Charlie and Ronnie get on track!

I don't own Lemonade Mouth.

Chapter 25

"Stacy, really, how could you?" Veronica was livid. The interview was over, but she was still angry at her friend's betrayal. "You're a better person than this." Stacy wouldn't make eye contact. She was intently working on signing out of her webcast and her I.M. window. She couldn't bring herself to face her vastly morally superior friend. But also, she couldn't bear Veronica being angry with her. Contrite, she finally looked up. "You're right," she mumbled.

"Charlie is a great guy, and you totally betrayed his trust."

"I know."

"And for what? A bunch of people you don't even know?"

"I know."

"It's just that, Stacy, you're a really good person. And you're just not showing that when you give in to gossip like this."

"I know."

"Well, I can't keep being mad when you just sit there and agree with me." Veronica loved Stacy with all her heart. And even though Stacy was totally in the wrong here, Veronica couldn't bear to see her best friend feeling so low.

"Mac, I'm really sorry. I let the growing popularity of my site and all the subscribers get in the way of my ethics. I think I'm not cut out to be a hard-hitting journalist."

"Actually, Stacy, your ethics are exactly what can make you a great journalist. Maybe you can pioneer a totally new era of celebrity journalism: creating deep-probing questions about their actual art, to remind the public of why they are beloved in the first place."

Stacy smiled. "You are so amazing, Mac. You are totally relentless in making the world a sunnier place. I'm so lucky you're my friend."

At that comment, Veronica felt a twinge of guilt over with-holding her friendship with Charlie from Stacy. But she reasoned that the friendship probably wouldn't last much longer, anyway. So, why bother bringing in the extra drama, right? Thankfully, they were interrupted by Stacy's mom knocking and then coming in.

"Ronnie, you ready?"

"Yeah. Bye, Stace." She gave her friend a hug and went home.

Back in Charlie's house, Olivia and Wen finished packing up Wen's computer and equipment. Olivia said, "Charlie? You coming to Dante's with us?"

"No thanks," said Charlie. "I'm still trying to catch up on English homework."

"I'm sorry, was that Charlie talking? You're turning down pizza in favor of homework?" said Wen.

"Don't discourage this!" said Mo. Olivia smiled at Charlie and said, "Good luck."

Charlie bade his friends good-bye. Once he was alone, he opened his I.M. window and sent a message to Veronica. He then opened his English assignment, and attempted to concentrate. He was rescued by the I.M. alert chime of her response.

Her message read, "I can't tell you how sorry I am for letting that question in."

He replied, "What are you saying? You totally saved the day. I can't thank you enough."

"But I left you in the lurch there."

"I was panicked for a few seconds. And your save was amazing! But honestly, I need to start learning how to handle these kinds of questions on my own."

"Perhaps, but I gave you my word that I wouldn't let that happen. My word is important to me. Mostly, we have my chronic clumsiness to blame." She explained about the water spilling and about Stacy seizing the opportunity. She concluded with, "but don't be too hard on her. I have already read her the riot act. And she did say that it's the number one topic that almost all of her subscribers keep pestering her about. But she feels really sorry about embarrassing you."

"I hope this isn't going to harm your friendship."

"Never! The only slight problem is that I haven't been completely forthcoming with her about you and I being friends. But once I tell her, she'll understand. We've been friends all of our lives, and we always will be."

"Well, thank-you again."

"Of course!"

"How's the green hair coming along?"

"Hahaha! So far, so good. I think I'm getting the hang of Stacy's fashion advice, but I want to make it my own."

"Pardon?"

"Well, right now, I kinda look like a Stacy style prototype. I want to make what I wear look stylish but look like me. I guess I'm still trying to figure out what my 'signature' is. Silly?"

"No. We went through that when we were getting more famous. There were stores and designers that wanted us to wear their stuff on stage and in magazines."

"Did you?"

"Yes. It's a funny thing. You need the funding to keep going as a musician, but you have to keep being you. That's a strange line to walk."

"All for money? Don't you make enough from music sales?"

"Not entirely. But it's not just money issues. It's also making connections and not being elitist."

"Wearing your own clothes makes you elitist?"

"Strange, right? But it's actually pretty cool. We've gotten access to some pretty sweet threads."

"I can only imagine! So, you have access to all these clothes, which opens your wardrobe choices to pieces that you didn't know about before. How do you make it yours?"

"That's a trick at first. But then, you get the hang of it. I just pick out stuff that I like. I put the outfit together, and then I run the gauntlet of the rest of the band."

"A la 80's montage scene?"

"No. OK, well kinda. But only for performances."

"hahaha!"

Charlie decided to get brave. "So, um, did the guy like your new look?"

"The guy?" Veronica hit send before she remembered that, in a moment of weakness, she had told Charlie about the whole pathetic Jordan situation.

"The dope who asked you for Stacy's number. Did you turn his head away from her?"

Veronica felt a little giddy inside telling Charlie about this. She tried not to second-guess why he was asking her about this. He's just making conversation. He's just making conversation. He has millions of girls to choose from, and he's hung up on spectacularly gorgeous Mohini… She replied, "Actually, I did."

"Well…?" Charlie was not surprised to find that all-too-familiar lump in his stomach return. All that time of pining for Mo had made it a permanent fixture. It had started to lift the other night when he was I. Veronica, and it completely left him the morning before, after the strange kissing incident (well, almost-kissing incident).

