A/N: I had finally gotten on the computer (after TEN DAYS!). I had finally written out my chapter (took me all night). But then the computer decided to bugger up and DIE (NOOOOOO!). Had to get new computer. Had to write chapter all over again. *Sulk*. Want cookie. *Sulk*. Want hug. *Sulk, sulk*.
Jessierose: Thanks! Yayness! Having a School of Rock category is SO COOL, isn't it???
mydracomalfoy: Not literally killing you, I hope
picklesniper: Yay! Two more cookies! *hugs picklesniper*
audi katia: No, trust me, it is NOT good that my brother is home! To get bold and italics, you have to save your chapter as an HTML. And the school play is called 'Shake, Ripple and Roll'. It's set in an ice-cream parlour in 1950's America. It's a lot better than it sounds, trust me!
high five: I'll fight my brother if you help me - he's scary!
the fourth wheel: Thank you!
Kaos: what the HELL are you on???? Whaddya mean, your fic is nowhere near as good as mine? Yours is way better! Okay?!?!?!?!? OKAY?!?!?!?!?
Megan: I AM in your debt! You are my current favourite person (along with Kevin Clark, of course!) LOL!
CassandraBloodrayne: Aww, I didn't mean to get you all worried over the flu. . .actually, wait a minute. . .yes, I DID mean to get you worried! Lol!
wiseoldman: No, I can't kick my brother off! I can try. . .but then you might not get an update at all. Because I'll be DEAD.
Freddysgurl8904: Thank you for all of your reviews!
saxistwriterchick: I wasn't aware that I was actually doing proper cliffies. . .
LennyLJsavesALL: Thank you, I'm glad you like the Freddy/Katie aspect. I was worried I was piling it on too much, but hey. . .
mimai: I LOVE KEVIN CLARK AS WELL! Wooooo!
Jewelkitten: Thank you. And your name is groovy!
Tituba: They might get together, you never know. . .
Aitene: Thanks for commenting on that. I realise now that it's easier to tune a guitar by yourself, but I was basing it on what my sister does. She gets me to hold her guitar for her while she tunes it - of course, that could just be my sister. . .being 'unique' as always!
J.C.: Tell your mum that it's healthy to cry at fan fiction, it helps you show your emotions. . .wow, I'm talking a load of crap, aren't I? LOL!
Kuramie and Kaiaramith: Thank you!
Ashley: Here you are - I've written more!
Chisara Notell: Will Freddy be awake? Read on to find out! OMG I have a crap immune system as well, it's SO annoying, isn't it?????
dstrbd child: Cool name. I hope Freddy's okay as well. . .I don't control the keyboard - the keyboard controls me. . .
funkychicken_cluck_cluck: It's not that I don't have belief in myself - it's just that I know I'm not good enough to get any of my work published! Yes, they are American, but the reason they keep saying 'mum' is because I'm British (as you should know!) and that's just what I automatically type in. I would LOVE to join your 'We H8 Pop' club!
The CheezHead: Wow! I love cheese as well! It's the greatest thing, isn't it????? (apart from Kevin Clark, of course!)
adriane: Yeah, Katie's mum is pretty cool, isn't she? But please don't growl at me - it's kinda scary!
Miss. Perfect's shadow: Thank you!
ChibiYugiYasha: Thanks for both of your reviews. BTW, your name's. . .interesting!
S.S.I: Your favourite??? Dude, that's so nice of you to say so! Aww! *gives S.S.I a very big hug*
Princess642: Thank you - I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Disclaimer: I've said it before, and hey, I'll say it again - I. Own. Nothing.
IMPORTANT NOTICE - I HAVE NO MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE AT ALL. IF SOMETHING IS WRONG, PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. THANK YOU!
You'd Better Get Me To School On Time: chapter six
There was something strange - eerie - about the hushed silence that came over everyone as soon as they entered the room. A number of possibilities as to why everyone was so silent floated through Katie's mind before she realised - it may have had something to do with the fact that Freddy was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. And so, the silence remained, no one wanting to be the first to break it.
