BUSTED

A/N: This is a sequel to "In The Band" and "Defiance". Please read those first.

Finding one's self was often a hard task, but so far, Susie Carmichael was doing fairly well for herself. She had successfully kept her position as the lead singer of Banshee a secret from her mother while successfully keeping up her studies and pleasing her band mates. She used a group project as a front for her practices, where drummer Andrew and his sister Claire would be loud and proud while Clark the guitarist strummed stoically with bassist Johnny in front of him, a cool mix between the drummer and the guitarist. Susie would sing while Claire danced in the driveway. Sometimes Angelica would join her, but usually she would sit nearby and glare at Susie until her mother came to get her.

All of this was in preparation for the Battle of the Bands, which was now two weeks away. Susie's place as lead singer brought her closer to the group, and she found herself eating lunch with the group. Breakfast was usually out of the question because of Susie's morning tutoring, but sometimes she joined them there as well. She liked these few moments with normal teenagers, namely because Susie did not feel like a normal teenager. She felt like a slave to her mother, and she wished she could tell her to her face how she felt.

After one of their practices, Johnny suggested they head over to a small Italian restaurant nearby. No one objected, so they all began walking up the road towards their dinner destination. Susie was nervous and kept to the center of the group, laughing at Andrew's jokes and maneuvers.

"Hey, I bet I can walk on my hands across the street!" he called at the first intersection. Susie laughed heartily as Andrew sprang into a handstand. Two steps in, his legs swung wildly and he fell right in front of a car that had stopped at the intersection. The old woman inside was stunned, but she said nothing as the crazy teenagers made it across without further incident.

"Hey bro, I think you need more practice. Maybe take up cheerleading?" Claire suggested, punching Andrew's arm.

"Eh, he's not pretty enough to be a cheerleader," Clark countered, causing the group to laugh again.

Andrew jumped in as soon as it was quiet, "Hey, if Bush could be a cheerleader, so can I. Rah-rah!" he cried, jumping up in proper cheerleader fashion, shaking invisible pompoms with a fake smile on his lips.

"You're so stupid," Claire scoffed as Angelica's phone rang. Claire cried out in protest, "No! Your mom can't have you yet! We haven't eaten, and you never stay."

"I have no choice. Tonight she has this dinner with her boss or something and I have to be there. Sorry guys," Angelica said, sulking to the edge as Drew's car pulled up. He was dressed in a suit, but since he didn't turn around and head home, Susie guessed he was going to let his daughter show up as-is in her short skirt, flip flops, and low-cut t-shirt. She shrugged as she remained at the center of the group for the rest of the walk.

The group crowded around a small corner table and ordered a family serving of spaghetti and endless breads ticks. The first basket was cleared out before their drinks even arrived, and Susie felt herself relax, even though she ended up at the end of the table across from Johnny.

As Andrew broke into a story he'd heard in the school's locker room, Johnny got Susie's attention from across the table, "Hey, why are you so nervous tonight? Are you worried your mom will see you out?"

"A little. She's a doctor, so sometimes she gets home on time or early, but sometimes she's late. If she was at the hospital, she'd come from this way, but I don't keep up with her schedule. I know I'm being paranoid, but hiding from her seems like the best option right now. If she knew I was hanging out with you guys because I was your band's singer, she'd be the one needing a doctor," Susie groaned, leaning back as two more baskets of bread sticks arrived, along with large plates for the spaghetti, which would be out in a moment.

"Well, I've talked to Angelica and she said she wouldn't tell. I know you were worried about that," Claire said, dipping her bread stick into a bowl of cheese sauce she'd taken over. She was about to apologize for eavesdropping when the real food arrived. A frenzy started as they all got servings, including Susie, but soon it was quiet again. Clark and Andrew broke into a quiet conversation about an upcoming text.

Susie eyed Claire, "I was worried about her telling, so thanks for talking to her. But I know her. If anything happens where she needs control over me, she'll threaten to tell, unless it's major, then she'll tell without warning. She might even tell anyway. With the pre-order tickets coming out in a few days, she might send my mom a set for the laughs."

"Would she really do something like that?" Johnny asked. He sounded appalled, and he looked it when Susie nodded. Johnny shook her head, "She seems so nice though. Is that how she does it?"

