Hi everyone. I'm back! And I apologize for the really long wait. I was really busy during the end of August. There was no way possible that I could have gotten chapter nine up. But it's finally here. And, another apology. This chapter was poorly proof read by yours truly. So, if there are any errors let me know in a review. I'd greatly appreciate it. Enjoy!
But first, one more thing. In this chapter (and every other one), I use italics to symbolize thoughts. So in this chapter, since there's a lot of thinking, I don't always put 'she thought' or 'he thought'. I use italics.
And, I decided that i'm not going to change my pen neam. I love Joey and all, but I like the name as it is. Just to let you know.
Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep doing this? I only own the plot and the original characters. I don't own School Of Rock, Eggo waffles, the bands that I mention, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.
Dewey's Niece
Chapter Nine
Home Sweet Home?
Freddy, Katie and the band walked down the halls of the hospital. No one besides them had visited Zack before. Everyone, except for Freddy, was excited. He didn't want to visit Zack. In his anger and lack of directional skills, Freddy started walking down the wrong hall.
Katie noticed and said, "It's this way."
Freddy rolled his eyes and followed her, along with the rest of the band. They were all chattering excitedly.
Katie realized that he was upset and asked, "Why are you so crabby? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he lied.
"I know that you don't want to be here, but it will be fine."
"It's not just that, it's-"
"I'm sure that it is this visit!" she persisted as they got onto an elevator. "I think that he might be ready to apologize, so just give him a chance, ok?"
They got out of the elevator, and the door to Zack's room was on the right. Katy knocked. The same nurse that Freddy and Kristi saw came out of the room.
"I guess that you are the kids that this guy wants to see," she said when she saw eight kids standing at the door, each trying to see past the nurse and catch a glimpse of their favorite guitar player.
"Yes, can we come in?" Summer asked.
"Let me ask."
The nurse stepped in the room for a second. She quickly came out and said, "The young man in there wants to see a guy named Freddy first. Is he out here?"
"That's me," Freddy coldly replied. He didn't move. Katie gave him a gentle push forward. He walked in the room as the nurse walked out.
Zack looked much better. He still had the cast, but the bruises that Freddy gave him were basically gone. Zack actually looked happy to see him.
That made Freddy feel awful. He had been mad at his friend and had thought some pretty mean thoughts about Zack, who was happy to see Freddy. He felt like he had betrayed his buddy, which felt pretty bad. So he smiled and sat down, fully ready to apologize.
"Hi, Freddy. We need to talk," Zack said as he smiled.
"I need to tell you something, also," Freddy said as he sat down. "But you can go first."
"Alright. I just wanted to say that I am sorry. I was mean to you, and Kristi. I shouldn't have blamed the accident on you; it was an accident-which is no one's fault. And it's okay that you are going out with her. I was mad at her, so it was understandable that you asked her out. And I'm sorry about the fight. I didn't mean to give you stitches and suspension. Will you forgive me-I can't stand not talking and not being friends. Please?"
Freddy smiled and said, "Yeah, and I'm sorry too. But as for Kristi and I, we-"
Freddy was interrupted by the band, who all said, "Can we come in yet?" while pounding on the door. Without waiting for an answer, they came pouring in. Zack smiled as he saw how glad they were to see him.
After a few minutes of talking, he said, "Thanks guys, but where's Kristi? I wanted to apologize to her. Is she still mad at me? Where is she?"
"Yeah, where is she?" the band chorused. They hadn't notice that she was gone, and they were concerned. Freddy hadn't told them that they had broken up, and that she had left. He figured that this was the perfect time to do so.
"She's gone," he said.
"What?" Katie asked. "Where? Why?"
"Kristi went home," he explained. "Her parents sent her a plane ticket in the mail. She went home this morning, to California. She wanted me to tell you that she was leaving, so I just did."
"Did you...um..." Zack said, not wanting to bring up the subject.
"Yeah, we broke up, thanks for making me remember," Freddy looked down and concentrated on the awful-looking tiled floor.
Everyone was nice and didn't talk about it. They just gave small smiles and continued with their enthused babble.
"Well, I have some really good news, and I'm glad I can tell you," Zack said. He waited for people to respond, which they didn't.
"Well, spill the beans," Marco said.
He enthusiastically said, "I get to go home next week! They just have to do some more tests."
The band cheered.
"But that's not the best part," Zack continued. "The doctors think that I might be able to move my legs again! I may be able to walk!"
