((Whoa! Sorry you guys about that spacing! I don't know why it's doing that-
it's a document that I upload and when I check back on my original the
spacing is normal. *shakes head in disbelief* I'll try to work that out,
and but if it doesn't work and this one's spacing is all messed up, I'm
sorry- there's nothing I can do...... Thanks for reviewing all you reviewers!
Okay, well, yeah...))
Disclaimer: I do not own anything/anyone/any part of this story.
Chapter Four: Everything Changes
Zack couldn't believe it. Summer Hathaway. Gone waaaaay rebel. What had happened to the handy dandy clipboard holding, bossing around, on top of everything Summer? That was it! Finally! Some proof that aliens do exist- they replaced Summer's body with someone else- maybe a Freddy prototype!
"Marta- that was Summer, right?" Zack had lead Marta to the corner of the room- to talk in private while Summer had stepped out for a moment.
"Sounds like Summer- looks... somewhat like Summer." She had replied with a gulp. "I think you really should talk to her, Zack. What would push her this far over the edge?"
"I dunno. But... this just isn't right without the real Summer here. She had been going to Harvard- right?"
"Yeah. As far as I remember. Ugh! How... why..."
"I know, I know. I'll talk to her now- while she's outside."
"Good idea- see ya..."
Zack waved goodbye as he silently left the apartment. Step, step, step... down the flights of stairs. Boosh!
"Ow- watch it, creep! Oh... Zack. It's you..." A disgruntled looking Summer said on the stairway.
"Hey. I was looking for you. How've you been?"
"Okay..."
Zack sat down on a stair and motioned for Summer to do the same. She obeyed as he had remembered her to- probably one thing that had stayed the same.
"You sure have changed..." Zack began. Summer put her hand up to stop him.
"Please. You know you just want to know why and how this happened. So ask." She motioned to her hair and clothes, biting her lip.
Zack sighed. "Okay. How and why did you suddenly show up late for the first time I've known you all of my life- and how and why on earth are you looking and acting the way you are?"
"Ugh... It's a long story."
"We have three days- that's how long the reunion's lasting."
"Darn. You got me."
"Come on, Summer. You can talk to me. We've known each other for sixteen years. Minus the three we haven't talked from that and we get thirteen. I think that's a pretty okay number of years to know and trust someone enough to talk to them about something like this."
"Okay. Where to begin..." She sighed, took a deep breath, and started.
"We all had gone our separate ways- that's a given. At first Harvard was great. I missed you guys. A lot. Those first few months were torture without having the band to manage and everything. I didn't contact anyone because I didn't want to stir up old memories. I thought I'd have lots of extra time without having to manage and boss everyone around and everything. At first I did. I was doing great, and everything was coming together. "But then... I dunno. I kind of got into this huge 'missing you' depression after watching a rock band perform on campus. My part-time job at a restaurant wasn't paying off too well. My studies were getting harder and harder to keep up with. And I missed all of you so, so, so much! Instead of studying I would spend hours blanked out- just thinking about the band; wondering what you all were up to and if you missed it this much. "That was when I met Charlie..."
~*~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~*~
Loud, roaring music was playing and there seemed to be millions of college students dancing, bobbing, and listening to the band; Old School. A girl with a round face, dark, long hair, is standing alone by the door, leaning against the wall. She, unlike the other students who were decked out in punk clothes, was wearing a long skirt and blue sweater- like a school uniform. Her eyes are blank- she seems to be off on Jupiter or somewhere.
"You lost or something?" A voice interrupted her staring. A tall boy with long, brown hair was standing in front of her.
"No." Was her quick reply; she made sure to show him that she did not want to be bothered now. He didn't seem to notice.
"Oh. Well, just in case you wanted to know; the office of references is, like, in the next building. The rock band is playing here."
"Do you think I don't know that?! I didn't come here to go to the office of references! I came here to hear Old School! Oh- and if you think that I am not capable of rockin' out like these other people; boy are you sadly mistaken!! I used to manage a rock band! So just buzz off and leave me alone!"
The boy paused with a confused look towards her. He shrugged.
"Cool. My name's Charlie."
"Summer Hathaway."
"Summer- as in, like, summer! Cool!"
The two talked into the night, oblivious to the band ending and the crowd leaving...
~*~*~*~ End Flashback ~*~*~*~
"Go on..." Zack pressed as Summer stared off into the concrete wall. She shook her head to "awaken" herself.
"He liked rock; I liked rock. He was smart, even though he didn't seem like it; and me... well, you know me. We started dating in the middle of our freshmen year. He was... I dunno. He was just so much like you and Freddy and Dewey and the other people of the band. Soon, he became the only string to my past I could hold on to; even though he hadn't even been a part of it.
"My past of 'rock' had wrapped itself around me, choking me like a snake. I started to believe in how everything used to be. I quit my job to hang out with Charlie. I used my studying time to hang out with Charlie. He seemed so... I dunno, real to me. Like how the Band was. I didn't want to let it go to waste like us...
