~*A/N: I have attempted to reach the demand of a particular reviewer, and
to get it out today, Monday, March 29, 2004. But in doing so, I don't
believe it was completely up to par, and I know it's not the best I can do,
so therefore I am acknowledging thus, and I am in no need of flamers saying
that I suck, and that my plot is unoriginal, blah blah blah. I know that
already, and tell myself that on a basis, so I HATE flames, since they are
of the opinion that I do not have feelings. Ah well, read and review
please. Thanks to all those that have in the past. You're kind words really
made my day.*~
**Chapter 5**
Arin angrily shut the water off and wrapped a towel about herself, swearing all the while. The insistent tones of the doorbell jarred the sounds of silence. Her aunt Ruby had taken the kids to see some babyish movie, and she had declined going.
Trailing wet puddles as she crossed the hall and the living room, she felt more annoyed than ever before as she neared the door. Flustered, she pulled it open with a loud indignant cry of "What?!". She caught sight of Freddy standing there, his finger preparing to ring the doorbell one more time.
"Oh! It's you Freddy." She smiled hesitantly.
His eyes widened in surprise, and then glanced away from her, blushing furiously.
"Sorry." He mumbled, fighting the insane urge to laugh, or to look up again.
"You'd better be." She said icily, her teeth chattering. "I'm freezing my ass off, so if you don't mind, you can either come in, or you can let me shut the door."
"I'll come in." He grinned and watched her scowl darkly.
"Think this is funny? Oh yeah, real funny when I'm standing in only a towel and I can't talk without my teeth chattering." She slammed the door behind him, and disappeared. Freddy leaned against the doorframe of the living room door, and waited, hearing the sound of a hairdryer. A few minutes later she appeared fully clothed, and ready to take on the world, and armed with a mop, cleaned the trail of water that ran down the hall.
"So what did you want?" Arin was considerably less hostile now that she was clad in more than a towel. Freddy nodded nonchalantly, inspecting her chosen outfit.
"Movie night, remember?" He reminded.
"Ah, yes." She smacked her head with her hand, "I almost forgot. What are we seeing?"
"Not sure, but I'm thinking Summer might gang up on us guys and make us suffer the torture of chick flicks." Freddy looked a little queasy when he said that, making Arin laugh.
"What, you're not a fan of cheesy teen angst and melodrama?" She asked, grabbing her coat from the back of a chair. He shot her a look that conveyed his thoughts about the subject.
"Good. Neither am I. I have my own problems to sort out, much less watch someone else try to get over theirs. Some of them are laughable though."
"Right. I'll take your word for it. Just kidding."
He slid into the seat of his car, which was still running, and turned to Arin as she did the same.
"What?" She asked, perplexed.
"Nothing. You get to meet the other members of the band like Marco, and Gordon, and Billy. What do you say to that?"
"Oh joy." Arin looked calm and peaceful, even after her run in with Freddy. "Tell me, what was it like back in fourth grade? I mean, when you guys formed a band?"
A smile graced the features of the blonde drummer as he reminisced in times gone past. "Honestly it was totally awesome. I can't believe all the shit we went through just to make that Battle of the Bands."
"But hey, that was really cool. Not a lot of fourth graders get that chance to do something like that." She resumed watching the trees go by, something she hadn't done for quite a few weeks now.
"Yeah. I can't believe how much some people have changed and how little some people have."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Billy is still the same, which may or may not be a good thing. Alicia got her braces off, and she grew quite a few inches. Zack hasn't changed, and neither has Lawrence, or Marta. Tomika lost a lot of weight, for health reasons I heard. And Katie's changed too. She grew up. But she still likes that hairstyle she had when she was in fourth grade for some reason."
"I know you like her a little." Arin said quietly, her eyes downcast. Freddy couldn't read her expression. Never really could for any of the girls in his school. But he could tell if someone was pissed off with him, that's what came with practice. Lucky for him, that was not what Arin appeared to be holding.
"Yeah, I do a little." He admitted. "But as a close friend. You know that feeling, right?"
"Definitely." Arin smiled slightly. She turned her head, and Freddy realized that at some point she had streaked her hair red. Not a bad look, since red looked pretty good on black.
