Authors Note: First off, I want to deeply apologize to everyone for taking so long with this newest chapter. Too much stuff had happened recently, and I haven't been able to find a good chunk of time to sit down and actually type. I promise that, with one chapter left, I will update much sooner.
Thanks for reading!
Corey growled in frustration. He had spent a good proportion of the day attempting to come up with his own lyrics, but so far he had failed miserably. Trina had mysteriously left in the morning and had left no indication of where she was going. Without being able to make her have a diary freak out, Corey was about to start an important gig with no lyrics to sing. It didn't look good.
"Anything yet?" Kin suddenly appeared behind him.
Corey shook his head.
"Nothing. The gig starts in 20 minutes and Grojband doesn't even have a song. Couple that with the fact that we're missing two of our band members, it's starting to look pretty bleak for us"
Kin sighed in frustration. Where could Laney and his brother possibly be? He remembered specifically telling Kon the gig was going to be a 7:00. Did his twin just forget? And what about Laney? Why was she so late?
"Well, at least everything is ready to go when they get here. All the instruments are hooked up properly and everything is in its place. The only thing we can do now, is wait,"
"But what if they don't come at all? Lanes is always here at least an hour early to make sure everything is ready to go. That's why she's the manager after all. But I haven't seen her at all today. You don't think something could have happened…"
Kin shook his head, yet Corey's words cut straight into his heart. He too believed that something might have happened to his red haired friend. But his main concern was not that something prevented Laney from coming, but more that she refused to go at all. Perhaps she had discovered his feeling for her and, in her embarrassment, refused to go near him at all. It was that singular thought that terrified Kin the most.
"Hey Kin, can I ask you something?" Corey suddenly spoke.
Kin was snapped out of his paranoia and turned to his friend.
"Uh, sure. What is it?"
"Do you think Laney is angry with me? Like, so angry that she doesn't even want to see me by not coming to the gig?"
Kin couldn't help but smile at the mirroring of Corey's worries and his own. He placed a comforting hand on his leader's shoulders and patted it gently.
"I doubt it dude. Laney can get mad at times, so mad its hard to figure out if you should run or get a protective suit of armor, but she always means well. Not to mention, she could never stay mad at you for that long. She likes you way too much for that to happen"
Corey nodded, the supportive words sinking deep within his mind. Standing up straight, he picked up his guitar and strummed a few noted.
"What are you doing?" Kin asked.
"Practicing. I refuse to believe that Laney and Kon won't make. They'll be here, and Grojband is gonna rock the socks off of everyone in that audience. Wanna join me?"
Kin smiled and walked up to his keyboard. Though he loved Laney with all his heart, he couldn't help but also feel that Corey was the one she deserved. As long as she was happy, so was he.
"Ready?"
"Ready"
(Get There Fast Transition)
"I had no idea a car could go that fast?" Laney muttered.
Her companions nodded in agreement, their faces stricken in terror. Only the driver, Nick Mallory, held somewhat of a smile on his face. He turned back to the pre-teens and flashed a wide grin.
"So, how did Nick Mallory do?"
"You're nuts" Carrie whispered.
"I agree" Larry said beside her.
Like Nick Mallory, Larry wanted to make up for what he put Laney through by helping her return the rest of the coins. That, and he wanted to spend a little bit more time with Carrie.
"Thanks for the ride Nick" Kon said. He turned to Laney with an urgent look on his face. "We have 15 minutes"
The red head nodded and got out of the car. Nick had placed them just outside the back door, meaning it would be no problem to find Corey and Kin before the gig started. Kon scrambled out o the car after her and the two ran inside.
"Core. Kin" Laney called in a loud voice.
"Lanes? Is that really you? We're over by the stage" Corey called back.
Kon and Laney followed their leader advice and found him playing his guitar in strums. Kin seemed to have been playing with him.
"There you guys are. We've been worried sick" Kin sighed with relief.
"We had to, uh, complete a few errands first" Kon rubbed the back of his head.
Corey sat down his guitar.
"What kinds of errands?"
Laney drew in a deep breath and pulled out the remaining coins. The first one looked like the type of trick coin that a magician would use, which means it was probably Kin's. That meant that the only one left was for…
"What's up Lanes? You look like you just saw a ghost or something" Corey smiled.
Laney took the trick coin and threw it to Kin in a fluid motion. The keyboardist caught it in mid air, and examined it.
"What is…?"
He wasn't able to finish the sentence however, the coins magic already taking its effect. After a moment of absence, Kin seemed to have come back to reality.
"What the heck was that?" he exclaimed.
Laney ignored him and stared at Corey. Drawing all her strength, she sucked back the tears that had threatened to streak down her face.
"Corey…" she spoke, "I think its time you got this back. I don't deserve to have it, and I'm sorry I took it from you in the first place. I hope you can forgive me"
Corey grinned and wrapped Laney in a hug.
"I'm not exactly sure what that means, but whatever you did is okay with me Lanes. I love you too much to let something you took from me ruin that."
Laney pushed Corey away, the guilt in her heart already growing larger.
"You don't love me Core, you never did. I took your coin from the fountain and you became obsessed with me. That's all there is to it"
This time, Laney was unable to keep back the flow of slat water that cascaded down her face. Taking Corey's hand, she placed the coin in his palm and closed his fingers around it.
"Thanks for everything Core. Even if it wasn't real, it was the greatest time of my life"
Corey stared at the object in his hand with confusion as Laney took a step back. Any second now, Corey would become free of the curse and only think of her as a friend. It was the only way this could all end.
"Was, uh, something supposed to happen?" Corey asked,
Kon glanced at his friend in confusion. He turned to Laney and found her with the exact same expression as himself.
"You don't feel anything? Anything at all?" Laney asked.
"Not really. Why?"
"Are you sure" Kon interjected. "You don't feel any different?"
Corey nodded his head. He flicked the coin into the air and caught it in his palm again.
"Absolutely nothing" he grinned.
"B-but, you threw the coin into the fountain. This should have fixed you" Laney said
"I never threw a coin into the Peaceville fountain. I always though the story about true love was kinda made up, so I never really tried it myself"
Laney felt her heart skip a beat. If Corey never threw a coin into the fountain, then he hadn't been under the influence of the curse. That would mean…
"You really love me," Laney gasped.
Corey rolled his eyes and pulled Laney into a kiss.
"Of course I love you Lanes" he said after they separated,
" I thought I just said that"
Laney couldn't stop the raw emotion that had erupted within her, she grabbed Corey's waist and pulled him into the most powerful hug known to mankind. Not enough to break his back, but more than efficient in displaying how she never wanted to let him go.
"Uh, guys"
Corey and Laney turned towards and worried looking Kin.
"We go on in 2 minutes"
The two friends separated and blushed heavily. Remembering another thing she meant to give Corey, Laney pulled out a familiar looking pink book.
"Trina's diary! How did you manage that?" Corey asked.
Laney merely shrugged and threw the book of lyrical ideas at her boyfriend.
"Just hurry up and get us some lyrics. We still have a gig to play"
Corey nodded. It was time to show everyone what Grojband could do.
