The library at Desert Vista High School is abuzz with gossip, but isn't it always? Everyone hangs out here in the mornings, to do their homework, to check out books, or just goof around with their friends. But mostly their gossip is the stupid kind, the kind that's not true, like Nicole Jastrab needing a third abortion or Natalie Conchy moving because she caught AIDS from her boyfriend.

The kind of gossip they're spreading today is the good kind. The true kind.

See Yvonne Munch over there? She's a columnist for the DV View, the school paper, and she's getting the scoop on what's going on. Everyone has a different story, and while they're all true, the ones that know the most are the band students.

Yeah, the band students. The ones that always have their backs straight, their legs muscular and their noses in the air. The ones that proudly carry the patch on their letter jacket that blares 'Marching Band'. They know the most. Why? Easy question.

All this shit is happening to them more than to anyone.

First of all, there's the charging of money for them to be in band. Most of them are used to this, you know, paying an average of $2,000 to be in the Marching Band, but they've never been charged to be in the Concert bands before. And now they are. $100 a head. No lie. It's the absolute truth. None of them are exactly happy about it, but what are they gonna do? Y'know? They're just kids.

But on a lighter note, the bigger news is happening to them also. See, there's a school in a ghetto in New York, and it had these twenty some-odd music prodigies just hanging out there, content to lower themselves to the poor music program the school had. Noticing their talents, the school rounded them up, as well as the money to pay their way, and sent them here, to DV. Why DV? I don't know. I don't think anyone knows except for Mr. Thye, the band teacher here, and the band teacher over in New York.

So, basically, to make up for them having to pay $100 extra, they get a couple new members. Whoop-de-doo.

But I guess they're content with it. It's better than nothing.

Look, Yvonne's coming over.

Whattaya got here, Yvonne?

Check out the beginning to my article, Carl. She points at her notepad, grinning widely. Cute, huh?

I skim it quickly and grin. You and your newsies, Yvonne.

"In the year 2003, the mornings in Phoenix, Arizona rang with the sounds of the DV Marching Thunder. Playing the songs of Alan Menken, Key Poulan...and other big shots of the music biz. You could see them everywhere, confusing people with their talk of marking time and chartbooks… The band kids were a good bunch, but without a real reason to play, until one day, all that changed..."

***AUTHOR'S NOTE***

So I got the inspiration to write this story again. But I'm redoing it. I deleted ALL the CC replies I got from the last version of this, so if you replied to that, you're going to have to do it again, and this time not everyone's getting in. If you're interested in being in the story, e-mail me and I'll send you all the info you need, okay? E-mail Addy: snitchslashgoil87

Just drop me a line and I'll drop one right back with things like the difference between Corp and Section leaders, what each newsie is playing, so on so forth.

And that's all you gotta do. ^_^ The CC closes July 5th, so send that e-mail in.