Note: Chapter 9 edited! (July 18 04)

Chapter 9 -Written on Paper

Dear Diary,

Well, it's been a week since the first day of school…I'm starting to get used to Zack and that girl, but they go everywhere together. I try to look right into Zack's eyes, and sometimes it looks to me like he could take or leave Eleni… Like, he doesn't like what she does, but he doesn't not like it either, you know? Eleni always shoots me looks. I think somehow she figured out that I like Zack, and I wouldn't doubt that she's dating him just to spite me. I remember back in fourth and fifth grades, I was really close with Eleni and Michelle. But once Dewey left, she was all, "We should just give up this whole band thing, Dewey was dumb, blah blah blah." After that I stopped hanging out with her, 'cause really, that was just the stupidest thing to say, right? It's like she's never forgiven me or something for ditching her. Or Twink, either, 'cause now she's my best friend instead of Eleni and Michelle. Whatever, I'm not going to waste any more valuable diary space on that cow.

I talked to the band about what Ms. Mullins said a couple days after it happened. It looked as though they were all feeling exactly how I was, especially Freddy. We set up a band practice for today at Lawrence's house at 5:00, so I still have about half an hour until me and Marta have to leave. I think today we're gonna decide whether we're going to just figure things out with the band members we already have, or if we're going to have auditions. I really, really, really, really don't want to hold auditions. But I have a feeling Freddy was right with what he said back in the summer… I don't think we have any other choice but to hold them. None of the guys in the band can sing, and no one can play guitar other than Zack. And me, I guess, but I'm not good enough. Uncle Roy's been helping me a lot though, he says I should look for some songs I want to learn, and then bring them back to him and he'll see if they're too tough or not.

Me and Marta haven't been as close these past couple weeks. I mean, I know she has Freddy and stuff now, and I'm really happy for her… I just kind of miss her being there 24/7, you know? Like, I could call her, and she'd be there, or I could run over to her house, and she'd be there… Most of the time I can call her and she's there, except sometimes Freddy's over and they're hanging out, so I wouldn't be able to go over… And sometimes she's just not home at all. I know I don't own her and stuff, so I really can't get mad… I guess it's just hard letting go of something you've had to yourself for so long. I guess this is how my dad feels when he says I can't date until I'm married.

Time to go to practice.

Summer

PS- know what I noticed a couple days ago? Zack's the only person that calls me "Tinkerbell," and not "Tink." I think I like it that way.

----

As Summer and Marta stepped out of Mrs. Hale's SUV, they noticed that the whole band had already arrived for practice.

"Shit," muttered Marta under her breath, as she realized that not only was the whole band there, but there was a partially uninvited guest in Lawrence's garage as well. "Zack invited Eleni again."

Summer rolled her eyes. She had gotten used to seeing the pair together, and although it tore her up inside, she realized that Marta had been right: showing her emotions would only egg Eleni on more.

"Hello, ladies," said Freddy in an extremely cheesy voice, as he swept Marta up in his arms for a quick peck.

Katie let out a snort, and with a quick glance, Summer recognized the face the bassist was making: it was the one that Summer had been trying not to make for the past week, an image of hurt and bitterness. She smiled at Katie, who looked back in mild confusion.

"Okay," Summer started, looking at the whole group, "let's get this show on the road. Circle of love, people."

Once the group got into their ceremonial circle, Summer brought out her clipboard. "Okay, any orders of business anyone wants to bring up?"

Lawrence put up his hand. "I am very sorry that I had said we were able to use my garage as a place to practice, but my family has told me they do not want us using it anymore."

"Perfect!" exclaimed Zack. Summer's head whipped around to look at the guitarist. "Perfect" was the last word on her mind.

Zack explained. "I was going to have an order of business too. I was talking to my mom the other day, and she said that we could use my garage to practice in if at any time we couldn't practice here at Lawrence's."

"Awesome, dude," said Freddy. "It's settled then, Zack's house for practices?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah, totally, except there's a couple things. Practices can only be on Tuesdays or Thursdays, and we have to be out of there by 8:00."

"Why?" Katie asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Because… We just need to," came Zack's short response.

"Okay, then, how about we set an actual day for all our practices, so we know for sure?" Marta suggested. "Hands up for Tuesday."

