It was 5:50. I had driven as quickly yet safely as possible from the library in order to get to the band party on time. I got out of my car, walked to the door to which I have walked innumerable times and opened it to find my friends sitting around in a messily drawn circle, talking and laughing. They greeted me as they usually do. "HI HEDIEH!!!"
I took a chair and sat there. I listened to and took part in their hilarious conversations and remembered all the times I have sat in that room, with those people laughing, playing music, being loud, and having an amazing time. I remembered the first time I walked into the room; I was a nervous sophomore, not even sure if I would be able to stay in band. I remembered the first time I played a song with them, the first time I laughed at their ridiculous jokes, the first time I felt comfortable talking to one of them about my life, the first time I thought to myself "I love these people despite their silliness and I will miss them when we all leave." Today I thought that same thing again. I looked at the seniors in band, the flirty one, the pothead, the player, the musical prodigy, and the obnoxiously loud one, and realized that I would miss every single one of them next year. Have I gotten mad at them in the past two years? Yes. Have I yelled at them at the top of my lungs? Not quite but I have yelled a bit. Have I felt like I would rather not be around some of them? Yes. But today, I had an epiphany and realized that despite their imperfections and flaws, they have made my life interesting, twice a week from 6-7:30, and I will miss their presence as I have missed that of last year's seniors.

It's crazy how people who you don't think would really matter to you actually do. I joined band with the purpose of having an extracurricular activity that I would enjoy. Little did I know that I would become emotionally involved with it all. I didn't know I would try to boost the self confidence of one of those kids by knitting him a scarf, or getting their help in making a rap video for a wonderful friend, or going out with one of them, or having a heart to heart talk with one of them about his life at college. I didn't know all this would happen; in fact, I didn't expect for any of it to happen but gladly, it did and taught me valuable life lessons.

An hour and 40 minutes later, I got back into my car only to find one of those silly kids standing behind my car daring me to back up; I took the dare and he pretended to fall down and have been injured. Naturally I went out to make sure he's ok and taken advantage of my gullibility, he actually made me somewhat concerned until he got up and ran off laughing. And then I drove away...