The band cheered even louder. They were being really supportive and nice. They decided to let Zack back into the band. They had a good time talking, joking and goofing off. After a while, Dewey decided that it was time to go. All of the kids walked out the door, except for Katie.
She walked over to Zack, who had closed his eyes since he was really tired from all of the excitement, and said, "Thanks for saying sorry to Freddy. It sounds like you mean it, and I really appreciate it. I can't stand to see you two fighting. And I am so happy that you will be able to walk again."
Zack was going to ask why his and Freddy's friendship mattered to her, but he didn't feel like it; he was exhausted. Katie waited for him to reply. Since he appeared to be asleep, she kissed him on the cheek, and then quickly ran out, shutting the door behind her.
Zack opened his eyes and realized what Katie did. He thought, Why in the world did she do that? I guess she really does like me. I mean, the rumors were going around, but she likes me? I don't get it. Me. The unpopular guitarist. Not the cutest, not the most social kid. Why would she like me? And do I like her? Not really. She's good at the bass, but I don't know much about her and her personality. And I really don't want to. I'd rather stay single, like Freddy. I can't believe they broke up. Kristi was so nice. But when we talked in this room, she got mean-probably because of my crappy attitude. I wonder if she's mad at me. I hope not. If she comes back to New York, I wonder if she'd want to be friends.
That was enough thinking for Zack. He closed his eyes again and took a nap.
Kristi stared out of the plane's window, watching the tiny trees pass by slowly. She didn't like planes a lot. She put down the shade and rested her head on it. It had been a really bad morning. She had hoped that Freddy would want to try the long distance relationship, hoping that it would last, but he didn't. Kristi choked back a few tears.
Just then a flight attendant came by. She asked, "Would you like any snacks or anything?"
"No thanks, I'm fine," Kristi replied as the flight attendant walked off.
Kristi put up the shade and looked out of the window, thinking about what she had left behind. She thought, I'm glad I am out of New York. All of the painful things that happened there are behind me now. But I am going to miss Katie, Marta, and Summer. I don't have as many friends like that in California. Just Stephanie.
Stephanie Thomas had been Kristi's best friend since the first day of kindergarten. They were always there for each other. They had slumber parties and pool parties all the time. And when they fought, they fights only lasted for an hour or two. They were the best of friends. They were totally different, though. Stephanie was self conscious, while Kristi could care less about what people thought about her. Stephanie loved country music artists like The Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain; Kristi loved rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Green Day. Stephanie's favorite colors were pale blue and light purple, and Kristi liked hot pink and black. But they both loved boys and Oreo flurries.
I wonder if she's missed me while I was gone. I've missed Stephanie. Maybe she's got a new boyfriend-she gets a different one almost every week. I can't wait to tell her about Freddy. She sighed. Trying to forget about him was so difficult. I'll have to tell her about the band, and Zack. Zack was really nice, and he's a great guitar player. He's so much better than me, since I hardly practice, but that's because my parents hate the guitar.
She thought about Zack, she couldn't help it. I wonder if he's mad at me. I hope not. If I go back to New York, I wonder if he'd want to be friends.
"We will be in California in an hour," a voice called over the intercom.
Kristi frowned. She didn't really want to go back home. Back at her house, things weren't very fun. Her parents weren't the best parents out there, even though everyone liked them. Kristi thought that it was because they were important and famous.
Kristi's mom, who's name was Vivian, was a famous movie-star. She also produced and wrote a few screenplays for some other good movies. She was never home. And when she was, she had an attitude that Kristi called 'the crappy movie-star attitude.' Her mom always insisted on making everything perfect, and everything had to be new. She bought a new car every year, and didn't like it when Kristi kept old notes, pictures, and drawings. And she was quite a neat freak. Vivian never spent much time with Kristi, either. They never did anything together as a family. Everyone ate at different times, and it was usually fast food or TV dinners. Kristi didn't like that, and it was one reason why she didn't want to go home.
Kristi's dad, Timothy, was a little different. He was a manager at Microsoft. He was almost always gone on a business trip to the main building. When he was home he always would talk about his company. When he wasn't talking about his company, he was lecturing Kristi about her attitude, and her schoolwork. Her dad was in charge of the home schooling in her house. He would leave out a sticky-note telling her what to do for the day. If Kristi didn't understand something, which would occasionally happen, he wouldn't help her out. So she would get low grades. He always complained about her attitude, her clothes, her favorite style of music, and her friends. Timothy would always say, "You can do much better than that." Sometimes that would bring her to tears, which was another reason she didn't want to go home.