"Pretty much," Susie nodded. "It took her cousin's parents years to figure out she was bullying them. Now she is heavily supervised around the kids, but I don't think they cross paths much. Tommy is like me. He figured out years ago to just give her plenty of clearance."

"I've talked to Tommy. He's a cool kid," Clark said before shoving a large meatball in his mouth.

"Yeah, he asked about Angelica's singing. None of us knew," Andrew grinned. Susie smiled too. She'd asked the second practice why the neighbor up the street was so interested in her. All fingers pointed to Angelica on the lawn and Susie knew without hearing the part about him threatening to call the cops.

"Tommy is a cool kid," Susie nodded, "but Angelica is someone to look out for. You guys knew that, right?"

"Somewhat but not really," Claire admitted, using a bread stick to soak up some spaghetti sauce from her now empty plate. "I mean, who hasn't heard about the way she treats guys? Even if she could sing, she'd probably do the band the same way."

"Yep, Sis and I have already talked about this," Andrew nodded fiercely, "There's an alternate reality out there where Angelica made the cut and screwed us over about now. There's another where she does it the night of."

Claire agreed, "She'd do it, and we all realize that. I'm glad it didn't work out, but she's a good groupie. We're going to have a lot of fun that night," Claire grinned, sliding another large portion of spaghetti on her plate.

A few minutes later, the family serving was wiped out and several baskets were piled in the middle of the table from the endless bread sticks. Susie was full, and when she eyed the time on her cellphone, she realized she needed to get home. Clark, Andrew, and Claire didn't want to leave yet, so Johnny offered to walk her up to her street. Susie accepted, and they began the slow walk back in the chilled night air.

"I didn't think the sun would be down yet," Johnny admitted, taking off his jacket and handing it to Susie, "It always gets so cold, but I'll be fine. My house is a skip over a street, so I'll be fine."

"Thank you," Susie smiled, soaking in the heat from the jacket he'd had on since practice. She could smell some sweat from the use, but there was still a hint of laundry detergent and a small whiff of cologne. She wanted to shower in those smells, so delightful.

"I admire you for your smarts. Maybe once this concert is over, you can tell your mom. Let her know you balanced everything and helped us win the Battle of the Bands. She'll understand, won't she?" Johnny asked.

Susie shook her head, "No, she won't understand. In her eyes, I'm her. My siblings never really showed promise on the intelligence front, but I have brothers. She wanted a daughter who could fulfill her wishes, so here I am. This is the first time I've ever defied her, but it's also the first time I've actually had fun. Flute lessons, math tutoring, foreign language tutoring-all of it was torture, and I hated it. I mean, part of me is okay with the grooming because I'll have a good life in college. But I refuse to become a doctor. I refuse to let her control my life, once I turn eighteen. Until then, I have no choice. I have to obey. She can never know I did this."

"Tell her in college, when you're gone?" Johnny offered. Susie shook her head and looked so sad she might cry. Johnny stopped on the sidewalk and put his hand on Susie's shoulder, turning her towards him, "Listen, I'm just seeing how I can help. Never in a million years would I bust you, but you have to realize I don't understand. My parents were all about dreams. I even did ballet for a few months because I wanted to."

"I had to take French to watch ballet, but she wouldn't let me stay once I was old enough for academic stuff," Susie murmured, wrapping her arms around Johnny and holding him close, "I know you're trying to help. Thank you, I really am grateful. There aren't many girls out there like me, boys either for that matter. My mom is old school, and just you guys being with me when I can be with you is helpful enough."

Susie pulled away, but Johnny's hands ended up in hers. Before either of them realized it, their lips were touching. Susie was surprised at how nice it was. Both of them had the smell of lingering garlic on their breaths from dinner, and Johnny even had some grit from the grated parmesan he'd put on his serving. But it was an amazing kiss, enough to make her foot pop up as she leaned towards him.

When they separated, Johnny looked stunned himself. They walked in silence up to Susie's street. At the stop sign, she handed off his jacket and waved. He waved back and walked back towards his house, his lips in a tight line. He'd just technically cheated on Angelica, with her rival, and he didn't want to know how this would pan out if Angelica found out.

Susie had no idea about this arrangement. She skipped home, wondering if she was finally about to get her first boyfriend. She wanted to talk to Johnny to find out where she stood.