"When did you streak your hair?"
"A few days ago."
"And I didn't hear of this?"
"You're just not very perceptive." She teased him as they pulled into the driveway of a nicely kept home.
"I guess that might account for something. We're here."
Arin got out tentatively, feeling a little out of place, but she fell into step with Freddy anyways. The boy glanced over to her for a second before ringing the doorbell. Zack's mom answered the door, and smiled a little distrustfully. Freddy just beamed as charmingly as possible, and brushed past her, Arin at his heels.
"She's gotten used to letting me in, so no questions asked, and no words traded other than ' Hi Freddy, how are you doing? Zack is up in his room like always.' And ' Hi Mrs. M, I'm doing great. Thanks.' Not really, but that's my take on our interesting meetings." Freddy proclaimed thoughtfully as the two of them entered the living room.
"Hey Freddy!" Zack waved from the opposite end of the room.
"Hey yourself. I brought a bouncy ball!" He dug into his pocket and produced a yellow smiley face bouncy ball, and calmly bounced it up and down.
"Why'd you do that?" Marta asked as she motioned for Arin to sit next to her.
"Cause I thought it would be a very good lesson for us. I brought a green one too." Fishing a little, he showcased the other one. "You see, you can learn a lot from a bouncy ball. No matter how hard you push them down, they always bounce back, always come right back at you. I like to think that they provide infinite wisdom. Bouncy balls are better than people, cause if I pushed you down right now, you would go ahhhh." He pretended to fall to the ground and thrash about, making the others in the room laugh. "But it you push a bouncy ball, it's just comes flying back."
Freddy whipped the green ball towards the ground, and it ricocheted off the floorboards to the ceiling, and flew through the air, shattering a vase on a side table.
"OH SHIT!" He commented, quickly retrieving the loose toy, and stuffing it back in his pocket.
"My mom's gonna have a cow." Zack stated dejectedly. "Ah well, another thing for her to bitch about. Nothing new."
"Sorry man. I didn't mean to get carried away." Freddy grimaced.
"That's ok. We did enlist you to provide extra entertainment." The guitarist smiled, rushing to get a dustpan.
"I'll do it." Summer grabbed them from his hands and busied herself. " I'm sick of just sitting around anyways. You're late Freddy."
"Eh, well I've never been punctual in my life." The blonde boy shrugged carelessly, taking a seat between Arin and Katie. It was an interesting arrangement, but neither seemed daunted by the other.
"Are we ever going to watch the movie?" Tomika asked from the floor, unfolding her legs. "My feet are going to sleep."
"Fine, fine!" Zack picked his way through the crowd, and popped the DVD in, searching for the remote at the same time.
"I've got it." Katie grinned, waving the black remote in the air triumphantly. "I hold the power."
"No you don't. I do." Alicia plucked it from the bassist's hands, smiling evilly as she pressed play.
"I'm going to get you back for that." She teased, tossing a pillow at her friend.
"Don't make threats you can't keep." Alicia responded back with a wink.
Freddy rolled his eyes. "It's like this all the time." He told Arin in a hushed tone. "They can't stop arguing over who's better and in control of the frickin clicker."
"Well it's better than watching you demonstrate pushing a person over." Tomika cut in, "I'm just kidding."
"That hurts T. That hurts right here." Freddy declared, his hand over his heart, mock sniffling. "I thought we were friends, but I guess not."
"Watch the damn movie." Arin instructed, grabbing Freddy's chin and turning his face towards the screen, biting back a giggle when he tried to bite her hand. "Hey! That's not very nice."
"Speak for yourself." He replied calmly and devilishly, quirking his eyebrow and shooting her a sidelong glance.
"I do speak for myself. Nobody ever listens." She folded her arms, and leaned back on the couch, watching the movie for as long as Freddy would let her.
"That guy looks constipated." He studied the character on the screen, tilting his head in either direction.
"Only you Freddy, only you." Katie giggled. "And he's not constipated, he's angry."
"I couldn't tell."
"Shut the trap!" Frankie elbowed Freddy's shin, "I'm trying to watch the movie, not trying to flirt with either girl on each side of me."
