Author's Note: Ordinarily I wouldn't have updated so quickly, but Alexandra Paige wanted it in by Saturday (the day, not the writer) — and, as an adoring fan, I felt obliged to do that she wanted. In any case, here it is: the last chapter. ((starts sobbing hysterically))
Disclaimer: I own Adrienne, Bambi, Angelo, Gino, Lia, Mama and Papa Higgins, Mrs. Conlon, Krypto, and Louie. All song lyrics belong to their respective owners, and the newsies belong to Disney.
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I felt incredibly stupid as I walked into the auditorium. Mama had insisted on bundling me up in a cozy sweater, a thick jacket, a pair of Gino's old snow pants, and a matching wool scarf, hat, and mittens. "It's Decembeer!" she had cried. "Dere's snow all 'round, you gotsta be nice an' warm or else you gonna get even a-sicker!" Many of my friends from school gave me odd looks when I entered the room, but I flipped them off (or tried to through my mittens).
Yes, I was still incredibly sick. Too sick to play guitar in front of an entire audience, but not too sick to come and watch Spot play.
I was late, but it didn't matter because The Jaywalkers were going to be last anyway. A terrible band was playing a terrible angsty love song right now — I could almost see Itey cringing backstage as the pianist pounded out those wrong notes...
The song ended, and Jack Kelly took the stage. I smiled to myself; I have a bit of a thing for him. He's a concerned global citizen, a straight-A student, and a complete nerd — in a very cute way, of course. He smiled sadly at the band as they filed off the stage to a bit of less-than-lukewarm applause before taking the microphone.
My god, there are reindeer on his sweater, I thought, eyebrows shooting up.
"Let's hear it for Sunbeam," said Jack rather unenthusiastically.
Sunbeam. Shoot me.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and pushed his rimless spectacles up the bridge of his nose, waiting for the almost nonexistent applause to die down. "Our next band is an original from our very own Brentwood High," he said, looking much more excited now that Sunbeam was out of his line of sight. "Unfortunately, Anthony Higgins, the guitarist, was unable to make it today, so he's being filled in by Gabriel Conlon, a Brooklynite — please don't give him a hard time about that," he added, grinning at the crowd. "Anyway, give it up for The Jaywalkers!"
It was the weirdest experience ever, watching my own band going on stage without me to wild applause. They didn't look too nervous — well, except Skittery, but that kid was always nervous.
Someone tapped my shoulder. I didn't feel it at first through all of my layers, but eventually I realized what was going on and turned around.
"Heya Racey-baby, why aren't you up there with your band?" asked Bambi, and she pouted delicately at me. "I wanted to see you play!"
"I'm sick!" I said grumpily.
"Ooh, poor baby!" she moaned.
"Shh!" I hissed and turned back to the stage. Blink was still chewing gum. Aw shit, Blink, spit it out — Spot, tell him to spit it out!!! Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about...
"Ooh, isn't that your friend Gabriel?" asked Bambi excitedly. "He's cuuuute! I didn't know he played the guitar, is he any good? Well, duh, of course he's good! I mean why else would he be up there? But no one could ever compare to you, of course, Racey-ba—"
"Bambi!" said Adrienne happily, coming over to us. "I'm Adrienne James, we've met before. Lovely seeing you again, I must say! Care to join Specs and Dutchy and me? I'm sure Dutchy would just love to talk to you..."
Bambi didn't look too keen on the idea, but Adrienne didn't give her the chance to answer. She dragged her off to where Dutchy was doing an impression of Pee Wee Herman for a growing crowd of six-year-olds, humming merrily. After a minute she looked back and winked at me. "Thank you," I mouthed. She grinned.
"Okay," said Blink into the microphone once the band was set up. "Hi, my name's Kid Blink Parker, and this is Mush Meyers, Skittery Goorjian, Itey Maldonado, and Spot Conlon. Don't mind the nicknames, we're just trying to sound more interesting."
I cupped my mittened hands around my mouth and whooped loudly. Spot looked over at me, squinting (I think he was trying to figure out who the hell the weirdo in the snow pants was), and then after a minute his jaw dropped. I wasn't sure whether it was pleasant surprise or complete mortification that I had shown up dressed like this, but at the moment I didn't want to know.
