Author's Note: Well... since all my friends are writing SOR fics I decided to finally use that idea in the back of my head for a fic! And here it is... isn't it beautiful... why its just a masterpiece... I could star at it allll daaay... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... annnyyyhooo... to the IMPORTANT stuff, you know, the stuff that you MUST READ... :ahem: now that I have your attention... this is the prologue and it takes place right after the movie, but the rest of the fic will be freshman year in high school, just so you know... also this will not be a fic centered completely around Tomika, it will be her POV the entire time but everyone else will be there too and all be cause its Tomika doesn't mean there will be romance? Im def going to have Freddy and Zack and Summer and Katie... im just not sure exactly what combinations yet... or if ill use them all... this fic will have everything so please don't think that itll be different since its Tomika, cause it won't, well on to the fic...
Thanks To: Thank you to Chinsky for being my beta and My Divinest for being my editor... yes unfortunately I am horrible with grammer so I need an editor and I always need somebody to tell me that theyre in character... nooow on to the fic...
Disclaimer: I don't own School of Rock... need I say anymore?
Prologue
Throughout the entire day her entire class had laid dormant. Nobody raising their hands, nobody speaking out, nobody causing trouble. Everyone in a dull sense of what seemed to be anticipation. Tomika wasn't sure but maybe they had thought that when Dewey left the classroom and everything went back to normal, then everything would be normal; normal meaning no band. But everything was back to normal, and their lives weren't, the band was still there. And that maybe if anybody raised their hands, or participated voluntarily in the 'normal' world then the band would just...disappear. So everyone was just waiting for it all to just go away, but it never did.
As the class was escorted by their substitute to the cafeteria for lunch Tomika could see the small signs of excitement beginning to appear among the class; their lives still hadn't gone back to the way they were before Dewey. They continued to walk down the hallway as other classes began to join them. Tomika looked at them and realized that nobody knew. Nobody but them had any idea about what had happened. It seemed odd that only a few people knew about a life-changing event that had happened to an entire class...it made their situation even more fragile. What if something happened? Something that really did make it all go away...nobody would know, nobody could have ever known...it really would be...gone.
Tomika's thoughts were suddenly forgotten when they entered the lunchroom. The entire class began to move together towards the line to get the food the school served. Strangely enough, the food at Horace Green wasn't bad...it was actually quite delicious. Tomika followed her classmates onto the line, watching the pent-up excitement beginning to release in a few whispers that began escaping from everyone.
Halfway through the line Tomika realized that she had packed her own lunch to save up money for the band. Putting her empty tray back she walked to a lunch table where the band, and manager, had chosen to sit. She sat down at the end of the table and opened up her lunch box to begin eating the PB and J sandwich she had made for herself. While she was beginning to eat the rest of the band and crew made their way to the table. It seemed that this one particular table would be 'theirs'. When the last person sat at the table there was pure silence between them all for one second and then everyone exploded into excited conversation about, what Tomika knew would be before they started talking, Battle of the Bands.
Instead of talking, like everyone else, she continued to eat and let her thoughts move past the Friday of Battle of the Bands, to the weekend after. It had been the most fun Tomika ever had in two days, and the most fun she thought she could ever have in two days. There were parties, ones that would have never ended if it hadn't been for curfews, band practice, something that would soon be come a permanent part of her schedule, and sleepovers, the cause for her new hairstyle, a hairstyle that she had forgotten about until Ms. Mullins exclaimed 'Tomika!' in what-have-you-done? tone and she had continued to gawk. Tomika had forgotten completely about her now-straight hair that was a nice rosy pink shade compliments of Marta and Alicia, her new best friends who had tried to convince her into not just pink, but neon pink. She had decided that her hair was too long and wore it up in a bun held together by a pencil, but she left half of her head of hair down to sort of counter the bun. This odd hair-do had in fact earned her many compliments from the girls of her class.
As Tomika started on the second half of the sandwich she thought back to her parents reaction to the band. It had been very different than that of the other parents, they had been nothing but happy for her. They loved the fact that it gave her something to do; a new hobby could never be disallowed. Tomika rolled her eyes and the thought of her parents' antics. But she thought that the reason they accepted her new rock life style so much was the fact that it gave her friends. Her parents could care less to what she was doing with them, just that she had friends made them so happy. Tomika had never really had any real friends and she didn't really care about that at all, but she knew her parents did.