"I would hope not, seeing as Marco and Billy are sitting next to you." Freddy retorted, kicking Frankie lightly.
"SHUT UP FREDDY!" Everyone in the room shouted. The blonde drummer sulked, and retreated into the outskirts of his own mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zack couldn't help watching two things simultaneously. Both Summer and the movie both captivated his interest. Obviously she didn't approve of their choice of movie, The Matrix Reloaded saying it was too violent for her taste.
That led to her iffy look that was quite cute. Zack shook his head, the movement catching her attention.
"What?" She questioned, seeing his suppressed mirth. Summer could feel the beginnings of a smile light her lips, though she fought to keep it down. She had discovered from very early on that Zack's smiles were contagious, and now couldn't help herself.
"Nothing."
"I'm sure it's something if you're looking at me like that."
"It's not." Zack nodded confidently. "I was just thinking."
"Thinking's a good pastime." She winked, turning back to the movie.
"No it's not. And damn you, you made me think even more, and it hurts." He joked folding his arms and watching the movie with a newfound interest, just so that she wouldn't suspect anything.
She glanced back to him again, wondering why he had shaken his head in the first place, and wanting to know. Probably came with the thirst for knowledge that she had with books. Apparently it went for people too. Six years was quite a long time, and people did change. Like Zack, and how he had changed from a reserved child to a wild one during fourth grade.
"Now it's my turn to say what?" Zack caught her staring at him, and watched her explore many various shades of red.
"I was just...reminiscing."
"Good word. Reminiscing." He received a hearty punch to his shoulder, and Marta telling him to be quiet. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up now."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I had fun." Arin smiled as Freddy dropped her off back at her house. The sun had sunk to the horizon, darkness creeping steadily upon the darkening street. The streetlights sputtered like some old dying man, flickering in their giving. She took one more look out towards the sight that stood before her, and brought her hand to the doorknob, pausing for a moment longer.
"I did too, and I'm glad you did." He said, and honestly he was kind of glad that she had approved of the rest of the bunch. "And I think Satan's happy as well."
Arin laughed softly, lifting her eyes to meet Freddy's, and looked away quickly. "I'm sure Satan is happy for me. I mean, how many people can befriend the next in command to the devil Freddy Jones."
"Oh, yes. I forgot. I did submit the resume to him, didn't I?" He sighed nonchalantly, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. He had never really been in this kind of situation before. Arin at long last, commanded her hand to open the door, but she turned back to Freddy, resolution in her eyes.
"Freddy, do you like me?" It was an odd question for her to ask, and she bit her lip in finally working up the nerve to actually come out and say it.
"What?" He was a little startled by her boldness. "Of course I do, why wouldn't I."
"I've discovered that friends for life is BS too." She reminded him of the talk they had in the auditorium the day before. "And I've been hurt before. Thus if you're going to break my heart, I suggest you do it now and spare me the drama." Arin could feel frustrated tears welling up in her eyes, and she angrily forced them back. "I feel it's better to be humiliated now than in front of the whole school."
"You ask really strange questions." The blonde drummer said, completely serious.
"Well, someone's gotta ask. Or nothing ever happens."
"Doesn't that apply to everyone's life? But honestly, why did you want to know?"
Arin rolled her eyes, entering the house. "Why can't guys make up their minds?" She shot back.
"What? Guys can too make up their minds."
"It's not healthy for a guy to be leading two girls on."
Freddy frowned, the action changing the lines of his face."Well, the same goes for you. What about Lawrence and me? Do we have to stand around until you pick one of us? I'm not blind. I know that Lawrence likes you too."
This time the realization that they were in the same boat hit Arin for the first time. Even though she wasn't crying on the outside, she was doing just that on the inside. "I know he does." She hung her head, staring at a patch of grass just past Freddy's heel. "And I...don't know what to tell him."
"Well, you can tell him that you'll be jamming with me for the next few days."
"Freddy, I'm serious. I don't want to hurt Lawrence. I feel bad enough that he keeps getting pushed to the side, but I don't want to..." Her voice trailed off.
"So was I. But if you worry so much about his feelings, why don't you tell me why you're telling me this, and possibly why you care so much about his feelings?"
