Disclaimer: I own the title because it's the title of one of the songs I
wrote (but I DO like the song "tangerine sky"ü, and no, it doesn't signify
anything. At least, nothing I've thought of. "No Boundaries" was just too
corny for me, I don't know why I even thought of it.xp), I own Nicole and
her brother and her house, but I don't own anything that really has to do
with SoR. Sad, really.
Author's Notes: squeals Someone likes Nicole!! Hear that, KawaiiHagakeNinja?? SOMEONE LIKES MY OC!! Nyahahaha.ü
Sorry if this is a bit short or something, I've been away at some youth camp my mother made me go to. grumbles but I'm back and have updated!ü so please review me! Thanks so much to all of you! I love you all!ü passes out chocolate chip cookies
P.S. OH YEAH! I really WAS stumped for a cool dance club name, so I ripped off "Save The Last Dance". Sorry! For the record, it's one of my fave movies.ü
Zack entered the den, still drying his hair with a towel. He had to admit, tonight had been one of the best nights he'd had in a long time. Shit had been getting pretty monotonous for a while now. It was all just school, sports and the band. Everyone had been shocked when he joined the basketball team. Well, he had to find something that could kill time. Freddy had soccer, Katie had art class, Summer had...well, everything, so that meant he could have basketball right?
Even the band was on the rocks. No one seemed to want to think about it or talk about it, but it was sitting sweetly in front of them. Dewey was always taking trips out of town, Summer was getting more and more unreasonable, thinking it was her responsibility to take charge now that Dewey was hardly ever around. And slowly, everyone's attention was drifting from the band. It was a rare occurrence now that they had practice with the complete School of Rock. He wasn't even sure if it existed anymore.
'See, man? This is why you shouldn't think,' a voice in his head said knowingly.
Maybe it was true. He'd never really been into anything, well, wrong before. It wasn't really like he hadn't been brought up properly in what his mother would call a 'safe environment', which was why they'd sent him to Martin, one of the top school's in the country. But then, this was all up until he talked to Dewey.
!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!!#!#!#!#!Flashback
"Zack Attack," Dewey nodded, smiling. It was his normal greeting every time they saw each other. Zack slipped into the plastic seat across from his mentor and idol, and nodded in greeting. He had never been much for words. "Thanks for meeting me out here," Dewey said, staring down at the dark brown liquid in his mug.
"No problem," Zack mumbled in response, trying to read the man's expression. Silence fell between them as the sounds of the small diner echoed emptily around them. The small bell by the door gave a small tinkling sound as people came and left, but the sound was the most prominent among the din. Zack wondered why that was.
Dewey finally looked up and looked the 16-year-old straight in the eye. "Zack, I've been thinking about the band..."
Zack smiled, trying to shift the conversation into another direction. Whatever Dewey had to say, he didn't want to hear it. He didn't know whether he was afraid or he wanted to keep the delusion that everything was just as it had been before.
"Yeah, I know, I have too. And I think we're doing great, don't you? I mean, Tomika's been even more awesome ever since she took those classes at Yamaha," he said with enthusiasm he didn't really have. The truth was that Tomika had been going to extreme lengths to try to get thinner, and it was more than affecting the band.
Dewey still looked sad. "Zack, I know you're not stupid. So would you just listen for a bit?" Zack immediately shut up and stared at him. "Aw, c'mon, Zack!" Dewey complained. "Don't look at me like that!"
"Like what?" Zack retorted, keeping the look of innocence on his face.
"Like I'm the bad guy for being the first to say that the band isn't working," Dewey finally said then immediately regretted that he had. "Look, it's not you guys, it's me. Each and every one of you are insane with talent, and here I am, fat and old. I'm holding you guys back, and I'm sure you'll do a lot better without me in the picture. Don't interrupt me yet, Zack," He held up a hand to silence him. "You guys can call me a major coward and I'm sure Spazzy'll wanna kick me, but I'm leaving. I'm moving to LA. If you ever have a concert there, look me up,"
Dewey stood up and smiled at Zack, who just stared at him, hardly daring to believe what he had just heard. The older man looked uncomfortable for a moment then he just clapped a hand on Zack's shoulder.