The only thing that Kristi was looking forward to was seeing her sister, Veronica. She would call her Ronnie out of affection. Ronnie was the perfect older sister. She would help Kristi with the schoolwork their dad wouldn't help them with. Next year, Ronnie would graduate from high school. Their parents would send them back to a public school for high school. Ronnie was pretty, smart, and fun to hang around. She wanted to be a cosmetologist when she graduated. She would practice on Kristi. Kristi loved having her hair French braided and highlighted. She liked it when her sister did her make-up, too. The two sisters were extremely close when their ages were so far apart. They would tell each other anything and everything. When they had problems, they would turn to each other. Kristi loved having Ronnie there to comfort her when she was upset.
Kristi sat and waited for the flight to end. After sixty long minutes, the plane landed. Kristi got up out of her seat, exited the plane, and went into the airport. It was very crowded. Kristi looked around for her parents. She couldn't see them. Were they going to be there? Would she be stuck at the airport forever? If she was, would that be a bad thing?
All of a sudden, a voice could be heard coming from the back of the tiny waiting area. It was a female voice, and it was saying, "Kristi, Kristi dear, where are you?"
Kristi thought it sounded funny, and, dragging her feet, she headed over to where the sound was coming from. A crowd parted, and she saw her parents. Her mom, Vivian, was wearing a mink coat, even though it was warm outside. Her blonde hair had been curled, and she was wearing lots of make-up. She was holding a snake-skin handbag. Timothy, her dad, was wearing a black suit with a navy blue tie. As they saw Kristi, Vivian ran over and gave her a hug.
"Oh, Kristi, you are safe! I can't believe you rode a plane all by yourself," Vivian said, almost in tears.
"Alright then," Kristi said, pushing herself away. "I'm going to be thirteen in like, a week. I'm not a little kid."
"Watch what you say to your mother," Timothy monotonously said. He didn't seem as happy as his wife did. "Shall we get you luggage?"
They walked over to the luggage rack.
"So, darling, how was your stay with my insane brother?" Vivian asked Kristi as she grabbed her child's suitcase.
"His name's Dewey," Kristi coldly said. Her parents hated Dewey, it appeared. "And he isn't insane. He's pretty cool."
She picked up her guitar and her amp. She thrust the amp at her father, who reluctantly took it.
As they walked away, Kristi started to tell her parents about her stay.
"Dewey's apartment is so cool!" she told them.
"He lives in an apartment? Then he must have a low income," Timothy said as he scowled. "What kind of relatives do you have, Vivian?"
"Poor ones," his wife replied.
Kristi ignored that and continued. "It has posters of rock bands all over the walls; there are CD's stacked everywhere-he even gave me some to keep. And there are instruments everywhere; he has guitars, a drum set, and a keyboard! He even has a rock band-they don't live there of course-I got to play with them, I was in the band for awhile-until they kicked me out."
"I can see why they kicked you out," Timothy said. "You sound awful on you guitar. And a rock band? Rock music is the worst kind; no one at my office likes it-"
"Shut-up!" Kristi angrily yelled at him. Her mom gasped like her daughter had sworn at the top of her lungs. "The band said that I play really well. And rock music is the best! It beats classical music-that stuff stinks! But as for your office, those loony old creeps don't know-"
"Kristi, watch your attitude and what you say," her mother scolded.
They didn't talk anymore until they got into the car, a red Corvette. Then, when they were halfway home, Kristi asked, "Where's Ronnie?"
"Who?" said her dad, who was driving.
"Well you call her Veronica-"
"Your sister?" she mom said. "Why would you call her Ronnie? Anyway, she's at home, waiting for you."
"How come she didn't go to Dewey's with me?"
"It's 'Uncle Dewey.' She had to stay so she could take a few exams. And she didn't stay home alone; she stayed at her boyfriend Brent's house."
"Oh."
They stayed silent until they got home. Kristi's house was huge. It was a three story house. It looked normal, because all of the houses on the street where that size. Kristi's house, however, looked like a stone building. The sides were smooth and gray. The roof was flat. The windows were square. It looked weird, but Kristi liked it. Her bedroom was on the third floor, and Ronnie's was next to it. The kitchen was on the second floor, along with the den and office. Since the house didn't have a basement, all of the rooms that would be in the basement, like the game room, laundry room, and family room, were on the first floor. In the backyard of the house were a nice garden, a pool, and a hot tub. And Kristi's sister Veronica was standing at the front of the house, smiling and waiting to see her little sister.