"I don't want anyone to get hurt. I know I'm not perfect, and I know I can't save the goddamn race, but I've suffered, and I don't want people that I know like Marta, and you and Lawrence, and heck, even Katie to be hurt." Arin's eyes brimmed with the tears she had long defended off.
"Suffering is a part of life Arin." Freddy stated flatly, wanting so bad to wipe the tears that coursed down her face, and cursing himself because his arms had locked themselves in place for some unknown reason.
"I know that. But you know what? I'm sorry."
"Sorry about what?"
"Sorry about caring."
"About what?" He demanded, not putting two and two together, and being the stereotypical male that most guys try to avoid being.
"About you." She straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin up. "I care about you Freddy Jones, and nothing is going to change that."
The door slammed on his face before he could get in a word. Freddy felt that in this strange dance of words and partners, he had mistepped somewhere along the line. He stood there, just staring at the straight lines of the door before finally shaking his head, and replaying the conversation over and over, trying to make sense of it. He wondered how Summer processed so much information, and he couldn't.
Arin cared about him. Katie cared about him. He cared about Arin. Lawrence cared about Arin. Why did everything have to be so friggin complicated? You couldn't do anything in that situation without hurting someone else. With a frustrated sigh, he beat his fist on the frame of his car, and then opted for his forehead, thinking up of all the colorful language he knew.
*A/N: And there you have it. So review away, and make me very happy. Unless it's a flame, cause then I will seriously be pissed. But anyways, I know it was kind of sucky, but work with me here. I promise the next one will be lots better, but please don't try to rush me, cause then I feel guilty, and then I feel my work goes down the drain.
Saxaphonebaby: Hey, thanks for reviewing! And thanks so much for the enthusiastic words. It totally brightened my day!
Dolly: Wow, I'm so honored! *big grin* I'm so glad you like Arin, and I love getting reviews from you cause they definitely inspire me to update faster!
audi katia: No problem, like I said, they're not my songs. And don't worry; Lawrence will end up happy as a clam. I can't leave him hanging like a lost thread! And a big thank you to you for reviewing.
skaterpunkGCpnay: Thanks so much! I'm sure you can write good SOR ficcies too! And I'll definitely think about the saxophone thing, though I'm not sure if I have the time amid my other activities. I'm so glad you love my story. It really feels great to know that someone likes what you write.
Jewelkitten: Yes, I'm sorry about the whole Lawrence and Katie thing, but they will end up happy as clams. And I'm gonna try to work things out.
Mrs. Mort Rainey: Hey, I gotta agree with you. I know the OC character thing is really overused, but I think the same about the Freddy/Katie thing too. That's why there's going to be a little twist at the end...no, nothing concerning Freddy, or Arin, or Katie...so who does that leave? I'll let you ponder that for a few seconds. Anyways, I want to personally thank you for all the kind words. They really made my day skyrocket on the enjoyment meter, cause I had a really crappy day, and then I went online and found your review in my inbox, and poof, bad cloud disappears. And thanks so much for the constructive criticism too, cause I'll try to smooth things over a little from now on. And I'll see how close to chapter 1058 I can get. Lol, that really made me smile. Thanks again! You deserve a big cookie.
Cotton Headed Ninny Muggin: Oh wow, really? Your review totally blew me away. I can't thank you enough for all those kind words. It really beams a spot of sunshine into my life, in a way. I'm not really sure what made me think of Arin, but reading other ficcies, I felt inspired to write something. I mean, if they could do it, so could I. And then I just started writing. Her character isn't necessarily based on me, but more on a variety of people I meet and know. But here and there I do infuse her with a bit of "me-ness" if you know what I mean. I wanted to tie her into the movie in many ways too, like her brother takes lessons with Ned (from the end of the movie. That was so cute), and other things besides. And I definitely jump at the chance for people to read over for me. Sooo...I'll take you up on your offer! (as long as you still review ^_-). Thanks a bunch!