"You'll do great, Zack Attack. The band's yours now,"
!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!!#!#!#!#!End of Flashback
Zack shook his head, as if doing so would get rid of all the memories and all the pain. He slouched down onto the plush couch beside Freddy, who was watching MTV Cribs and scowling like there was no tomorrow. They could hear Nicole cursing in the kitchen along with the sound of porcelain smashing and pans clashing. Katie stood up to help her.
After a few minutes, the two girls appeared in the doorway, holding two large pitchers of drinks each. "Let's play a drinking game!" Katie exclaimed excitedly.
Nicole suppressed a sigh. The only reason she made the drinks was so that she could get drunk and shit-faced so that she wouldn't have to think about the pool scenario with Freddy, but if they wanted to play, she would too. Groan, the responsibilities of a hostess.
Zack slid off the couch and sat down on the rug beside Katie, who was tugging at the sleeves of the sweater Nicole had loaned her. "Sure, what game?"
"I know!" Freddy surprisingly volunteered. "Truth or dare,"
"Oh, that is so grade school," Katie whined. "But we could add a few twists!" she added with a slight grin.
Zack raised his eyebrows. "Like what?"
"Well, what if someone says something they're never done before, and those who have take a shot of this stuff," The brunette pointed at the pitchers. "And then the one who hasn't has to do a dare. What do you guys think?"
Murmurs of assent echoed and Katie smiled at all of them. "Yay! Who wants to go first?"
Nicole shook her head when Katie asked her to, because she seriously didn't want to participate in anything that had to do with Freddy. She didn't really know why but she just didn't. and not only that, what if Katie asked her about something, like the kiss for instance? Aargh, she wanted to rip her own hair out at the thought.
"Fine," Zack agreed. "I'll go first," His eyebrows drew together in concentration as Nicole swept past him to dim the lights and put on music. "Umm, I've never...gone skinny-dipping? Yeah,"
Surprisingly, Katie, Nicole and Freddy each took the shot. Zack gawked at Katie. Katie? Posh Spice? Wholesome and reserved Katie Brown had gone skinny-dipping? Gasp.
"Katie!?" Freddy asked incredulously.
The girl just scoffed. "The rules don't say anything about explaining,"
"That's because they're YOUR rules," Freddy pointed out.
She tossed him a dirty look. "Oh whatever, Spazzy McGeek. The dilemma at hand is what should we make Zack do?" she said with an evil grin.
Nicole suddenly perked up. "I say we make him go skinny-dipping right now!"
Zack laughed. "Seriously, what do I have to do?" The three of them exchanged looks and then turned to Zack, grinning evilly. You could swear there was this dark, evil aura surrounding the three of them for a moment. "WHAT!? NO!! I AM NOT DIVING INTO THAT POOL BUTTNAKED AND ALONE!" he yelled.
All three of them dived onto Zack, stripping his clothes off. Then Freddy grabbed the skinnier boy and tossed him outside to the pool.
Katie and Nicole were laughing so hard they forgot to breathe. Then out of nowhere, Nicole produced a video camera and taped the whole thing. "Oh, this is priceless. 'Martin High student goes streaking in Palm Springs'," Nicole said as she focused the camera on a very embarrassed Zack.
Freddy finally had enough sense to let Zack back inside and they all apologized. Zack, still red in the face, just downed a whole tumbler and lit a cigarette, muttering something about "never hanging out with these whack-jobs ever again".
This made them laugh even harder but soon they stopped because Zack snapped something about it being Freddy's turn.
The blonde turned extremely pale at this. He chanced a look at Nicole, who had suddenly found the ceiling quite interesting. What would he ask? His eyebrows drew together in thought despite his head screaming at him not to think. (Honestly, why would you even TRY to think when you're drunk?) "I've never...not told anyone that I lo-...like them,"
Zack let out a long breath. "Wow, I'm shocked at your honesty, Jones," he commented right before he took another shot.
Katie and Nicole each took theirs. "So what dare do we make you do?" Katie asked eagerly.
"Well that's easy," Zack snorted. "Make him make out with Nix,"
"What!?" Nicole sputtered, choking on the drink.
Zack laughed and grabbed the video cam. "Oh, very attractive, Nicole,"
The younger girl glared at him and pushed the video cam down. "Go to hell, Mooneyham," she muttered, wiping her chin.
