Corey and Laney pulled out their phones.

"Whoah! My phone was on silent. No wonder I didn't get the news!" Laney exclaimed. She must have turned off her ringer by accident. How could she have done something so stupid? She scanned through things tweeted and sent to her. Some of them were defending her, but most of it were angry comments about her betraying the band. Her grip tightened on the object as she typed.

Wow, a lot seems to happen overnight. I know what it looks like, but trust me, Len is just a friend. He's not mean like some of you think. Core and I talked it over, and it's all good. Grojband is staying strong! I'm sorry if you guys got the wrong idea. I would never turn my back on the band.
She sent the message and looked at Corey's tweet.

Everything's cool, Grojactics. Lanes and I talked and it was just a misunderstanding. Apparently, Lenny's not so bad (I still have to see for myself though.) The band is together forever!:D Sorry for the flip out.

She smiled and shoved her phone back into her pocket, "Ready to face the music, Core?"

Corey snaked an arm around her shoulders and smiled, "As long as you face it with me, Lanes."

Together they opened the garage door and looked at the fans who were checking their phones. Corey was the first to speak.

"Citizens of Peaceville and fans of Grojband, I'm sure you've read the news, but we want to confirm it with you in person. There is nothing going on between Lanes and Lenny. Lanes decided to go for a walk at the park and met Lenny."

"Turns out I have a lot in common with the guy." Laney said, trying to be unaffected by the glares she was retrieving.

"Yeah, so they hung out for a while and became," Corey tried to hide his disgust, "friends. They had a quick hug and were off on their way. Someone just snapped a picture of them at the wrong time."

A girl from the back spoke up, "But there is a buzz going around that the two were singing songs about love."

Corey gave a glance at Laney who murmured, "I told you we sang." He continued his staring as a signal to explain.

She sighed as a slight color came to her face, "We were sharing some music we wrote. It wasn't anything big. I wrote a love song about my life and he wrote one for his. Things happened and we just sang. You know, as friends." She emphasized the last word. Skeptical looks were spread, "Look, Len's a cool guy and all, but I'm not interested in dating him. We're friends."

"Why do you call him Len?" A voice stood out.

"Is it weird to have a nickname for a friend? I have one for Corey, but none of you blow fire out because of that." She gestured toward Corey. The crowd held an awkward silence until one girl broke out.

"That's because you two love eachother!" She shouted. Splashes of color found their way to both teenagers's faces.

"Th-That's ridiculous. Lanes is my best friend. It's not like I lay awake at night and think of her." Corey awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I mean, Core is cool and all, but I wouldn't say I'm in love with him." Laney said smoothly. She had practiced denying the fact for years. Still, the blush stayed on her face. Her fans were awesome, but they sure did know how to make an awkward situation even more awkward.

Corey glanced down. It hurt him a little to know Laney didn't feel the same about him as he does about her, but he tried not to show it. Maybe if he ignored this feeling enough it would go away.

The crowd muttered things to one another and slowly dispersed. Once most of them were gone, Kin and Kon walked out.
"So," Kin said, "Is Lenny really this nice guy you make him out to be? He is a Newman after all."

"Trust me, Kin, Len is a rad guy. Being a Newman doesn't mean anything." Laney smiled, "I could introduce you guys if you want."

"I'll have to judge him from my own encounters." Corey said; his eyes held a tad of anger in them, but Laney pushed the thought away as if it were nothing. He was probably still angry because of all the gigs the Newmans had ruined, but Grojband had taken a few jabs at them as well.

"Trust me, he's-" Laney was interrupted by her phone ringing. Please come back~ Please come back~ My life without you ain't worth jack.~ She quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Lane, I need you're help." Lenny's voice came through. He sounded stressed.

"With what?"

"You know all that shit on the internet about us."

"Yeah."

"Well, Carr saw it and won't believe that we're just friends. She won't even look at me. I don't know how to make her listen to me."

"Len, calm down and take a deep breath. I just went through this with Core and the gang, but it sounds like mine was lower scale. Anyway, I have an idea."

"You do?"