Princess642: Yeah, I get a lot of Katie is a little OOC. Trying to correct that, but I can't do it in one chapter, otherwise her character gets even more OOC with her wild 360 changes if I try it. So thus I'm going gradually. I know the OOC character thing is really overused. But oh well, whatever comes to mind. And thank you for the unlimited desserts, but I think I can't eat too much, cause I don't want to be fat. I dance, and that wouldn't be good for jumps and so on -_^ lol.
**Chapter 5**
Arin angrily shut the water off and wrapped a towel about herself, swearing all the while. The insistent tones of the doorbell jarred the sounds of silence. Her aunt Ruby had taken the kids to see some babyish movie, and she had declined going.
Trailing wet puddles as she crossed the hall and the living room, she felt more annoyed than ever before as she neared the door. Flustered, she pulled it open with a loud indignant cry of "What?!". She caught sight of Freddy standing there, his finger preparing to ring the doorbell one more time.
"Oh! It's you Freddy." She smiled hesitantly.
His eyes widened in surprise, and then glanced away from her, blushing furiously.
"Sorry." He mumbled, fighting the insane urge to laugh, or to look up again.
"You'd better be." She said icily, her teeth chattering. "I'm freezing my ass off, so if you don't mind, you can either come in, or you can let me shut the door."
"I'll come in." He grinned and watched her scowl darkly.
"Think this is funny? Oh yeah, real funny when I'm standing in only a towel and I can't talk without my teeth chattering." She slammed the door behind him, and disappeared. Freddy leaned against the doorframe of the living room door, and waited, hearing the sound of a hairdryer. A few minutes later she appeared fully clothed, and ready to take on the world, and armed with a mop, cleaned the trail of water that ran down the hall.
"So what did you want?" Arin was considerably less hostile now that she was clad in more than a towel. Freddy nodded nonchalantly, inspecting her chosen outfit.
"Movie night, remember?" He reminded.
"Ah, yes." She smacked her head with her hand, "I almost forgot. What are we seeing?"
"Not sure, but I'm thinking Summer might gang up on us guys and make us suffer the torture of chick flicks." Freddy looked a little queasy when he said that, making Arin laugh.
"What, you're not a fan of cheesy teen angst and melodrama?" She asked, grabbing her coat from the back of a chair. He shot her a look that conveyed his thoughts about the subject.
"Good. Neither am I. I have my own problems to sort out, much less watch someone else try to get over theirs. Some of them are laughable though."
"Right. I'll take your word for it. Just kidding."
He slid into the seat of his car, which was still running, and turned to Arin as she did the same.
"What?" She asked, perplexed.
"Nothing. You get to meet the other members of the band like Marco, and Gordon, and Billy. What do you say to that?"
"Oh joy." Arin looked calm and peaceful, even after her run in with Freddy. "Tell me, what was it like back in fourth grade? I mean, when you guys formed a band?"
A smile graced the features of the blonde drummer as he reminisced in times gone past. "Honestly it was totally awesome. I can't believe all the shit we went through just to make that Battle of the Bands."
"But hey, that was really cool. Not a lot of fourth graders get that chance to do something like that." She resumed watching the trees go by, something she hadn't done for quite a few weeks now.
"Yeah. I can't believe how much some people have changed and how little some people have."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Billy is still the same, which may or may not be a good thing. Alicia got her braces off, and she grew quite a few inches. Zack hasn't changed, and neither has Lawrence, or Marta. Tomika lost a lot of weight, for health reasons I heard. And Katie's changed too. She grew up. But she still likes that hairstyle she had when she was in fourth grade for some reason."
"I know you like her a little." Arin said quietly, her eyes downcast. Freddy couldn't read her expression. Never really could for any of the girls in his school. But he could tell if someone was pissed off with him, that's what came with practice. Lucky for him, that was not what Arin appeared to be holding.
"Yeah, I do a little." He admitted. "But as a close friend. You know that feeling, right?"
"Definitely." Arin smiled slightly. She turned her head, and Freddy realized that at some point she had streaked her hair red. Not a bad look, since red looked pretty good on black.
"When did you streak your hair?"
"A few days ago."
"And I didn't hear of this?"
"You're just not very perceptive." She teased him as they pulled into the driveway of a nicely kept home.
"I guess that might account for something. We're here."
