Tanya didn't know where to go. She could go home, but it was likely her parents weren't there and she didn't want to be alone right now. She thought about going to Toby's, but he was still at the party and besides, she was mad at him too. Somewhere from the back of her mind, the thought came that she should have expected this to happen, but she pushed it away, not wanting to admit it just yet.
So where could she go?
A crazy idea came into her head. But she knew it would be one of the last places anyone would look for her…If anyone actually decided to come looking for her. She turned and drove towards the hospital.
XXX
"I want to do it," Sami said to Duder the next morning. They had just been offered the record deal they had been dreaming of for so long. She looked down at her cereal, moving to pick up her spoon. But she found too many butterflies in her stomach to be able to eat. She looked back up at Duder.
"Me too," Duder agreed. "But not like this. We stole Kevin's music, remember?"
Sami sighed. She couldn't forget it. She would never forget the day Tanya hit Kevin. She couldn't forget how weak Kevin looked in the hospital bed. She closed her eyes and saw his tiny, damaged body, lying there nearly lifeless. She shivered at the memory before taking a bite of her cereal.
XXX
Tanya sat next to Kevin's bed. He looked like he was sleeping. She knew it was her fault that he was here. She wanted to make amends but she had no idea how. She wiped at her eyes, feeling tears begin to form. She dropped her head into her hands and let them come. She didn't know how much time had passed when the sound started. One of the machines started beeping faster and faster.
She looked up in time to see Kevin's eyes open.
XXX
The ringing phone brought Sami and Duder out of their trance. Sami stood up and answered it. "Hello?"
"Sami, it's Tanya." Sami was about to say something, but Tanya kept going. "Don't say anything, just listen. You have to come to the hospital. Kevin's awake."
Sami slammed the phone down, grabbed Duder's shirt collar and nearly dragged him to the car. "Whoa, Sami! What's going on?"
"Kevin's awake." She stormed out to their bikes, her hands shaking. She took a breath to calm her nerves, hoping Duder didn't see her moment of fear.
Her hopes were dashed as she felt his hand on her shoulder. "He's awake. This is great. We'll figure it all out later." He squeezed her shoulder before going over to his own bike.
XXX
They ran to Kevin's room. Right outside was Tanya, waiting for them. "What are you doing here?" Sami asked her.
"I needed to be alone, and I wanted to say sorry to Kevin for…you know." Tanya saw Duder's confusion; Sami must not have told him. She turned to Sami and looked in her eyes. Sami nodded, understanding. "Is he…all right?" she asked.
"I don't know yet. The doctors kicked me out when they realized he woke up. Tests and stuff. I don't know when we can go back in." She moved closer to Sami, whispering, "Can we talk?" Sami said nothing; she just turned and started walking down the hall. Tanya followed her around the corner until they were alone.
"What's up?" Sami asked, clearly upset about something.
"You were kissing Toby…my boyfriend…I told you to stay away from him." Tanya didn't sound all that angry though. She sounded sad, and she looked confused. But only for a brief moment; the anger returned quickly.
"I'm sorry, Tanya. There was this song that Kevin started writing but he didn't finish it and Toby did and it was incredible and I couldn't help it." She took a breath and then kept talking. "I don't know what to do. Kevin's in love with me but he never talks. Toby is perfect-."
"And my boyfriend."
"-and that song was just so…I'm so confused." She looked down at Tanya, and Tanya saw through the tough girl act that Sami always put on. She did something then that no one had ever seen her do before.
Tanya hugged Sami.
She pulled away quickly, composed herself and became the Tanya everyone knew again. "What was that for?" Sami asked. She was frozen in place, confused by what had just happened.
"You seemed upset, and I think we're friends…Or, rather, we used to be friends. Whatever. You needed something."
"Tanya, how long have you been here?"
"I came here after I left your house. I needed to be alone, like I said."
"Yeah, but, shouldn't you talk to Toby about what happened?"
Tanya's eyes shifted. Was she ready to face Toby? "No, not yet. I need to figure some things out first." Her mind flashed back to the party, when she was trying to help Duder talk to girls. The things he had said…
"There you are," Duder said as he turned the corner and found them. "The doctors are coming out of the room." They all ran back to the door where the nurses and doctors were coming out of.