"All in due time, Mathers," he replied, infuriatingly unaffected.
Nicole just rolled her eyes. "Why me? Why is it always me? Make him make out with Katie, for God's sake!" she whined, pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging them.
"Oh, don't be such a baby, Nicole!" Zack complained. "I'm sure Spazzy McGeek's not THAT bad a kisser,"
"HEY!" Freddy punched Zack hard on the arm, making him wince and rub it.
"FINE ALREADY!" Nicole shot up and grabbed Freddy's shirt, dragging him to the direction of her kitchen. He followed, dazed at her sudden change of mind.
Katie and Zack, who had been sitting opposite each other, stared after them.
Freddy stared at his feet, not sure of what to say. Finally, he forced himself to look up at her.
Nicole was sitting on the marble counter top, swinging her legs back and forth so that the heels of her bunny slipper-clad feet banged against the cabinets. She was staring down at her bare legs as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. Her semi-curly hair was messy and flying in all directions, but most of it was pulled into a bun with a pair of chopsticks. She looked like the epitome of chaos, but he thought she looked fascinating, like he'd never seen anything like her before.
"Look," she finally met his gaze. "I'm sorry about that thing by the pool. I just really wasn't expecting that, you know? And, well, I don't know! I just felt bad about Katie,"
His eyebrows went up. "Katie? What about her? What does she have to do with this?"
"Um, everything?!" She looked expectantly at him, but he just shrugged. "You and Katie have been friends for, like, your whole lives, right? Don't you think feel something else for her after all you've been through together? Anything more than camaraderie or whatever the hell you call it? ANYTHING? Coz, y'know, maybe she feels something else for you now. And if you did-"
Freddy shook his head. "Nicole, I'm drunk, sleepy, confused and hurt. If you're gonna say something, just say it. Damn everything else,"
She sighed and leaned back on her palms. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her heels slammed against the wooden cupboard. Finally, she spoke. "I'm not the little miss perfect you think I am, all right?" she spat, as if the words hurt her. "I'm just another blond head in that preppie school for wanna-bes. Do you honestly want that? Or do you just think we'll look cute together as a couple? Coz if it is that, then you're just like everyone else. Everyone treats me nice because they think I'm pretty and this perfect little girl with everything going for her. Is that why you like me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know why I like you," he confessed.
"You're an idiot then," she stated, but she was smiling. "Look, even if the odds weren't against us, it wouldn't have worked out. We both have bands competing against each other by December, there's your fan club," She grinned at him. "and, I dunno, just a lot of other shit,"
"Ever heard of the phrase 'against the odds'?" Freddy snapped, looking a bit angry.
She stared back at him, eyes wide open in surprise. She'd never seen him angry before. He'd always just been, well, cool about everything. Nicole stared down at her black AC/DC tee, for the first time in her life not knowing what to say. Why did this have to be so hard?
"Look, Nix, I'm sorry. Maybe you're right..."
"Damn right, I'm right," Nicole affirmed, looking strangely triumphant but sad at the same time. She wanted everything to be like it was the day before. Just having fun and messing around, none of this sentimental shit.
"Will you let me finish?" He wanted to glare at her but couldn't. He started drumming his hands on the counter top beside her, feeling restless and antsy. The alcohol was catching up. And fast. "Maybe you're right," he said again. "but I don't believe you."
Nicole sighed and took off her chopsticks, letting her hair fall around her face. "OK, you want the truth? I felt like I was betraying Katie when you kissed me. If you aren't aware of it, Katie's mad in love with you. Always has been, according to Zack. So why don't you just ask her out or something? At least she likes you back."
"You mean you don't like me?"
She yanked her hair and looked at him desperately. "No, I didn't say that! I like you but I can't go against Katie by going out with you! So what if you kissed me, it was just a kiss, right? It's not like we're hooking up! So go out there and make-out with Katie!" She looked like she was on the verge of strangling him.
Freddy stared down at his hands as they tapped some frantic beat on the marble. For some reason he grabbed the chopsticks and used them as sort of drumsticks, tapping the beat of "Smells like teen spirit".
"Well, say something," Nicole pleaded from beside him.
Freddy sat on the marble counter top as well and hugged her. "You know, you didn't have to tell me that. I know about Katie," he mumbled, noticing guiltily how her hair smelled like citrus and lilacs.
