((Okay- definitely tuning down the mushavator in here for now....
Sorta... anyways, thanks to all of my reviewers sooooo much!! gives
everybody who reviewed a blueberry muffin- unless you're like allergic
to blueberry muffins in which case I give you another muffin of your
choice Get ready for some Freddy vs. Katie smack down in this chapter
hehe... Okay then... here we are!!!))
Chapter Nine: It's My Life
"Hey- Katie! Wanna grab a bite with us? Some of us are heading out to eat before heading back the hotel!" Alicia's voice cut through the group who were making their way to cars and cabs from practice. Practice had been great! After consoling a bit of a too-cheery Marta, Dewey had gotten out his spare instruments and they had rocked out! Katie, surprisingly, had remembered how to play- much to the displeasure of Freddy. She had silently rubbed him down with her bass playing!
Katie whirled around, smiling, "Of course! Who's going? To where?"
"Well... I dunno who all is coming yet- whoever shows up. But we're going to... guess!"
Katie sighed. Then, a light bulb went off in her head. "No...?"
Alicia nodded. "We are going to Mikey's!"
Katie grinned at memory. Mikey's had been the group's main hangout all their lives. There was not one of them who hadn't loved the cafe/diner/barishplace where they would eat every Friday night back then. Milkshakes and burgers had always been on the menu- and Katie laughed at the memory of huge fights that would break out playing pool or one of the video games that never lasted more than five minutes.
Way back in ninth grade, Freddy had asked Katie out at Mikey's.
Whoa... she thought, hailing a cab for her, Alicia, and Marco. Where had that thought come from?
"Katie? Earth to Katie! Anyone there?" Alicia waved her hand in front of Katie's face, snapping her out of it.
"Sorry," She breathed, smiling weakly. "Ooh- it's been so long! I hope they still have that skee-ball game! I still hold the band record for that- perfect score! 1000 points!"
"Nobody could beat you at that game, Katie. Nobody! Remember that time Zack was so determined to beat you score of, like, 950? He kept on rolling and rolling and rolling until he finally got 970!" Marco exclaimed.
"Yeah- and you got 1000 right after that! Zack looked like he was about to die!" Alicia finished with a giggle.
"Yeah- that was great! And Miss Alicia, nobody could slurp down one of Mike's Super Duper Arctic Freeze Shakes as fast as you without getting a permanent brain freeze!" Katie reminisced.
"Good times... And Carrot Top here surprised us all when he started that huge billiards fight in tenth grade! Nobody would play for three Fridays!" Alicia gave the blushing Marco a fake punch.
"I didn't try to- Freddy had cheated!" He acclaimed.
"Sure..." Alicia smiled.
Katie on the other hand scowled, "I wouldn't be surprised if he had..."
Immediately, the other two fell silent.
"Katie... forget about him!" Marco begged as they paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of Mikey's.
"How can I?" Katie asked, pointing to a familiar, spiky blonde haired guy, "When he's everywhere I am?!!"
Alicia slapped her forehead in desperation as Freddy turned around, glaring at Katie.
"Oh what? Now you're talking about me behind my back, too?" He accused, facing her. Katie felt like a volcano- the fire and anger had been building up and she was about to explode!!
"You act surprised? I know you talk about me behind my back! Like with Marta and the others at breakfast!" She roared.
"Oh, please! Katie why don't you just admit that you don't belong here with the band anymore! You belong in California with your boyfriend!!"
Katie was right up in his face now! "Why don't you admit that you're just jealous that I haven't practiced in three years and still can rock out harder than you?!! Why don't you just admit that you're jealous of Greg?!!"
"Jealous?! Me?! Ha! Why would I be jealous of becoming a school stiff?! Why would I be jealous of a guy whose girlfriend is a total witch!?!"
"How dare you?! Why can't you just accept the fact that you are so angry that for the second time in your life, you can't get what you want?! You are such a spoiled, conceited brat! You think that just because I couldn't go to the same college of you that it's the end of the world!