Kristi hopped out of the car and ran towards her big sister. They hugged.
"So, how was your stay in New York?" Ronnie asked. She was wearing jeans and a purple hooded sweatshirt. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail. "Did you get to go shopping in those fancy clothing stores?"
"I'll tell you inside," Kristi replied. She handed her sister her suitcase. She picked up her guitar and amp and went up to her bedroom.
Kristi's bedroom was pretty big. The walls were cream colored, but you wouldn't be able to tell because they were covered in posters of rock bands. She had a queen sized bed. In the corner was an empty guitar stand, and in the opposite corner was a closet. It was empty because all of the clothes were on the floor. The room was very messy, but that was the way Kristi liked it.
"C'mon into my room," Ronnie said. "I can redo your streaks and color the tips of your hair while you tell me about your stay."
"Sounds good."
They went into Ronnie's room. It was the opposite of Kristi's. The clothes were neatly stacked in a corner. The bed was neatly made. The walls were bare. Off to one side was a small vanity. Ronnie told Kristi to sit on the floor. She grabbed a bottle of dye and went over to Kristi.
"Couldn't that stuff ruin the carpet?" Kristi asked. "And what color is it?"
"Good point. We need a sink too, so let's go into the bathroom. And is black okay?"
Kristi nodded and they went into the bathroom. There was a bathroom on every floor. This one had a rubber-duck theme. Kristi sat on a stool next to the sink as her big sister started to work.
"So, how was it, staying with your boyfriend?" Kristi asked.
"It was okay. Of course, Brent and I slept in different rooms. And you know what? He has a little brother." She paused, smiling. "His name is Broc. Does he sound familiar?" She stared at Kristi, whose cheeks were turning pink. "I know that you like him. I just didn't know that he was my boyfriend's brother."
"How did you find out?" Kristi asked with a tinge of anger in her voice.
Ronnie laughed a little. "Stephanie told me. It slipped out of her mouth once. I told her I wouldn't tell you I found out. But, I think you might have a chance with him." She waited for Kristi to say some thing. Kristi didn't, so she continued, saying, "He would ask me all of these questions about you. One was, 'Is she single?' And-" Ronnie started to laugh. "-he sleeps with a picture of you under his pillow."
Kristi frowned. "That's not funny. I don't like him anymore."
Ronnie stopped laughing. "Why not? Are you lying to me?"
"I wouldn't lie to you."
"But he's cute for a thirteen year old. And we could go on double-dates."
"He is pretty cute, but I'm not ready for another relationship at this point in time."
"Another relationship? Since when have you had a boyfriend?" Ronnie looked a little shocked.
"I had a boyfriend in New York."
"Ooooh. Spill the beans."
Kristi gave a small smile. "I'm allergic to beans."
She started telling Ronnie about her stay in New York. She told her about the two cute boys, getting pizza, the phone call to Zack, and the gig. Ronnie listened intently. She gave a small cheer when Kristi told her that Freddy asked her out. She gasped when Kristi told her about the accident. She was quiet when she told her about the hospital visit.
"What a kiss," Ronnie said when Kristi finished describing the good-bye kiss Freddy gave her on the night Zack was hurt. "Brent's never Frenched me, I don't think."
Kristi's stay took a long time to tell. Ronnie finished putting the streaks and stuff in her hair. She then sat next to Kristi and listened. Kristi was getting to what happened that morning.
She was getting upset. "And then...then...then he...he..."
Ronnie put her hand on Kristi's shoulder. "He what?" she asked, knowing what she was going to say.
Kristi wiped a tear from her eyes. "He dumped me. Because...because I live a ways away. And a miss him, I really do. And I still like him a lot." She started to cry.
Ronnie knew how Kristi felt, and she was very sympathetic. That was on reason Kristi was glad that Ronnie was her sister. She was always there when Kristi was upset, and she understood most of the problems and troubles that she had.
"Shh. It'll be okay. Just give it some time."
The two siblings quietly sat there for awhile. Then her mom walked into the bathroom. Kristi wiped her eyes and looked up at her.
"I thought that you might have missed your friends while you were gone," Vivian said. "So I picked up Stephanie and brought her over here, if you wanted to see her."
Kristi jumped up. "Stephanie's here?" She ran out of the bathroom without waiting for an answer.
Stephanie was waiting outside. She had wavy brunette hair and dark brown eyes. When Kristi ran out of the house, Stephanie ran up and gave her best friend a hug.