"I turned him down." She smiled at the memory, and at the fantasy that maybe Charlie would like to know that she was no longer interested in Jordon.

Charlie smiled. Actually, the beam from earlier in the evening, the one when he found out that Veronica had taken over the interview, returned. He decided to press his luck. "But why? I thought you were nuts about this guy. And now he's finally come to his senses."

"I told him I'm not interested in being second choice."

"Nice!"

"I've been single all my life so far. And so I can be single a bit longer. I'd rather be alone than be with a guy because he can't be with the girl he really wants."

"No less than you deserve."

Veronica smiled, but she knew he said it out of politeness. It's what you say in response to the kind of statement Veronica made. She wanted to ask him about Mohini, but it seemed inappropriate, considering the events of the interview. Charlie trusted her, and she didn't want to do anything to harm that trust.

However, in the time she was taking to think of what to say next, Charlie wrote again. He said, "Actually, I had an interesting development on that front recently, too."

Before she could stop herself and write something more tactful, Veronica wrote, "Did Mohini finally come to her senses?"

"Sort of." he replied. He told her about Mo trying to kiss him to see if she had feelings for him.

"And? Did she?" Veronica had her own stomach lump growing. She muttered curses to herself for being stupid enough to think Charlie might be interested in her.

"I guess not. She's back with Scott now."

"Ouch! So, not to be graphic, but I'm not getting a clear picture of this. She kissed you, decided she felt nothing, and then went trotting off back to Scott? I'm sorry. I know she's your friend and all, but that all sounds pretty harsh."

Charlie smacked his head. He had left out the most important part. Stomach-lump gone again, Charlie smiled as he typed, "NO! That's not how it happened. She tried to kiss me, and I stopped her."

"Why? It's what you've wanted. Isn't it?" Veronica was a mess of pins, needles, squishy-happy, and stomach lump, all at once.

"Used to want," he replied. "Not anymore. I'm not interested in her anymore."

"Really? Congratulations! It must feel like a huge load off your shoulders."

"It does. Yeah, you'd know, huh?"

"A bit."

Veronica didn't know what else to say. She thought a change of topic was in order. "Did Stella get the posters to you?"

"She did. But you didn't need to do that. I'd have been happy to come get them."

"I know you're super busy. And I didn't want you to go out of your way."

"But it wouldn't have been." And I could see you in person again.

Then, Charlie got bold. "We have some news with the band, but you can't tell anyone yet."

"You can trust me."

"I know I can. This is so exciting. We're going on tour this summer!"

"Wow! Where?"

"I'm not sure. But so far, I've heard all the major cities in the US mentioned."

"How exciting!"

"Well, apparently, this kind of thing is pretty expensive. So, Mel's wants to throw a promotional party, where we play, and they try to court investors and other sponsors. It's supposed to be pretty fancy."

"It sounds interesting and unusual at the same time."

"Unusual how?"

"Well, your audience will be adults. But your fans are teenagers."

"Good point! I guess we'll have to hope that the ones with all the $$$ are parents of teenagers?"

"I imagine so…"

"So, I was wondering."

"Wondering what?"

Now or never, Charlie. You can do this. He was still gun-shy about being totally rejected by Mo the last time he did this. But he knew that there was really only ever one way to find out if a girl was interested. He took a breath, and then he dove in. "I wondered if you would like to go, as my guest?"

Did he just ask me out? No. Impossible. He's just showing gratitude for me helping him. "Wow, thanks! I'd love to."

Wait, does she know I just asked her out? Charlie wasn't sure if he had been clear. He decided to take his bravery one step further and make sure. "I mean, as my date." He stared it for a few moments. He still wasn't sure if he should send it. But, then again, he also knew that he was at the end of his patience with having oh so many friend-girls. If Veronica wasn't interested, it was best to just find out and be done with it. He hit send.

Veronica stared at her screen. She felt giddy all over. Did that really just happen? He really wants to go on a date with me? This was so exciting! She couldn't believe it. And she was so happy about it. But she didn't know how to reply. Up until yesterday, she hadn't been asked out by anyone before, let alone a national heart-throb superstar. But he was no longer any of that to her. He was just Charlie, wonderful, sweet, funny, fellow-music-nerd, so easy to talk to, and yes, pretty darned cute, Charlie. Now, finally, and without holding herself back, she allowed herself to fully realize what she felt about him. She liked Charlie. And apparently, he liked her, too.

Unfortunately, she waited a little too long in her basking. Charlie sent another message, "You there? Did you get my last message?" Oh no! She needed to reply. She didn't know how exactly to say it, and so even though it looked super cheesy, she decided to be as completely clear as possible. She replied, "Yes! I'm here. I'd love to be your date, Charlie."

Charlie was relieved. She replied. Then what her actual reply was finally sank in. Wait. Did she say yes? She did! A girl he liked actually liked him back. This was not a cutie from a throng. This was a real person. And she was such a great "real" person: kind, thoughtful, funny, incredibly smart, music-loving, warm, and super cute. In spite of what his band mates had said about her, Charlie thought she was pretty. He liked her warm eyes with their deep expression. He only saw her in person a couple of times, but those eyes were unforgettable.

They spent the better part of the rest of the night writing to each other. Neither could say how long they stayed up, or even what they really talked about. They only knew how giddy-happy they felt in knowing how they felt about each other.