"And now, three years later, you are still freakin' mad that you can't have me!!! Freddy- just get over yourself! This has nothing to do with me- I wanted us to be friends! But no! That's just not good enough for the Great Freddy Jones, now is it?!"
Now was Freddy's turn to gasp. Katie was fuming!
"Are you kidding me?! You don't know how hard my life has been, Katie! How can you possibly understand-"
She interrupted him, "Don't you dare say that your life has been hard Frederick Jones! Not when Summer is here with her dead boyfriend! Not when Marta's mother just passed on! Not when Eleni had an eating disorder! Not when we deserted Dewey and the band back then!
"Look at you- going to college with your best friend, being able to rock out, and being able to stay in Michigan where we all grew up! Don't you dare tell me that your life has been hard Freddy- because compared to some others' here, your life has just been a walk in the park!"
"It's my life, okay Katie! I think I know if it sucks or not! Besides- your life hasn't exactly been the tragedy of the year, either, okay?!!?"
"See, Freddy, unlike you, I never said it was!!! I can accept the fact that things are never gonna work out between us- especially when everybody else is going through so much trouble! But Freddy, that is one of the many things other than algebra that you cannot do! So why don't you just do us all a favor and frickin grow up!!!"
Katie noticed that the other band members who had joined them had given up and gone inside. She was left, panting and ranting, in front of a stricken Freddy. His expression was no longer at the boiling point, but more hurt and realizing. His eyes were still like ice glaring at her. A small mist of satisfaction came over Katie.
She shook her head in pity at him as she walked past, into Mikey's with the others, the fire and anger still residing...
She saw Freddy flag down a cab and get in through the windows, as she ordered a milkshake. She felt Zack put a hand on her shoulder, Summer doing the same to the other side. They were silent for a moment- all three just staring straight ahead of them, knowing what was going on but not what to say.
"What do you say to beating us at a game of skee-ball to cool down?" Zack smiled weakly suddenly. Summer's eyes looked cautious and hopeful as Katie looked at her two friends.
Katie sighed. "You know what, I'd like that..."
Chapter Nine: It's My Life
"Hey- Katie! Wanna grab a bite with us? Some of us are heading out to eat before heading back the hotel!" Alicia's voice cut through the group who were making their way to cars and cabs from practice. Practice had been great! After consoling a bit of a too-cheery Marta, Dewey had gotten out his spare instruments and they had rocked out! Katie, surprisingly, had remembered how to play- much to the displeasure of Freddy. She had silently rubbed him down with her bass playing!
Katie whirled around, smiling, "Of course! Who's going? To where?"
"Well... I dunno who all is coming yet- whoever shows up. But we're going to... guess!"
Katie sighed. Then, a light bulb went off in her head. "No...?"
Alicia nodded. "We are going to Mikey's!"
Katie grinned at memory. Mikey's had been the group's main hangout all their lives. There was not one of them who hadn't loved the cafe/diner/barishplace where they would eat every Friday night back then. Milkshakes and burgers had always been on the menu- and Katie laughed at the memory of huge fights that would break out playing pool or one of the video games that never lasted more than five minutes.
Way back in ninth grade, Freddy had asked Katie out at Mikey's.
Whoa... she thought, hailing a cab for her, Alicia, and Marco. Where had that thought come from?
"Katie? Earth to Katie! Anyone there?" Alicia waved her hand in front of Katie's face, snapping her out of it.
"Sorry," She breathed, smiling weakly. "Ooh- it's been so long! I hope they still have that skee-ball game! I still hold the band record for that- perfect score! 1000 points!"
"Nobody could beat you at that game, Katie. Nobody! Remember that time Zack was so determined to beat you score of, like, 950? He kept on rolling and rolling and rolling until he finally got 970!" Marco exclaimed.