Shocked, the shorter girl's mouth fell open. "What!? Then why in the hell did you do that thing in the pool?" she demanded, pulling away from him.
"Because I didn't care about Katie at that moment. All I cared about was you. I don't like you because I think you're pretty and some other shit like that. I think we fit together. Like pieces of a puzzle. You know when you try to force this one last piece into it by twisting it? I don't have to do that with you. Everything about you just seems to fit. You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" He looked at her helplessly.
Nicole felt her stomach drop a few meters. "I do, actually."
"Then why can't you just give it a chance? If it doesn't work out, I swear I'll never bother you about this ever again."
She frowned. "Never again?"
He realized what he had said. Could he even go a day without talking to her? "Er..."
"You can't not talk to me. You love me because I'm gorgeous and perfect and you want me so damn bad!" Nicole stated teasingly, nudging his shoulder and making them both laugh.
"So is that a yes?"
"Maybe," she smiled coyly.
"Stop playing with me! You're just too mean!" Freddy whined, marveling at how he was acting remarkably like a 5 year old.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Fred, can't we please just go back to the way things were? I mean, weren't we having fun then and shit?"
"If I answer your question it's just gonna bring us back to square one. Either you like me or you don't. It's a one-word answer, Nix, its not that hard," He sounded pissed, and she couldn't blame him.
She stared down at her feet and wiggled her toes, making it look like the bunny on her slipper was wrinkling its nose up at her. She was dimly aware that Freddy was staring at her feet too. "Fine," she breathed. "I like you. Happy?"
"Very," He finally grinned at her, making her stomach do a flip-flop. Whoops. Not a good sign.
"But wait! This doesn't mean that-"
"Nic?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up." And he met her lips in another kiss. This time it was far from innocent.
"Ungh..." Katie moaned, trying to bury herself back into the blankets. Dang, it was so cold even for October. She finally climbed out of bed, her head spinning. The smell of incense assaulted her nostrils as she made her way to the open balcony window.
Nicole was Indian seated on the railing, the back of her palms flat against her knees and her thumb and middle fingers touched. Her eyes were closed. Was she meditating? Her hair fell straight and was blowing slightly in a non-existent breeze.
"Nic?" Katie groaned, feeling her throat stick. Never ever get drunk again, Katie Brown, she told herself. It was her new mantra.
The younger girl's eyes opened and she grinned. "Morning, Sunshine," She hopped down and Katie saw that she was wearing surf shorts and a sleeveless white top, despite the cold. "You all right?"
"Yeah, what were you doing?" Katie asked. She was wearing a pair of Nicole's silk blue pajama bottoms and a white Led Zeppelin tee.
"My way of getting rid of a hangover," she replied, tossing Katie the blanket she had brought outside with her.
Katie wrapped it around her, muttering 'thanks'. Should she ask her about last night?
"Nicole, I was just wondering..." she began. Katie Brown was not good with confrontations. "if..."
"If?" Nicole prompted, trying her hair into a high ponytail.
"IF YOU HAVE ANY CIGARETTES LEFT?!" Zack's voice came from the balcony beside them. He was leaning over the railing, looking like he hadn't slept all night. His white t-shirt was rumpled and his shorts were creased in about a million places, not to mention birds could've nested in his hair and he wouldn't have noticed.
Nicole grinned and tossed over her case. "You don't have to yell, we can hear you fine. Go down and eat breakfast, Mooneyham! Chef made your fave pancakes!"
Fave pancakes? Katie didn't even know Zack liked pancakes.
"Freddy's still sleeping!" Zack called back, now rummaging in his pockets for his trusty lighter with the skull and green flame.
"STOP YELLING!" She screamed. "Can you show Katie down then?" Turning to the other girl, she said, "We don't really eat in the kitchen where we made the drinks. Its so much more fun to eat outside, so Zack's gonna take you there, RIGHT ZACK?"
The older boy muttered something incoherent as he took a long, life-giving drag on his cigarette. "Meet you out in the hall, Posh. Oh, and prince charming's still asleep, so maybe you should go get a fog horn and end his beauty sleep."
The two girls laughed and made their way out to the hall.
