Hey guys, enjoy this next installment, guys! Hopefully this will be longer than the previous chapter.

To see artwork of this fanfiction, head to my dA page.

Fixed a few errors and edited some paragraphs. I hope you enjoy!


Laney slipped through her door, dropped her bass case, and jumped on her bed. The mattress retaliated on the impact, sending her up for a split second. Laney sighed, rolling onto her side. Even though Larry's hymn put their minds back into the music playing groove, she was still stumped on how to stop Corey and Carrie from lashing out at each other. They were as stubborn as mules when it came to their rivalry.

"I wish they would lighten up already..."

So you wanna play with my drink?

Boy, you should know what you're fallin' for?

Baby, do you dare to do this?

'Cause I'm comin' at ya like a dark horse!

That was her phone. Laney pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked who was calling. It was an unknown number. "Huh?" She blinked, slightly shocked. Whose number was this? She tried to rack her brain to think of where the number originated from, but nothing came to her head. When the rings reached their last one, red head pressed the speaker phone button and lied back down on her bed.

"Hello?"

"Laney! Thank God, I thought you wouldn't pick up!"

"Larry?" She took note of the worry in his voice. "What's wrong? Why aren't you texting me?"

"That's the thing; Carrie swiped my phone when you left!"

"She what?!" Laney shot up, terrified. If Carrie found the conversations she and Larry had over the past few weeks, their secret would be out! "W-what happened?!"

"I don't know! When we were done singing that Irish hymn and when you and your band left, she just pounced at me and grabbed my phone! I didn't even have a chance to react or get it back from her!"

Laney's heart dropped to the lowest pits of hell. Carrie had Larry's phone. Larry's phone had conversations that involved her and their dates. This was bad beyond words. Her grip on her phone tightened as she hugged her knees. "L-Larry...what are we going to do if she sees our conversations...?"

"See, that's the weird part...Before she took my phone away, I was actually deleting our conversations."

Laney loosened up, her eyes frozen in their wide diameter. "Y-you what?"

"I'm sorry! I really, really didn't want to delete them, but I've been feeling eyes in the back of head lately, and I felt as if it was the best idea! I-"

"Larry, you scared me for a moment! I thought she found out!"

"At first I thought so too, but as I was explaining, I guess my mind flashed back and I remembered what I was doing!" There was a sigh on the other end, and Laney sighed as well, slouching back on her bed. "Larry, you seriously don't realize the kind of heart attack you gave me."

"I know, I know...I'm sorry, Lanes."

Laney smiled softly, a light blush painting her cheeks. How could she stay mad at someone as sweet as him? "It's okay...Larrs." They shared a short laugh.

"So, you wanna hang out tonight?"

Laney grinned at the idea of seeing him again, but she sighed heavily. "You know I would say yes, but thing is, my family's having this big barbeque tonight, so I can't miss it."

"Oh, I see." Strangely, Larry didn't sound disappointed. Or, Laney didn't catch it at least. "You don't sound as upset as I thought you'd be, Larry."

"Actually, I am a bit disappointed...But I've been thinking..." He trailed off, and Laney felt that he was probably trying to find the right words. Laney blinked, waiting patiently for him to finish. She heard him clear his throat and she brought the phone closer.

"...I was thinking that this would be the perfect time for me to meet your parents!"

Laney froze. Was he being serious? "Larry, are you sure you want to do that? My dad hasn't been in a good mood recently, and-"

"-Laney, I know how your dad can react. He nearly had my head when I tried to kiss you two weeks ago."

Laney's cheeks flushed red at the memory. However, she quickly shook the thoughts from her head and continued to talk. "But this a family thing, Larry...I don't know if it'll be okay with my folks."

"Well, it can't hurt to ask. And if they say no, then I'm more than willing to schedule a date so we can all talk in peace."

Laney had to hand it to him. Not many guys would be eager to meet their date's parents, but then again, Larry wasn't like most guys. This action said a lot about his personality and his willingness to be with her. Blushing, Laney told him to hang on and got up from her bed.

As she went downstairs, Laney should could hear her parents setting up the backyard for the barbeque. Her father laughed pleasantly as her mother tried to set up the chairs around the patio. Laney stopped in the doorway to smile at them. Even in their long time of being married, they still got along like newlyweds.

"Mom, Dad?"

The two of them turned to their daughter, smiling eagerly. It wasn't really well known, but the Penn family was known for their barbeques, and every year they had something like this to look forward to.

"What's up, Laney?" Her dad asked as he replaced the firewood in the smoker. Laney could smell the cooking roasts, briskets, and ribs already and her stomach growled hungrily. Her mother smiled, "you sound ready for today's barbeque, hun!"