"Hey Kristi! Glad you're back!"
"Hi!"
Ronnie came out of the door. Stephanie hugged her too. Stephanie and Ronnie were friends, but not as close as Kristi and Stephanie.
Ronnie said, "Hey Steph. Nice to see you again. Do you want to go get ice cream? I'll pay."
Kristi cheered. They went into the garage and got into Ronnie's black BMW. She drove them to an ice cream parlor, which was less than a mile away. Ronnie got a chocolate ice cream cone, and Stephanie and Kristi got Oreo flurries. They sat at a sunlit table and enjoyed their ice cream.
"So," Stephanie said. "How was New York?"
Kristi thought for a minute. "It was pretty good. A lot of things happened. Not all of them were the nicest, but-"
Stephanie interrupted her with a squeal of delight.
"Oh my gosh!" she excitedly said. "Look who's here!"
She pointed to three boys. On was tall, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He looked like he was in high school. There was another boy; he looked exactly like the tall one, except that he was short, had glasses, and was about five years old. The last boy was almost as tall as the oldest one, but he had dirty-blond hair and blue-gray eyes. He looked like he was thirteen. He looked really familiar. When Ronnie got an excited look on her face (that was a lot like Stephanie's), Kristi realized who the thirteen year old boy was; he was the guy she used to like-Broc.
"Is that Broc?" she asked Stephanie.
Stephanie gave her a quizzical look. "Of course." Stephanie was practically in love with Broc. She talked about him all the time, and she dreamed about him at night. Kristi used to be the same, but after she went out with Freddy, she really didn't like him anymore.
"Who's the little guy?" Kristi asked.
"His brother Brody. The big one is his other brother-"
"Brent. He's going out with me," Ronnie said. "I'm going to go over and talk to him."
"Make sure Broc doesn't come over here-I don't want him to talk to me," Kristi said.
Ronnie nodded. As she walked away, Stephanie turned to her best friend and said, "Are you insane? It's every girls dream to speak to him. Don't you like him?"
"Not anymore-" Kristi was cut off as Broc walked over. She turned to look at Ronnie, who mouthed, "I couldn't stop him. Sorry."
"Hey, Kristi," Broc said in his smooth, sweet voice. Stephanie had a dazed look on her face. "I've missed you-It's good that your back."
Kristi gave a very small, very forced smile. Stephanie smiled and said, "Yeah, I missed her too."
Broc sat down near Kristi and said, "So, Kristi. Maybe we could go to a movie-y'know, me and you, as a date. Want to?"
Kristi sighed. She gave a weak smile to the anxious looking Broc and said, "Wow. You must've practiced saying that, because you never stuttered. Every guy that's asked me out has stuttered or gotten tongue tied or something. But, to answer your question, no." Stephanie gasped. "I couldn't, I'm not ready. You wouldn't understand. Sorry."
"But I'll go to the movies with you," Stephanie quickly said.
"That's okay," Broc said as he walked away.
"But you didn't answer me!" Stephanie called out. He just walked away and ignored her.
She turned to Kristi and said, "What did you do that for? You just turned down a really hot guy!"
Ronnie came back to the table and said, "He asked you out?"
"And how would you know?" Stephanie asked Ronnie. She turned to Kristi and asked her, "And why would you turn him down, I ask again."
Kristi somberly said to Ronnie, "You tell her the story. I don't want to relive the pain, since I still like Freddy."
"Who's Freddy?"
"I'll tell you," Ronnie said. She told Stephanie the story.
Stephanie gave her best friend a sympathetic look and said, "I'm so sorry. He sounded so nice."
"He was."
"But," Ronnie asked. "Did you get to go to any fancy clothing stores?"
"No. The only store I went to was Hot Topic. And I got this really cool shirt there."
After they dropped Kristi's best friend off, her and her sister went home. When they got there, Kristi went into her room and locked the door. Then she grabbed her suitcase and began emptying it. She just threw the clothes and other stuff on the floor. Then it was empty, except for some stuff that she had gotten in New York.
For a while, Kristi just put up posters that she had taken from Dewey's apartment. She plastered a Ramones poster above her bed. She hung a Led Zeppelin poster next to her Orlando Bloom one. Then, she worked on organizing her CDs. Dewey gave her a bunch of CDs of her favorite groups, like GreenDay, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, and bands like that. She had all of her CDs alphabetized in her guitar shaped CD holder.