A/N: Short chapter? Heehee, tell me what you think, then! See the button? Press it!!ü
Thanks so much to all my reviewers! I'll update as soon as I can after jazz class tomorrow!ü
Author's Notes: squeals Someone likes Nicole!! Hear that, KawaiiHagakeNinja?? SOMEONE LIKES MY OC!! Nyahahaha.ü
Sorry if this is a bit short or something, I've been away at some youth camp my mother made me go to. grumbles but I'm back and have updated!ü so please review me! Thanks so much to all of you! I love you all!ü passes out chocolate chip cookies
P.S. OH YEAH! I really WAS stumped for a cool dance club name, so I ripped off "Save The Last Dance". Sorry! For the record, it's one of my fave movies.ü
Zack entered the den, still drying his hair with a towel. He had to admit, tonight had been one of the best nights he'd had in a long time. Shit had been getting pretty monotonous for a while now. It was all just school, sports and the band. Everyone had been shocked when he joined the basketball team. Well, he had to find something that could kill time. Freddy had soccer, Katie had art class, Summer had...well, everything, so that meant he could have basketball right?
Even the band was on the rocks. No one seemed to want to think about it or talk about it, but it was sitting sweetly in front of them. Dewey was always taking trips out of town, Summer was getting more and more unreasonable, thinking it was her responsibility to take charge now that Dewey was hardly ever around. And slowly, everyone's attention was drifting from the band. It was a rare occurrence now that they had practice with the complete School of Rock. He wasn't even sure if it existed anymore.
'See, man? This is why you shouldn't think,' a voice in his head said knowingly.
Maybe it was true. He'd never really been into anything, well, wrong before. It wasn't really like he hadn't been brought up properly in what his mother would call a 'safe environment', which was why they'd sent him to Martin, one of the top school's in the country. But then, this was all up until he talked to Dewey.
!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!!#!#!#!#!Flashback
"Zack Attack," Dewey nodded, smiling. It was his normal greeting every time they saw each other. Zack slipped into the plastic seat across from his mentor and idol, and nodded in greeting. He had never been much for words. "Thanks for meeting me out here," Dewey said, staring down at the dark brown liquid in his mug.
"No problem," Zack mumbled in response, trying to read the man's expression. Silence fell between them as the sounds of the small diner echoed emptily around them. The small bell by the door gave a small tinkling sound as people came and left, but the sound was the most prominent among the din. Zack wondered why that was.
Dewey finally looked up and looked the 16-year-old straight in the eye. "Zack, I've been thinking about the band..."
Zack smiled, trying to shift the conversation into another direction. Whatever Dewey had to say, he didn't want to hear it. He didn't know whether he was afraid or he wanted to keep the delusion that everything was just as it had been before.
"Yeah, I know, I have too. And I think we're doing great, don't you? I mean, Tomika's been even more awesome ever since she took those classes at Yamaha," he said with enthusiasm he didn't really have. The truth was that Tomika had been going to extreme lengths to try to get thinner, and it was more than affecting the band.
Dewey still looked sad. "Zack, I know you're not stupid. So would you just listen for a bit?" Zack immediately shut up and stared at him. "Aw, c'mon, Zack!" Dewey complained. "Don't look at me like that!"
"Like what?" Zack retorted, keeping the look of innocence on his face.
"Like I'm the bad guy for being the first to say that the band isn't working," Dewey finally said then immediately regretted that he had. "Look, it's not you guys, it's me. Each and every one of you are insane with talent, and here I am, fat and old. I'm holding you guys back, and I'm sure you'll do a lot better without me in the picture. Don't interrupt me yet, Zack," He held up a hand to silence him. "You guys can call me a major coward and I'm sure Spazzy'll wanna kick me, but I'm leaving. I'm moving to LA. If you ever have a concert there, look me up,"
Dewey stood up and smiled at Zack, who just stared at him, hardly daring to believe what he had just heard. The older man looked uncomfortable for a moment then he just clapped a hand on Zack's shoulder.
"You'll do great, Zack Attack. The band's yours now,"
!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!!#!#!#!#!End of Flashback
Zack shook his head, as if doing so would get rid of all the memories and all the pain. He slouched down onto the plush couch beside Freddy, who was watching MTV Cribs and scowling like there was no tomorrow. They could hear Nicole cursing in the kitchen along with the sound of porcelain smashing and pans clashing. Katie stood up to help her.