"He's so pale," Marta eventually whispered. He looks so strange. . .not himself, she thought. He really did look strange though. His hair was no longer in his trademark spikes, instead laying flat against his head, partly covering the small gash just below his hairline.
"How did that happen?" Lawrence thought out loud.
"It must have been when he hit his head," Katie replied softly, feeling a small pang of guilt. She reached out to move his hair out of his eyes. But when her fingers brushed against his skin, to her (and everyone else's) surprise, he responded by murmuring and rolling his head towards them. "Freddy?" His eyelids fluttered, but he did not wake up.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Zack asked in frustration. He wanted his best friend to wake up!
"It's because of his fever," a plump nurse with red hair pulled back in two fat pigtails told them. "It went up to 104 yesterday. We've got him on an albuterol drip to help bring his temperature down though, so it should be okay."
"When will he wake up then?"
"Most likely when his temp comes down. But even then, it probably won't be for long - the fever will have weakened him, so he'll be sleeping loads of the time."
"We should leave him to it then," Dewey said. His suggestion was met with a rally of loud protests, causing him to hold up his hands in defence. "Okay, okay, okay. Idea. I'll make you a deal - how about you guys swing past my place after school tomorrow, and I'll give y'all a lift down here. Yeah?"
"You promise?" Summer asked. Dewey nodded.
"Promise." Summer chewed her lip, then nodded in agreement. "How about the rest of you? You guys in?"
"Well. . .I don't really want to go. . .but I guess we can't stay here forever," Marta said slowly.
"Wow, she shows logic," Alicia muttered under her breath. Marta threw a scowl in her direction. Alicia ignored it, and turned to Dewey. "Yeah. We're in."
"Come on then." One by one, the band trooped out of the room. Just before Zack walked out, he turned back to find Katie still at Freddy's side.
"Hey Katie," he called gently. "Aren't you coming?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I just. . ." Zack walked over to her.
"Hey," he said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be okay, you know."
"I know." She leaned forward and gently kissed Freddy's forehead. Then, without saying a word, she turned and left the room.
Zack watched Katie leave, with a kind of longing in his heart. He liked Katie. He had always liked Katie. And ever since the band had started up, he'd started really liking Katie. But it had always been so hard for him, knowing she didn't have feelings for him. Everyone knew who Katie liked. . . Freddy, of course, knew about Katie liking him. He'd always known, and he took great pleasure in teasing her lightly about it. Zack remembered one such incident. . .
*~*~*~*
"Admit it, you know I am!"
"No way! You're too big-headed for your own good Jones!"
"Alright then, put a bet on it."
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Scared?"
"No."
"Good! Ten bucks on it?"
"Fine, okay." Freddy grinned as Zack took a ten dollar bill out of his pocket and put it down on the table. Then he leaned forwards in his chair, to where Katie was sitting, fiddling with her bass.
"Hey Katie." She looked up. "Can I ask you something?"
"Um. . .yeah."
"Well, me and Zack have got a bet on. Who d'ya think is better looking, me or him?" Katie went bright pink.
"Um. . .um. . .I - you - I mean, you both - um. . ."
"Oh Katie! Not me then? I'm devastated!" Katie went even pinker, if that were possible. Mumbling something they couldn't quite make out, she set down her bass and scuttled off to join Marta and Alicia on the other side of the room. Freddy sat back with a huge grin on his face.
"Freddy, that's not fair!" Zack protested. "You know she likes you!" Freddy raised an eyebrow.
"Tough luck Moonyham. I win! Hand over the cash!" The grin was wiped off of his face when Zack punched him hard on his shoulder. "Ouch."
*~*~*~*
"Hello? Hello? Anyone home? Zack Attack?" When Zack heard his old band name, he came back to earth with a thump.
"Huh?"
"It's me. Alicia. You awake, spaceman?" Alicia quipped, waving her hands in his face. He batted them away.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I was just - I kinda spaced out."
"Obviously."
"Shut up." Alicia laughed.
"Come on, the others are waiting by the van. They're wondering where you went."