"Excuse me, how is he?" Sami asked.
"Are you family?" the doctor asked her.
"No, but I'm his classmate." Sami's tough girl persona was back.
"And we're all his band mates," Duder said, looking at Sami. She glared at him a little, wondering what he was up to.
"If you're not family, I can't tell you anything. I'm sorry." He walked away, looking at the papers.
Sami turned to Duder. "Band mates? He never actually auditioned and we never actually accepted him."
"But you've heard his stuff. He's the best writer in the school. And if we let him in the band, we can explain everything to the record company and still be famous." Sami thought about it, then smiled. "Way to go, Duder."
Tanya cleared her throat, and Sami and Duder turned to her. She had heard everything they had just said. "If you do go through with this, you have to explain everything to Toby and Jim…and Kevin."
"They'll understand," Duder said with confidence. He turned back to Sami. "What do you say?"
She thought about it for a moment. "We'll need to figure out how to explain it without saying 'we stole music from a kid in a coma and said it was ours.'"
"We'll come up with something, as long as we all agree." This time, he looked at Tanya too. "I know that you know the truth, but you're one of us. You're a member of Little White Lie and you've made great progress in music. What do you say, Tanya? Help us or ruin us?"
She thought about it. Tanya thought she and Sami had become friends, until she saw Sami and Toby together. But then, if they weren't friends, what was that moment down the hall? And then there was Duder. She had felt something last night, but what was it? It seemed like more than friendship. She sighed, deciding she didn't have much of a choice.
"I'm in."
XXX
Duder called Jim and Toby, telling them they were to have an emergency meeting. They agreed to meet in the garage. "Ok. Duder, you're in charge of telling them. Tell them everything – how we found the music, how we used it, and how we're letting Kevin in the band. Tanya and I will talk to Kevin and call you later," Sami dictated. Duder nodded and smiled before running back out to his bike. Sami turned to Tanya. "We're talking more before we talk to Kevin, to get facts straight."
They sat together in the hospital cafeteria, each with a cup of coffee in hand. Sami sat across from Tanya, and began the story. "After you hit Kevin, and we took him to the hospital, his aunt invited us over to her house. That's where we found his music. As you discovered, we stole it and never gave him credit. I think we should tell Kevin that Duder and I found his music and played it for the record company, and they loved it and want us to record it."
"But you signed the form saying you wrote the music," Tanya said. "Shouldn't we tell Kevin everything?"
"No. We're going to tell the record company that it was a mistake. I panicked because I knew our band's songwriter was in a coma and couldn't sign, so I signed because I knew it was good music and I knew it had to be played and heard."
"What if they don't buy it? What if they reject us?"
Sami sighed. The thought had crossed her mind, but she didn't have a solution yet. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just talk to Kevin. We need him to agree first."
XXX
Duder wasn't waiting in the garage for long when Jim and Toby showed up. "Duder, what's going on?" Toby asked. "Is everything ok?"
Duder took a deep breath as the other two sat down. "Guys, Little White Lie has been based on a lie." He swallowed, then went into the tale.
XXX
Sami and Tanya walked into the hospital room, where Kevin was sitting up and looking lost. "Kevin...?" Sami asked, timidly.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Hi, Sami. Hi, Tanya."
"How are you feeling?" Tanya asked as the girls sat down, exchanging a look of relief that he had his memories.
"Confused. How did I get here? And how long have I been here?" He looked between them, hoping they would have all the answers.
"Duder and I brought you here after your accident outside our house. You've been for quite a while. Kevin, we need to talk." She and Tanya took turns telling Kevin everything. Sami thought the story had ended, but Tanya began talking again, very fast so Sami couldn't interrupt.
"The thing is we've used your music. It's incredible music and the record company loves it, but Sami said it was her music not yours because she was nervous and panicking and now they want us to record and release it, but you're awake so we need you, Kevin."
Sami was throwing daggers in Tanya's direction, while thinking of how impressive it was that she managed to make every word connect, when Kevin looked at her and smiled. "You guys like my songs?"
Sami turned to him, a glimmer of hope growing. "Kevin, we loved them. And so did the record label. Kevin, we really could use your help."
