A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long in getting up.... I had driver's training all this week (yes, somebody actually gave me a licence! What were they thinking? Lol). But now that's over, so it should be smooth sailing from here on in. I decided that this chapter and the chapter after this one could be combined to make a big long one, because it makes more sense. So that means 2 more chapters left, including this one! THIS IS THE ONE YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!!!! Hope you guys like it!
Chapter 13: School of Rock
Plans are good, Carmen thought to herself as she made her way down the path towards the sports field. Well, not all plans. Some plans are pretty evil, but this one, it's great. Almost all the boys (plus Marissa) at the camp decided to play a game of flag football after dinner that night, and of course, the girls were going to sit along the sidelines and watch. Carmen was late because she'd run back to her cabin to grab a bag of Doritos that she'd promised the girls she'd bring.
The plan she was referring to, of course, was Dewey's. Parent's Day was the next day, and all the bands were hard at work preparing their four songs. Eclipse was working especially hard, because they knew now that their parents were amazing on their instruments of choice and they wanted to impress them. Dewey, however, didn't seem to be as into it as the rest of the band. He barely gave any constructive criticism after songs were through, and while they played, he often didn't pay attention. Aaron had even played the keyboard line of "Just Can't Get Enough" during "Under the Bridge" to see if Dewey would notice. He didn't. In fact, after they ran through their songs that day, Dewey commented on how well each of them had played.
"Give it up, Dewey!" cried Aaron. "You weren't even paying attention. We're not stupid. Now what's going on?"
Nikki nodded in agreement. "Yeah, come on, tell us!"
Dewey looked at them. "Well.... I'm not sure if I should."
"Come on, man! You've gotta!" exclaimed Carmen.
"All right," he decided. "I had this plan..." and he explained his plan to the kids.
Jordan was the first to crack a smile. "Dewey, that's awesome!"
"It'll be totally cool!" said Leah in excitement.
"Do you think it will work, though?" asked Rory, a thin line appearing between his eyebrows in worry.
"I think so," Dewey told them, "as long as we can make sure that all your parents will be there. Can you guys call them tonight and make sure they're coming up?"
Everyone nodded, excitement written across all of their faces.
"This is gonna be great!" cheered Kory.
The game of flag football was already underway when Carmen reached the sports field. She hurried to her friends' sides and sat down. There was at least 18 people on each team, but the players didn't seem to care. Jordan, Marissa, and Kory were on the team with an extra player (due to Marissa) and they called themselves The Ramones. Rory and Aaron were on the other team, calling themselves Led Zepplin.
"What did I miss?" Carmen asked.
Leah shook her head. "Nothing much. The game just started."
"Ooh, Doritos!" Hailey exclaimed, and reached over to Carmen, taking the bag. "Yum!"
"Hey, come on now, share!" said Nikki, laughing.
The game progressed quite well after that. The Ramones were leading by three points, when Jordan was given the ball to kick. He kicked it down the field, and Kory leaped up to catch it. He managed to grab it out of the air, but when he landed, he landed on his ankle. It crumpled beneath him, and he fell onto the grass. Immediately Dewey (who was playing referee) blew the whistle, and everyone gathered around Kory.
"Are you okay?" asked Rory, concerned.
"Yeah," nodded Kory, "I'm fine."
Leah offered him her hand, and he took it, beginning to stand up. But his ankle wouldn't hold him, and he collapsed back onto the field with an "ah!" of pain.
"You most definitely aren't all right," said Dewey. "Can I get someone to take him up to the nurse's cabin?"
Nobody replied right away. Then - "I'll take him." offered Marissa.
"No way!" cried Jordan at once. "Without Kory, the teams are finally even! If you leave too, we'll be one player short!"
"Yeah," nodded Nathan, a boy from Jordan's cabin, who was also on The Ramones. "Get one of the other girls to take him."
"Whatever," said Marissa. She pulled Kory up onto his good ankle, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they hobbled off the field.
"Is she really gonna leave like that?" asked Aaron in disbelief.
"I guess so," shrugged Carmen.
It took Marissa and Kory fifteen minutes to reach the nurse's cabin, on account of his ankle. Right before they went inside, Kory said, "You didn't have to take me, you know. We could've gotten someone else to, you should have kept playing."
