Chapter 1 – "The Battle of the Bands"
Summary: Sam singing oldies music at the top of her lungs while picking up Cassie from school. Another co-worker hears her on the way home. The drive home turns disastrous for one person while the day gets better for another person, make that, two persons.
A/N: I want to give credit to all the songs used in the making of this chapter of the story. There are very tiny, tiny excerpts from "Satisfaction" - Rolling Stones, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "X Gon' Give it to ya" by DMX, "Wouldn't it be nice" by The Beach Boys. (I know, weird combination of music, isn't it?)
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"Hey Sam, could you give Cassie a ride home from school? I'm really busy at work and I don't think I can make it," Janet asked Sam over the phone.
"Sure, no problem," Sam said. She was off-duty and actually off-base for a change.
"And also, pick her up a block away from school. She gets angry when I pick her up in front of the main doors."
"Alright."
"Thanks."
"Bye."
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"Gosh, there are absolutely no good songs on the radio," she said as she flipped through the preprogrammed stations on her car radio. She had one hip-hop and R & B station that Cassie had set. Then she had her oldies station for emergencies when there were no good songs on the radio. All the rest of the stations were soft rock. There were no good songs on her radio stations and she didn't dare turn it to Cassie's station. She turned it to her oldies station, the emergency one. She turned up the music and now was right in front of the main doors, exactly where she wasn't supposed to be. She rolled the windows down, waiting for school to let out.
**...I-can't-get-no sa-tis-fact-ion. I-can't-get-no sa-tis-fact-ion. Cuz I try, and I try, and I try, and I try. I can't get no, -dun-duh-duh- no no no, hey hey hey, that's what I say...**
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"This has not been a good day at all," Cassie said to her friend as they approached Cassie's locker, "Look at this! I got a C+ on my math test, a C+!" She held her math test in front of her friend's face.
"Don't worry, there's always extra credit," her friend said, trying to find words of encouragement. By now Cassie was trying to open her locker. The combination she configured was unsuccessful for the umpteenth time. She pounded her locker with her fist.
"Why won't this friggen locker open?!?" she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the noisy, crowded hallway.
"Chill, Cassie. I don't think things could get much worse." Her friend assisted her by opening the locker for her since she knew the right combination. Cassie thanked her.
"You know they always say that, and things end up turning out worse," Cassie said putting books in her locker and taking out others. C'mon, let's go." She closed her locker and headed outside. They walked out the main doors to see Sam parked in the car right in front of the school. You could hear the oldies music from the school doors, which was about 30 meters away from the curbside. Cassie froze just outside the doors.
"I think they should have that phrase branded 'jinxed'," Cassie said, referring to the line 'I don't think things could get much worse.'
"My god, things just did get worse. Sorry, I won't ever say that phrase again then," her friend said.
"Good, remember that."
"Cassie!" Sam waved and shouted from the car. Cassie turned away from the car and pretended not to hear her.
That didn't last long because other students that knew her told her, "Hey, that person's calling your name." Now she saw no way around it. Now most of the people not wrapped up in conversation with their friends were either looking at Cassie or looking at the car that had oldies music blaring out of it.
"Cassie!" Sam shouted again. Now Cassie saw no other choice but to actually confirm that she was associated with this oddly acting person.
"Stay right here," Cassie told her friend as she slammed her books down on the bench and stomped over to Sam's car.
**...you don't have to worry, cuz baby there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, babe...**
"What in the hell are you doing here?" Cassie raised her tone of voice.
"Watch your language."
"Answer my question."
"I'm picking you up from school. Your mom asked me to."
"Did she forget to mention to pick me up a block away??"
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Sam smiled mischievously.
"Yeah, I bet. And I was born on Earth," Cassie whispered.
"The birth certificate says so."
"Smart-aleck. Go down a block and I'll meet you there." She started to walk away.
"But Cassie I'm r--"
"Sam." She quickly spun around and glared at her.