"What would I be within the band?"
"Our songwriter, of course. We have singers and guitarists and a drummer…we could use a bassist." And then something occurred to Sami. "Kevin, you've never talked this much to anyone."
He smiled. "I'm feeling better than I've ever felt. I don't know what it is, but I feel great. And I would like to help."
Sami sat up in her chair. "You would? You're not angry that we stole your music?"
He smiled. "I am a little angry, but if it means my music can be heard, I'd like to help out."
Sami and Tanya jumped up, smiling and cheering. "I have to call Duder," Sami said. She hugged Kevin first, then went out to make the call.
XXX
"And if Kevin agrees, we're going to keep the band and keep recording. I just need to hear form Sami after she talks to him." Duder took a breath and looked at Jim and Toby. "You guys still in?"
Toby sat forward. "So those songs in Sami's room…those are Kevin's?" Duder nodded, and Toby sat back.
"Well," said Jim. "If Kevin agrees, I'm in. I love this band."
Duder smiled. "Excellent! Toby?"
Toby looked a little lost. "I'm gonna need to talk to Tanya and Sami together before I agree. We have some things to work out. We'll see."
Duder nodded. "Understand…sort of. Now we wait for Sami to-." The phone rang before he could finish the sentence. Duder ran for it, hoping it was good news. "Sami?"
"Duder. Kevin's in. Little White Lie lives."
"Yes!" He hung up the phone and turned to the others. "Guys, Kevin's in. Sami just called from the hospital. The band is alive!"
XXX
Sami stared at the phone. "He hung up. But there was more. Whatever." She hung up and went back to Kevin's hospital room. The door was shut and Tanya was sitting outside. She looked up when Sami came back.
"His aunt showed up, wanted some privacy. What did Duder say?"
Sami sat next to her. "Not much. I think he was too excited. How's Kevin's aunt?"
"Thrilled, naturally. Anyway, I'm really glad Kevin agreed. Sami, to be honest, this band has been great. I'm learning music, I'm getting friends…" She trailed off there. Tanya knew she had to tell Sami what she was feeling. "Sami, I've been thinking. Seeing you and Toby kissing didn't hurt as much as I thought it would have. I think I'd be ok with us breaking up, and you two dating. He obviously likes you, and…"
Sami's eyes had gotten wider as Tanya talked, and she shook her head. "And what?"
"And I think I like Duder." Tanya looked away from Sami, afraid of what might come next.
Sami blinked, but she wasn't angry about any of this. She would be defensive of course – she always would protect her brother. "Tanya, Duder likes you too. It's really obvious. And I clearly like Toby…I'm really glad you would be ok with this. But we need Toby and Duder here too. And Kevin. He kinda likes me too. Ugh, why does this have to be so difficult?" Sami put her head in her hands for a brief moment before looking back at Tanya. "Tanya, you're right. We're friends now. Sort of. I think we've still got things to work out, but we're getting there."
Tanya smiled. "So when should we talk to the guys about all these things?"
"When Kevin's out of the hospital and feeling better." Tanya nodded, smiling. She finally had a true friend.
XXX
Sami and Tanya left the hospital after learning that the doctors wanted to keep Kevin for a couple of days, to make sure everything was working properly. The girls agreed to meet back at Sami's place to talk to the rest of the band. Tanya stuck Sami's bike in the trunk of her car and drove them back, to slight protest by Sami, who preferred biking.
As they stepped out of the car, the girls were ambushed by the three guys who all had questions, and who had apparently decided to ask their questions all at once. "Shut up!" Sami yelled, louder than the guys combined. They all stopped mid-word and stared at her, waiting. "Back in the garage, we'll explain everything." The guys all turned and practically ran back to the garage. Tanya grabbed Sami's arm, stopping her and turning her. "Everything? Like, even the kiss and stuff we talked about.?"
Sami hesitated. She knew that that discussion had to happen eventually. But she didn't want to have it without Kevin present. "Not yet. Not without Kevin." Sami turned back to the garage entrance. She had heard some of Toby's questions and she knew that the kiss was in there. But she had to ignore those thoughts and feelings for now. Right now, this moment, it was all about the band.