Four hands went up. "Okay, majority rules, School of Rock practices are now on Tuesdays," said Summer. "Is… 4:30 okay with everyone? That gives us at least a couple hours of practice time, plus talking and set-up and take-down time."

"I think it sounds perfect," came a voice from the back of the room. Eleni flashed a grin at Zack.

"Thanks, doll, but I was sort of looking for the band's opinion on it, seeing as it's a band practice we're talking about," shot Summer, sarcasm dripping off of her words. "Funny how that works."

Eleni clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Tinkerbell, a bit jealous, aren't we?"

Summer felt her face go red. I'm better than this, she thought. "Whatever, I have no time for your idiocy --"

"Hey," said Zack tentatively, "careful."

Both Summer and Marta shot their narrowed eyes at Zack, but both chose not to speak.

Summer cleared her throat. "Anyway, here's the big item of the day. We need to find a guitarist and male vocalist soon, so we can start practicing for the Christmas dance."

Freddy spoke up. "There's nothing we can do but audition people." He seemed to have noticed the pained expressions from his band mates, because he went on. "Hey, don't give me that shit, do you think I want some new prick in our band? Hell no, but what other choice do we have?"

Zack sighed. "I guess so. But where are we going to advertise the auditions? Are we only going to look through school, or what?"

"I think it is best to only go through school," said Lawrence. "That way, there is a larger chance that we will know if they are a good person, or if they will tamper with our friendships."

Katie nodded her head. "Totally… We could get some total creepers if we auditioned people outside of school."

"Then it's settled?" Summer's sentence came out as more of a question. "We're advertising the auditions at school? When are we going to hold them, first of all?"

"I say we put up posters tomorrow, and then have them come in at our next practice, which is next week at Zack's, right? That gives them a week to figure out what they're going to do," suggested Freddy.

"Perfect!" Marta beamed up at her boyfriend.

"Lawrence!" The conversation in the garage was interrupted by Mrs. Tang's voice coming from outside of their headquarters. "Come here, please!"

"One moment," said Lawrence, as he walked quickly out of the room. When he came back, he was holding a manila envelope.

"My mother said a man dropped this off. She believed it was Dewey, except his hair was trimmed and he had no beard."

"Pfft," muttered Freddy, "wouldn't doubt it was him, trying to kiss ass for his new band."

"Why don't you open it, Lawrence?" asked Marta.

And so he did.

Dear Larry,

I sent this to you because I was sure you wouldn't throw it out How've you been? I hope you've been rockin' out with the band, as per us (A/N: "us" and as in short for "usual," get it?). I've been doing okay, getting ready for my flight out to SoCal. The band I'm gonna check out is rockin', man, they're called Lunch Red Syndrome… Totally awesome.

Anyway, I was just hoping that you could pass on a message to the rest of the band. I hope you guys are still practicing and rocking out like we always did, because y'all have way too much going for you to not be playing. Everything went all weird when I told you about the move to Cali, and I left right away, so I wanted to give you guys a bit of time to cool down before I told you this: I'm totally sorry for quitting on you guys. But, you gotta admit, I was bringing you guys down. Y'all are reaching your high, and I'm on my way down, so I just thought that maybe it'd be a good idea to take LRS' offer to try out, you know? I'm here until Saturday, my flight's at 3 in the afternoon… So if you guys wanna get a hold of me, you know where I live.

Thanks for your help, Larry, good luck, and don't forget the handshake.

The Dewster

Zack snorted once he finished reading the letter. "As if. What the fuck's this about him bringing us down? Spaz, didn't you already tell him that we knew he was quitting 'cause he thought it was the other way around?"

Freddy was looking at the letter with a look of disgust. "Of course I did, 'cause it's true. Whatever, this guy's a total fucking sell-out. I've had enough of his bullshit."

Katie spoke up. "Well, he's right, isn't he?" Everyone, including Eleni, looked at Katie as though she had five heads. "We do know where he lives, don't we?" The looks didn't change. Katie sighed. "Listen, I'm going to write him back, and if you guys want to write a letter with me, then all the better. He's been the one mouthing off to us the whole time, I think it's our turn."

Looks of comprehension began to cross the teenagers' faces. "Perfect, Katie," Summer said as she spoke for the band, "Let's get started. It's not like we can practice without two people missing anyway."