Kristi thought that she had everything out her suitcase, so she tipped it over. A bunch of pictures came fluttering out of it.
"Oh, I forgot that Katie gave me those," she said out loud to herself.
She got out some more poster putty and went to hang the pictures up by her bed.
Kristi picked up the first one. It was a picture that Summer had taken with Katie's camera while that band was performing at the competition that Kristi played in. We really looked awesome, she thought. The next two where taken before the concert. One was with Kristi, Summer, Marta, and Katie. They were goofing off and having a good time. After she put that one up on her wall, Kristi looked at the last one. It was of Freddy and Zack. They were trying to cover up their faces, but she could still see them. And it made Kristi a little angry to see them. She was angry that Freddy had dumped her, and that Zack didn't want to have anything to do with her before she left. Out of anger, Kristi ripped the picture and yelled, "I hate them!"
The pieces of the picture fell to the ground, next to another object that Kristi had left in the suitcase.
A knife.
Kristi had stolen it from Dewey's kitchen counter. Her parents didn't have many sharp knives. How else would she be able to cut herself?
Kristi picked up the knife and looked at it. I know that it's bad for myself, she thought. But I don't want to stop.
Kristi pressed the knife to her wrist, slightly dragging it through her skin. Then, someone knocked on her door. It startled Kristi so badly that she jerked the knife, and it cut the palm of her hand. She dropped the knife and cursed under her breath as she went to the door. Holding her bleeding hand behind her back, she unlocked the door and wrenched it open. It was Ronnie.
Kristi quickly went over to her bed and sat on it. "Gosh Ronnie, you startled me."
"Sorry," Ronnie quickly replied. "Listen-" She then stared down at something on the floor and said, with a hint of shockness in her voice, "Is that a knife on your bedroom floor?"
"No," Kristi said as she kicked the knife under her bed. The blood smeared, and she knew that it would never come out of the tan carpet.
"Okay, but if you are considering eating tonight, I might get your food now. Mom and Dad look like they're going to fight of somethin'."
"Thanks for the warning," Kristi said as her sister left the doorway. She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped her hand up. Neither of the cuts were very deep. She grabbed a few more Kleenexes and headed downstairs to the kitchen, wondering what her parents would say if they saw that she was a cutter. Would they hopefully think that the cut was made on accident?
Kristi ran down the stairs and into her kitchen. It was a small room, with green walls and sunflowers everywhere. She sneaked around pass the island to the cupboard. As she pulled out a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli, she heard her parents' loud voices echoing from the dining room. Since it was connected to the kitchen, Kristi could crouch behind the island and listen and see them perfectly.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand." It was Kristi's mom's voice. It sounded like she was trying to keep her voice down when she wanted to scream.
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," her dad replied in a much louder, much angrier voice. "You never have time for me anymore. You're always busy with movies and stuff. The only time that we have spent together was that vacation."
So they really are having a little marriage trouble, Kristi thought as she peered over the island, the ravioli can on the floor.
"We were together when we had supper today." Vivian's voice was very tiny.
"Alone time. You have never had any time for us since we had Kristi. And that was a total waste of my time, because I hate that little piece of garbage."
Kristi blinked back tears. She knew that he never really liked her, and she never really liked him. She looked to the left and saw that her already bloody hand was sitting on a cactus. Kristi moved her hand and started to pull the needles out of her hand, while her parents kept on arguing. She wiped off tears of pain and continued listening.
"Tim, she isn't a piece of garbage. She's a nice, sweet girl who-"
SMACK. Kristi looked up from her red hand to see her mom with her hand to her face, eyes wide with shock. Her dad was just standing there with a blank expression that quickly turned into an angry one.
"You actually like that little twerp! I can't believe you. You would rather spend time with her than with me!"
Vivian had tears in her eyes. "I never said that. And I will admit that, yes, I am really busy, but when I have free time, you don't. You're busy too, y'know."
There was another smack and a loud thud. Kristi gasped as Vivian hit the floor.
"Don't blame me for anything," Timothy boomed. His face was getting redder and redder. He was so angry that he decided to put his foot up against his wife's thigh.
Kristi winced and turned away as her mother let out little screams. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran up to her room without her supper, tears filling her eyes.
She jumped onto her bed, blood splattering onto her hot pink and black flame comforter. She buried her face into her pillow cried herself to sleep.
Kristi opened her eyes. Sunshine was streaming into the room. It must've been noon. She sat up and noticed that her comforter was stained from the blood. The bleeding had stopped, but blood was on her clothes as well.
