Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. At all.

A/N: This idea came sort of quickly. I sort of think this is coming too soon, but at the same time I think it's the perfect time to put this in. So, I hope you like this one.

SilliSavviSmiles: Thank you so so much! I hope you like this one too. I don't think I've updated so fast in a while.

Chapter 26: "You're Not Going to Like This..." (October 29, 2013)

Summer:

"Thank you all! Goodnight!" Ryan shouted to the crowd. He was closing our fifth show, located in Philadelphia. We were going to get a long weekend break before traveling to our next location. But sadly, my weekend would be spent working.

Why? Because during all of this chaos, I forgot that I scheduled the School of Rock to appear in New York City. I can't exactly tell the location, it's sold out already. Basically, we're legally bound to perform to a full house and it can't be rescheduled.

Because this was our first performance in a while (but in the entertainment world it's like an eternity), we're also obligated to do some large interviews that I also scheduled before everything happened. So tonight, I'm flying back home to get everything done.

I followed the boys back to the tour bus, going through multiple crowds of screaming fans. Some were actually for me and I was so shocked. As we got on the bus, a girl actually jumped on the back of it and security had to peel her off.

I gasped, "Wow. Your fans are...devoted."

James nodded, "Yes, and we appreciate that. But we're not huge fans of stunts like that. Dangerous and whatnot."

"Yes," Nick said, coming in from the back - he probably finished watching security drag the girl away, "but let's stop worrying about that. You need to pack."

"Done," I said, gesturing to my smaller suitcase. "You forgot. I was a Girl Scout. I'm always prepared."

He laughed, "Of course."

Zack:

"Zack?" Lawrence asked, sniffling, "You there?"

"Yeah, man. What's wrong? Sounds like you got hit with a truck," I said into the phone.

"I'm sick. It's the flu. Not the swine flu, though, or the bird flu. You know, just flu." he said, breaking into a fit of coughing and sneezing.

"I'm sorry. But why didn't you call Summer? She's the problem solver."

"Well, you were closer on my calls list. I gotta go, okay? My mom doesn't really know about my phone." Lawrence said, hanging up. I looked at the phone for a second, then closed it.

I walked over to the kitchen, where Katie was attempting to cook for us. It's almost impossible for delivery people to get to the door because of the reporters. We're practically on lockdown. I'm not even sure where all of them came from, how they figured out where Freddy lived, and why they even cared. Our band was barely a blip on the radar at the moment.

"So, I have to call Summer before she gets on the plane. We have an emergency," I said, sitting at the counter.

Katie looked up from a pot of what I hope is soup, "What happened?"

"Lawrence is really sick. He can barely get through a sentence without coughing or sneezing."

She dropped her spoon in the pot. "Oh, that's just great," she said, trying to fish it out. "But we have no keyboard replacement. This isn't good. We have a full house!"

"I know," I said. "I'm gonna go call her in the bathroom, so Freddy won't hear."

Katie sighed, "Zack, he's stronger now. I think he can take it." She continued to fish for the spoon. "Oh, and tell her to bring some food. I'm pretty sure I just melted the last of Freddy's spoons."

"Well, I'm not taking my chances. And, I'll ask." I said as I walked to the downstairs bathroom.

Summer:

"Hey, Zack. What's up? I'm going on the plane and I'm going to be there in a few hours. Can it wait?"

"No. It really can't. Lawrence is really sick. He's in no shape to perform," Zack said, there was clearly some alarm in his voice.

I froze, "But he's never sick! That's why we have no backup for him. None of us know how to play it."

"I know," he said calmly, "That's why I called. We need your magical manager skills to fix this."

I started pacing up and down the tour bus, "Um, who do I know that can play keyboard?" I said as I closed my eyes. But then it dawned on me. "Of course! I got it!" And walked to the back so I could be alone. "Zack, you're not going to like this."

Zack:

"What?!" I yelled into the phone. "No. You can't do that. This is going to bring nothing but trouble."

"I know, Zack, but we have a room full of fans. We can't let them down. This is the only way I can fix it. Otherwise, you can start learning how to play the keyboard and the guitar at the same time," Summer said.

I sighed, "But this will be awful. You can't bring Gavin. Freddy will...well I have no idea what will happen. I mean, you're his ex - and Nick is your new boyfriend. He's just coming around again."

I heard her let out a small huff, "He's not my boyfriend. I'll keep them separate. I promise. He won't be in any interviews, because he's not actually part of the band. He'll be out of the way for all of that. Everything will be okay."