Arin got out tentatively, feeling a little out of place, but she fell into step with Freddy anyways. The boy glanced over to her for a second before ringing the doorbell. Zack's mom answered the door, and smiled a little distrustfully. Freddy just beamed as charmingly as possible, and brushed past her, Arin at his heels.
"She's gotten used to letting me in, so no questions asked, and no words traded other than ' Hi Freddy, how are you doing? Zack is up in his room like always.' And ' Hi Mrs. M, I'm doing great. Thanks.' Not really, but that's my take on our interesting meetings." Freddy proclaimed thoughtfully as the two of them entered the living room.
"Hey Freddy!" Zack waved from the opposite end of the room.
"Hey yourself. I brought a bouncy ball!" He dug into his pocket and produced a yellow smiley face bouncy ball, and calmly bounced it up and down.
"Why'd you do that?" Marta asked as she motioned for Arin to sit next to her.
"Cause I thought it would be a very good lesson for us. I brought a green one too." Fishing a little, he showcased the other one. "You see, you can learn a lot from a bouncy ball. No matter how hard you push them down, they always bounce back, always come right back at you. I like to think that they provide infinite wisdom. Bouncy balls are better than people, cause if I pushed you down right now, you would go ahhhh." He pretended to fall to the ground and thrash about, making the others in the room laugh. "But it you push a bouncy ball, it's just comes flying back."
Freddy whipped the green ball towards the ground, and it ricocheted off the floorboards to the ceiling, and flew through the air, shattering a vase on a side table.
"OH SHIT!" He commented, quickly retrieving the loose toy, and stuffing it back in his pocket.
"My mom's gonna have a cow." Zack stated dejectedly. "Ah well, another thing for her to bitch about. Nothing new."
"Sorry man. I didn't mean to get carried away." Freddy grimaced.
"That's ok. We did enlist you to provide extra entertainment." The guitarist smiled, rushing to get a dustpan.
"I'll do it." Summer grabbed them from his hands and busied herself. " I'm sick of just sitting around anyways. You're late Freddy."
"Eh, well I've never been punctual in my life." The blonde boy shrugged carelessly, taking a seat between Arin and Katie. It was an interesting arrangement, but neither seemed daunted by the other.
"Are we ever going to watch the movie?" Tomika asked from the floor, unfolding her legs. "My feet are going to sleep."
"Fine, fine!" Zack picked his way through the crowd, and popped the DVD in, searching for the remote at the same time.
"I've got it." Katie grinned, waving the black remote in the air triumphantly. "I hold the power."
"No you don't. I do." Alicia plucked it from the bassist's hands, smiling evilly as she pressed play.
"I'm going to get you back for that." She teased, tossing a pillow at her friend.
"Don't make threats you can't keep." Alicia responded back with a wink.
Freddy rolled his eyes. "It's like this all the time." He told Arin in a hushed tone. "They can't stop arguing over who's better and in control of the frickin clicker."
"Well it's better than watching you demonstrate pushing a person over." Tomika cut in, "I'm just kidding."
"That hurts T. That hurts right here." Freddy declared, his hand over his heart, mock sniffling. "I thought we were friends, but I guess not."
"Watch the damn movie." Arin instructed, grabbing Freddy's chin and turning his face towards the screen, biting back a giggle when he tried to bite her hand. "Hey! That's not very nice."
"Speak for yourself." He replied calmly and devilishly, quirking his eyebrow and shooting her a sidelong glance.
"I do speak for myself. Nobody ever listens." She folded her arms, and leaned back on the couch, watching the movie for as long as Freddy would let her.
"That guy looks constipated." He studied the character on the screen, tilting his head in either direction.
"Only you Freddy, only you." Katie giggled. "And he's not constipated, he's angry."
"I couldn't tell."
"Shut the trap!" Frankie elbowed Freddy's shin, "I'm trying to watch the movie, not trying to flirt with either girl on each side of me."
"I would hope not, seeing as Marco and Billy are sitting next to you." Freddy retorted, kicking Frankie lightly.