"Okay..." Blink looked back at Mush, who shrugged and pulled his bass guitar over his shoulder. "I guess we're just gonna start." He looked over at Spot and smiled. "This song's called 'Basket Case', and we wrote it about three months ago. Okay — one, two, three, four—"
At first it was just Blink and Spot, and I had to admit they were great together. "Do you have the time to listen to me whine about nothing and everything all at once? I am one of those melodramatic fools, neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it ... Sometimes I give myself the creeps, sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ... It all keeps adding up, I think I'm cracking up ... Am I just paranoid? I'm just stoned."
Then the bass, drums, and keyboard started in, kinda giving me shivers (something I didn't think possible, considering all that I was wearing). I liked watching the way Spot played; he was kind of hugging his baby to his lower stomach, never taking his eyes off her. His fingers moved across the strings with a grace I had never thought possible for him, and every so often he would flick his head to get his shaggy bangs out of his eyes.
Maaaajor turn-on.
"I went to a shrink to analyze my dreams; she says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down ... I went to a whore, she said my life's a bore and quit my whining 'cause it's bringing her down..." sang Blink, kind of hopping up and down. Kinda reminded me of a male Gwen Stefani — sometimes he would run around and around the stage without getting the slightest bit out of breath. Go figure.
Skittery didn't look so nervous anymore. He was nodding to the beat a little, hair in his eyes. I could see a couple girls in the front sort of swooning over him.
"Sometimes I give myself the creeps ... Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me ... It all keeps adding up, I think I'm cracking up ... Am I just paranoid? I'm just stoned."
Blink bounced over to Mush and sat down next to him, leaning against his back. "Grasping to control, so you better hold on..."
The song was a big hit, despite the fact that the last band had been TERRIBLE, and despite the fact that my opinion was completely biased. The audience burst into applause when they were done, and Spot looking like he was about to piss in his pants because he was so happy.
"Thank you," said Blink rather breathlessly. (Oh, so he CAN lose his breath!) "Let's hear it for Spot! We've only rehearsed this song once with him, and I think he pulled it off pretty damn well, don't you?" The crowd roared and Spot grinned. "Our next song is an instrumental piece our good friend Racetrack wrote last month. We play it here in his honor, 'cause he's sick in bed."
"NO, I'M HERE FOR YA, BLINK!" I yelled. "I FEEL LIKE CRAP BUT I'M HERE!"
He looked over at me, surprised. "That you, Race? You look like a marshmallow." He shaded his eyes with his hand, grinning. "All right, scratch what I just said; we play it here in his honor, 'cause he dragged himself all the way over here even though he feels like crap. HOORAY!"
They began to play, and Blink sat down on the edge of the stage and took out his harmonica. [1] I watched Spot, my jaw dropping lower and lower every second until it became in danger of becoming unhinged. If he had been good in the last song, he was bloody brilliant in this one. I simply could not believe that he had only practiced it for a couple of hours that afternoon. Asshole, he was better than I was!
I glanced over at Bambi. She was staring off into space, eyes glazing over, as Dutchy whispered nonstop in her ear. HAHA! Take THAT, you leech! Note to self: give Adrienne, Specs, and Dutchy rib-crushing hugs at next meeting.
The applause after the instrumental was, if possible, even louder than the applause for "Basket Case" had been. Blink did a sort of happy dance on stage and hugged Spot around the middle before turning to the audience and giving them a beautiful bow.
Jack jogged onto the stage and did a sort of second-grade secret handshake with Blink. "Let's hear it for the Jaywalkers!" he yelled, and we all clapped until our hands were numb. "Adrienne James will be in the lobby if you want to buy their CD—"
"Shit!" Adrienne swore and sprinted into the lobby.
"—and hopefully they'll come back to the next Jamnesty. On behalf of all of the members of Amnesty International, I'd like to thank everyone for coming. Have a good night!" He winked in a very nerdy way and put the microphone back into its stand.