After a few minutes, the two girls appeared in the doorway, holding two large pitchers of drinks each. "Let's play a drinking game!" Katie exclaimed excitedly.
Nicole suppressed a sigh. The only reason she made the drinks was so that she could get drunk and shit-faced so that she wouldn't have to think about the pool scenario with Freddy, but if they wanted to play, she would too. Groan, the responsibilities of a hostess.
Zack slid off the couch and sat down on the rug beside Katie, who was tugging at the sleeves of the sweater Nicole had loaned her. "Sure, what game?"
"I know!" Freddy surprisingly volunteered. "Truth or dare,"
"Oh, that is so grade school," Katie whined. "But we could add a few twists!" she added with a slight grin.
Zack raised his eyebrows. "Like what?"
"Well, what if someone says something they're never done before, and those who have take a shot of this stuff," The brunette pointed at the pitchers. "And then the one who hasn't has to do a dare. What do you guys think?"
Murmurs of assent echoed and Katie smiled at all of them. "Yay! Who wants to go first?"
Nicole shook her head when Katie asked her to, because she seriously didn't want to participate in anything that had to do with Freddy. She didn't really know why but she just didn't. and not only that, what if Katie asked her about something, like the kiss for instance? Aargh, she wanted to rip her own hair out at the thought.
"Fine," Zack agreed. "I'll go first," His eyebrows drew together in concentration as Nicole swept past him to dim the lights and put on music. "Umm, I've never...gone skinny-dipping? Yeah,"
Surprisingly, Katie, Nicole and Freddy each took the shot. Zack gawked at Katie. Katie? Posh Spice? Wholesome and reserved Katie Brown had gone skinny-dipping? Gasp.
"Katie!?" Freddy asked incredulously.
The girl just scoffed. "The rules don't say anything about explaining,"
"That's because they're YOUR rules," Freddy pointed out.
She tossed him a dirty look. "Oh whatever, Spazzy McGeek. The dilemma at hand is what should we make Zack do?" she said with an evil grin.
Nicole suddenly perked up. "I say we make him go skinny-dipping right now!"
Zack laughed. "Seriously, what do I have to do?" The three of them exchanged looks and then turned to Zack, grinning evilly. You could swear there was this dark, evil aura surrounding the three of them for a moment. "WHAT!? NO!! I AM NOT DIVING INTO THAT POOL BUTTNAKED AND ALONE!" he yelled.
All three of them dived onto Zack, stripping his clothes off. Then Freddy grabbed the skinnier boy and tossed him outside to the pool.
Katie and Nicole were laughing so hard they forgot to breathe. Then out of nowhere, Nicole produced a video camera and taped the whole thing. "Oh, this is priceless. 'Martin High student goes streaking in Palm Springs'," Nicole said as she focused the camera on a very embarrassed Zack.
Freddy finally had enough sense to let Zack back inside and they all apologized. Zack, still red in the face, just downed a whole tumbler and lit a cigarette, muttering something about "never hanging out with these whack-jobs ever again".
This made them laugh even harder but soon they stopped because Zack snapped something about it being Freddy's turn.
The blonde turned extremely pale at this. He chanced a look at Nicole, who had suddenly found the ceiling quite interesting. What would he ask? His eyebrows drew together in thought despite his head screaming at him not to think. (Honestly, why would you even TRY to think when you're drunk?) "I've never...not told anyone that I lo-...like them,"
Zack let out a long breath. "Wow, I'm shocked at your honesty, Jones," he commented right before he took another shot.
Katie and Nicole each took theirs. "So what dare do we make you do?" Katie asked eagerly.
"Well that's easy," Zack snorted. "Make him make out with Nix,"
"What!?" Nicole sputtered, choking on the drink.
Zack laughed and grabbed the video cam. "Oh, very attractive, Nicole,"
The younger girl glared at him and pushed the video cam down. "Go to hell, Mooneyham," she muttered, wiping her chin.
"All in due time, Mathers," he replied, infuriatingly unaffected.
Nicole just rolled her eyes. "Why me? Why is it always me? Make him make out with Katie, for God's sake!" she whined, pulling her knees up to her chin and hugging them.