"Then... the end of last term..."
~*~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~*~
"Is this Summer Hathaway?" A man in a dark, police uniform had knocked on her dorm door.
"Yes. What's the matter, Officer?"
He gulped, "I have been informed by some peers that you were the girlfriend of Charlie Steersman, is that correct?"
"Yes. What happened?" Her voice was getting urgent now.
"There was an accident... he was involved in a car accident. A group of friends and him, well, I guess they had been drinking. The driver went through a red light at an intersection and... well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Mr. Steersman did not survive the accident..."
~*~*~*~ End Flashback ~*~*~*~
Summer snapped back out of her dream world, breathing heavily. What happened, Zack wondered.
"At the end of the last term Charlie died in a car accident. He was the only one." Zack heard her whisper out and she abruptly turned away.
"Oh, God... I'm so sorry Summer..." He whispered out, biting his lip. He put his hand on her heaving shoulder.
"Don't be. He and his friends had been drinking. That's why the accident happened in the first place."
"Oh, Summer..." Zack shook his head in sympathy. When Summer faced him again tears were in his eyes.
"When Charlie left my world, everything did. When he died, the band's past seemed to have died, too. I hightailed Harvard- I just couldn't deal with it. So now I live in a shabby apartment in some shabby town working at a shabby bar. I gave myself this look so I had something I could still hold onto the memory of both you guys and Charlie.
"When my look changed, so did my attitude. Working at a bar restaurant does that to you. So now, here I am. I'm all alone, all ugly, and all mean. I hate it. I hate it."
"Shh... it's okay. Look- you don't have to deal with it alone. You could have contacted us! You could have come back to Dewey and to the rest of us! We would have helped you!" Zack soothed.
"It's too late! I've already decided that life is a mosquito- first; it pisses you the hell off by buzzing and flying around and around! Then, it bites you, sucks your blood, and gives you the West Nile or something! And as if that weren't enough, the bite begins to itch and itch and itch until you finally go over the edge of insanity!" Summer screamed, her voice echoing through the halls.
"You didn't have to change like that. You don't have to scare us like this, Summer! We're worried about you! We care about you! You know that! You could have come to us at any time! We're here for you now! If life is a mosquito, then we're your repellent! How come you didn't realize that before?" He asked her in the gentlest way he could. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Because- everything changes, Zack. I thought you all would have laughed at me; the Great Summer Hathaway finally cracks! No matter how great of a person I used to be, I am not her now. I'm this now. And I can't change that!"
"You just said it! Everything changes. You can change back! We'll help you change back to the Summer you used to be! That is, if you want us to..."
"I'll take it!" Summer laughed. Zack took her hand as they stood up and began to walk up the stairs.
"Come on, let's go..."
Chapter Four: Everything Changes
Zack couldn't believe it. Summer Hathaway. Gone waaaaay rebel. What had happened to the handy dandy clipboard holding, bossing around, on top of everything Summer? That was it! Finally! Some proof that aliens do exist- they replaced Summer's body with someone else- maybe a Freddy prototype!
"Marta- that was Summer, right?" Zack had lead Marta to the corner of the room- to talk in private while Summer had stepped out for a moment.
"Sounds like Summer- looks... somewhat like Summer." She had replied with a gulp. "I think you really should talk to her, Zack. What would push her this far over the edge?"
"I dunno. But... this just isn't right without the real Summer here. She had been going to Harvard- right?"
"Yeah. As far as I remember. Ugh! How... why..."
"I know, I know. I'll talk to her now- while she's outside."
"Good idea- see ya..."
Zack waved goodbye as he silently left the apartment. Step, step, step... down the flights of stairs. Boosh!
"Ow- watch it, creep! Oh... Zack. It's you..." A disgruntled looking Summer said on the stairway.
"Hey. I was looking for you. How've you been?"
"Okay..."
Zack sat down on a stair and motioned for Summer to do the same. She obeyed as he had remembered her to- probably one thing that had stayed the same.
"You sure have changed..." Zack began. Summer put her hand up to stop him.
"Please. You know you just want to know why and how this happened. So ask." She motioned to her hair and clothes, biting her lip.
Zack sighed. "Okay. How and why did you suddenly show up late for the first time I've known you all of my life- and how and why on earth are you looking and acting the way you are?"
"Ugh... It's a long story."
"We have three days- that's how long the reunion's lasting."
"Darn. You got me."
"Come on, Summer. You can talk to me. We've known each other for sixteen years. Minus the three we haven't talked from that and we get thirteen. I think that's a pretty okay number of years to know and trust someone enough to talk to them about something like this."
"Okay. Where to begin..." She sighed, took a deep breath, and started.
