-This chapter's song: I'm One. Thank you very much to my two reviewers! Oh yeah and I don't own anything except the idea, the songs all belong to Pete Townshend (who is the coolest guy EVER!)-

Zack was sitting on his bed again, contemplating his life. He realized that he would probably never be able to do anything great or awesome. He was just another loser. He felt very lonely because nobody was there for him. Not his parents, not the band. Except for Dewey. But he only saw Dewey on Thursdays.

Now it was Friday, and there would be no band practice. So Zack sat on his bed feeling very sorry for himself. He wished that he had something to do, and remembered what he had heard at practice the day before.

Every year it's the same
And I feel it again
I'm a loser - no chance to win
Leaves start falling
Comedown is calling
Loneliness starts sinking in

The information was clearly not for his ears, but Freddy was never able to really whisper anything. Freddy was having a huge party at his house because his parents were in Nantucket for the weekend. Zack wasn't invited, but he was sure that with all the people there, no one would notice him. And he would get to see Katie. That was all that mattered.

Zack changed out of his Sex Pistols shirt and put on a plain black one. He laced up his Converse sneakers and went downstairs. "Hey Mom," he said, "Can I borrow your car for tonight?" For once his mother wasn't drunk. She handed him the keys to her car and then headed for the fridge. She'd be smashed by the time he got back.

He drove to Freddy's house, which was only a few blocks away. He felt strange being alone in his car. Everyone else would probably have a date to this thing. He wasn't even actually invited. But he would just have to prove to them that he deserved to hang out with them.

But I'm one
I'm one
And I can see
That this is me
And I will be
You'll all see that
I'm the one
When he got to Freddy's house he could see that the door was wide open and music was blaring from the house. Once he was inside, he could see that strobe lights had been set up everywhere. Zack didn't really know what to do so he just stood there for a minute. Then he sighted Katie. She was standing by herself over in a corner. She had on tight faded jeans and a maroon tank top with spaghetti straps. It seemed strange to Zack that she was alone, but then he saw that she was getting herself a beer. Katie looked so good all the time, she managed to walk in a way that was both normal and seductive. He watched her walking and didn't realize how long he'd been watching her until she went to get another beer.

Where do you get those blue blue jeans
Faded, patch secret so tight
Where do you get that walk oh-so lean
Your shoes and your shirt all just right

Zack moved away from the door and towards the keg. Katie had already filled up and walked off, but he really needed a drink. He was used to alcohol because most of the time it was the only drink in his house. He took a swig, and then another, and then he just drank the whole thing and filled up again. He felt strange after his third, he felt both totally alone and yet connected with everyone in the room. But then his senses kicked in and he knew that he really was alone in this party with people who either didn't know him or hated him.

But I'm one
I'm one
And I can see
That this is me
And I will be
You'll all see that
I'm the one

Zack got a fourth beer and filled up. He was about to walk away when Katie came and filled up. She was mellowed out by the alcohol and seemed to forget about how she didn't know him anymore. "Hey," she said, then she walked away. Zack watched her move away, and then sip her beer until it was empty, but she didn't come back to get a refill. She moved into the center of Freddy's living room, which had become the dance floor.

Lots of guys that Zack didn't know, and a few that he did, went out and started dancing with her. It was weird because Zack had dressed carefully, not wearing any band shirts in case someone didn't like that band or something. He had worn a plain black shirt, which actually was kind of the style. So how come all the guys out there with Katie looked so great in their white t-shirts, covered in stains?

It seemed that their clothes just fit better. He couldn't really explain it. They did everything worse than him, but looked good doing it. And then he decided to not look at Katie anymore. He saw a case sitting by the door and figured it was Katie's bass. She took it lots of places. He didn't have a case for his white Gibson Flying V. His parents wouldn't get him one. So he just carried it around by the neck.

I got a Gibson without a case
But I can't get that even tanned look on my face
Ill fitting clothes and I blend in the crowd
Fingers so clumsy
Voice too loud

He went to get another beer. How many had he had now? Six? Seven? He had lost track. He refilled his plastic cup and saw Katie walking towards him. Was this really happening? "Hi," she said. "Hey," he replied.

"So I haven't really talked to you in a while."

"Yeah."

"You know, when I saw you here, I started thinking about that time when you asked me out. I really did like you."

"Then why'd you say no?"

"It was just too crazy, we'd be going to different schools the next year, schools that were really competitive. I didn't want you to become my enemy after the summer."

"But you did."

"Yeah, but it's all a flippin' act. I still like you Zack."

Zack couldn't believe it. This was what he had always been hoping for. He refilled his beer and Katie did the same. They were both totally drunk. Zack knew that all the things Katie was saying probably weren't true because she was drunk, but he didn't care. He was going to take advantage of this moment. They drank some more beer, so much that they were barely coherent. Eventually, Zack asked Katie, "Hey, you wanna go upstairs?"

She followed him up the stairs.

---

The next morning, Zack woke up in a bed in Freddy's house and saw that Katie was laying beside him. He was in his boxers and saw his clothes strewn on the floor beside the bed. Katie was in her underwear. Zack could guess easily enough what had happened, and he quickly got dressed and ran down the stairs to his car. He was groggy and had an extreme hangover. Luckily, his parents wouldn't care that he hadn't been home last night. His mother would be too drunk to notice and his father would have gotten home so late that he would've gone straight to bed.

When Zack got home he took some Tylenol and sat on the couch in his living room, wondering if the night before had really happened. He didn't really remember much, in fact, he could hardly remember anything. He turned on the TV. It was on the History Channel. It was a program called The Battle for 60's England: Mods vs. Rockers. He watched it and then, when it was over, fell asleep.

Zack spent most of the rest of his weekend on the couch, sleeping off his hangover. On Monday morning, he felt normal, but a little happier because he had band practice that afternoon. He couldn't focus at school because all day he was thinking about Katie and what he would say to her. When it was finally time for practice, and everyone arrived, Zack smiled across the room to Katie. She sneered back at him.

Zack realized that Katie remembered nothing of the night they had spent together, not even when they were talking. She probably thought when she woke up in the bed that she had crashed at Freddy's because she was totally smashed.

And Zack realized again that he was totally and completely alone in the world. One person that no one cared for. He was one.

But I'm one
I'm one
And I can see
That this is me
And I will be
You'll all see that
I'm the one
I'm the one
Yeah, I'm the one

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