"Letting all the blood rush to your head won't make you forget about him, y'know." Larry kicked his doppelganger's boot from where she hung upside down off his bed as he sifted through an old music magazine.
"Not until I get nauseous and fall on the floor, which is sounding great at this point. I think I'm seeing stars already." Laney replied in monotone, kicking back at Larry with the minimal strength she could muster.
The two sat in, mostly, comfortable silence, Larry reading his magazine while Laney stared at Larry's bedroom door. The two had become friends when they were thirteen, despite their bands being the worst of rivals. You kind of bond with someone once the two of you are fused together for an entire day. And once they had started venting to each other about their unrequited crushes, Laney and Larry made frequent trips to each other's houses with pints of ice cream and really bad rom coms in hand.
Now, at sixteen, not much had changed. Larry had become just as close of a friend to Laney as the rest of her band, and vice versa. The two were so similar that they shared a relationship full of sarcastic banter and pouring their hearts out that Laney couldn't really recreate with Corey, Kin or Kon. As much as she loved the three dorks, they all had the attention span of a squirrel when it came to emotional junk.
"So he went on a couple dates, that doesn't mean anything. She could've been grossed out by the way he eats, or his music." Laney sent Larry a look that shut him up instantly.
"Yeah, my best friend went on a couple dates with a hot, popular blonde girl and didn't tell me. Corey calls me when he buys a candy bar; he doesn't keep anything inside. Besides, he's a musician. Girls love musicians, no matter how gross they are." Laney groaned. Larry rolled his eyes at that statement, having proved it wrong for years, and shifted his weight on the bed.
Laney sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I can't feel my face."
Laney suddenly felt a pair of hands in hers, hoisting her up. Larry had gotten significantly stockier over the years, though he still stood at 5'2. His build did allow him to lift Laney up with ease, partially from transporting music equipment for three years and mostly because Laney wasn't that heavy to begin with. She hadn't talked to Larry for three days when he called her one day during their freshman year, shouting "I'M 5'2! I'M FINALLY TALLER THAN YOU, TAKE THAT!"
"You can't mope all night, especially when you're knocked out from dangling over my bed like a monkey." Larry looked into Laney's eyes, smeared with makeup that had smudged due to unwanted tears and plain carelessness. "Look, I can't tell you if this whole Corey girlfriend thing is permanent, because I don't know. But I can tell you that you're funny and hot and you could get any guy you want, Laney. You just have to believe that, and you'll have guys lining up at your door in minutes."
"Wow, way to give yourself an ego boost. We're exactly alike, remember?" Laney smiled for the first time that night. "But thanks. I guess now's as good a time as ever to get over that dork."
Larry chuckled before jumping as his phone buzzed in his pocket. "'LARRS! Sudden burst of inspiration. Glitter cannons and fireworks. Practice NOW. And you have to say yes because I'm already in your living room.'" he read aloud. "Typical Carrie. Initiating practice at...9:53 at night." Larry pocketed his phone and rubbed his temples. "Looks like I'm out."
"Good luck not waking up her entire family. And setting off fireworks within the confines of a garage. Can I have your bass when you get arrested?" Laney smirked.
"Yeah, right after Carrie proclaims her love for me and kisses me onstage in front of thousands." Larry cleared his throat after saying that, knowing even his crush would be an uncomfortable topic for Laney at the moment.
"LARRS!" a panicked voice screamed from below.
"Shit." Larry ran down the stairs, grabbing a fire extinguisher on the way. Laney followed a few minutes later after getting her things, arriving to the sight of Larry with his head in the microwave as Carrie sat on his counter shuffling through music on her phone.
"Later, Larry." Laney said as Larry pulled himself out of the microwave and waved to Laney. Carrie looked up at the sound of Laney's voice, giving a friendly nod that Laney returned. Though tension between Grojband and The Newmans had died down a bit, Carrie and Corey still fought like children, which halted any kind of relationship between Laney and Carrie. Laney wondered if things would change since she would probably be spending less time with Corey in the future, figuring she would be holding a grudge against him for at least a few days.
"I just gotta wash up. As much as I love smelling like microwave smoke and ice cream, I should probably clean up before getting glitter all over me." Larry wiped beads of sweat from his forehead and ran back up the stairs.
Laney could have just left, but instead she lingered and leaned against the counter next to Carrie. She kept her cool, but looked down at the floor, not knowing what to say to Carrie, who was texting away rapidly.