Neither had a clue that Angelica had seen it all.

The group was backstage preparing mentally for their run. They were the fifth band of the night, but the group liked the position. They weren't really first, so the crowd would be warmed up, and they weren't last, so the crowd would still be hyped for them, especially if they played well enough. Claire had picked their set a few days before, deciding on a mashup of songs instead of just one. It was an amazing arrangement, and the group was psyched.

Susie was sitting on an amp doing breathing techniques she'd learned from her tutor to get her through her SATs without having a panic attack. Susie was nervous, and the previous week's events hadn't helped. Johnny had avoided her after the kiss, and the two hadn't spoken to each other privately since that night. On top of that, Angelica seemed to be glaring harder than usual, but she also seemed to have some possession over Johnny that Susie didn't understand. Suddenly she was up dancing with Claire in the driveway, but her eyes were either glaring at Susie or cheering Johnny on.

Susie had no idea what it meant, but she knew she had to shine in this moment. She needed their group to win, and the fourth band up sounded like literal trash, as if dumpsters had come to life for a song. The crowd was standing silently, but Susie could tell if this wasn't a dry event, drunk hecklers would be booing the group off the stage.

When they were done, Banshee took the stage. Midway up the right section, Claire jumped up and down as Angelica stood next to her. Susie could see her clearly thanks to a large light nearby, and her expression worried her. Angelica was up to something, but Susie had no idea what.

"A 1, a 2, 4!" Andrew called, signaling the start of the mash-up song. Susie managed to stay on agenda, moving from song to song seamlessly along with the band behind her. The crowd was pumped with people jumping up and down, screaming loudly, and overall making as much noise as possible. It was exhilarating, and Susie felt like she was on top of the world. This was her first concert, after all, and so far, it was going excellently.

When their set was done, the group filed backstage and moved to a large seating area behind the venue where bands could wait. The first and second band had already moved into the crowd, something Andrew did instantly. Clark decided to follow him, but Johnny and Susie remained behind.

"You were amazing," Johnny smiled, high-fiving her.

"Thanks, so were you," Susie said, sitting down in a proper chair. She exhaled, a sudden thought coming to mind. She tapped Johnny's arm to get his attention as the next band (more dumpsters come to life) began to play. Once Johnny was facing her, Susie asked the question she'd been waiting to ask, "So, I want to talk about the other night. Why have you been avoiding me since then?"

"Well, um…I think there was some miscommunication," Johnny stammered, blushing intensely as another group moved to sit down, bottled sodas in their hands.

Susie was confused, "I don't get what you're saying. You gave me your jacket and-"

"I gave you my jacket to be a gentleman. It was really cold, especially after being in the restaurant, and I could see the goosebumps on your arms. I was trying to be nice, but…I shouldn't have kissed you after the hug. I was caught in the moment, and so were you. And now, you've confirmed what I've been wondering ever since," he said quickly.

"What have you been wondering about?" Susie asked.

"If you knew that I was in a relationship," Johnny replied flatly. Susie felt her chest jump. That was not what she expected to hear, but she already knew what was coming next. Johnny exhaled, "When I went to kick Angelica out of the band, we agreed to start dating. She wasn't very clingy at practice, but we'd meet up later in the night for a movie or a smoothie or something. Whenever we're with the group, we're too busy to make out or anything, but yeah, we're pretty serious."

Susie thought about it and sighed, "I didn't know, but I really wish I had. She's going to want to kill me."

"Oh, I'll do worse than kill you," Angelica called. Susie turned around to see Angelica standing with a devious grin on her face. Beside her was none other than Dr. Carmichael, a look that reminded Susie of portraits of Satan's plastered on her face.

Susie knew she had to leave with her mother right then, but she had no idea how Angelica found out. Did she ride by with her parents? Did a student from a nearby home see them and tell her? Susie had no idea, but she knew exactly what the consequences were and how they'd come about. Angelica sent Dr. Carmichael tickets and made her go somehow, and now Susie's life might as well be over.

The car felt like it was a separate universe from the rest of the world. Dr. Carmichael parked in a lot several blocks from the Battle of the Bands competition, and the silence surrounding the car was almost a monster lingering over the lot, watching over them and waiting for the worst to happen.

