I finally had a chance to work on chapter two of this story. Nobody seems interested in helping me, though, through song requests… *sighs*
This chapter will introduce The Newmans, and will also give us our first love song, "Love is an Open Door" from Frozen. Our other song will be another Green Day song, "Know Your Enemy", and it will be a group effort from Grojband and The Newmans.
"I'm just not sure about this, Blair," Laney confessed. "I mean, Alexander's cute and all, but I liked Corey first."
"Well, just go out with him once, and we'll figure it out from there, okay?" Blair advised. "Besides, you have twenty minutes to be at the theater."
"Oh, thanks!"
"Call me to tell me how it went!"
LET'S CHECK ON COREY'S EMOTIONS!
"Corey?"
Kin rapped on their leader's door. He and Kon hadn't heard from him since lunch.
"Come on, dude! It's been hours!" Kon groaned. "We're coming in!"
They entered Corey's room to find him buried under his comforter. Shockingly, Trina was sitting next to her brother, a sad look on her face.
"Since when do you care this much about your brother?" Kin asked her.
"Like, since he got his heart broken! I know how it feels."
"You do know that he still has a chance with Laney, right? All he has to do is get her to dump Alexander!"
"That's, like, totally not going to happen. Alexander is the kind of guy girls don't ditch easily."
Corey sighed dramatically.
"Relax, little brother. Unless he's got a sense of humor and, like, a great personality, Laney's not gonna stay with him long."
"You think so?" Corey came out from under his blanket.
"I know so. Nick Mallory was great-looking, but I found someone better. Looks aren't everything."
"Thanks, I guess…?"
ONE WEEK LATER TRANSITION!
"So, wait, you have how many brothers?" Laney asked Alexander as they sat outside the restaurant where they'd gotten dinner.
"Three older brothers and two younger ones. What about you?"
"I just have one actual sibling: a twin brother. His name's Lenny, and we're supposed to be archenemies because our bands are rivals."
"That's awful for you, but hey. That's what some bands do." Laney suddenly felt very giddy, and she let out a nervous laugh.
"Hey, can I say something crazy?"
"Oh, Laney, I love crazy!"
"All my life has been a series of doors in my face," she sang, slamming the door to the restaurant shut. "And then suddenly I bump into you…"
"I was thinking the same thing, 'cause like I've been searchin' all my life to find my own place, and maybe it's the party talkin', or the chocolate fondue." He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, making her giggle.
"But with you…"
"But with you, I've found my place."
"I see your face."
"And it's nothing like I've ever felt before! Love is an open door! Love is an open door! Life can be so much more!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"Love is an open door." They were in the park now, dancing around the statue in the center before they sat down on a bench.
"I mean, it's crazy," he remarked.
"What?"
"We finish each other's—"
"Sandwiches."
"That's what I was gonna say!"
"I've never met someone—"
"Who thinks so much like me. Jinx! Jinx again! Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation."
"You—"
"And I—"
"Were just meant to be!"
"Say goodbye!"
"Say goodbye to the pain of the past! We don't have to feel it anymore! Love is an open door! Love is an open door! Life can be so much more!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"With you!"
"Love is an open door…"
"Can I say something crazy?" Alexander asked.
"Sure."
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Can I say something even crazier? Yes!"
THIS CAN'T BE ALL THAT GOOD!
"Remind me why we're here again?" Carrie grumbled to Lenny.
"Because Grojband hasn't had a gig in over a week," Lenny reminded her. "What's the point of being rivals with them if we don't compete with each other?"
The Newmans entered the garage to find Corey curled into a ball of self-pity on the couch. Kin and Kon were sitting nearby for moral support.
"What's wrong with Riffin?" Carrie asked.
"Short version: he's depressed because he realized he had a crush on Laney on the day she got asked out by her new boyfriend," Kin explained.
"What's the long version?" Kim asked.
"About 2,570 words," Kon informed her.
"Get up!" Carrie shook Corey.
"I can't. Grojband's just not Grojband without Laney, and she's spending all her time—"
"With Alexander," Lenny finished.
"Yeah. Wait, how'd you know her boyfriend's name?"
"I'd like to know that, too!" Carrie snapped.
"Look, that's not—"
"Oh, it is important, because it concerns Laney. Now, tell us!"