"Oh, don't be such a baby, Nicole!" Zack complained. "I'm sure Spazzy McGeek's not THAT bad a kisser,"
"HEY!" Freddy punched Zack hard on the arm, making him wince and rub it.
"FINE ALREADY!" Nicole shot up and grabbed Freddy's shirt, dragging him to the direction of her kitchen. He followed, dazed at her sudden change of mind.
Katie and Zack, who had been sitting opposite each other, stared after them.
Freddy stared at his feet, not sure of what to say. Finally, he forced himself to look up at her.
Nicole was sitting on the marble counter top, swinging her legs back and forth so that the heels of her bunny slipper-clad feet banged against the cabinets. She was staring down at her bare legs as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. Her semi-curly hair was messy and flying in all directions, but most of it was pulled into a bun with a pair of chopsticks. She looked like the epitome of chaos, but he thought she looked fascinating, like he'd never seen anything like her before.
"Look," she finally met his gaze. "I'm sorry about that thing by the pool. I just really wasn't expecting that, you know? And, well, I don't know! I just felt bad about Katie,"
His eyebrows went up. "Katie? What about her? What does she have to do with this?"
"Um, everything?!" She looked expectantly at him, but he just shrugged. "You and Katie have been friends for, like, your whole lives, right? Don't you think feel something else for her after all you've been through together? Anything more than camaraderie or whatever the hell you call it? ANYTHING? Coz, y'know, maybe she feels something else for you now. And if you did-"
Freddy shook his head. "Nicole, I'm drunk, sleepy, confused and hurt. If you're gonna say something, just say it. Damn everything else,"
She sighed and leaned back on her palms. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her heels slammed against the wooden cupboard. Finally, she spoke. "I'm not the little miss perfect you think I am, all right?" she spat, as if the words hurt her. "I'm just another blond head in that preppie school for wanna-bes. Do you honestly want that? Or do you just think we'll look cute together as a couple? Coz if it is that, then you're just like everyone else. Everyone treats me nice because they think I'm pretty and this perfect little girl with everything going for her. Is that why you like me?"
He shook his head. "I don't know why I like you," he confessed.
"You're an idiot then," she stated, but she was smiling. "Look, even if the odds weren't against us, it wouldn't have worked out. We both have bands competing against each other by December, there's your fan club," She grinned at him. "and, I dunno, just a lot of other shit,"
"Ever heard of the phrase 'against the odds'?" Freddy snapped, looking a bit angry.
She stared back at him, eyes wide open in surprise. She'd never seen him angry before. He'd always just been, well, cool about everything. Nicole stared down at her black AC/DC tee, for the first time in her life not knowing what to say. Why did this have to be so hard?
"Look, Nix, I'm sorry. Maybe you're right..."
"Damn right, I'm right," Nicole affirmed, looking strangely triumphant but sad at the same time. She wanted everything to be like it was the day before. Just having fun and messing around, none of this sentimental shit.
"Will you let me finish?" He wanted to glare at her but couldn't. He started drumming his hands on the counter top beside her, feeling restless and antsy. The alcohol was catching up. And fast. "Maybe you're right," he said again. "but I don't believe you."
Nicole sighed and took off her chopsticks, letting her hair fall around her face. "OK, you want the truth? I felt like I was betraying Katie when you kissed me. If you aren't aware of it, Katie's mad in love with you. Always has been, according to Zack. So why don't you just ask her out or something? At least she likes you back."
"You mean you don't like me?"
She yanked her hair and looked at him desperately. "No, I didn't say that! I like you but I can't go against Katie by going out with you! So what if you kissed me, it was just a kiss, right? It's not like we're hooking up! So go out there and make-out with Katie!" She looked like she was on the verge of strangling him.
Freddy stared down at his hands as they tapped some frantic beat on the marble. For some reason he grabbed the chopsticks and used them as sort of drumsticks, tapping the beat of "Smells like teen spirit".
"Well, say something," Nicole pleaded from beside him.
Freddy sat on the marble counter top as well and hugged her. "You know, you didn't have to tell me that. I know about Katie," he mumbled, noticing guiltily how her hair smelled like citrus and lilacs.
Shocked, the shorter girl's mouth fell open. "What!? Then why in the hell did you do that thing in the pool?" she demanded, pulling away from him.