"Well, that's actually why I came down," Laney rubbed the back of her head as she stepped outside. Her parents stared at her with a mix of curiosity and concern in their expressions.

Once the bassist worked up the courage, she looked up at them as she rubbed her arm. "D-do you think it's okay if the boy I've been dating comes along to meet you guys and the family?"

There was a moment of silence (which made Laney think she was going to pass out). But once her parents recovered from the shock, her father's face twisted into a glare. "Absolutely n-!"

"Of course he can!"

"Huh?!" Both Laney and her dad stared at her mother, appalled by her reaction. While Laney's reaction was more joyful, her husband seemed to have problem. As Laney expected. Her father told Laney to hold tight and ushered his wife away, out of earshot.

"Are you serious!? Why are we going to let him come to the barbeque?"

"Babe, listen, this will be the perfect opportunity to see what he's like! And think about it," she smiled when she looked at Laney, taking her her happy expression. "Since when have you seen Laney this eager to bring a boy here? Corey's the only guy she's ever crushed on, so this would be a good first step in helping her cope with her feelings and move on!"

Her husband sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, hun...The first time I saw this kid, he was trying to kiss her! I don't like guys that try to kiss my daughter in their first date!"

"But, babe, that wasn't their first date. It was only their third one." She smiled at her husband, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Besides, he's willing to meet us. That's saying something because it shows that he really does want to be with our Laney."

He sighed, looking down at the ground. He then turned his head to look at Laney, noticing how hopeful her expression was. It was true. Laney really did want Larry to come, and Larry really was willing to risk looking like an idiot if it meant being her boyfriend. With a heavy sigh, Laney's father nodded with a small smile.

"Alright. He can come."

Beaming, Laney raced towards her parents and jumped into their arms. "Oh my God, thank you so much! I promise you'll love him by the end of the night!"


Corey walked through the park with his guitar case slung over his shoulder. He couldn't get Carrie out of his head. The way she lunged at Larry today shocked him beyond words, and the way she wrestled him to the ground kind of scared him a little. All for a phone?

"Ugh, what am I thinking?!" He shook his head vigorously, dismissing the thought. "As if I'm scared of a Newman!" The word Newman dripped off his tongue like a cobra's venom. He hated that band with a passion, but something inside him had a hint of doubt. Why did he hate the Newmans so much? Moreover, why did he hate Carrie Beff so much?

'Because she's a Newman, that's why!' One side of his mind cried.

'Yes, but what did she personally do to you?' The other side debated, restoring Corey's humanity towards her. 'She's a human being with dreams of being a musician; just like you!'

'So what?! That doesn't mean she has to shove her face in my business about how I run the band! She thinks she's such hot shit because her band is slightly more well known!'

'And why is that?'

'Because she has Mina as a sister, who advertises Trina all around town!'

'Or, maybe because she makes her own lyrics? Or that she actually tries to make her own even if they aren't first place material?'

"Okay, mental fight stops now!" Corey shook his head even more furiously than before. He was driving himself crazy! He sighed. It didn't matter that Mayor Mellow wants them to make up for their damage on the festival. It didn't matter that he couldn't make his own lyrics. Hell, it didn't matter that Grojband and the Newmans had to work together. He just didn't want to be outshined. He wanted to make his band successful, just as much as Carrie wanted to make hers successful.

'That's probably why we're fighting so much...'

'That, and that you don't want her to know you have a crush on her.'

Corey's face ignited into an inferno-related heat. "No, no, NO! I do not, repeat: DO NOT, have a crush on Carrie Beff! That wouldn't happen in a million- billion- years!" He growled at himself. How could such stupid thoughts invade his mind? He hated all that disgusting lovey-dovey stuff with a passion!

Right?

"L-let go of me!"

"Aw, don't be like that, babe!"

"Hey, get off!"

"Come with us for a while!"

Corey turned his head, watching as three men harass a woman and her friend as they exited a cafe. The two women tried to get out the grips of the men, but they were outnumbered two to three. They held them by their arms and waists, smirking smugly and full of lust. Corey glared at them, stopping in his tracks.

One of the men turned to Corey, taking in his sharp glare. He smirked at the blue-haired guitarist. "What are you looking at, kid?"

"Let them go. They clearly don't want to go with you."

"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it, shortie?"

Corey gave them a wry smile.


There was a knock at the door, and Laney raced down to get it. "I got it, Mom!"

"Thanks, honey!"