"SHUT UP FREDDY!" Everyone in the room shouted. The blonde drummer sulked, and retreated into the outskirts of his own mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zack couldn't help watching two things simultaneously. Both Summer and the movie both captivated his interest. Obviously she didn't approve of their choice of movie, The Matrix Reloaded saying it was too violent for her taste.
That led to her iffy look that was quite cute. Zack shook his head, the movement catching her attention.
"What?" She questioned, seeing his suppressed mirth. Summer could feel the beginnings of a smile light her lips, though she fought to keep it down. She had discovered from very early on that Zack's smiles were contagious, and now couldn't help herself.
"Nothing."
"I'm sure it's something if you're looking at me like that."
"It's not." Zack nodded confidently. "I was just thinking."
"Thinking's a good pastime." She winked, turning back to the movie.
"No it's not. And damn you, you made me think even more, and it hurts." He joked folding his arms and watching the movie with a newfound interest, just so that she wouldn't suspect anything.
She glanced back to him again, wondering why he had shaken his head in the first place, and wanting to know. Probably came with the thirst for knowledge that she had with books. Apparently it went for people too. Six years was quite a long time, and people did change. Like Zack, and how he had changed from a reserved child to a wild one during fourth grade.
"Now it's my turn to say what?" Zack caught her staring at him, and watched her explore many various shades of red.
"I was just...reminiscing."
"Good word. Reminiscing." He received a hearty punch to his shoulder, and Marta telling him to be quiet. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up now."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I had fun." Arin smiled as Freddy dropped her off back at her house. The sun had sunk to the horizon, darkness creeping steadily upon the darkening street. The streetlights sputtered like some old dying man, flickering in their giving. She took one more look out towards the sight that stood before her, and brought her hand to the doorknob, pausing for a moment longer.
"I did too, and I'm glad you did." He said, and honestly he was kind of glad that she had approved of the rest of the bunch. "And I think Satan's happy as well."
Arin laughed softly, lifting her eyes to meet Freddy's, and looked away quickly. "I'm sure Satan is happy for me. I mean, how many people can befriend the next in command to the devil Freddy Jones."
"Oh, yes. I forgot. I did submit the resume to him, didn't I?" He sighed nonchalantly, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. He had never really been in this kind of situation before. Arin at long last, commanded her hand to open the door, but she turned back to Freddy, resolution in her eyes.
"Freddy, do you like me?" It was an odd question for her to ask, and she bit her lip in finally working up the nerve to actually come out and say it.
"What?" He was a little startled by her boldness. "Of course I do, why wouldn't I."
"I've discovered that friends for life is BS too." She reminded him of the talk they had in the auditorium the day before. "And I've been hurt before. Thus if you're going to break my heart, I suggest you do it now and spare me the drama." Arin could feel frustrated tears welling up in her eyes, and she angrily forced them back. "I feel it's better to be humiliated now than in front of the whole school."
"You ask really strange questions." The blonde drummer said, completely serious.
"Well, someone's gotta ask. Or nothing ever happens."
"Doesn't that apply to everyone's life? But honestly, why did you want to know?"
Arin rolled her eyes, entering the house. "Why can't guys make up their minds?" She shot back.
"What? Guys can too make up their minds."
"It's not healthy for a guy to be leading two girls on."
Freddy frowned, the action changing the lines of his face."Well, the same goes for you. What about Lawrence and me? Do we have to stand around until you pick one of us? I'm not blind. I know that Lawrence likes you too."
This time the realization that they were in the same boat hit Arin for the first time. Even though she wasn't crying on the outside, she was doing just that on the inside. "I know he does." She hung her head, staring at a patch of grass just past Freddy's heel. "And I...don't know what to tell him."
"Well, you can tell him that you'll be jamming with me for the next few days."
"Freddy, I'm serious. I don't want to hurt Lawrence. I feel bad enough that he keeps getting pushed to the side, but I don't want to..." Her voice trailed off.
"So was I. But if you worry so much about his feelings, why don't you tell me why you're telling me this, and possibly why you care so much about his feelings?"
"I don't want anyone to get hurt. I know I'm not perfect, and I know I can't save the goddamn race, but I've suffered, and I don't want people that I know like Marta, and you and Lawrence, and heck, even Katie to be hurt." Arin's eyes brimmed with the tears she had long defended off.