She left her own thoughts as she finished eating and looked up to see what was being discussed at the table. She could tell that the topic had moved away from Battle of the Bands as half the table was leaning towards Zack, looking at what Tomika could make out as a piece of paper torn from a notebook.
Freddy, who was sitting to the right of Zack at the other end of the Table, was the first person to comment on...whatever it was. "Zack, man, this is awesome!" he said as Zack passed it on to him.
"Yeah, I can practically hear it," agreed Katie, who was sitting to the right of Freddy on the other side of the table, looking at what Freddy had passed over to her while tipping her chair back and forth with her feet, something that would cause any parent to comment disapprovingly towards.
A song, Tomika leaned forward, but it was useless; Zack was sitting on the other end of the table, too far away for her to see anything clearly on the paper.
"I wasn't sure if it was that good-" Zack began but was cut off by Alicia who was looking over Katie's shoulder at the song.
"Oh this thing is most definitely good."
"Dude! Zack, its better than good!" Freddy said, who took back the paper, "I can't wait to hear this thing!"
Zack began to smile while biting his lower lip, "Actually... I recorded it with Marta's MP3 player...I knew hers could record stuff so I asked to borrow it...I wanted to see how it sounded..." he said while digging out the small, yet obscenely expensive item out of his backpack.
Freddy looked at Zack as if he had committed a crime. "You recorded it and you didn't tell me!" The drummer immediately snatched the MP3 player out of Zack's hand and began to put the small headphone earpieces in his ears.
"Well, you know, its only guitar and me singing... I didn't think it was all that good, plus I wasn't even sure if you'd want to hear it."
Freddy ignored him and began to press buttons on the device, no doubt looking for the song.
Katie raised an eyebrow at the blonde, "And you think your the only one who gets to listen to it?" she said, plucking the earpiece out of Freddy's ear that was closest to her and put it in her own.
Freddy scowled at her but let it go. He stopped pushing buttons so Tomika guessed he had found what he was looking for.
"Oh...so that's what you were doing with it..." Marta said looking at Zack, her face full of revelation. "I had no clue to what you wanted it for, but seeing as you promised to get it back to me on Monday...I thought what the hell."
Tomika could tell the song started because Freddy started drumming with his hands and Katie began to move her head back and forth to the beat.
When, she assumed, the song ended Katie took off her earpiece and Freddy's, who disliked how violent she had pulled on the cord to get it out of his year, and passed them across the table to Lawrence and Marta who both began to listen, though Lawrence took out a moist toilet and cleaned off his ear piece and Marta's, who had asked for him to clean hers as well.
"This song is much better than good!" Freddy began commenting after he had glared at Katie long enough. "I can hear a solo right here." He said, drawing a line on the piece of paper.
Katie looked where he was suggesting. "Yes you can, mine!"
"What are you talking about!" Freddy had turned to face the bassist, not pleased with the notion. "That space right there was meant for a drum solo!"
"It may have been meant for a solo, but definitely not drum!" Katie said meeting his glare.
"What are you talking about!"
"No drum will get a solo in this song, it would throw the entire thing completely off!"
"That's what you say! I say that a drum solo would be so kick ass there!"
"Too bad cause I'm taking a solo there!"
"No way! I am!"
"Way! That spot has my name on it!"
"Oh really I don't see it there!"
"And I don't see your name there either!"
"It doesn't have to be! That spot was made for drums!"
"You know its not!"
"Geez woman! How ca-"
"GUYS! Stop it!" Summer yelled out, both of them stopped bickering and turned towards her. "I'm sure that this can be settled in a calm and rational manner, something that seems to be quite unfamiliar to you two!" They both scowled and glared at their band manager.
"And what do you propose we do?" retorted Freddy.
"Well... why can't you both take a solo there?" she said as if it were something even a blind man could see. Her suggestion was meet with silence and two blank stares. Summer waited a minute and still no response. "Well?" she prompted.
"Its mine!" Katie yelled, turning back to Freddy, ignoring the suggestion.
Summer rolled her eyes as the fighting continued, and put the earpiece that Alicia had handed to her in her ear from the MP3 player that had just been passed back over to them from Lawrence and Marta who were done with it.
Tomika had had enough of the fighting. "I'll take a solo there." She said, now louder than the bassist and drummer, both of whom had stopped fighting to look at the now-standing Tomika.
"And who says so?" Freddy said and stood up, pushing his chair backwards as he did so creating an unpleasant sound.
