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Disclaimer: I do not own anything/any one/any part of this story. You know
what? I say this for the last time in this story! This disclaimer hereby
stands for every chapter I write! Hahaha!!!
Chapter Six: Falling Uphill
"Ohmigosh! ... No way! ... Yeah! ... Uh-huh... No way! ... Ohmigosh- yeah! ... Uh- huh... Alrighty, love ya, bye!" Michelle turned back to Eleni and Marta during Hotel Breakfast. Marta sighed... Alicia was still sleeping in- and Tomika was in a different hotel completely.
She could remember all of the nights the trio had stayed up talking about boys, clothes, and music. Mostly music, though. They had been the back-up singers... those had been great times. And look where Tomika was now! A real singer! Marta couldn't be more happy for her friend!
She missed how things used to be... Where the band had been family, friends, and more. Now it was comfortable, yet awkward. Like the only links they still had were to the past. The past... back then... I remember... how it used to be... Those were the most common things brought up in conversation with the band. What about the future? What would become of them later on? She didn't want to think about it. No one did. That's why everything was linked to the past. Everyone was falling uphill. Even though time kept getting steeper, they were either falling or climbing- racing to keep up...
Just then she could see Freddy stomp down the stairs into the Hotel Dining Room. He was soon followed by Katie.
"Look- forget it! Forget everything, Freddy! I just wanted to try to be friends again!" Katie was yelling- grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Yeah- well for some reason I don't think leading me on and then crashing me again refers to friendship, Katie!" Freddy argued back. Marta groaned. She had had a feeling that something like this would happen. She still couldn't believe that the two had broken up so tragically three years ago. She hadn't believed how polite they had been at Dewey's yesterday. When she saw the two disappear into the rooms next to each other she had definitely believed that something bad would happen. And now it had.
Apparently the two noticed everyone gawking at them and they went for the buffet in separate directions. Marta shook her head in disbelief. If they had to argue, she wished it would over music like it used to be...
Just then Zach and Summer came down the stairs- smiling and laughing. Marta couldn't help but smile. She had known this was going to happen, too, as soon as Zach had volunteered to go talk to Summer last night. He was obviously in love the 'caught between the old and new' Summer. But she could obviously see that Summer was oblivious that she too was in love- but with the guitarist. Oh well... It was nothing a little matchmaking effort couldn't fix...
"Mornin' Blondie!" Summer smiled, sitting down next to Marta- who smiled.
"Mornin Punkerbelle!" Marta teased. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Be quiet." She told Marta. "It's the inside that counts- and most of that part of me is back, hallelujah..."
"Yeah- but it's the outside that is still lookin' hot." Zach joked, sitting down next to her with two plates. "Here's your breakfast." He placed one down in front of Summer.
"You be quiet, too, Mooneyham. Since when is everyone ganging up on me? What happened to 'let's help her through this'?" She asked sarcastically before taking a bite of scrambled egg. Marta rolled her eyes.
"We already did. Now, like you said, you are mostly back to the Old Summer. So get used to it." Marta informed her. Summer smiled and shook her head as Freddy and Katie both sat down, Freddy next to Zach at one end of the table, Katie next to Marta on the other. Marta could feel the tension between the two.
"Um... I'm going up to my room to change. Eleni? You coming?" Michelle excused herself. Eleni nodded and the two groupies hurried away up the stairs. Some things never change, Marta thought. Whenever tough times approach those two, they think accessorizing will clear it all away... Now only Marta, Zach, Summer, Freddy, and Katie were left at the breakfast table.
"I wonder what that old fart Dewey has in store for today..." Katie wondered aloud. The others nodded in agreement.
"Yesterday was just catch-up. He wouldn't keep us here for three days for nothing." Summer stated.
"Yeah. He's probably gonna try to get us to do one more gig..." Freddy guessed, still glaring at Katie. She met his stare back.
"Why would he do that? Some of us haven't played in three years. He wouldn't do that to us." Katie snapped.
"I dunno... he might have us practice and perform tomorrow..." Zach added, oblivious to the two.
"You know what, I don't feel so hungry. I'm gonna head up and get ready to head for Dewey's. I'll catch you guys later; Summer, Zach, and Marta. Bye." Katie left, throwing her food away in an angry rush- deliberately excluding Freddy from her 'goodbye'.
