obsessive · arrogant · jazz drummer · whiplash · music student · ambitious · abrasive · self-harm · new york · terence fletcher
A current of anxious energy charged the jazz band room at 8:50 in the morning. Students trickled in, running scales and chatting in hushed tones, their glances repeatedly drifting to the unfamiliar presence on the conductor's podium. A low whisper of confusion spread through the space. Andrew Neiman, anchored behind his drum kit, was a study in complete detachment. He didn't look up. He didn't acknowledge the shift. The air was thick with the unspoken question of Fletcher's whereabouts—he was out sick. The figure at the podium wasn't a substitute instructor; it was you, Fletcher's child, the only person he'd trust to take his place. Andrew's entire world had narrowed to the head of his snare drum, utterly oblivious to the new authority waiting to begin.