It was such a cliché moment that Tomika could just hear the nonexistent 'ooo's, but she didn't let that bring her down, she drew herself to full height, a height much larger than the blonde's. "I say so, unless you want that hamburger stuffed where the sun don't shine." Tomika said, pointing to his lunch.
"I'd like to see you try!" The threat didn't seem to have the wanted effect. Oh well, if he wants it, he'll get exactly what he asked for.
Tomika stepped away from her chair and moved next to Katie and went to grab for the hamburger. At the sight of this Freddy's eyes widened and he grabbed the hamburger and stepped back a bit. "Oh... uh... well, eh, there's no need for that," He said, sitting back down clutching his hamburger close to his chest. "I didn't want the solo that much anyway." And with that he began to eat his burger a little too fast with an upset, defeated, I-can't-believe-I-was-just-beaten-by-a-girl look on his face. He really was eating fast though, almost as if he had to get rid of it before it could be used against him like it almost just was.
Tomika walked back to her seat and sat down while noticing both Katie and Zack were turned away from Freddy trying to stifle their laughter but were coming to no such success. Freddy glared at the both of them, which only caused them to laugh harder. Tomika herself felt a smile come across her face as Marta and Alicia began to bit their lips to contain themselves as well.
She was never really confrontational, she was usually quiet, but lately she could feel herself changing, everybody was thanks to the band, just some more than others. She decided that she might as well even know something about the song, seeing as she had a solo in it. "Lyrics?" She said and Zack, who had taken back the paper, passed it down to her. After reading them a second time she found where Freddy was talking about. "A solo there would be great, can you write one for me?" She asked looking at Zack.
"I'm pretty sure...let me see." He studied the paper that Tomika had given back to him. "Yea I definitely can. I'll see if I can get it done by band practice today."
"Cool." She said and began to listen to the conversation that was happening between Alicia, Summer and Marta.
"Ok, remember band practice at 4 be there...on time!" Summer added, glaring in Freddy's direction, causing Freddy to just glare right back.
Marta rolled her eyes, "Bye guys see you there, later!" she said, waving to the rest of the group as they all exited school. Marta's words caused the rest of the group to wave good-bye and promises of seeing each other at band practice later as they all boarded their respective buses.
The bus ride home for Tomika was non-occasional; it was just as boring as usual. When her stop came around she put on her backpack and exited the bus, walking up to her house. Her house wasn't as big as she knew most of the band member's were. It wasn't that her family had less money than theirs it was just that her family didn't spend money as frivolously as others, and even she knew that having a large house for the sake of having a large house was frivolous.
She knew that her dad wouldn't be home because he was at work, that and there was only one car in the driveway. Her mom usually came home before she got there, but sometimes she had to work late, today she was home.
As she closed the door she laid down her backpack and looked to find her mother to tell her that she was home. She found her in the kitchen on the phone. It looked to be an important conversation because she was facing the wall and speaking very low.
Tomika made herself a snack of Oreos and a glass of milk. She sat down at the table and began to eat the first one when her mom hung up. Tomika looked up and knew something was wrong. Her mother cleared her throat, "Um, honey there's something I need to tell you."
Tomika furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it...did something happen?"
Her mother sat down next to her and put a hand on her arm. "Yes...honey...I don't know how to put it...its just...that was Dewey's roommate...Honey, Dewey is...dead."
Another Author's Note: :hides: please don't kill me, it was necessary to kill him off to move the fic in the direction I wanted, I needed something big to break up the band real soon and death was the first thing that popped in my mind... but it was necessary... besides, can't you see that the second story type is Angst, really, I can't do an Angst fic if there is none! Though mind you it's the second type, it will have everything I promise! Just give me a chaaance!
sooo... I hope you like it! Please, please like it!
... Oh, and tell me if you liked the length of this chapter, I can make them this long always if you want or if they were too long ill make them shorter, tell me! Please tell me if you like it, if you don't then I won't continue to write it, so please REVIEW! aannnddd if you review you get... A PLUSHIE OF THE SOR CHARACTER OF YOUR CHOICE!
So go, yes now, go get away from me and review! Its not about the reviews... ok maybe it is just a little... but I really just want to know what you think and if you guys like it... and if you do, continue, I will... wow did I just speak like yoda... I think I did... GO NOW REVIEW BEFORE I KEEP YOU HERE ANY LONGER! Oh and constructive criticism is welcome! That's why I have you voting on the ships and lengths of chapter, give me as much advice as you want! Ok, now you can review, oh one more thing... jk got you again ha ha ha REVIEW!