"Suffering is a part of life Arin." Freddy stated flatly, wanting so bad to wipe the tears that coursed down her face, and cursing himself because his arms had locked themselves in place for some unknown reason.
"I know that. But you know what? I'm sorry."
"Sorry about what?"
"Sorry about caring."
"About what?" He demanded, not putting two and two together, and being the stereotypical male that most guys try to avoid being.
"About you." She straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin up. "I care about you Freddy Jones, and nothing is going to change that."
The door slammed on his face before he could get in a word. Freddy felt that in this strange dance of words and partners, he had mistepped somewhere along the line. He stood there, just staring at the straight lines of the door before finally shaking his head, and replaying the conversation over and over, trying to make sense of it. He wondered how Summer processed so much information, and he couldn't.
Arin cared about him. Katie cared about him. He cared about Arin. Lawrence cared about Arin. Why did everything have to be so friggin complicated? You couldn't do anything in that situation without hurting someone else. With a frustrated sigh, he beat his fist on the frame of his car, and then opted for his forehead, thinking up of all the colorful language he knew.
*A/N: And there you have it. So review away, and make me very happy. Unless it's a flame, cause then I will seriously be pissed. But anyways, I know it was kind of sucky, but work with me here. I promise the next one will be lots better, but please don't try to rush me, cause then I feel guilty, and then I feel my work goes down the drain.
Saxaphonebaby: Hey, thanks for reviewing! And thanks so much for the enthusiastic words. It totally brightened my day!
Dolly: Wow, I'm so honored! *big grin* I'm so glad you like Arin, and I love getting reviews from you cause they definitely inspire me to update faster!
audi katia: No problem, like I said, they're not my songs. And don't worry; Lawrence will end up happy as a clam. I can't leave him hanging like a lost thread! And a big thank you to you for reviewing.
skaterpunkGCpnay: Thanks so much! I'm sure you can write good SOR ficcies too! And I'll definitely think about the saxophone thing, though I'm not sure if I have the time amid my other activities. I'm so glad you love my story. It really feels great to know that someone likes what you write.
Jewelkitten: Yes, I'm sorry about the whole Lawrence and Katie thing, but they will end up happy as clams. And I'm gonna try to work things out.
Mrs. Mort Rainey: Hey, I gotta agree with you. I know the OC character thing is really overused, but I think the same about the Freddy/Katie thing too. That's why there's going to be a little twist at the end...no, nothing concerning Freddy, or Arin, or Katie...so who does that leave? I'll let you ponder that for a few seconds. Anyways, I want to personally thank you for all the kind words. They really made my day skyrocket on the enjoyment meter, cause I had a really crappy day, and then I went online and found your review in my inbox, and poof, bad cloud disappears. And thanks so much for the constructive criticism too, cause I'll try to smooth things over a little from now on. And I'll see how close to chapter 1058 I can get. Lol, that really made me smile. Thanks again! You deserve a big cookie.
Cotton Headed Ninny Muggin: Oh wow, really? Your review totally blew me away. I can't thank you enough for all those kind words. It really beams a spot of sunshine into my life, in a way. I'm not really sure what made me think of Arin, but reading other ficcies, I felt inspired to write something. I mean, if they could do it, so could I. And then I just started writing. Her character isn't necessarily based on me, but more on a variety of people I meet and know. But here and there I do infuse her with a bit of "me-ness" if you know what I mean. I wanted to tie her into the movie in many ways too, like her brother takes lessons with Ned (from the end of the movie. That was so cute), and other things besides. And I definitely jump at the chance for people to read over for me. Sooo...I'll take you up on your offer! (as long as you still review ^_-). Thanks a bunch!
Princess642: Yeah, I get a lot of Katie is a little OOC. Trying to correct that, but I can't do it in one chapter, otherwise her character gets even more OOC with her wild 360 changes if I try it. So thus I'm going gradually. I know the OOC character thing is really overused. But oh well, whatever comes to mind. And thank you for the unlimited desserts, but I think I can't eat too much, cause I don't want to be fat. I dance, and that wouldn't be good for jumps and so on -_^ lol.