"Alright. I guess it's the best you can do. I'll find a way to tell Freddy. We can't just spring this on him. Oh, and can you pick up some food?" I said, completely changing the subject, "Katie has failed at cooking again."

"That's fine. I'll see you in a little while." Before she hung up, she said: "Gav, pack your bags. You're coming with me." I closed my phone again. This will not be fun. I slowly walked back out to the kitchen, where Katie finally admitted defeat and was pouring everything into the sink.

She held out a bent piece of metal, "I got it!"

"That's great," I said, rolling my eyes. "I have good news and bad news." I waited for her to nod before continuing. "The good news is, Summer found a last minute replacement. Oh, and she's bringing food."

"Yes! I knew she could," Katie said as she threw the spoon in the garbage.

"The bad news is, the replacement is Gavin."

She didn't even seem to be surprised. "Well, aside from the fact that Freddy just hates him, I can't imagine what the problem is. Summer found a replacement, and we're not disappointing any fans. Plus, having an ultra famous musician will boost publicity." She glanced towards the front of the house, "Not that that's a problem right now."

I sighed, "But that is part of the bad news! We have to deal with Freddy and Nick being on the same stage. We'll lose any progress we made with Freddy."

"Then we'll keep them apart. I'm sure it'll be fine. Summer's magical like that. Now, you have to go tell Freddy."

I groaned, "Will you come?"

"No," she said, pushing me towards the stairs, "He's your best friend. Now, go!" I gave her a dirty look as I went up the stairs.

Freddy was sitting in the hallway (not sure why). "Hey," he said, nodding.

"Hey. Listen, I have to tell you something. It's very important and I don't want you to get upset." I paused, trying to read his expression. "Please don't hit me."

"You haven't even told me anything."

I nodded. "Right. I forgot. So.." I said, taking a deep breath, "LawrenceissicksoSummerhadtofindareplacementandwed idn'thaveareplacementsoshehadtouseGavinandI'msosor ry."

He blinked, trying to figure out what I just said, "What?"

I took another deep breath, "Lawrence is really sick. We don't have a backup for him, becuase he's never sick. So I had to call Summer and the only person we could get was Gavin. I'm sorry. Please don't hit me. Hit the wall."

He sighed, "I'm not going to hit you. I haven't hit anyone in a long time."

"So are you okay then?"

He took a few minutes to answer, "Not really." I hugged him and he quickly wriggled away. "Personal bubble, man."

"Sorry. But, I'd also like to add a few other things that may make it worse or help." He looked up at me so I decided to continue, "We're going to do a few interviews. All of which will include Summer, but will not include Gavin. She made it clear that he won't because he's not part of the band."

He nodded, "I think I can deal with that."

"Oh, and Summer's coming here in about an hour because Katie has officially killed all your spoons and dinner. So, she's bringing us food." I looked at him, and he looked pale.

"That," he said, "I'm not so okay about. It makes me nervous. I think I'm gonna be sick." Freddy ran for the bathroom. I don't think I ever want to be in love if that's what happens when you're upset.

Summer:

I was riding home with Gavin, in the middle of explaining where to go when we got out of the car. "So, you'll go into my house and Adrian will show you to the guest room. Here's my keys," I said, handing him my set of keys. "I have to go drop the food off, then I'll be there in a second. I promise."

"Alright. That's fine with me," Gavin said, putting the keys in his pocket. The car came to a stop. We managed to make it through the reporters. I honestly didn't believe Katie's story about the street being flooded with reporters and photographers. Apparently, they're taking night shifts now. I dropped my bags off at the front door with Gavin and made my way over to Freddy's, going through the same reporters again. I opened the door with my set of keys.

"Guys? I'm home."

Freddy:

As soon as I heard her, I almost ran for the stairs. I forgot about any fights, being mad at her, or anything else. But I stopped myself and settled for looking around the corner of the wall every few seconds.

Summer:

"Okay, I have three slices of regular pizza for Zack," handing him one bag. "One slice of broccoli pizza for Katie," handing her that bag and another. "This is baked ziti for Freddy. I know he's sick of pizza."

"Oh, that's so beautiful," Zack said quietly, "You still care."

I looked down at the floor, "Um, listen guys, I gotta go unpack for tomorrow. I'm leaving through the back. You wanna come, Kates?"

"Sure!" Katie said, following me out the door.

Freddy:

I felt some hope. She still cared.

A/N: I'm sorry if you thought Freddy was a little, well, mushy. But thanks for reading and R&R.