"Okay, okay. Laney and I have kept it a secret, since our bands are rivals and you guys hate each other, but… we're twins. Actual brother and sister." He braced himself for Carrie's rant, but it didn't come.
"That's a relief!" Corey sighed.
"I thought you were gonna say you two used to date or something!" Carrie agreed.
"Well, now that you guys know, you should also know I'm not the biggest fan of her new boyfriend, either. He's too charming."
"I wouldn't know. I've barely seen him," Corey groaned.
"Something's off about him. That's the other reason I came here besides our rivalry. I may be a Newman, and my sister may be a member of Grojband, but I still care about her. She needs to break up with Alexander—"
"Have you tried talking to her?" Konnie asked.
"I did, but she won't listen! He's inside her head and he has her 100% convinced they're meant to be together. She's going to get hurt if we don't do something about it!"
"So what are we supposed to do?" Corey inquired.
"Look, I don't think she's in a place where she'll listen to anyone right now. Grojband always has a crazy plan that might just work. We need one to break Laney and Alexander up."
Corey tapped his chin, mulling it over. He then turned to Carrie and sighed.
"Carrie, I know we have our differences, but do you think we could put them aside?"
"Sure, Riffin. Truce?"
"Truce." They shook hands.
"Besides, we would've done it anyway. Girl code, you know. What's the plan?"
"Okay! Got it!" The two bands (plus Trina and Mina) got into a huddle. "Alexander's too perfect, right? So what if we dug up something on him that proved he's not that perfect?"
"I like the way you think, Corey!" Lenny complimented. "But how are we gonna get the evidence?"
"Easy! We're gonna follow him! It's not like we've never done stakeouts before!" He put his hand in, and everyone else followed suit. "Operation Make-Prettyboy-Alexander-Look-Bad-So-He-And-Laney-Break-Up-And-He-Doesn't-Break-Her-Heart-Into-A-Million-Tiny-Little-Pieces is now in—" he took a deep breath "—play!"
"How about Operation Breakup?" Trina suggested.
"That's better. Operation Breakup, on three! One, two, three—"
"OPERATION BREAKUP!" everyone except Kon and Konnie yelled. They said, "Operation Make-Prettyboy-Alexander—er, Breakup?"
WHO'S A WHAT'S A WHAT NOW?
"Any sign of him?" Corey asked Kin over the walkie-talkie.
"No, not yet," Kin replied. "I barely know what he looks like, but I know enough to know how to spot him."
"Let me know when you see him." Corey sank back down next to Lenny, who had his binoculars out. The red-haired boy put them down and glanced at his frenemy.
"What's wrong, Corey?"
"It's just… what if after our plan works, Laney breaks up with Alexander but doesn't want me? I've been a wreck this past week with her being with him. What if she rejects me?"
"Look, dude, Laney's been crazy about you for years now. You can't just turn feelings off overnight. Trust me, I've tried. Let's just get our plan over with so you can tell her how you feel, okay?"
"Okay. You're—"
"Rock God to Front Man! Come in, Front Man!" Kin's frantic voice said over the walkie.
"Front Man! I hear you, Rock God!" Corey replied, holding up the walkie. "What's your status?"
"I see Alexander, and it's not good. Look through your binoculars!"
Corey took Lenny's binoculars and aimed them until he saw Alexander… making out with a blonde girl. Kin was right nearby, and he held up his walkie-talkie so Corey could hear their conversation.
"…perfect, Amanda," Alexander told the blonde girl.
"You sure know how to flatter a girl, don't you?" Amanda giggled. "What about that redhead, though? Grojband's bassist, Laney?"
"I swear, she's nothing compared to you. I just want her for my band, that's all. She's too good for Grojband."
Kin moved away, and at the right time, too. Corey gripped the walkie so hard it broke into a thousand pieces.
IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
"That jackass!" Corey spat, pacing back and forth in his garage. "'She's nothing compared to you!? She's too good for Grojband?!' I'll show him!"
"Corey, calm down," Trina groaned. "You're being overdramatic."
"Yeah, dude," Kin agreed. "The inside of your head is angry again." As if to emphasize, he opened Corey's head to reveal an extreme angry face.
"He's going down," Corey seethed. "I don't care what we have to do. That bastard's gonna pay!"