"Oh." Zack left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He set off down the corridor, Alicia beside him.
"You okay?" She asked gently. "You seem kinda - strange."
"Yeah. I'm just tired." Alicia was about to say something else when she was rudely interrupted by something - someone? - crashing into her.
"Katie!"
"Sor - sorry," Katie gasped.
"Are you okay?" Zack asked. "You look like you're about to keel over."
"Out. . .of breath," she said between gasps. "Run. . .all the way. . .from car park. . ."
"Why?"
"Left bag behind. . .have to catch bus. . .going into town for mom. . ."
"Okay. Try not to have a heart attack though." Katie poked her tongue out at him and continued haring up the hallway. Alicia and Zack exchanged a look before continuing out of the door, towards the car park.
* * * * *
She couldn't how easy that had been. Everyone had believed her. Catching the bus into town? Hardly likely. She was going to stay right here, in the hospital. She couldn't leave him alone again. . .she cared too much. . .
Katie rounded the corner and came to the all-too familiar door. She pushed it open a fraction, and peered in. The same nurse was there, the one with the red hair.
"Damn!" She hissed quietly. But apparently not quiet enough, for the nurse looked up and smiled at her.
"It's okay, you can come in," she said. Katie walked in, and carefully shut the door behind her. "There's a chair over there -" she gestured towards the corner - "if you want to sit down." Katie hesitated. "Do you want to be alone?"
"How did you. . ." The nurse winked.
"Never you mind how I know. You just sit down, and I'm going to get a coffee. Do you want one?"
"Um. . .yes, please." The nurse quickly exited the room, her eyes twinkling. Katie felt very, very confused as to what had just happened, but pushed it to the back of her mind, pulled the chair over to the bed, and sat down, trying to ignore the albuterol drip that he was on - for some reason, it made her feel slightly ill. "Hey Freddy," she whispered, stroking his hair. "You'd better wake up soon, you're beginning to make us worry!" She sighed. "Especially me. Right, I'm gonna do this, no kidding around now."
She shifted forward in her chair and took a deep breath. "I really, really - really like you. I mean, seriously like you. According to Summer, you already know that. Hey, how could you not? All those you were teasing me. . .not that I minded. I thought it was kind of funny. And I was happy that you were paying attention to me! But here I am, going off the subject." She sighed again, more heavily this time. "I don't know why I'm telling you this now - you probably can't hear me. Mind you, I probably wouldn't be able to say it to your face."
There was a noise outside the door. Katie froze, for some reason convinced that it was one of the band. But then there was a cry of, "Oh, damn!", followed by a scuffling sound, and then footsteps that echoed away down the hall. Katie relaxed. Someone had dropped something, that was all. She turned back to Freddy.
"I should probably go," she said sadly. "Believe me, I don't want to. But I kinda told the band I'd catch a bus. . .so I should go and catch it. 'Bye." She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the forehead. Then, before she had a clue what she doing, she was touching her lips to his. . .
* * * * *
His head felt fuzzy. Painful. Incredibly painful. Warm. Too warm. The heat was almost too much. What was going on? Where was he? What was wrong with him? So many questions. . .
There was a voice. A female voice. Who was it? And what was she saying? ". . .seriously like you. . .paying attention to me. . .can't hear me. . ." Silence. No. He wanted to hear that voice again. He didn't know why, but it was strangely comforting. ". . .probably go. . ." No! Don't go! his mind screamed. ". . .don't want to. . .catch a bus. . .'bye. . ." There was a moment of silence before he could feel something soft on his lips. Was someone kissing him? With an incredible amount of effort, he forced his eyes open - to see Katie.
* * * * *
Katie pulled back after kissing him, completely shocked. She'd never really done anything like that before. But there was a bigger shock in store for her. . . .
Freddy was awake.
A/N: Oh my god, that SUCKED!!! That was nowhere NEAR as good as the original! Damn my bloody computer for dying!!!! PLEASE don't flame me for that, I know it was terrible, but please don't flame me anyway! Euhm. . .I'm gonna shut up now.