Kristi ran over to her closet, grabbed some clothes, and went into the bathroom, to shower and get dressed. She came out wearing different clothes. She had on black, baggy pants and a white long-sleeved shirt with a Ramones tee-shirt over it. She dove onto her bed and grabbed her guitar. She laid back and absentmindedly strummed it. That was what she did when she was a little upset. And she was upset; she just found out that her dad beats her mom. When she was happy she would be standing up and playing rock music and jumping around her room.
Someone knocked on the door to Kristi's room. She yelled, "Come in," and in stepped her parents.
Her mom looked considerably good, since she was beaten up last night. She had used lots of makeup to cover up any bruises, and she was wearing a long sleeved sweatshirt. Her dad had a straight face and was regretfully holding something behind his back.
"Oh, it's you." Kristi stopped playing and looked up. "Whaddaya want?"
"Well," Vivian said in a shaky voice. "Your birthday is in a week, and we," she gestured to herself and her husband, "will be gone. He will be at Microsoft, and I will be on a set of a movie I am producing. Veronica will be here, though. But, we want to give you your present."
Vivian nudged Timothy, who, even though he didn't want to, pulled, out from behind his back, a new electric guitar.
"Oh my gosh!" Kristi ran forward and grabbed it. "It's that black Epiphone that I've always wanted! The one with the orange and yellow flames running up the base of the guitar. And, you got that strap with flames on it! Thanks a bunch!"
She jumped onto the bed and began to play. As she did, Vivian grabbed Kristi's other guitar. Kristi stopped playing and looked up.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"Oh. Well," Vivian started. "You have a nice, new guitar. So you don't need this old one. I was going to dispose of it." She gave a small smile and started to edge out of the room.
"NO!" Kristi shrieked. She jumped off of her bed and snatched the electric guitar right out of her mother's hands. "I can have more than one guitar!"
"Not if we say you can't," Timothy said. He tried to take the guitar, but Kristi stepped away.
"You people are so mean! I won't let you take it away!" She set her guitar down with care, and then pushed her parents out the door. She could her them angrily conversing as they walked down the hall.
Kristi was really confused. Why do they want to take my guitar away? Its mine, and I like it. She turned to her black guitar and started playing it. To her, it just wasn't the same. The blue guitar was given to her by Ronnie, when she was ten. Ronnie had gotten her first job, and had saved all of her money to get that guitar for her sister. And the black one; it was given to her by two mean people. After a few minutes, Kristi picked up the sparkly blue one and played it for most of the morning.
Everyone, except Zack, was sitting in Dewey's apartment. School had let out yesterday. And today was Saturday, and no one knew what to do. It was really hot outside, so everyone was in tank tops and shorts, except for Freddy. He was in a black hooded sweatshirt, and was sitting against the window.
"Man, this place it hot," Summer said as she folded some music into a fan and used it to attempt to cool herself off.
"It's not my fault that I don't get air conditioning," Dewey told them. "So, what do you want to do?"
"The symphony's playing at the concert hall," Lawrence informed the band.
"Too sissy," Freddy said, and he turned back to look at the window.
"Anyone got a swimming pool?" Alicia asked. She and Tomika were lying on the floor next to the tiny and only electric fan.
Katie gave a weak smile. "My mom works at a hotel. They have a huge pool there. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we went for a swim."
Everyone cheered.
"Alright," Dewey smiled. "You can go home and change into your swimsuits, and I will pick you up at your houses."
As they all left, Freddy went up to Dewey and said, "Um, is it alright if I skip the pool party thing?"
"Why would you want to?"
"I dunno. I just don't want to."
"Alright man. See you later."
Freddy ran out of the door. In his hurry, he knocked over Marta. She, Katie, and Summer were going to wait for him. Katie and Freddy were best friends, and sometimes they walked home together. Katie helped Marta up and followed Summer after Freddy.
"Freddy, wait!" Katie called after him. He ignored her.
"What's his problem?" Summer asked. "He's been really out of it today?"
"But, he's kinda cute when he's 'out of it'," Marta said out loud to herself. That made Summer and Katie stop dead in their tracks.
"What," Marta asked, staring at her friends.
"So, you like Freddy, then?" Summer asked. She didn't think that too many people would like Freddy. He'd been acting really weird the past week.
"Of course she does, Summer," Katie said smiling. "She's been checking him out since we started this whole band thing. And she blushes a little when he talks to her," she looked at Marta, and then asked, "How come you never told us? We're your best friends."