All around me people were getting up to leave, and I had to fight against the crowd to get up to the stage. "YOU WERE AWESOME!" I yelled, tackling Spot into a hug. "I can't BELIEVE you EVER doubted that you could do this, you were FABULOUS!"
"Racetrack, baby, you look like one gigantic pillow," said Itey, poking me in the ribs.
Spot tried to say something too, but no one could understand him because his face was squashed into my chest. "Hey Race?" said Skittery. "I don't think he can breathe..."
"Oh."
I let go of Spot, and he stepped back, rubbing his neck. "Listen, Race, I appreciate your support, but next time PLEASE try not to hug me like that," he said, grinning.
"You really were fantastic, though," said Mush honestly.
"Man, I wasn't THAT great."
"Y'know what? You suck at being modest."
Spot laughed and bent over to put his baby back into his case. "Man, when are you gonna buy that thing?" asked Blink.
"I dunno..."
"'Cause we were thinking..." He looked at me, and I nodded. Spot stood up, eyebrow raised. "Well, you're pretty damn good. And since Itey and Mush are graduating this year, we're gonna be a couple of guys short."
"And we're a band that strictly believes that there is no such thing as too many guitarists," added Mush proudly.
"...What are you trying to say?" asked Spot tentatively.
"We want you to join the band," I said bluntly. "You're awesome and we need you."
Spot opened his mouth and then shut it again, astonished. I could almost see the gears turning in his head. On the one hand, he really wanted to join the band and play with us. He loved his guitar, and (in a perfect world) he loved me too, so this would be a great opportunity. On the other hand — Mrs. Eliza Conlon would not be particularly happy with the idea of him playing in a rock band with other teenage boys.
So, which to choose?
He was terrified of his mother, I could tell. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, arms crossed over his chest, tongue poking out of his mouth. She'd never let him join — she'd kill him and then dig him up again and then put him up for adoption. He was scared of disappointing her. I think he was scared of just being alone with her because she had such a volatile personality.
He blinked and looked at me, and my heart sank to my knees. He wasn't going to do it. He couldn't bring himself to upset his mom.
Spot put his hands into his pockets, usually a defensive maneuver for him. "My mom would kill me," he said.
Shit.
He tilted his head to the side, looking at me. "I know my mom would kill me," he repeated, "but I've been thinking about The Cricket in Times Square. You know that part when everyone's messing with Chester's life and he just wants to get out and back to Connecticut? And then Tucker asks Harry, and he's like: 'My opinion,' he said, 'is that it's Chester's life and he should do what he wants.' Remember, Race?"
I nodded slowly.
"So I've decided," he continued dramatically, "that right now I couldn't care less about what my mom thinks. If she wants to ... to try to screw with my life, that's her problem. It's time I started making my own decisions." Then he pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed me his wallet. "I'm buying my baby today, and if Mom has a problem with that — well, she has to take that up with me. I'm in the band."
I stared at him for a second, completely nonplussed. Then I did something that was both very brave and very stupid: I leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
And I realized that for a paranoid lunatic, Spot Conlon kisses very well.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" Itey yelled, hopping happily around the stage and grabbing Mush around the waist. "I KNEW they liked each other like that, I'm a psychic genius!!"
Mush played the theme song for "That's So Raven" on his bass guitar for a second, grinning. Spot pulled away. "Honey, it's our song!" he said in a falsetto voice before pulling me back into another explosive kiss.
"AHH!"
I looked up to see Bambi standing there, her face chalk white. "What are you DOING?? Racetrack Higgins, I thought you LIKED me!!"
I put a mittened hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bambi, I'm so sorry. It's not you, it's me. It's just that ... I'm madly in love with Gabriel Conlon. I hope that you and I can still be friends." Haha, I love clichés...
Bambi stared at me. "Are you out of your mind?" she demanded.
"Y'know, I'm starting to think I am."
"AUGH! I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!" she yelled, giving me the finger and storming off.
"That'd be a nice change of pace," said Spot cheerfully. "Funny, she never struck me as the type who would flip people off."
"Well you never struck me as the type who would ever stand up to your mom," I answered, smiling at him.
"I never coulda done it without you, sweetie!" he squealed.
"Aww Spot," I giggled and kissed him for a third time.