"Ugh..." Freddy moaned.
"What happened?" Marta asked gently. Freddy let his head droop.
"Nothing." He mumbled.
"Freddy- trust me. If anybody knows when something is wrong it is me- and I'm telling you right now that it is not just 'nothing'." Summer told him.
"Yeah, man. What's up?" Zach chipped in. Freddy sighed. Marta could feel her heart empathize for him.
"Well, I paid Katie a visit last night and we got to talking. I guess we let each other believe that we still loved each other but then we got mad and sad and confused and then she has a boyfriend and she doesn't want to love me anymore and I don't want to love her anymore but... ugh! You guys- it wasn't supposed to snowball like that! I meant to go talk to her and say sorry and then we could be friends and then it went KABOOM! And then this morning she was saying how she just wanted to be friends and I had to go act like a jerk and blow her off and... ugh..." Freddy told them quickly, all at once. Marta felt like she got an okay picture of what had happened- even though Zach looked really lost. Summer just was... blank.
"Oh, Freddy..." Marta began looking empathetic into his eyes. "All of us have romance trouble at some point or another. Just... well. Try apologizing to her later and be really nice and..."
"Freddy. Do me a favor and quit arguing with Katie. You may have trouble with her, but at least she isn't dead!" Summer shouted at him. Oh no... thought Marta. Tears began to fill Summer's eyes. "I-I'll meet you guys later. I'm going up to my room..."
"Aw man..." Zach muttered. "So close! So close! Look- I'll catch you guys later, I'm gonna try to calm her down..." He then followed Michelle, Eleni, Katie, and Summer's path up the stairs- leaving Freddy and Marta alone.
"Shit! Now Summer's mad at me too!" Freddy moaned. Marta switched seats so she was next to him. She could feel the eyes of other guests at her back. She didn't care.
"Listen, Freddy. It wasn't your fault." She told him.
"For what? Summer or Katie?" He grumbled.
"Both. Summer had wanted to know what was up- you just told her. She couldn't help that her boyfriend had died. And Katie- well, who wouldn't be tense like that around their ex? Trust me, Freddy. It will all be alright..." She soothed him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Sure..." He mumbled back. "I sure hope so..."
Chapter Six: Falling Uphill
"Ohmigosh! ... No way! ... Yeah! ... Uh-huh... No way! ... Ohmigosh- yeah! ... Uh- huh... Alrighty, love ya, bye!" Michelle turned back to Eleni and Marta during Hotel Breakfast. Marta sighed... Alicia was still sleeping in- and Tomika was in a different hotel completely.
She could remember all of the nights the trio had stayed up talking about boys, clothes, and music. Mostly music, though. They had been the back-up singers... those had been great times. And look where Tomika was now! A real singer! Marta couldn't be more happy for her friend!
She missed how things used to be... Where the band had been family, friends, and more. Now it was comfortable, yet awkward. Like the only links they still had were to the past. The past... back then... I remember... how it used to be... Those were the most common things brought up in conversation with the band. What about the future? What would become of them later on? She didn't want to think about it. No one did. That's why everything was linked to the past. Everyone was falling uphill. Even though time kept getting steeper, they were either falling or climbing- racing to keep up...
Just then she could see Freddy stomp down the stairs into the Hotel Dining Room. He was soon followed by Katie.
"Look- forget it! Forget everything, Freddy! I just wanted to try to be friends again!" Katie was yelling- grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Yeah- well for some reason I don't think leading me on and then crashing me again refers to friendship, Katie!" Freddy argued back. Marta groaned. She had had a feeling that something like this would happen. She still couldn't believe that the two had broken up so tragically three years ago. She hadn't believed how polite they had been at Dewey's yesterday. When she saw the two disappear into the rooms next to each other she had definitely believed that something bad would happen. And now it had.
Apparently the two noticed everyone gawking at them and they went for the buffet in separate directions. Marta shook her head in disbelief. If they had to argue, she wished it would over music like it used to be...
Just then Zach and Summer came down the stairs- smiling and laughing. Marta couldn't help but smile. She had known this was going to happen, too, as soon as Zach had volunteered to go talk to Summer last night. He was obviously in love the 'caught between the old and new' Summer. But she could obviously see that Summer was oblivious that she too was in love- but with the guitarist. Oh well... It was nothing a little matchmaking effort couldn't fix...
