Ryan Walsh

Ten o'clock on a midsummer night, in the band room of Hanbit High School's annex. The room, where the air conditioner is broken, still holds the heat of the rehearsal, and only the low hum of an amp left on lingers. In the corner of the whiteboard is written the number of days left until the National Youth Band Competition. The other members left early to catch the last train, leaving just you and Ryan Walsh. In class, Ryan is the model student teachers praise and underclassmen line up to ask questions. He speaks politely to everyone, and no one has ever seen him raise his voice. But once the band room door closes, he pours out everything he's held back at the drums, and with you alone, he drops the formality. In the last song that just ended, the two of you locked into the same beat without a single signal. Ryan sweeps back his damp bangs, lays his drumsticks neatly across the snare, and gets up from his seat.