"Come on," she snorted, "I wasn't gonna leave you there all by yourself. Besides," her voice took on a softer tone, one Kory had never heard her use before, "I wanted to."
He smiled. "Thanks."
Finally, Parent's Day arrived. People were to start arriving at one o' clock, and the concert was supposed to start at two thirty. Everyone in Eclipse was really nervous now. What if something happened, and their plan didn't work? But Dewey didn't let them take on such a negative attitude. During rehearsal that morning, he spoke to them all.
"Now listen, you guys," he said. "You've all put a lot of hard work into this band, and I'm really impressed with each one of you. You're all really talented on your instruments, and I'm positive that your parents are going to be really proud of you when they see you up on stage. And don't worry about the plan - that's my job. All you have to do are to keep your parents apart from each other as best as you possibly can before the concert. Remember, don't talk about the plan. They can't know ahead of time, otherwise they'll try and back out. If they want to talk about 'School of Rock', fine. If they want to see each other, well, try and distract them. But if you can't, don't worry about it. Everything's gonna be fine." Dewey concluded, smiling around at all of them.
After lunch, all of Camp Rock gathered in the field by the parking lot, waiting for their parents to arrive. The first band member's parents to arrive was Rory's mom, Katie. She hopped out of her car and ran over to meet her son. They hugged, and Rory couldn't help feeling a tear start to build up in his eye. He pushed it away and looked up at her, surprised to see one in her eyes, too. She smiled down at him. "How're you doing, kiddo?"
"I'm pretty good." he told her. Rory lead her away to show her his cabin.
Next came Nikki's mom, Alicia, and her father. They were really happy to see each other, and Nikki took them away as quickly as possible to see the lake.
Marta, Leah's mother, and her father were next. The family talked about a mile a minute, and Dewey, watching them, couldn't help but laugh. It didn't seem like they were moving, so he caught Leah's eye. Realizing this, Leah quickly shepherded them away.
A bit of a problem occurred when both Jordan's dad Zack and Marissa's dad Freddy arrived at the same time. Dewey knew that Zack and Freddy had been best friends back in the day, and he didn't want them to see each other right away. Jordan and Marissa quickly ran over to their fathers and pulled them in opposite directions.
Aaron's father, Lawrence, and his mother pulled in not too long after, and Aaron and Lawrence shook hands rather formally. Dewey noticed this formality, and was surprised when Lawrence looked down at his son, and then pulled him into a hug. Lawrence wasn't used to hugs, Dewey could tell. They were taken away then.
Finally, Carmen's mom Tomika, and her father arrived. Carmen and Tomika hugged excitedly, and Tomika spent a good three minutes talking about how good and happy Carmen looked. Beaming, Carmen took her to show her the staff lounge.
Dewey felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around. Looking at him was a friend he'd talked to, but hadn't seen in a long time. "Summer," he said happily.
"How're you doing, Mr. S?" she smiled mischievously, and then pulled him into a hug. Unlike the other parents, she knew what was going on, and what Dewey's plan was. "You think we can pull this off?"
"I'm sure of it," he nodded.
By two thirty, the outdoor amphitheater in the middle of the camp was absolutely packed with parents, kids, and camp staff. You could feel the energy and excitement in the air as everyone took their seats and waited for the concert to begin. Finally, Ms. O'Keefe strode out onstage.
Tapping the microphone, she spoke. "Parents, welcome to Camp Rock! It's been a great month here - everyone has been having a blast! Your kids are all very talented, and each band has put a lot of time and effort into their performance pieces. Never before have I seen such a dedicated, hard-working, enthusiastic bunch of children. And now, let the concert begin! May I announce the first band this afternoon - Vertical Allusion!"
