One day Nigel was sitting in his class waiting for the bell to go home as the teacher was walking up and down the rows of desks.
Rachel(Weeping and singing) Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind
Images
You sang a spanish lullabye
The sweet sadness in your eyes
Clever trick
Teacher: I have looked long and hard at your project ideas, and I have to say some of these projects will get us institutionalized.
Kuki: Like in the looney bin?
Teacher: No Mrs. Brightside like prison, Mr. Beatles we can not make girls fall in love with boys.
Wally(Snapping his fingers) Ohhhhhhhh crud.
Teacher: Mr. Giligan we will not be making people animals.
Wally(Looking at Hoagie) Are you nuts?
Kuki(Making het butt bounce up and down) Awwwwwww I wanted to be a bunny.
Rachel(Crying) I'd never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me
Goodbye my almost lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream.
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
Teacher: Mr. Uno we can't create a new orginazation called the KND, we'd be on the FBI's most wanted list
Kuki: We'd be on TV on Saturday robbing people and killing them?
Teacher: Mrs. Brightside try to focus here, we need something fresh, new, and with pizazz.
Kuki: I think being on TV could be cool.
Teacher: Not if the FBI's after us.
Kuki: So what project are we doing?
Fanny's head slowly dropped off the side of her desk as a light snoring followed.
Wally(Laughing) I guess your not entertaining everyone Mr. Cassidy.
Rachel(Looking inside of her diary) We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me
Images
And when you left you kissed my lips
You told me you would never, ever forget these images
Mr. Cassidy(Pushing Fanny's books to the floor) Mrs. Fullbright so glad you could join us.
Fanny: Ughhhhhh sorry Mr. Cassidy I had a meeting for uhhhhhhh, ummmmmm, my family last night that's right a family meeting.
Mr. Cassidy: Check your sleepy feelings at the door Mrs. Fullbright, this is independent living not study hall.
Wally(Whispering) What's the cruddy difference?
Mr. Cassidy: What was the Mr. Beatles?
Kuki: He said what's the cruddy difference.
Mr. Cassidy: Mrs. Brightside I was asking him.
Kuki: Not that he's going to answer you or anything.
Rachel(Pulling apart her three ring binder) I'd never want to see you unhappy
I thought you'd want the same for me
Goodbye my almost lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
Kuki: Can we maybe talk about the project we are doing?
Mr. Cassidy: Sure this was a group effort, put together by Fanny Fullbright whom I'm glad is awake now, and Rachel Mckenzie.
Fanny: May I explain?
Mr. Cassidy(Motioning to the front of the class) Please do Mrs. Fullbright, we're all ears.
Fanny pulled out four pairs of handcuffs and smiled as Mr. Cassidy did the same.
Fanny: This project is boy girl, and it will be done for the two months we're left in school, in those two months we will see us paired with our unequal.
Nigel's POV: Ohhhhhhh no I see where this is going.
Fanny: See my friend Rachel has been down in the dumps reccently because of a Spring fling she had with a certain Nigel Uno.
Nigel's POV: I didn't want to leave her she wanted to leave me.
Fanny: Now Rachel spends all her time in her room listen to A Fine Frenzy's Almost Lover and I'd like to know why.
Kuki: That song is sooooooo depressing.
Rachel I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet your just fine
Did I make it that easy
To walk in and out of my life?
Fanny: This project has many rules which I will explain now, before I do that are there any questions?
Nigel threw his hand in the air as Fanny smiled malicously and pretended to look around.
Fanny: Anyone at all.
Nigel: Clearly my hand is in the air.
Fanny: Well I figured you'd have questions, tons of them which I will be glad to answer so shoot.
Nigel: Is this project about me and Rachel?
Fanny: Not all of it, I mean some of it was because of you and Rachel granted, but not all of it.
Wally: Great so we have to suffer because of cruddy Numbah one's breakup.
Nigel angrily glared at Wally as Mr. Cassidy looked odd at Wally.
Wally: I mean Nigel is my Numbah one friend, good old buddy Nigel.
Kuki shook her head as Wally held his head in shame.
Rachel(Sliting her wrist on one of the binders) Goodbye my almost lover
Goodbye my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be
So long my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do
Blood splattered all over Rachel's binder and it's pages as her eyes slowly drooped and she fell out of her desk with bloody wrists.
Mr. Cassidy(On the phone) Mrs. Albertson we need you here quickly, one of my students are passed out and their wrists are bleeding.
A woman with a nurse's outfit stormed into the room and grabbed Rachel rushing her back to the office as Nigel slowly stood up.
Nigel(Whispering) Ohhhhhh my God this is all my fault.
Mr. Cassidy: What are you saying Mr. Uno?
Nigel(Looking at Mr. Cassidy) This is my fault, I let her leave me and now she's singing Almost Lover sliting her wrists.
Fanny: She never wanted to leave but you wouldn't let her in Nigel, she just wants to know who you are.