----

"I said, shut up!" hissed Freddy as he tiptoed down the hallway of Dewey's apartment. Lawrence immediately stopped his nervous babbling.

It had been Summer who had thought of the cruel irony in sending Freddy and Lawrence to slip the band's letter to Dewey under his door, simply because it had been the same pair that went to wake him up before the Battle of the Bands way back when. Everyone had agreed to it right away, even if Dewey wouldn't know who had put the letter there.

"Okay," said Freddy, "On 'three.' One… Two… Three." At that moment, Freddy slipped the same manila envelope Dewey had sent underneath the apartment door, as Lawrence knocked simply, three times. Quickly, the two then ran back down the hallway to the waiting band members outside the building, and skirted back to Lawrence's house.

----

"What's going on here?" Dewey exclaimed in confusion, as he realized no one was at the door. As he turned to go back to the TV, he felt the envelope under his foot, and bent to pick it up. On the front of it, he saw his own printing, "Lawrence" scrawled across the envelope. However, it had been scratched out rather forcefully, and instead, Summer's neat writing read, "Mr. Finn."

Swallowing hard, Dewey sat back down on the couch, as he opened the letter to read Summer's writing dictate what his former band mates wanted to say to him.

Dear Mr. Finn,

Finally, our turn to talk to you. We were all going to write and send you individual letters, but we decided to pool our thoughts, since most of them are the same, and send you one simple one.

First of all, we don't believe you. Freddy told you on the day you quit, and we'll tell you again now: we know that you're not quitting because you're not good enough for us: it's because we're too young and people don't take you seriously while you're in a band of fifteen-year-olds. Why didn't you just tell us that? At least that way we'd still have some respect for you. You told Zack back in fifth grade that he wasn't allowed to have any "secret songs." Well, we're telling you that you're not allowed to have any "secret reasons," either. We were all best friends, and you don't lie to your best friends.

Wasn't it you that told Zack that "rock is about the passion?" That "you have to feel it in your blood and guts?" And that your old band was (and we quote), "a bunch of wannabe corporate sell-outs?" What do we call you, then? Aren't you a sell-out as well, leaving the band that you brought together, and moving across the country for a band that you said yourself will probably hit it big? You don't even know if you'll make it into this stupid band, but you're still leaving.

The one good thing we have to say about you, is that you started all of this. You came into our classroom and taught us what real music was. Can you believe some of the stuff we used to listen to? So you changed all that for us, and you brought us together. All of the kids in the band, plus the manager, are all now best friends, and so was Tomika before she moved, and Alicia before she quit. And even though we don't talk to the roadies and security and groupies as much as we did in fifth grade, we're still really close with them. You gave us a special experience that completely opened up our eyes to a totally different paradigm, and I guess we thank you for that.

Even if you were a bit of an idiot for pretending to be Schneeb (A/N: not a typo, I've decided that's Ned's nickname), and you were a bit of a loser, you were still a role model for every single one of us. We looked up to you, and we took in everything you said as if we were all dry sponges.

Zack practically worshipped you, and so did Freddy. You were totally cool, and they wanted to be as musically in tune as you are. But you completely wrecked that vision for them.

More than hurt, we're insulted. And more than insulted, we're sad. We're auditioning people for a back-up guitarist and male vocalist next week, because when you dropped out, we lost both. Now we have to take two new people into our band. Who knows what they'll be like?

So, whatever happens, happens, we guess. We'll be looking out for these Syndrome people, and see if they were worth giving us up.

School of Rock

PS- Eleni says hi.

A/N - Hopefully that was all good. Just a couple of things: in reality, I believe that Summer's diary entry and the letter to Dewey would have a few "shortcut" type spelling errors and stuff like that, but for reading sake, I just made easy for us all. And plus, I didn't spend half an hour trying to decide what to spell wrong.

"Rock is about the passion," "you have to feel it in your blood and guts," and, "a bunch of wannabe corporate sell-outs" are all direct quotes from "School of Rock" that belong to Mike White.

And, lastly, the name of the band Dewey's trying out for, Lunch Red Syndrome, came from the "Band Name Creator" found at the Official SoR Movie Site. I tried to fill in the blanks as I thought Dewey would have!

So, anyway, please review, tell me what you think! Thanks!!