The concert progressed quite well - all the bands were in top form that afternoon. They had played selections from AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, The Clash, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Steppenwolf, The Doors, KISS, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. Everyone was having a great time. Finally, it was Eclipse's turn - last on the program, just as Dewey had wanted. The seven of them walked out onto the stage and took their positions. Aaron looked around at them all, and then began his keyboard line for "Just Can't Get Enough". Then, smiling, in came Jordan and Rory on guitar and bass, and Marissa on drums. Finally, Leah started singing:
When I'm with you baby
I go out of my head
And I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
All the things you do to me
And everything you said
I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
Then all three of them sang:
We slip and slide
As we fall in love
And I just can't seem to get enough of
Nikki took over, continuing the song:
We walk together
We're walking down the street
And I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
Every time I think of you
I know we have to meet
And I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
The three of them continued:
It's getting hotter
It's a burning love
And I just can't seem to get enough of
Here they took a break for the normal lyrics, allowing Rory, Jordan, Marissa, and Aaron to have fun on their instruments. The vocals repeated "I just can't get enough" over and over, with harmony. Then Jordan, Rory, and Aaron cut out, leaving just Marissa on the drums. Carmen continued the next verse:
And when it rains
You're shining down for me
And I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
Just like a rainbow
You know you set me free
And I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough
All the instruments came back in, and the three girls sang:
You're like an angel
And you give me your love
And I just can't seem to get enough of
Another instrument break followed this, and then the girls repeated "I just can't get enough" over and over. Finally, they faded out. Immediately, the auditorium burst into applause. Eclipse had played an awesome opener! They then played "Magic Carpet Ride", which had Leah played the tambourine as well, followed by "Under the Bridge". They finished up with "Highway to Hell". They could see their parents grinning madly at them from their seats all over the amphitheater. Their parents were proud of them, and the kids all knew it.
Eclipse walked offstage and, instead of Ms. O'Keefe, Dewey Finn himself came onto the stage, right up to the microphone. "Hey everyone, what's up," he said to the audience. "My name's Dewey Finn. Not many of you probably recognize me, but I was once the lead singer and guitarist for a band called 'School of Rock'." Peering around the curtain, Jordan could see his dad's eyes go wide. Dewey continued, "How many people have heard of 'School of Rock'?" Surprisingly, the majority of the audience's hands went up, including, Kory noticed, all the ex-band members'. "Now, I've got a surprise for you. In the audience right now are all the members of 'School of Rock', and they're gonna come up and play for us!"
Total silence.
Then Dewey spoke again. "First we have Zack Mooneyham, our guitarist. Stand up, Zack." Zack did so, in complete disbelief.
"We have Lawrence Stewart, our keyboardist. Where are you, Lawrence?" Lawrence stood up too. He and Zack eyed each other, smiling slightly.
"We have Freddy Jones, our drummer. Freddy? Stand up!" Freddy stood, and he met his best friend's, the friend he hadn't seen in almost twenty years, eyes.
"Katie Johnson is our hardcore bassist. Come on, Katie, don't be shy!" Katie rose slowly. She glanced at Lawrence and Freddy, but carefully avoided Zack's gaze of surprise.
"Tomika Davidson is our amazing vocalist. Stand up, Tomika!" She did as she was told, smiling shyly.
"Another of our awesome singers, Marta Taylor. You know what to do, Marta," She did - she stood and faced her band members of so long ago.
"We also have Alicia Jennings, our third and final vocalist. Where are you, Alicia?" Alicia stood as well, and shared a glance with her friends.
"And finally, we have the glue - Summer Hathaway-Hawkins, our band manager." Summer stood too, waving at everyone.
"Now come up here, 'School of Rock', and give us one heck of a show!"
The seven band members began making their way to the front of the audience. Dewey was surprised. He was sure they'd put up at least a little resistance. But once he saw the looks on their faces, he could see what was going on; they were in shock. Zack was the first to reach him. Dewey handed him a guitar. "Go do your stuff, man," he said.
"But Dewey, I haven't played in forever!" whispered Zack, and the others nodded in agreement. "I don't even know if I remember how to!"
"Just trust me," Dewey whispered back. Mutely, the others took their places onstage. Freddy rolled up his sleeves and ran his hands through his too-neat hair, mussing it up a little. Zack untied his tie and left it draped over both shoulders. Katie pulled her hair from her ponytail and let it fall free around her face. Lawrence removed his suit jacket, Tomika took off her sweater cardigan (she had a t-shirt underneath), Marta pulled her hair down too, and Alicia put on her sunglasses (instead of her normal glasses). "Now let's get out there and melt some faces!" cried Dewey loudly. He took his guitar, and began playing the first notes of a very familiar melody - the 'School of Rock' song.