Nigel(Weeping) I can't let her in, it's terrible my life, and I don't know if she can handle it.
Fanny: How do you know unless you try?
Nigel slowly grabbed the hall pass and walked down the halls as he could still hear the fight him and Rachel had echoing in his head.
Rachel(Grabbing her purse huffy) I don't even know why I came here Nigel, I just want to meet your parents and you say no every time.
Nigel(Grabbing her wrists) You can't meet them because they aren't so chipper these days, their in the middle of a divorce and I'm scared.
Rachel(Looking at him) This is good, open up to me Nigel, tell me how you feel.
Nigel(Letting her go) I can't Rachel, I don't want to become like them, they scare me.
Rachel: You told me you were scared, scared of what your parents splitting up?
Nigel(Screaming) Would you stop trying to psychologize me, I don't want to open up so just let it go.
Rachel(Stalking off) While I'm at it maybe I should let you go too.
Nigel followed Rachel to the bottom of the stairs as she looked at him.
Rachel: You have one chance to get me back Nigel, and it's what's holding you back to share your feelings with me.
Nigel: I'm sorry but I can't do that, I don't want you to hate me forever.
Rachel: It's a little too late for that.
Rachel sped off as Nigel cried and his parents continued to bicker as he was brought to the nurses office.
Nigel(Slowly opening the door) I guess I should let her in, I mean if she's doing this something has to be bothering her.
Rachel's mother and father sat on a bench outside of the room the nurse was holding Rachel in as her father got up and stared Nigel down.
Nigel: Let me save you the trouble, this is all my fault, I'm scum, I'm dirt, how could I do this to your daughter?, am I in the ballpark?
Rachel's father: A boy has never told me what I was going to say to him before, Rachel says there was an argument a couple of nights ago
Rachel's mother: What we'd like to know Nigel is what it was about.
Nigel: Me not opening up enough, because I can't let Rachel see the bad part of my life, I wanted to save her from that.
Rachel's father: So let me guess you stayed closed as Rachel kept asking you to show her your life?
Nigel: Basically yea but I can't let her in, she wouldn't understand what I'm going through.
Rachel's Mother(Walking up to him) What are you going through sweetie, your like family your problems are our problems.
Nigel(Choking up) I can't too many people are involved already.
Rachel's father(Walking up) And our little girl is one of them, now open up Nigel.
Nigel(Whispering) I'm scared to
Rachel's mother: Scared of what?
Nigel(Crying) Hurting more people that's what, It's my fault my parents are divorcing, and now I can't even hold on to the one thing I loved in life.
Rachel's mother(Hugging him) One it isn't your fault Nigel, I don't know who told you that but it's not true.
Rachel's father: And all the sad love songs proves that you haven't lost Rachel, you just lost track of what she does to you.
Nigel(WCrying harder) Look what I did to her, she hurt herself because of me.
Rachel's Mother(Holding him) A divorce can do a lot to a person Nigel, Rachel knows all about them.
Nigel(Drying his eyes) How could she she has a father.
Rachel's father: Stepfather actually, it took her years to get used to me but she came around, and so will you.
Nigel: So she's been through a divorce before?
Rachel's mother: She did the same things your doing now when she heard me and her father fighting, it took Fanny talking her out of it to help her.
Nigel: Fanny Fullbright helped her?
Rachel's father: Yea she came over the house, and said she was going to sleepover until Rachel was better.
Nigel: And I just made her worse.
Rachel's mother: But that's not to say you can't make things better, I mean Fanny's your friend too, and Rachel could really use a boyfriend.
Nigel: I think sleepovers with Fanny are out, she's a girl and I'm a boy, but maybe she could spend days with me helping me like she did Rachel.
The nurse opened the door as she stepped out of Rachel's room and beckoned for her parents.
Nurse: She wishes to see you two first, Mr. Uno don't you move because your next on her list.
Rachel's mother and father walked into Rachel's room as Fanny pulled a seat up to Nigel.
Fanny: Level with me Uno, what's troubling you these days?
Nigel: My parents are splitting up and I didn't think Rachel'd understand, until her mom told me that the man she's with is Rachel's stepfather.
Fanny: I know how you feel Uno, been there, done that, water under the bridge.
Nigel(About to cry again) How did you do it Fullbright?, how did you deal with the pain building inside of you?
Fanny: Black clothes and punk rock helped for awhile, but I guess falling into another friends arms is customary too.
Nigel: I really screwed things up with Rachel huh?
Fanny: Not necessarily Uno, open up to her, tell her how you feel, she may be able to help.
Nigel(Crying) How did you help Rachel?
Fanny(Hugging him) I'll let Rachel tell that story, it really is inspirational.
Rachel's parents came out of Rachel's room as Nigel stood up and got a pat on the back from her mother and stepfather.
What happens when Nigel breaks down and opens to Rachel read part 2 Letting our guards down
PS. I don't own Almost Lover A Fine Frenzy does I just felt that the song fit in the ff