"What about Frankie?" Summer demanded.
"I don't like him anymore. I like Freddy. Well, I never realized that I really liked him. And when I did, he asked Kristi out. And I didn't want her to know that I liked her boyfriend. I mean, ex-boyfriend."
Marta frowned and looked at the ground. Everyone was silent, until Summer yelled, "I got it!"
When her friends asked what she was talking about, Summer said, "He's been really weird since last Saturday. That's when he broke up with Kristi. I mean, you can't really keep a relationship when you are thousands of miles away. He's really upset, and I'm sure that Kristi is too."
"I wonder how she's doing in California, since she didn't seem too psyched to go there," Marta said, looking up from the cement. "Maybe we should write her. What do you think, Katie?"
"Well, her birthday's next week. We could send her a present."
"Good idea," Summer replied. "Let's go." So they split up and walked to their houses.
Summer was slowly passing. Kristi lay sprawled on her bed, bored. Stephanie was on a vacation in Mexico, and her parents were leaving the next day from their jobs. That was the only good thing. And it was Kristi's birthday a few days after that.
It was eleven, and Kristi decided to get some breakfast. She went to the second floor. On the way to the kitchen, she passed her dad's office. She wouldn't have normally stopped and looked in, but she saw something of hers in there.
Her blue electric guitar.
"Hey dad." He didn't respond. Kristi walked into his office. His digital camera was out, and he was in the internet. When she came in, he minimized the screen and snapped, "What do you want?"
"Chill," she replied coolly. "What do you want with my guitar?"
"Nothing, nothing," he lied. "Go ahead and take it, just take it."
"I know that you're lying." She said as she grabbed her guitar and turned away. But she poked into the room and said, "I also know what mean, painful, things that you do to my mother."
Kristi ran into the kitchen and saw her mom in there.
"Hi Mom, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing sweetie."
Kristi frowned slightly. She went into the freezer and went to get out the Eggo waffle box, but her mother grabbed it.
"I'll make them for you Kristi. I need to talk to you while they toast."
Kristi sat on a dark green bar stool at her white island and listened to her mother.
"You see, the movie that I am producing is a comedy," Kristi sighed because she hated her mother's long speeches on what the movie was about, "It is about two teachers. One teaches ballet and is a 'prep'; the other teaches guitar lessons and is a 'punk'. The movie is about their conflicts. And, as a producer, I figured out that we need lots of extras for the kids that both teachers teach. And I signed you up to be an extra, on the side that I know that you will love the side that you'll be on. You can leave with me tomorrow."
Just as her waffle did, Kristi jumped up and cheered, "I'm gonna be a punk rocker!"
Her mom looked really confused. "No," Kristi's face fell as her mom said, "You are going to be a ballet girl. Doesn't it sound like fun?"
"Well..." Kristi tried to find the words that she wanted. "I think that I want to stay home, y'know, for my birthday. Thanks anyway."
Vivian frowned. She loved it when her kids came to the set, and Kristi had hurt her feelings. "If...if you, you really want to st-stay here, then that's...that's okay with me, I-I guess." She left the room.
Kristi just sat at her barstool at the island. She stared at her waffle and said out loud, "I hate my life."
I hope you guys liked it. So, send me a review with any questions, comments, errors, etc. I love to hear from you guys. And girls. Actually, I think only girls read this. But I don't know, and I don't care.
For chapter eight, there were four reviews. I cherish every one, but I'd like more than that for this chap. So please, please tell me what you think. And, if you do, you get an invisible cotton candy Dum-Dum. I don't know in anyone likes them, but that's okay. Tell me what flavors you like, I'm running out of ones to give out.
Shadowfaxgal7- Thanks for the review. Sorry about the pirate thing, and I can't remember the error I saw in your awesome story. I wonder if you can remember the review. I can't. But you know my memory.
Mellowyellow36- Thanks. Joey's favorite pop is Jones' Cream Soda. It was served at his gig at club 23. I kept the bottle. And the paper plate that his cake was on. It still has some frosting on it!
Legolas-Aragorn-r-hot- Gracias. I hope you don't mind 'sadder' stories, 'cause this one is DEFINITELY going to get 'sadder'.
Megz- Thanks. If you didn't know, I love Freddy and Zack equally. I love them too much, otherwise they's be dead. It's fun to write angst, in my humble opinion. So, I don't think you're 'twisted', as you put it.