"Alright." Sam paused.
"Go!" Sam turned up the music a little louder as Cassie turned around, rolled her eyes and walked back to her position on the bench, people staring at her as she walked back.
**...my love is alive , down in my heart, although we are miles apart, if you ever need a helping hand I'll be there on the double just as fast as I can . Don't you know that there ain't no mountain...**
"I think I've exceeded the embarrassment quota for the day," Cassie said as she got to the bench to get her books.
"I agree," her friend said as she stood up from the bench, "no person should have to go through that much embarrassment."
She paused.
"Okay, enough with the pity-party. Let's head on down the street."
"Alright. Let's go."
A few minutes and one block later they came to a car blaring the music of "Magic Carpet Ride",
**...you don't know what, we can find, why don't you come with me, little girl, on a magic carpet..**
What was even more embarrassing is that Sam was singing it when Cassie got to the car.
"You can go, I don't want to see you face any more embarrassment for the day," Cassie said to her friend.
"Speak for yourself." Cassie turned around to her friend. "See ya later," her friend added.
"Alright, see ya." Cassie opened the door and once her friend was far enough down the street, Cassie blew up at Sam.
"I can't believe you did that!!!" Cassie shouted. "You scarred me for life." Sam started driving. Sam was looking at the road. She tried hard to keep a straight face. Cassie changed the station to her programmed radio station.
"Oh c'mon, it wasn't that bad. I didn't call you 'sweetie' or 'Cassie, precious'. I didn't have to drop you off at school and you didn't have to give me a kiss and hug good-bye. I didn't have to tell you 'you forgot your lunch' and hold up a paper bag containing one. I could have thought of more torturing ways of embarrassing you. Trust me."
"Oh, I trust you alright. If you can do this, you can do just about anything."
"Thanks." Sam smiled.
"That wasn't an idea."
"Oh...of course not," Sam smirked and changed the radio station back to oldies.
"Hey! I liked that song!" Cassie changed it back to her station.
"But it's my car," Sam changed it back to the oldies. Now it was playing "Wouldn't it be nice."
"But nothing, you already tortured me with your music...and I wasn't even in the car!" Cassie changed it back to her music, now on the radio: "X Gon' Give it to ya."
"So, hold on a sec. Let me listen to my song, and then you can change it." Sam changed it back to oldies. They came to a red light.
"Fine," Cassie gave up, plugged her ears and muttered, "the torture." Then, a big Ford F250 truck pulled up beside them. The driver heard the music too, which was blaring louder than his engine. Actually, he thought he heard a female singing at the top of her lungs...
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up, in the morning when the day is new, and after having spent the day together, hold each other close the whole night through..."
Sam closed her eyes started to "groove" to the music. The driver looked over to see his second in command listening to the music he listened to when he was her age. Cassie looked over at the driver of the truck and they smirked as they saw a common friend going crazy over music. The truck driver bit his lip while his smile grew bigger, but Cassie couldn't help but burst out giggling. Sam opened her eyes and turned to Cassie, who pointed out the driver window. Sam turned to see her commanding officer, Col. O'Neill, wildly grinning at her and he slowly waved "hi".
"Oh shi-" she froze in her tracks.
"Watch your language missy," Cassie pointed her finger and countered before Sam could get the profanity completely out of her mouth.
"Cassie! Quiet!" Sam got defensive. She faced forward once again, waiting for the light to turn green; as she did Cassie turned the radio station to "Lose Yourself"
**…First we gonna ROCK, Then we gonna ROLL, Then we let it POP. DONT LET IT GO, X gon' give it to ya, He gon' give it to ya, X gon' give it to ya, He gon' give it to ya…**
Cassie was in bliss as her music blared. For once she forgot all the embarrassment and anger she had that day. The light turned green and Jack's tires squealed as he drove off down the street. Sam was...well...let's just say she was embarrassed and paralyzed at the same time. It took awhile for her to push the gas pedal.
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