XXX
Sami had just finished telling them about the talk she and Tanya had had with Kevin. No one had interrupted her, but she saw on their faces the desire to ask questions. They were waiting for her permission to speak, and she knew it. She nodded, saying, "Ok, ask away."
Three hands shot up as three voices all started talking at once. "Stop! One at a time. Jim?"
"Yes. Thank you. We do still have a band? All of us?"
"Yep, no one is leaving the band unless they want to." Sami smiled, glancing toward Toby for a moment. He didn't look back at her.
Duder asked, "When is Kevin coming?"
"The doctor's are keeping him for a few days, make sure he's ok. Then he'll probably want to be home for a while. Until he's feeling up to it, I say Little White Lie takes a break. We can't really move forward without him."
Toby went next. "What about the record label? When do we talk to them?"
Sami sighed. "I figured Duder and I could tell them we need some time to think, that'll give Kevin time to get better. And then we'll talk to him and then we'll all go to the record company together and explain and see what happens." She locked on to his eyes the entire time. She knew what he really wanted to ask, but wouldn't, not with everyone around. She looked to Tanya, who had been standing silently. Tanya smiled at her, but her mind was distracted.
Tanya had been watching Duder, trying to figure out her feelings. Everything he had said the night of the party, no one had ever spoken to her that way before. Not even Toby. Everything Duder said just kept replaying in her mind.
Tanya had made a decision, one that would make everyone's lives a little easier, she hoped. When Sami was done, Tanya pulled Toby aside and said, "Toby, I know you like Sami and she likes you. I don't want to stop that. Besides, I kinda like someone else too. So, I think we should break up."
Toby said nothing, he just hugged Tanya. He had noticed a change in her since she joined Little White Lie, and he knew that she was becoming a better person, someone he would enjoy spending time with. He broke the hug and was about to tell Sami, but Tanya stopped him. "You can't talk to Sami yet. See, Kevin likes her, and she wants to talk to both of you together. Ok?"
Toby nodded, understanding perfectly. "I'll wait till she's ready. But thank you, Tanya." He smiled and went to join the others in getting snacks.
XXX
A week later, Kevin called Sami and Duder, saying he was feeling much better. Sami said she wanted to meet him alone at the local café. They agreed to meet at 3, and Sami was nervous. She was going to confront him about his feelings for her. She knew he liked her, he wrote that beautiful song for her. But she had always loved Toby. She needed to tell Kevin this, make sure he would be ok.
She sat in the café, waiting anxiously. She heard the bell on the door ring and looked up. It wasn't who she expected to see. "Duder told me where you were going and who you were meeting," Tanya said as she came to Sami's table. "He didn't know what you were doing, but I figured it out. I thought you might need some back up."
Sami just stared at Tanya. She was still having a hard time believing they were actually friends now. "Thanks, Tanya. I, uh, I was kinda thinking of doing this alone but maybe if you sat nearby, just in case." Tanya nodded and went to the counter to order a coffee as Kevin walked in.
He found Sami's table and sat across from her. "So, what did the rest of the band say?"
She hesitated. "Uh, we have a plan. But that's not why I wanted to meet you hear. Kevin, I heard the song you wrote for me. I love it. It's beautiful."
Kevin shifted, uneasy. "So, that means that you know –"
"Yeah. And I appreciate it, I really do. But, I like someone else." She waited, wanting to see how he reacted.
He looked down at the table. "Yeah, I figured you would. I'm used to it. You saw me in school, I was invisible. No one saw me, no one spoke to me unless it was to tell me to get out of their way. I figured that would be your answer."
"I'm sorry, Kevin. You're an amazing song writer and musician and a really sweet guy. I just…I really like Toby." Once again, she waited to see his reaction.
"Isn't he dating Tanya?" At this, the sound of a chair scraping across the floor came, and Tanya ran over, smiling a giant smile. "No! We broke up. Sami, he likes you. And, to be honest, I like someone else."
Kevin had jumped at her appearance at their table. He recovered for a moment but then Sami jumped up and hugged Tanya, startling him again. Sami broke away from Tanya, exclaiming, "Thank you!" She sat back down as Tanya pulled over a chair. "Wait, but who do you like?" Kevin asked.