"Because I didn't care about Katie at that moment. All I cared about was you. I don't like you because I think you're pretty and some other shit like that. I think we fit together. Like pieces of a puzzle. You know when you try to force this one last piece into it by twisting it? I don't have to do that with you. Everything about you just seems to fit. You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" He looked at her helplessly.
Nicole felt her stomach drop a few meters. "I do, actually."
"Then why can't you just give it a chance? If it doesn't work out, I swear I'll never bother you about this ever again."
She frowned. "Never again?"
He realized what he had said. Could he even go a day without talking to her? "Er..."
"You can't not talk to me. You love me because I'm gorgeous and perfect and you want me so damn bad!" Nicole stated teasingly, nudging his shoulder and making them both laugh.
"So is that a yes?"
"Maybe," she smiled coyly.
"Stop playing with me! You're just too mean!" Freddy whined, marveling at how he was acting remarkably like a 5 year old.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Fred, can't we please just go back to the way things were? I mean, weren't we having fun then and shit?"
"If I answer your question it's just gonna bring us back to square one. Either you like me or you don't. It's a one-word answer, Nix, its not that hard," He sounded pissed, and she couldn't blame him.
She stared down at her feet and wiggled her toes, making it look like the bunny on her slipper was wrinkling its nose up at her. She was dimly aware that Freddy was staring at her feet too. "Fine," she breathed. "I like you. Happy?"
"Very," He finally grinned at her, making her stomach do a flip-flop. Whoops. Not a good sign.
"But wait! This doesn't mean that-"
"Nic?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up." And he met her lips in another kiss. This time it was far from innocent.
"Ungh..." Katie moaned, trying to bury herself back into the blankets. Dang, it was so cold even for October. She finally climbed out of bed, her head spinning. The smell of incense assaulted her nostrils as she made her way to the open balcony window.
Nicole was Indian seated on the railing, the back of her palms flat against her knees and her thumb and middle fingers touched. Her eyes were closed. Was she meditating? Her hair fell straight and was blowing slightly in a non-existent breeze.
"Nic?" Katie groaned, feeling her throat stick. Never ever get drunk again, Katie Brown, she told herself. It was her new mantra.
The younger girl's eyes opened and she grinned. "Morning, Sunshine," She hopped down and Katie saw that she was wearing surf shorts and a sleeveless white top, despite the cold. "You all right?"
"Yeah, what were you doing?" Katie asked. She was wearing a pair of Nicole's silk blue pajama bottoms and a white Led Zeppelin tee.
"My way of getting rid of a hangover," she replied, tossing Katie the blanket she had brought outside with her.
Katie wrapped it around her, muttering 'thanks'. Should she ask her about last night?
"Nicole, I was just wondering..." she began. Katie Brown was not good with confrontations. "if..."
"If?" Nicole prompted, trying her hair into a high ponytail.
"IF YOU HAVE ANY CIGARETTES LEFT?!" Zack's voice came from the balcony beside them. He was leaning over the railing, looking like he hadn't slept all night. His white t-shirt was rumpled and his shorts were creased in about a million places, not to mention birds could've nested in his hair and he wouldn't have noticed.
Nicole grinned and tossed over her case. "You don't have to yell, we can hear you fine. Go down and eat breakfast, Mooneyham! Chef made your fave pancakes!"
Fave pancakes? Katie didn't even know Zack liked pancakes.
"Freddy's still sleeping!" Zack called back, now rummaging in his pockets for his trusty lighter with the skull and green flame.
"STOP YELLING!" She screamed. "Can you show Katie down then?" Turning to the other girl, she said, "We don't really eat in the kitchen where we made the drinks. Its so much more fun to eat outside, so Zack's gonna take you there, RIGHT ZACK?"
The older boy muttered something incoherent as he took a long, life-giving drag on his cigarette. "Meet you out in the hall, Posh. Oh, and prince charming's still asleep, so maybe you should go get a fog horn and end his beauty sleep."
The two girls laughed and made their way out to the hall.
A/N: Short chapter? Heehee, tell me what you think, then! See the button? Press it!!ü
Thanks so much to all my reviewers! I'll update as soon as I can after jazz class tomorrow!ü