"So, where's Riffin? Attempting to write lackluster lyrics without you tonight?" Carrie put down her phone and turned to Laney with a small smile on her face. Laney couldn't tell if she was pushing her buttons or generally curious – it was probably the former but Carrie didn't smirk. She just looked at Laney, blue eyes quickly skimming down her body like a security check at an airport. Laney shifted and looked into Carrie's eyes, trying to regain some sense of dignity after remembering why she was here and not with Corey.
"He's on a date." Laney's fists balled up and her nails dug into her palms as she spoke.
"Psh. Never thought Riffin would actually get a girl to fall for him. And if I had to imagine him actually dating someone" Carrie made a gagging noise, "well, I always thought you guys were going to hook up."
Laney's eyes widened and her face turned crimson. Was her crush really that obvious?
"No. No, we weren't – we're not going to 'hook up'. No, no, no. He's too busy with someone that he actually knows is a girl."
Carrie rolled her eyes. Laney solemnly looked down at the floor. It was bad enough that people mistook her for a boy even after she went through puberty, but to have her best friend and crush constantly call her his "best bro, dude" made it all a sensitive subject for Laney. Carrie soon realized that Laney wasn't kidding.
"Wait, you're serious? I knew Riffin was stupid, but I didn't know he was that stupid. He didn't even know you were a girl? You're more of a girl than his sister is. I don't even think she's human."
Laney laughed, thinking back to times when the band would frequently mess with Trina to make her spew out her feelings in a hellish rage. The notion was surely questionable. They didn't get lyrics from Trina anymore, since she was in college and Corey was slowly becoming a better songwriter, but she made up for her absence during the holidays when she would come home and practically tear the house apart.
"Besides, you're prettier than most of the girls you go to school with. Don't let Riffin ruin your self-esteem. He's not worth it." Carrie swung her feet from her place on the counter.
Laney was blushing even more now. Though Corey was worth it in her eyes, no one but her parents had ever called her pretty without it being followed by a punch on the shoulder and the word "cool".
"Thanks, didn't know you had a heart." Laney replied, her face still tinted pink.
"Don't push your luck." Carrie said with a smile. Laney looked over at Carrie, whose eyes looked more welcoming than Laney had ever seen them. Not like she had looked into Carrie Beff's eyes often, but it was still a surprise that Laney was having a pleasant conversation with the ringleader of her former rivals.
Larry fumbled down the stairs, shirtless and stretching his arms over his head, obviously trying to get Carrie's attention. But Carrie had jumped off the counter and was looking through Larry's kitchen drawers. Larry sighed in frustration but put his shirt and a jacket on, grabbing his bass. He didn't question why Laney hadn't left yet, which she was thankful for.
He walked Laney to the front door, playing with his damp hair and looking behind him for Carrie. Eventually, he turned to Laney and let out another exhausted sigh.
"Remember, ice cream. Lots of ice cream and cheesy horror movies from the fifties. Text me when you put down the spoon." Larry laughed as his door closed and Carrie ran out.
"Ready, Larrs?" Carrie beamed, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him to her side. Larry blushed and looked at the ground while muttering "Y-yeah, of course!"
Laney rolled her eyes at the scene playing out in front of her. Larry could practically star in his own cheesy rom-com. She'd have to propose the idea to him, as long as Grojband provided the music for the soundtrack, of course.
"Later, Larrs." Laney walked down the walkway with the two Newmans before they turned their respective ways.
"Later." Carrie, to both Laney and Larry's surprise, replied while pulling Laney into a one armed hug and patting her back. Laney assumed that Carrie had put a "kick me" sign on her back and planned to take it off before they were out of her sight. Ignoring the slight blush she could feel on her face, Laney waved goodbye to her unlikely friends (acquaintances? She wasn't really sure what her newfound relationship with Carrie qualified as) as she reached for her back, pulling off the piece of paper she fully expected to be there.
It wasn't a "kick me" sign, nor did it say "Grojband sucks and the Newmans are way better." It read "555-0639. Xoxo" . More confused and surprised than ever, Laney stared at the paper before dismissing it, shoving it in her coat pocket. She hurriedly started walking back to her place, as her face burned red and that stupid paper burned a hole in her pocket.
Laney spent most of that sleepless night with thoughts of blue hair and stormy blue grey eyes, neither of them belonging to Corey.