"Duder, Sami's brother. It's a long story."
"Kevin," Sami started, getting the conversation back on track. "I'll understand if you don't want to be a part of Little White Lie anymore. I mean, we don't even know if we have a future. We still need to talk to Mr. Waters. But we weren't going to talk to him until we had talked to you about this."
Sami and Tanya waited, holding their breath, as Kevin thought. Both girls knew that this band was the best thing to happen to either of them. They were both happier and they both had changed so much. Kevin looked at both girls and smiled. "If Mr. Waters says it's all ok, then I'm in."
Both girls screamed with joy, disturbing the café. They both hugged Kevin as people looked at them. "We have to get back, we have to tell everyone."
XXX
Today was the day. The day they were going to talk to Nigel Waters. They had called him and set up an appointment, saying there was something important they had to tell him about Little White Lie. He had set the time, and it was now. They stood in front of his store, all six of them. They all took one more breath, looked at each other, and went inside.
They had decided that Sami and Kevin would do all the talking. They would tell the story like this: Kevin auditioned for the band but panicked and ran, which is when he got hit. Sami and Duder agreed that they should let him in the band, and when they found the music he had written, they decided to learn and perform it, since he was a part of the band. When the time came to sign the originality form, Sami panicked and said she had written, not knowing what else to do. They kept up the ruse until Kevin woke up, and then they talked to him about what happened. He had agreed to let them use his music and had no problem with Sami lying.
Granted, it wasn't the full truth. Kevin had felt angry for a moment, and he realized that with their lie, they had let his music be heard and loved, which is what he always wanted. He forgave them and said that as long as he was a part of the band, he would let them play his music. And of course, they left out the part where Tanya blackmailed Sami and Duder. Everything else was the truth.
Once they finished their tale, Nigel Waters just stared at all of them. None of them could breath, they were terrified. Finally, he spoke. "And you all knew it was Kevin's music from the beginning?" he asked.
"No," Sami said quickly. "Only Duder and I knew. We weren't sure how to tell everyone else, and then Kevin woke up. That's when we told them." The words came out almost as one long word. She hoped he didn't notice.
Nigel nodded. "And now, everyone is in agreement that they are fine with continuing Little White Lie with the proper song writer?" All they could do was nod. "Well then, I suppose I have no issue with it either. It is technically an original song by a member of the band, just not the one who signed the form. Technicalities. To be honest, you kids have some of the best talent I've heard in a long time." He leaned forward and smiled as they all realized what he had just said.
Little White Lie was alive and well.
They all stood, cheering. In the excitement, everyone started hugging each other, even Mr. Waters. They were all trying to talk but were too excited to think. As they left the shop, still all trying to hug each other, Tanya pulled Duder aside. He had his usual confused face on. "Tanya? What's going on?"
"I want to officially ask you out to dinner with me," Tanya said in her cheery voice.
Duder began to stutter. He couldn't believe this. This was the best day of his life, and he couldn't even speak. Come on, Duder, answer her. "I…I…yes?" Tanya looked confused, and he realized he answered in question form. "I mean, yes. You do mean as a date, right?"
Tanya giggled. "Of course." At this moment, as Duder's mind tried to understand that Tanya Freemont had just asked him out, he saw the other members of Little White Lie watching them. "Um, we should go back to the group. Celebrate and all that." He nervously chuckled as she took his hand and walked back to the group with him.
XXX
They celebrated at Sami and Duder's house long into the night. They had ordered pizza and soda and bought every snack and candy they wanted. It was now 11:30 and most of them were so full and so tired, they just fell asleep on the couches. Only Sami and Toby were still awake. Sami smiled as she saw Duder's head resting on Tanya's shoulder. She looked at Kevin, who was smiling in his sleep. She looked over to Toby, who smiled at her. She could tell he was going to crash soon. "So, I hear you and Tanya broke up." He just chuckled as he nodded. "So, that means if I asked you out, you would say yes?"
He leaned over to her and took her hand. "Definitely." They both smiled as Sami rested her head on Toby's shoulder, keeping his hand in hers. Life is gonna be a lot better from now on, she thought as she felt herself drift off to sleep.