"Yeah- and you got 1000 right after that! Zack looked like he was about to die!" Alicia finished with a giggle.
"Yeah- that was great! And Miss Alicia, nobody could slurp down one of Mike's Super Duper Arctic Freeze Shakes as fast as you without getting a permanent brain freeze!" Katie reminisced.
"Good times... And Carrot Top here surprised us all when he started that huge billiards fight in tenth grade! Nobody would play for three Fridays!" Alicia gave the blushing Marco a fake punch.
"I didn't try to- Freddy had cheated!" He acclaimed.
"Sure..." Alicia smiled.
Katie on the other hand scowled, "I wouldn't be surprised if he had..."
Immediately, the other two fell silent.
"Katie... forget about him!" Marco begged as they paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of Mikey's.
"How can I?" Katie asked, pointing to a familiar, spiky blonde haired guy, "When he's everywhere I am?!!"
Alicia slapped her forehead in desperation as Freddy turned around, glaring at Katie.
"Oh what? Now you're talking about me behind my back, too?" He accused, facing her. Katie felt like a volcano- the fire and anger had been building up and she was about to explode!!
"You act surprised? I know you talk about me behind my back! Like with Marta and the others at breakfast!" She roared.
"Oh, please! Katie why don't you just admit that you don't belong here with the band anymore! You belong in California with your boyfriend!!"
Katie was right up in his face now! "Why don't you admit that you're just jealous that I haven't practiced in three years and still can rock out harder than you?!! Why don't you just admit that you're jealous of Greg?!!"
"Jealous?! Me?! Ha! Why would I be jealous of becoming a school stiff?! Why would I be jealous of a guy whose girlfriend is a total witch!?!"
"How dare you?! Why can't you just accept the fact that you are so angry that for the second time in your life, you can't get what you want?! You are such a spoiled, conceited brat! You think that just because I couldn't go to the same college of you that it's the end of the world!
"And now, three years later, you are still freakin' mad that you can't have me!!! Freddy- just get over yourself! This has nothing to do with me- I wanted us to be friends! But no! That's just not good enough for the Great Freddy Jones, now is it?!"
Now was Freddy's turn to gasp. Katie was fuming!
"Are you kidding me?! You don't know how hard my life has been, Katie! How can you possibly understand-"
She interrupted him, "Don't you dare say that your life has been hard Frederick Jones! Not when Summer is here with her dead boyfriend! Not when Marta's mother just passed on! Not when Eleni had an eating disorder! Not when we deserted Dewey and the band back then!
"Look at you- going to college with your best friend, being able to rock out, and being able to stay in Michigan where we all grew up! Don't you dare tell me that your life has been hard Freddy- because compared to some others' here, your life has just been a walk in the park!"
"It's my life, okay Katie! I think I know if it sucks or not! Besides- your life hasn't exactly been the tragedy of the year, either, okay?!!?"
"See, Freddy, unlike you, I never said it was!!! I can accept the fact that things are never gonna work out between us- especially when everybody else is going through so much trouble! But Freddy, that is one of the many things other than algebra that you cannot do! So why don't you just do us all a favor and frickin grow up!!!"
Katie noticed that the other band members who had joined them had given up and gone inside. She was left, panting and ranting, in front of a stricken Freddy. His expression was no longer at the boiling point, but more hurt and realizing. His eyes were still like ice glaring at her. A small mist of satisfaction came over Katie.
She shook her head in pity at him as she walked past, into Mikey's with the others, the fire and anger still residing...
She saw Freddy flag down a cab and get in through the windows, as she ordered a milkshake. She felt Zack put a hand on her shoulder, Summer doing the same to the other side. They were silent for a moment- all three just staring straight ahead of them, knowing what was going on but not what to say.
"What do you say to beating us at a game of skee-ball to cool down?" Zack smiled weakly suddenly. Summer's eyes looked cautious and hopeful as Katie looked at her two friends.
Katie sighed. "You know what, I'd like that..."