Laney stopped at the door, taking in a breath. She changed from her traditional green and black striped tank top and yellow shirt to a yellow tank top and green and black striped blouse, her hair clip now had a orange flower on it, and she straightened up her makeup a little as well. She smiled; everything seemed to be perfect.

Laney then opened the door, greeting Larry as he stood on the porch, his fist raised to knock on the door. "Hey, Larry!" The male bassist blinked, taking in Laney's new attire. Although she only changed her hair clip and her shirt, it was enough to make the Newman bassist go red. "Uh...hey Laney! Wow..."

Laney looked down at the floor, smiling sheepishly as she shuffled her feet. "I'm glad you could make it, dude." She brushed her hair behind her ear as her cheeks went pink. He seemed to have taken a precaution to look nice as well. He too replaced his original tops with a green undershirt and a black dress shirt. Around his neck was a gold dogtag necklace with his named engraved, and hung around his neck by a balled chain. Larry grinned at her as she stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

"Like I'd miss this!" He looked around, noticing that it was kind of quiet. Laney smiled and took his hand. "Everyone's outside. C'mon! They're waiting for us." Larry grinned as he followed Laney to the backyard. As he glanced around, he noticed Laney's house was a little small, but it seemed to fit them. On Larry's right were the stairs that lead to the bedrooms, and on the left, there was large flat screen TV against the wall, held up by a small cabinet full of movies and video games. A leather armchair, loveseat, and sofa were behind a glass coffee table, resting on a carpeted floor that ended by the hallway.

The hallway was tiled white, and it lead directly to the kitchen and backyard. A smaller hallway, before the kitchen and behind the stairs, led to a bathroom, and door beside the bathroom led to the basement/man cave. The kitchen was modern, with nearly up-to-date appliances and kitchenware. Against the wall, away from the counters was a circular glass table with four black chairs with leather cushions. The end of the kitchen had a sliding door with a screen, leading to the backyard.

The backyard was huge compared to the house, and Larry was surprised on how big Laney's family was. There was as many people here as there tiki torches set around the area. A large concrete patio took up about a quarter of the entrance, complete with a smoker, barbeque, and a Hawaiian-styled bar. A swing set, sandbox, and tree house were on the left side of backyard, and further back was diy covered by a canopy with a fire pit in the middle. Beside the diy was hammock with two oil lamps on the trees holding it up. On the right side was a large inground pool, complete with a slide, diving bored, and hot tub not far from it.

Larry looked at Laney, amazed. "Are you parents stealing from Fort Knox or something?" Laney giggled, playfully punching the male red head on the arm. "Very funny, dude! But no. My mom works as a chef at a hotel, and my dad's an expert interior designer in the city." She then pointed to the playground, sandbox, and tree house where the youngest family members seemed to be playing. "Those are my cousins on my dad's side...,"

Laney pointed to the diy, "...my mom and her sisters like to hang out there. My mom's the one with the bottle of wine." Larry noticed Laney's mother once she pointed her out. She was indeed holding the bottle, but only for refilling her glass or her sisters'. Larry then saw that there were four women at the diy as apposed to two. It didn't matter to him however. He was always 'the more the merrier' kind of guy. He followed Laney's finger to the pool, and she told him her uncles and the older cousins were there. Larry noticed there were only three kids that seemed to be remotely close to their age. Lastly, Laney then pointed to the smoker and barbeque, and the man by them. "And that's my dad!"

Laney's father perked up at the word 'dad', and turned to see Laney and Larry by the door. "Ah, there's my girl with the guest of honor!"

"Daaad!" Laney snickered at Larry's reddening face. The Newman bassist extended his hand towards Laney's father, smiling as the man of the house approached them. "It's an honor to properly meet you, sir! And thank you for letting me come here, even if I'm not a family member. My name's Larry Nepp."

"Yeah, I know your name, kid." He shook Larry's hand. "Laney hasn't stopped talking about ever since you guys kissed! Right, Laney?" He smirked and winked at his daughter.

"DAD!" Laney shrieked, mortified. She could hear her cousins laughing by the poolside, causing her to hide her reddening face in her hands. Larry wasn't that far off either. In fact, he was nearly as red as his hair. Laney's dad laughed pleasantly as he winked at the two bass players. "Just playin', Laney! Why don't you go introduce him to everyone else?"

Laney pouted, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms. Larry sheepishly rubbed his head, trying to forget what just happened. "Well, I wouldn't mind meeting everyone."

"Ha, ya better not!" Laney smirked as she dragged him towards the diy.