"We all had gone our separate ways- that's a given. At first Harvard was great. I missed you guys. A lot. Those first few months were torture without having the band to manage and everything. I didn't contact anyone because I didn't want to stir up old memories. I thought I'd have lots of extra time without having to manage and boss everyone around and everything. At first I did. I was doing great, and everything was coming together. "But then... I dunno. I kind of got into this huge 'missing you' depression after watching a rock band perform on campus. My part-time job at a restaurant wasn't paying off too well. My studies were getting harder and harder to keep up with. And I missed all of you so, so, so much! Instead of studying I would spend hours blanked out- just thinking about the band; wondering what you all were up to and if you missed it this much. "That was when I met Charlie..."
~*~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~*~
Loud, roaring music was playing and there seemed to be millions of college students dancing, bobbing, and listening to the band; Old School. A girl with a round face, dark, long hair, is standing alone by the door, leaning against the wall. She, unlike the other students who were decked out in punk clothes, was wearing a long skirt and blue sweater- like a school uniform. Her eyes are blank- she seems to be off on Jupiter or somewhere.
"You lost or something?" A voice interrupted her staring. A tall boy with long, brown hair was standing in front of her.
"No." Was her quick reply; she made sure to show him that she did not want to be bothered now. He didn't seem to notice.
"Oh. Well, just in case you wanted to know; the office of references is, like, in the next building. The rock band is playing here."
"Do you think I don't know that?! I didn't come here to go to the office of references! I came here to hear Old School! Oh- and if you think that I am not capable of rockin' out like these other people; boy are you sadly mistaken!! I used to manage a rock band! So just buzz off and leave me alone!"
The boy paused with a confused look towards her. He shrugged.
"Cool. My name's Charlie."
"Summer Hathaway."
"Summer- as in, like, summer! Cool!"
The two talked into the night, oblivious to the band ending and the crowd leaving...
~*~*~*~ End Flashback ~*~*~*~
"Go on..." Zack pressed as Summer stared off into the concrete wall. She shook her head to "awaken" herself.
"He liked rock; I liked rock. He was smart, even though he didn't seem like it; and me... well, you know me. We started dating in the middle of our freshmen year. He was... I dunno. He was just so much like you and Freddy and Dewey and the other people of the band. Soon, he became the only string to my past I could hold on to; even though he hadn't even been a part of it.
"My past of 'rock' had wrapped itself around me, choking me like a snake. I started to believe in how everything used to be. I quit my job to hang out with Charlie. I used my studying time to hang out with Charlie. He seemed so... I dunno, real to me. Like how the Band was. I didn't want to let it go to waste like us...
"Then... the end of last term..."
~*~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~*~
"Is this Summer Hathaway?" A man in a dark, police uniform had knocked on her dorm door.
"Yes. What's the matter, Officer?"
He gulped, "I have been informed by some peers that you were the girlfriend of Charlie Steersman, is that correct?"
"Yes. What happened?" Her voice was getting urgent now.
"There was an accident... he was involved in a car accident. A group of friends and him, well, I guess they had been drinking. The driver went through a red light at an intersection and... well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Mr. Steersman did not survive the accident..."
~*~*~*~ End Flashback ~*~*~*~
Summer snapped back out of her dream world, breathing heavily. What happened, Zack wondered.
"At the end of the last term Charlie died in a car accident. He was the only one." Zack heard her whisper out and she abruptly turned away.
"Oh, God... I'm so sorry Summer..." He whispered out, biting his lip. He put his hand on her heaving shoulder.
"Don't be. He and his friends had been drinking. That's why the accident happened in the first place."
"Oh, Summer..." Zack shook his head in sympathy. When Summer faced him again tears were in his eyes.
"When Charlie left my world, everything did. When he died, the band's past seemed to have died, too. I hightailed Harvard- I just couldn't deal with it. So now I live in a shabby apartment in some shabby town working at a shabby bar. I gave myself this look so I had something I could still hold onto the memory of both you guys and Charlie.
"When my look changed, so did my attitude. Working at a bar restaurant does that to you. So now, here I am. I'm all alone, all ugly, and all mean. I hate it. I hate it."
"Shh... it's okay. Look- you don't have to deal with it alone. You could have contacted us! You could have come back to Dewey and to the rest of us! We would have helped you!" Zack soothed.
"It's too late! I've already decided that life is a mosquito- first; it pisses you the hell off by buzzing and flying around and around! Then, it bites you, sucks your blood, and gives you the West Nile or something! And as if that weren't enough, the bite begins to itch and itch and itch until you finally go over the edge of insanity!" Summer screamed, her voice echoing through the halls.
"You didn't have to change like that. You don't have to scare us like this, Summer! We're worried about you! We care about you! You know that! You could have come to us at any time! We're here for you now! If life is a mosquito, then we're your repellent! How come you didn't realize that before?" He asked her in the gentlest way he could. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Because- everything changes, Zack. I thought you all would have laughed at me; the Great Summer Hathaway finally cracks! No matter how great of a person I used to be, I am not her now. I'm this now. And I can't change that!"
"You just said it! Everything changes. You can change back! We'll help you change back to the Summer you used to be! That is, if you want us to..."
"I'll take it!" Summer laughed. Zack took her hand as they stood up and began to walk up the stairs.
"Come on, let's go..."