if this was the way they were going to be.
    “Hey, sir! Wait up, sir!”
    They were following me. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
    “Hey you, new guy. We’re talking to you, sir !”
    I gritted my teeth and kept walking.
    “Is there a problem?” I said quietly.
    “Our problem is we’ve been playing together for three years. We’re finally seniors. And we don’t need some punk-ass hick coming in here and screwing up our corps,” Phineas and Ferb said, getting in front of me.
    I backed up into the wall. This kid had, like, a hundred pounds on me and I could see up his nostrils. He was pissed.
    “I just want to play drums,” I said, hoping to appeal to him on common ground. “I don’t care which ones or on what songs. I just want to play.”
    “Well, we don’t want you here, sir,” he said, shoving my chest so hard my head knocked back against the wall. “So tomorrow you’re gonna go in there and tell Mr. Roon you want to switch to the glockenspiel or the harp or something. Whatever you want. But you’re not gonna be a part of our corps.”
    He shoved me again, and this time my head cracked so hard I saw stars. I was trying to figure a way out of this when a hand came down on Phineas’s shoulder.
    “Lay off him, Fred.”
    Fred. So his name was Fred. Well, Fred paled at the sound of Josh’s voice. Then he paled some more when he saw Brian and Trevor were with him.
    “I wasn’t doing anything,” Fred said, raising his meaty palms.
    The other two drummers were already halfway down the hall. Looked like they weren’t the type who had their friend’s back.
    “It’s fine,” I said to Josh. “Really.”
    Josh didn’t look convinced. He gave Fred a menacing stare. “Why are you still here? Go!”
    Fred flinched and took off after his buddies. I cleared my throat, standing up straight. The back of my head radiated crackles of pain. “Thanks, man.”
    “No problem. That kid’s been a bully since we were in kindergarten and he was the big bad first grader,” he said. “Luckily, I’m bigger than him now,” he added with a grin.
    I laughed and rubbed at the bump forming on my head.
    “I woulda pounded on him some for ya, but his band’s playing my party next Friday, so I don’t wanna, like, create bad blood or whatever,” Josh added.
    “Or break his arms,” Brian put in.
    They both