Carrie walked along the sidewalk, hoping to get the groceries before dark. She hated walking alone at night, so she tried to quicken her pace as the sun began to set. She could see the grocery store in the distance and gave out a sigh of relief. "Almost there!"

"Do you think that boy's alright?"

Carrie looked over her shoulder, spotting two women talking to a police officer. The officer seemed to be taking down notes. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Strange thing is, I can't seem to find him..."

"He shouldn't be too hard to find...He had blue hair, after all."

'Blue hair?' Carrie's mind instantly thought of Corey, but she shook them away. "No, that can't be right..." Quickly, Carrie ran towards the market, hoping to shake the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. She turned a corner, but then stopped when she saw someone sitting down against the wall. Or rather, slouching down.

"Riffin?!" In the shadows was none other than Corey Riffin himself. His clothes were a mess and his hair was sticking out in all directions. Carrie couldn't tell in the low light, but there seemed to be blood stained on his face and hands. Corey looked through the corner of his eye, spotting Carrie. "Oh, it's you..."

"What happened to you?!" Carrie rushed to his side, examining the blood. There weren't any major cuts, but Corey definitely seemed like in a weakened state. Carrie the noticed his guitar case; it was dented with blood stained on it. She hoped it wasn't his. Corey sighed, cringing in pain. "There were three guys harassing these girls...I couldn't just walk away...They needed help- ow!"

"Don't move." Carrie placed a hand on his shoulder as she pulled out some napkins from her pocket. She gently patted Corey's face, soaking up the blood. "How stupid of you! Fighting and getting hurt like this! You're like a stray cat!"

"Ow!" Corey flinched as Carrie began to roughly clean up the blood on his face. "Not so hard, damn it!"

Carrie blinked at Corey, shocked that he actually swore. Even though he was 13, he was the last person she'd expect to use foul language. "Well, if you weren't so stubborn and reckless, you wouldn't be in this mess."

"I'm not stubborn, you're the stubborn one here." Corey glanced at her through the corner of his eye. Carrie rolled her eyes and brushed away blue strands away from his eyes. "You're a mess, Riffin. We gotta get you to a hospital."

"It's not that serious...I was just resting here." Corey's eyelids seemed to droop down as he said that. Carrie stared at him, but shook her head. As much as she hated the male guitarist, she couldn't leave him here. It would eat away at her subconscious until she did something to either make up for it or actually act on the moment. Following her conscious, Carrie slid her hands under Corey's arms, trying to pull him up.

"C'mon, you gotta stand!"

"I can't...Too tired..." Corey slipped out of her grip, his head landing on her lap. Carrie froze as her face flushed a deep shade of red. "Hey! Get off, you're heavy!"

"I'm hurt..."

"Riffin! Hey!" Carrie tugged at his hair roughly, yet gently. The Grojband leader refused to move. He whispered something and then rested his head against her knees. Carrie shivered, but it wasn't from the cool spring air. "Corey!" Carrie's cheeks felt as if they were on fire. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to wake him up, it could worsen his condition. But at the same time, she didn't want him on her knees; much less be in her personal space to begin with.

'He couldn't have fallen asleep that fast...'

Carrie noticed that his hair was tickling her, so she ran her fingers through his tangled locks of hair, brushing them away from his face. 'He has such soft hair...it's as if he were a big cat.' She stared at him, taking in his expression. His face was angled up towards her, and it was amazingly peaceful. His body relaxed as he dozed off, his warmth radiating onto her own skin. Carrie couldn't help but smile. She had never seen someone such at ease before, it amazed her on how carefree he was. 'He'd be cuter if he were like this all the time.'

Carrie froze. Cuter? Where did that come from? 'As if I like him!' Despite that their bands were complete rivals, there were times where she'd stop and think that they too were people with hopes and dreams; it was only by chance that their bands met and became rivals. She sighed, the memories of the past few weeks replaying her head. She and Corey were extremely selfish by spending more time arguing than actually practicing.

"I'll have to apologize to them tomorrow..."

Corey stirred, startling Carrie. He mumbled something in his sleep, and the female guitarist leaned in to hear what he had to say. 'What did he say...?' She suddenly saw Corey smile, nuzzling on Carrie's lap, enjoying the warmth. "You smell so nice, Carrie..."

Her heart stopped in its tracks. Did she just hear what she thought she did? Appalled, Carrie stared at Corey, noticing that his expression went back to its usual sleepy self. 'W-what in the world is going here?!'

It didn't matter if Corey said it awake or asleep, all that Carrie could focus on was that Corey did indeed have a crush on his genderbent rival.


And here is my next update. Hopefully this will spark some new excitement for future chapters!