Lawrence.

oOo

People always consider me to be the quiet one, the shy boy in the back who plays piano. Maybe it's true, I do my best not to be a bother or makes waves. I adapted the least to the rock and roll lifestyle. But, nothing makes me wanna hurt or break something more than my best friend getting raped.

I had a crush on Summer for the longest time, probably ever since elementary school. I think Katie knew, but I'm pretty sure she didn't say anything. Most dudes don't really go for girls like Summer, maybe because she was too smart and brainy, or stuck on school rules, but that kind of thing didn't bother me. Even after School of Rock hit it big, I dressed like a prep and tried to be polite.

Summer and I were alike in that respect; we liked being the prep school kids. We didn't want to dye our hair insane colors or be loud on the subway for the sake of disturbing peace. Not that there is much peace on a subway anyway.

I always was sort of an outsider, even among friends.

Even after School of Rock hit it big... if it hadn't been for my Summer, we wouldn't have made it very far at all. I don't remember if we thanked her. God, that was almost five years ago. I guess that's what happens when a girl you like gets hurt. You start thinking about all the things you didn't do for, but should've. I want to go visit her, I think we all do, but Mr. Finn said we should just leave her alone for a bit, and let things settle down.

I'm not even sure her parents know.

What are they going to say? What can you say when your daughter was ...hurt... like that. I can't even say it, it sickens me that much. Summer Hathaway didn't deserve to be raped by some pervert, when he gets away and she is left to burn. No girl does. Especially my girl.

I wonder what's going to happen when she comes back to practice. I bet no one's gonna tease her about how she got the highest grade in the class. I want to do something, I want to get angry and hit someone. Last time I got in fight, my parents lectured me about "being the better man" and then sent me upstairs with no dinner. My little sister snuck me some food anyway.

What about the jerk that hurt Summer? He wasn't being the better man, so why does he get away with it and not get sent to his room without dinner? Why does the girl who gets hurt have to suffer through nightmares and emotional breakdowns? If we knew who he was, he wouldn't have a room to be sent to or any legs to walk on.

Summer never needed anyone to protect her. She could always handle things on her own, that was one of the main reasons why I liked her so much. Even when we were little kids, she always stood up for herself and anyone else getting picked on. What's going to happen to her now? Her spark has been stolen, Tinker Bell has lost her wings. And now, there's some monster walking around on the streets, with her confidence.

He stole so much from her, and I don't think she'll ever be okay. It doesn't make sense. She was so distant yesterday; it was almost unbearable. The way she sat there, with a blank look in her eye...

I could tell I wasn't the only one who wanted to go over to her, grab her by the shoulders, and shake some Summer Hathaway charm back into her. Katie tried to talk to her, but Summer didn't do anything. I don't know, she just blinked and said that everything was fine.

Not everything is fine. Nothing is fine now! Nothing. When you hurt one member of the School of Rock, you get a load of trouble from the others, believe me. Even if Summer thinks she can handle this alone, I know she can't. We all know she can't. She's got to be the only person who thinks she'll be able to manage with this alone. But, sister, that isn't how we do things in our little family of rockers.

You can't go perform in front of millions of people and not come back without a little bit of courage. I just hope we have enough of it to help Summer come back.

She was always there for us when we had problems, always.

When Katie had her heart broken by some upperclassman jerk, or when Zack couldn't understand geometry, or when Tomika had tons of make-up work from a week of absence, or when Alicia was getting in fights after school, or when I was having trouble convincing my parents that I had to miss school for a concert... Summer was there for us. And, now, it's our turn to be there for her.

No part of the year should the sunniest season be clouded over by snow and bitter cold. That's not the way it works here. That's not the way it works at all.

oOo