"I am so disappoint in you, turning away from your studies to do something this stupid!" Dr. Carmichael spat, turning to her daughter, "What were you thinking?!"

"I kept up with my studies, and I wanted to try something new. Don't worry. I'm aware I'll never leave the house again until I'm eighteen. Then you can't do anything to me," Susie grinned defiantly. She had no idea where this attitude was coming from, but it felt amazing, almost as good as that ill-fated kiss.

Dr. Carmichael scoffed, "You're kidding, right? There is no way in the world you kept up your grades. You probably lied to me this entire time, just like you've been doing. Angelica told me you haven't been working on your group project," Dr. Carmichael said, pulling out her smartphone and moving through the menus.

"I've worked on it in class like the teacher wanted from the beginning. You can check the assignment online and see this. And if you look, you'll find all but one of my grades increased. My health grade couldn't because the program only goes up to one hundred," Susie said, her gaze moving from the window to her mother, whose expression had changed. Susie sighed, "Don't worry about it though. I won't try to deviate from your plan again while I'm still a minor. What's the use? You'll just take it away from me. You always do."

"I haven't made my decision yet," Dr. Carmichael whispered, putting down her phone, "Okay, so your grades are fine, and the project was your cover. Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Doctors aren't in rock bands. They don't listen to pop music on the radio. CD's are for lectures, not music," Susie countered angrily, shaking her head, "You've groomed me like this my entire life. Do you think I wasn't listening? What choice did I have but to listen?"

"I don't think I actually said any of that," Dr. Carmichael argued.

Susie scoffed, "You've been doing this so long you don't even remember what you told me. Well let me tell you something, Mom. I don't want to be a doctor. I don't know what I want to be, but I refuse to let you guide my entire life. This band was a way for me to see if I could do something else, and I liked it. I was good at it. We're probably going to win tonight, but who cares? It's over now."

"Look, Susie, I haven't said anything yet!" Dr. Carmichael spat. "Now you listen to me, I'm angry because you felt you had to lie to me and go behind my back to do something! That's the worst thing you can ever do to a parent, and one day you'll see that. Yes, I want you to be a doctor like me, but if that's not what you want, fine. I raised you the way I did so you could be prepared just in case you go to med school. I don't care what you do, and if you want to keep up the band, it's fine with me. Just stop lying to me."

"Whatever," Susie scoffed. And then the words caught up to her and she looked up with wide eyes, "Wait, you're okay with me being in the band?"

"You were good, what can I say?" she smirked, pulling a case out from under her seat.

Susie unzipped it and found CD's from various genres of music. One was even from a KISS collection, which meant her mom had more hidden somewhere.

Dr. Carmichael laughed, "I'm a person too. Now, I'll text Angelica to see what happened. She seemed to care so much. I know that little brat was just trying to hurt you. She hasn't talked to me in ages, and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction," she said, smiling again and passing the phone to Susie, "There you go, girl. Third place. Not bad for your first competition."

"We'll do better next time," Susie grinned.

Dr. Carmichael nodded, "You will, if it's what you want. Just tell me before you go out, okay? And no more kissing boys in the street."

"Oh my god, did you-?"

"Angelica did and said she was worried about you being irresponsible. The tickets were a gift from a client, actually. I just assumed when she included a link in one of her texts," Dr. Carmichael smirked, turning on the car. "You'll get her back one day. I'm sure of it."

"I don't know if I want to get her back. Johnny was her boyfriend, and I had no right to kiss him, even though I didn't know," Susie sighed, looking out into the night as her mother started the familiar drive home.

Once she was in bed, Susie put her phone on charge and noticed a text from Johnny. She opened it, expecting to see the results for the Battle of the Bands, but the message was much different:

"Broke up with Angelica for what she did. Want to see where things go?"

Susie smiled and typed out her response, "I certainly would."

~End

Theme 41: Concert

A/N: Theme from my Infinite Theme List Challenge. You can find the themes on my profile. Let me know if you want to participate.

So this is the last piece for my one-shot trilogy, which I should probably name. I'll think of something (but maybe you guys can), but I'm happy with this project as-is. I don't think I'll do any more installments, but we'll see. These were all interesting characters to work with, and I like doing the whole rivalry thing. We'll just have to see what happens.