Zach honked the car horn twice. His customary goodbye to his best friend. Freddy stopped just outside of his front door, turned back to the car and waved as he always did. Zach had just dropped him off after practice, and he was just about to go to his evening job at Smithy's. Both boys worked at Smithy's, an instrument store just outside the mall. It was great, because not only could they jam while not helping the customers; it allowed them to keep up with the new instruments being released. Plus, it was good because Lawrence and Katie both worked at the mall to. Katie in a second hand comic and record store, and Lawrence in the bookshop.
He entered the house and paused, watching the stairs as two young girls ran down them. Freddy smiled. His little sister Ashley and her best friend Larissa, two girls that he had adopted into his life early on. Ash was not his biological sister, but she was the closest thing he had, and they were so alike not many knew the truth. And Rissa was such a great girl that he had promised to protect her forever. If anyone hurt his girls, they would have to deal with himself and Zach.
"You are here again Riss?" Freddy asked, putting his bag on the floor by the entrance table. "Dad should make you start paying rent"
"I think he will soon" Larissa replied. Freddy laughed and messed his little sister's hair. Ashley growled up at him.
"Oh, good, Freddy is home" a voice came from the kitchen. Freddy smiled and looked into the next room.
"Hi mom" he grinned. Denise Jones smiled at the young man, wiped her hands on a cloth and then came to the entrance where the children were convened.
"Girls, Wash up for dinner and then set the table" she ordered politely. "And you, Freddy, go get your father, he is in the study"
Freddy playfully saluted his mother and then disappeared down the hallway to his fathers study. He paused outside and listened through the shut door as his father mumbled to himself. Freddy loved his dad, even after the knowledge that the man was not his real father. Geoffrey Jones was the only father he knew, and the only father he wanted to know.
Freddy pushed the door open a little after he heard a muffled explosion and a curse and saw that his father was not working as hard as what his mother had said he was, but was playing some sort of computer game. "Busted, old man"
Geoff hit a button quickly, and the screen went blank. He looked up, and then released a sigh when he realized that it was only Freddy that had caught him.
"Don't do that Boy," he warned playfully. "How has your day been?"
"Confusing" Freddy, admitted. His father knew everything that went on in his life. That was the nature of their relationship. Hey were more friends then anything else. "I asked Katie to the Prom"
"I thought you were not going?"
"I wasn't going, and then suddenly summer asked Zach and Katie was talking and she was saying stuff and I was confused and scared and didn't know what to say and she was offended and then I realized that I had offended her and then I had to do something to fix it all so I invited her to the prom with me and now I have to go and...I am confused" he said in a rush. Geoff chuckled to himself.
"Tricked, it seems," he laughed. Freddy groaned and leant back in his chair, his hands behind his head. "DO you still think you have feelings for Katie?"
"What do you think?" Freddy sighed. "I don't know what to do anymore Dad, things were so easy when we were just band mates, friends, you know, but now I like her and I cant deal with that."
"You can't deal with it?"
"We are going to be separated next year Dad, she is going to go some big collage or something, and I will be suck at some community collage, or start my career flipping burgers..."
"You will not end up flipping burgers son..." Geoff smiled. "You will manager of the McDonalds, if you just believe in yourself..."
"Very inspirational Dad, thanks"
"You are very welcome." He laughed. "You will be fine Kiddo...everything with Katie will work out. Just take her to the prom and have fun."
"Yeah, that was the plan" Freddy mumbled. He wanted desperately to change the subject, so he did. Remembering a discussion they had had almost a year earlier, he asked. "Were you serious about matching my road trip fund?"
Geoffrey smiled at his son. About a year ago, Freddy had first voiced the idea of going on a road trip when he finished school. Back then he was sure it had just been a pipedream, so he had told his son that he would match the amount that he saved.
"Sure" Geoffrey smiled. If there was one thing that he knew about Freddy, it was that he was a very spontaneous child. Everything was decided on the spur of the moment. He couldn't have been that organized to have saved very much, surely.
Freddy smiled and reclined a little in his seat. "One thousand, one hundred and twenty nine dollars, and ninety four cents. Taking about a hundred out of that so that I can go to the prom, you owe me a grand"
Geoffrey exhaled quickly. That was a lot of money. "Where did you get that sort of cash? Are you dealing drugs?"
"Dad, come on, I have been working at Smithy's, taking overtime when I can, I took a few of Zach's shifts, I worked more over Christmas. I saved the money legitimately, have been for about a year"
"You really want to get away from us that much do you?" Geoff asked. Freddy rolled his eyes, his father always asked things like that.
"If I say yes, will you still let me go?" Freddy asked. "Come on dad, you always said that we could do what we want over the summers, and well, I really want to get away from here for a little while. I have been a good kid recently, and I have tried really hard to succeed, so I deserve this..."
"Hey, you have no argument from me. I want to you go. Experience life before it is to late. I road tripped after high school and I loved it, so it would be hypocritical if I said that you were not allowed to do the same. You and Zach are going to have a great time."
"If Zach is even coming," Freddy mumbled. "I have a feeling that Mr. Mooneyham will not let him go."
"Hypocritical ass" Geoff muttered. Freddy smirked. Michael Mooneyham and Geoffrey Jones were best friends in highschool, went to the same collage, but had a major falling out when they were seniors. It was just sheer coincidence that they lived in the same area and their sons were best friends. "If he doesn't let Zach go, I will personally help you bust him out and take him with you"
"Thanks dad" Freddy laughed. "I appriciate it."
Geoff looked at the clock. "Dinners ready?"
"yeah"
"Thanks lets go before your mother has a heart attack" he smiled, and the two Jones men stood and left the room.
Katie looked at Summer as they left the fifth dress shop they had visited that evening, "what wasn't wrong with it?"
Summer sighed, maybe agreeing to help her friend find a dress for the prom was a dumb idea, especially considering how little time there was left until the prom. All of the nice dressed were taken.
"Summer, dresses just are not my thing. Maybe Freddy was right, maybe it is stupid for me to go to the prom," Katie told her. Summer stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her friend. "I am the odd girl, I have no right to be there"
"Don't say that, you have as much right to go there, you have as much right to look good, and you have as much right to have fun as any one else."
"What ever." She returned. "I am sick of dress shopping"
Before Summer could complain, Katie was heading in the direction of Smithy's. Summer smiled and took a few quick steps to catch up with her taller friend. They entered the store together.
"Zach Attack" Katie greeted. Zach looked up from the guitar he was staring at and smiled at the others.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked, pointing to the guitar on the wall. He turned to Katie; his eyes wide like a kid on Christmas. "I want it. I would sell my own mother to get this guitar. Please say you will buy it for me Katie."
"Sell your mother and buy it yourself, I am not your wench" She replied. Zach grinned and coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'Freddy's'
"Quiet you" Katie smirked as she crossed to the bass guitars. "So I asked him to the prom, who cares. We are going platonically. Mates, no Dates."
Zach went back to staring at the guitar on the wall, and Summer stepped up beside him. He glanced at her quickly, and then backs to the instrument. Summer watched him, smiling a little as he raised his hand and soft caressed the glossy finish. Zach released a sigh "I am in love"
Summer shook her head at him. This was one of the reasons why she had felt such a strong attraction to him. His passion for music was outstanding. The fact that a guitar could make him react the way a woman would make most teenagers react was amazing, and sweet.
"Love?" Summer asked.
"Yes" Zach replied, staring at the guitar. "I am in love."