"Yeah, meet me at the park. I hope you don't mind if I bring the band."

"As long as Carr will talk to me again." Lenny sighed, "but make it fast. I can't take this much longer."

Laney smiled and closed her phone, "Guys, lets head to the park."

-SUPER SMART LANEY TRANSITION-

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Lanes?" Corey asked. He felt edgy about helping a Newman.

"I told you, Core. Friends help friends. If you wouldn't talk to me, I'd flip too. Len needs our help."

Corey felt a tad angry at the use of the nickname she had given Lenny. It used to make him feel special that only he had a personal nickname from Laney. They walked into the park and soon found Lenny.

"Lane!" He shouted as he stood up and shook her shoulders, "What's the idea?"

Laney laughed and grabbed his hands gently, "You know the song you sang yesterday?"

Corey growled. A Newman was touching his Laney, and she was letting it happen! Never in his life had he felt such rage. He wanted to pull her away from him, but he knew that doing so would expose his feelings. After what he did to her today, he couldn't risk giving any more hints. He wasn't quite ready to confess as of yet.

"Yeah." Lenny said skeptically. He had a nervous idea where this conversation was heading.

"Sing it to her."

"I can't do that! If she knew that-" He paused and looked at the band, "stuff, she would laugh and still ignore me."

Laney waved a hand in the air with a smile, "Trust me, Len. It's the best road to forgiveness. Girls love it when someone writes a song for them. Musicians are known to make the biggest heartthrobs, you know."

Lenny looked at the ground with a blush, "But what if she doesn't like it? I couldn't take it if she never talked to me again because of the awkwardness."

"Len, she'll love it like nothing else. Trust me." Laney said gently. Lenny looked up into her eyes.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Lenny nodded, "I'll do it."

"Great-"

"If you sing yours too."

Laney was stunned, "B-But-"

"Lane, you've got more courage than you think. Sing the song from that strong heart of yours, and you'll feel great."

"But-"

"I believe in you, Lane." He hugged her and whispered, "plus he needs to know. You two belong together."

Laney took in a large gulp as she hugged him back, "I'll try."

Corey came beside them, "A-hem."

The look-a-likes stumbled apart and stared at the fuming Corey. Corey couldn't take them touching anymore. People who are just friends shouldn't touch eachother so much. No one but he himself was allowed to hug her (in his world anyhow.) So far, Lenny was making a terribly bad impression on him. Laney shot him an embarrassed glance as Lenny spoke again.

"One problem though. We don't have anywhere to preform the songs." He frowned.

Kon piped in, " How about a concert at the garage? It's classic and true to both sides's roots."

"That sounds rocking, Kon!" Kin yelled, "I can prep up the stage with some more gear, and we can send the groupies to spread the word. Tweet the fans about it, and get the Newmans there too. It'll be amazing!"

"Can we pull it off by today?" Laney asked.

"Totally. It's child's play really." Kin smirked, "Give me a few hours and we'll be prepped for the best and only Grojband/Newman special guest concert."

"Cool." Laney fist bumped Kin and Kon, "You guys do that and Len and I will lay out the music we need you to learn."

Lenny shrugged shyly, "Sorry you guys have to learn my song too. Carr and the gang won't even look at me."

"No prob, man. The sooner we play this apology stuff, the sooner we can get you out of hair and go back to not speaking." Corey crossed his arms. His jealousy was not fading one bit.

"Core, Len's a cool guy. Give him a chance, will you? It's not like you to put someone down so much." Laney scolded him.

"Sorry, Lanes. No matter what happens, he's still a Newman. My hatred runs deep."

"He's a sweetheart, Core. Len's cool, and I bet the Newmans are like us in a few ways." Laney argued. Corey scoffed, but Lenny interrupted their spat.

"It's fine, Lane. We've done some pretty bad things to you guys. He has every right to be mad." He muttered sheepishly.

"We've taken a few terrible jabs at you guys too. Guess it was a rivalry thing." Laney smiled, "We should hurry if we want this done by nightfall."

The group nodded and followed Laney to the garage.