"Y'know, I can never tell if they're kidding or seriously talking like that," said Skittery darkly. "It's kind of like listening to a couple of Furbies talking to each other or something. C'mon, who's gonna help me get my drums off the stage?"
Spot and I stayed there on the stage well after the rest of the band had left, and Jack had to come and pull us apart because the auditorium was closing. "I swear to god, you're gonna wake up tomorrow with a horrible case of the flu," I said as we bundled up to go back outside into the snow.
Spot looked at me, flashing that characteristic devilish smile. "Y'know what?" he said, the corner of his mouth tugging up. "I really don't care."
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Shoutouts!!!
nani at 12 o'clock: I would LOVE to read your story!! ((is literally twitching with excitement)) E-mail it to me any time and I shall read it ASAP! HOORAY! Anyway, thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I think you reviewed like ever chapter! :-D I love you!
Alexandra Paige: I hope you appreciate that I worked my butt off writing this for you, lol. :-D Thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!! (And yes, I did appreciate your long-ass review. It was fantastic. I shall get you the spleen I owe you as soon as possible.)
splashey: HOORAY, THE SPLASH SAW MIRACLE!! I love that movie to death, I swear. Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you! (And...do you mind signing your last review for this story as "The Splash"? Just to make me happy? ((smiles shyly)))
Shadowlands: Wow, that was weird. But funny. And I think I fell over. I love you SO MUCH, thank you for reviewing!!!
GLimmer Conlon O'Leary: "Get a grib". HAHAHAHA! Omg that was great ... Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!!
Madison Square: "Ah, the joys of Sprace." Man, I'm gonna miss your bizarre reactions to this story. ((sniffs sentimentally)) Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!!
Repeat: God, I wish I had a little brother like Angelo/Dot. All I've got is a six-year-old sister, and all she cares about are unicorns and pink and purple and other boring girly stuff. SHEESH! Ah well, at least I've succeeded in brainwashing her into liking U2. (Insert evil cackle here.) Anyway, I love you, thank you SO MUCH for reviewing!
Aelia O'Hession: YES! I finally managed to spell your name right without looking! WOO HOO! ((hops around happily with Itey)) Sure, I'll take your younger brother. You can have my younger sister, if you like unicorns and glitter. :-D Yes, Bill and Ted are gods. I love them to death. ((oozy sigh)) Anyway, I love you, thanks so much for reviewing!!!
mydracomalfoy: I liked it when Draco got hurt and whimpered like a girl. That cracked me up. :-) Anyway, thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!
Coin: HAHAHA! Ohh I love you ... Thanks so much for reviewing, and I shall read "Animal Farm" after I finish "Lord of the Flies" (which is sounding uncannily like "The Island"; I am very creeped out).
Erin Go Bragh: OK! I UPDATED!! HAPPY?? Lol, thanks for reviewing, I love you!
singin'-newsies-goil: J'adore parler francaise! Est-ce que tu parles francais aussi? Ou espagnol? (I'll know the answer to that depending on whether you understand it or not, lol. I'm such a nerd...) Anyway, thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you! Now UPDATE all of your stories before I impose some form of medieval torture on you! MWAHAHAHAHA!
Strawberri Shake: Ack, I can't even write back. I love you so much. (lol, I'm such a freak...) Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing!! :-D
Scout73: ((deep voice)) ((takes out saber)) I dub thee ... Pot!! HAHAHAHAHA! Ohh I'm so TIRED ... Don't feel bad, Spot has ADD too. ((cuddles him)) Thanks SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!
SpotLover421: HAHA! That's what I love about you, Braids; you remember stupid stuff like my hyperventilating over your story. :-D Thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, I love you!! ((tackles you))
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[1] Am I the only person completely turned on by the idea of Blink playing the harmonica? Or do I just have strange ... is that the correct place to use the term "libidos"? I only know it from "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and that's not exactly a Webster's Dictionary. I shall keep you informed.
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Author's Note: ((dabs at eyes with tissue)) Ohh, my faithful reviewers. How I love you so! Thank you all SO MUCH, I could NEVER have finished this without you! ((bursts into tears))
-Saturday