"Well, Riffin, I have one question for you," Carrie responded. "Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy?" He shrugged. "Well, gotta know the enemy."
"Do you know the enemy?" the others sang in repeat. "Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy… Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy!"
"Violence is an energy," Corey added, a determined look on his face. "Against the enemy. Well, violence is an energy, right? Bringing on the fury, the choir infantry revolt against the honor to obey!"
"Oohaooh!" the others vocalized.
"Overthrow the effigy, the vast majority. We're burnin' down the foreman of control!"
"Oohaooh!"
"Silence is the enemy against your urgency so rally up the demons of your soul!"
"Oohaooh!"
"Do you know the enemy?" asked Trina. "Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy!"
"Do you know the enemy?" sang the backups. "Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy!"
"Insurgency will rise when the blood's been sacrificed," Corey sang. "Don't be blinded by the lies in your eyes!"
"Say!"
"Well, violence is an energy."
"Oohaooh!"
"From here to eternity."
"Oohaooh!"
"Well, violence is an energy."
"Oohaooh!"
"Silence is the enemy! So give me, give me revolution!"
"Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy! Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy? Well, gotta know the enemy!"
"Overthrow the effigy. The vast majority, we're bringin' down the foreman of control! Silence is the enemy against your urgency so rally up the demons of your soul!"
"So, how are we gonna deal with this?" Lenny asked.
"Like I said, we're bringing him down, but we'll need a little more help… I happen to know someone who needs to know this information…"
TO THE MANSION TRANSITION!
"Why are we here?" groaned Kon. "Last time we went to Blair's was a disaster, remember?"
"Yeah, but don't you think she'll be willing to help us break them up if we tell her that Alexander's cheating on her best friend?" Corey asked.
"He's right," Lenny confirmed. "Blair's a mama bear when it comes to her friends, especially Laney."
"Hey, guys!" Blair called, sliding down the bannister and nailing the landing. "What's up? Corey, nice to see you're out of your spiral of self-pity!"
"Blair, we need to talk to you," Corey began, but Blair held up a hand.
"Just a sec. Are you with… The Newmans?! And Trina and Mina?!"
"They know," Lenny informed her.
"Well, something must've happened to make your groups stop hating each other. What was it?"
"Alexander," Corey growled.
"Oh, come on, dude! If you wanted to be with Laney that badly, you would've made your move earlier. She was waiting for you, but you didn't do anything, so she moved on. I'd suggest you do the same."
"But Alexander's an asshole!" blurted Lenny. Blair looked shocked at hearing the soft-spoken boy swear.
"I… what do you mean? I met him after the show at the mall, and he was a perfect gentleman! He complimented Laney, dedicated their song to her, and he asked her out immediately. A perfect gentleman!"
"He's also a two-timing jackass who doesn't actually give a shit about Laney!" Corey yelled. Kim pulled out her phone and brought up the video of Alexander and Amanda.
"You need to see this," she said. "It explains everything."
Blair watched the video. Her expression changed from confusion to one Trina had before an angry diary moment. Kim took her phone back and Blair picked up the nearest breakable object to smash it on the floor.
"Blair, we're taking him down!" Corey assured her.
"How?! I'll help you get rid of that motherfucker any way I can!"
"We were hoping you might have a plan," Lenny sighed. "Laney tells you everything. You have to know something!"
"Well… Heart's Fire is playing at the Battle of the Bands, and so are Grojband and The Newmans." Her eyes lit up. "I've got it! Grojband and The Newmans combine into one band and have a musical duel against Heart's Fire! Winner gets to publicly shame the loser! When we win, we'll play the video and Laney will dump Alexander's two-timing ass!"
"Sounds great!" Corey complimented.
"So…" Blair put her hand in the middle of their group. "Operation Heartbreaker is a go!"
"OPERATION HEARTBREAKER!"
And so it truly begins.
So, that concludes chapter two. Sorry about the extra length. I wanted there to be plenty of setup for the next chapter, since I want to go straight into the action. I already have the songs picked out for it, so no requests will be taken. One song's band was referenced in the first chapter ("Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" by Set It Off) and the other one is the title of the fic ("You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" by The Offspring).
This is the last thing I'm publishing for 2016, so keep an eye out for the next chapter next year! Consider this a Christmas present, since I'm publishing this on Christmas Eve!
Merry Christmas and so long and thanks for all the fish!