"Mornin' Blondie!" Summer smiled, sitting down next to Marta- who smiled.
"Mornin Punkerbelle!" Marta teased. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Be quiet." She told Marta. "It's the inside that counts- and most of that part of me is back, hallelujah..."
"Yeah- but it's the outside that is still lookin' hot." Zach joked, sitting down next to her with two plates. "Here's your breakfast." He placed one down in front of Summer.
"You be quiet, too, Mooneyham. Since when is everyone ganging up on me? What happened to 'let's help her through this'?" She asked sarcastically before taking a bite of scrambled egg. Marta rolled her eyes.
"We already did. Now, like you said, you are mostly back to the Old Summer. So get used to it." Marta informed her. Summer smiled and shook her head as Freddy and Katie both sat down, Freddy next to Zach at one end of the table, Katie next to Marta on the other. Marta could feel the tension between the two.
"Um... I'm going up to my room to change. Eleni? You coming?" Michelle excused herself. Eleni nodded and the two groupies hurried away up the stairs. Some things never change, Marta thought. Whenever tough times approach those two, they think accessorizing will clear it all away... Now only Marta, Zach, Summer, Freddy, and Katie were left at the breakfast table.
"I wonder what that old fart Dewey has in store for today..." Katie wondered aloud. The others nodded in agreement.
"Yesterday was just catch-up. He wouldn't keep us here for three days for nothing." Summer stated.
"Yeah. He's probably gonna try to get us to do one more gig..." Freddy guessed, still glaring at Katie. She met his stare back.
"Why would he do that? Some of us haven't played in three years. He wouldn't do that to us." Katie snapped.
"I dunno... he might have us practice and perform tomorrow..." Zach added, oblivious to the two.
"You know what, I don't feel so hungry. I'm gonna head up and get ready to head for Dewey's. I'll catch you guys later; Summer, Zach, and Marta. Bye." Katie left, throwing her food away in an angry rush- deliberately excluding Freddy from her 'goodbye'.
"Ugh..." Freddy moaned.
"What happened?" Marta asked gently. Freddy let his head droop.
"Nothing." He mumbled.
"Freddy- trust me. If anybody knows when something is wrong it is me- and I'm telling you right now that it is not just 'nothing'." Summer told him.
"Yeah, man. What's up?" Zach chipped in. Freddy sighed. Marta could feel her heart empathize for him.
"Well, I paid Katie a visit last night and we got to talking. I guess we let each other believe that we still loved each other but then we got mad and sad and confused and then she has a boyfriend and she doesn't want to love me anymore and I don't want to love her anymore but... ugh! You guys- it wasn't supposed to snowball like that! I meant to go talk to her and say sorry and then we could be friends and then it went KABOOM! And then this morning she was saying how she just wanted to be friends and I had to go act like a jerk and blow her off and... ugh..." Freddy told them quickly, all at once. Marta felt like she got an okay picture of what had happened- even though Zach looked really lost. Summer just was... blank.
"Oh, Freddy..." Marta began looking empathetic into his eyes. "All of us have romance trouble at some point or another. Just... well. Try apologizing to her later and be really nice and..."
"Freddy. Do me a favor and quit arguing with Katie. You may have trouble with her, but at least she isn't dead!" Summer shouted at him. Oh no... thought Marta. Tears began to fill Summer's eyes. "I-I'll meet you guys later. I'm going up to my room..."
"Aw man..." Zach muttered. "So close! So close! Look- I'll catch you guys later, I'm gonna try to calm her down..." He then followed Michelle, Eleni, Katie, and Summer's path up the stairs- leaving Freddy and Marta alone.
"Shit! Now Summer's mad at me too!" Freddy moaned. Marta switched seats so she was next to him. She could feel the eyes of other guests at her back. She didn't care.
"Listen, Freddy. It wasn't your fault." She told him.
"For what? Summer or Katie?" He grumbled.
"Both. Summer had wanted to know what was up- you just told her. She couldn't help that her boyfriend had died. And Katie- well, who wouldn't be tense like that around their ex? Trust me, Freddy. It will all be alright..." She soothed him, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Sure..." He mumbled back. "I sure hope so..."