Before they even knew what was happening, Lawrence, Freddy, Katie and Zack had joined him in playing, too. The singers couldn't help themselves - they began the dance that they hadn't done in twenty years. Then Dewey began to sing.
Baby we was making straight A's,
But we was stuck in the dumb days,
Don't take much to memorize your lies,
I feel like I've been hypnotisized.
And then that magic man he come to town,
Whoo wee!
He done spun my head around,
Said recess is in session,
Two and two make five,
And now baby I'm alive,
Oh yeah, I am alive!
He continued with the chorus, and Marta, Alicia, and Tomika backed him up with "ooh la la la".
And if you wanna be the teacher's pet,
Well baby you just better forget it,
Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme,
You better get me to school on time.
Dewey went into his crazy solo. Katie couldn't help but laugh, remembering all the good times the band had had together. What on earth could have made her stop playing like this? She felt totally at ease, totally at home up on the stage. Tomika stepped up with her mike, and belted out the familiar words:
Oh you know I was on the honor role,
Got good grades and got no soul,
Raise my hand before I can speak my mind,
I've been biting my tongue too many times.
Dewey took over:
And then that magic man said to obey,
Do what magic man do,
Not what magic man say.
He switched to his speaking voice, clearing his throat:
Now can I please have the attention of the class,
Today's assignment...
All the band members yelled out, remembering the first time they'd ever performed this song at Battle of the Bands...
KICK SOME ASS!
Dewey returned to keep singing:
And if you wanna be the teacher's pet,
Well baby you just better forget it,
Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme,
You better get me to school on time.
And if you wanna be the teacher's pet,
Well baby you just better forget it,
Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme,
You better get me to school on time.
Oh yeah!
The music died down again, and Freddy tapped out the rhythm on his cymbals. He couldn't believe how amazing it felt to be playing again. He suddenly felt bad for everything he'd done to make the band split up. What had he been thinking? Lawrence's keyboard solo was next. He played it with total confidence, pointing his finger as he had done so many years ago. This, he thought to himself, is incredible!
Dewey then began to speak the final words of the song:
This is my final exam,
Now ya'll know who I am,
I might not be that perfect son,
But ya'll be rockin' when I'm done.
Zack leaped forward to play his solo, surprising himself at the amount of confidence he had. He hadn't played 'School of Rock' in around twenty years, but every note, every chord came back to him as if it were a regular band rehearsal in Dewey's apartment. He grinned in spite of himself, thinking of how his father would react if he saw him playing again. But it really didn't matter. He was back onstage, playing guitar!
The band played the final notes of the song, guitars wailing and cymbals crashing. All of them were grinning from ear to ear. Their kids, backstage, couldn't believe what they were seeing. Their parents were real, live rockstars! And they were awesome! Zack turned his head a little and caught Jordan's eye. That's the moment when he knew what a mistake giving up his guitar had been, and when he knew that he'd never take a break from it again.
A/N: Well, there you have it! SCHOOL OF ROCK PLAYED AGAIN!!!!!!! Yay! :) Hopefully that didn't disappoint any of you. Hope you totally enjoyed it! By the way, none of the songs or band names (except Eclipse and Vertical Allusion) belong to me. As if! Now to my shout-out thank-yous:
flatfoot-92: Thank you!
tmrwspromise: Yeah, I wanted to introduce Kory at a time when I could really get him and Marissa together! Well, sort of. Glad you like my story. And reviews can never be too long!
MoonlightPhoenix3: Yeah, that's what summer camp was like for us before the dance, too. I mean, you put 6 or 8 girls together in a cabin getting ready for a dance... what do you expect? :)
the devil: Nice to meet you! So glad you like my story! :)
jen2007: Thank you!
ThatJoeyKid: Hey I checked your fic and you changed your name! I like your new one, it's cute. Thanks for the info about "Broken". Hope chapter 13 lived up to your expectations!
gabwr: Thanks!
Briana: Yeah, I've read almost every interview I can with the SoR guys, and my DVD will probably be worn out soon, I've watched it so much! No, I haven't heard anything about a sequel, but if they have any sense, they'll make one! :) Glad you liked my fic!
Kirstin-RockNRoll: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it!
x0RockNRoll0x0: Here ya go! :)
A/N: Read and review, guys... the faster and the more you review, the sooner the final chapter gets up!