At the Bridgewater
Disclaimer: I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.
A/N:Okay, so I FINALLY updated - I hope you're proud of me lol. It took me AGES to finish that chapter off ... I hope you like it. Personally, it's my favourite chapter so far, but I don't know what anyone else thinks. Anyway, please send in a review as they are SO helpful to me.
THEO'S BAR PRESENTS
THE NARRATIVE
THE HOTTEST NEW BAND IN TOWN!
COME ALONG FOR AN AUTHENTIC ROCKIN' NIGHT OUT!
THEO'S BAR, FRIDAY NIGHT,
8 TILL LATE
The poster was stuck to a light post next to the bus stop at which Freddy and Zack were standing. Freddy looked at it with vague interest.
"You going?" he asked the smaller boy beside him.
"Huh?" Zack said, looking up from his watch. Freddy gestured towards the poster. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Maybe … depends," Zack finished lamely.
"You could take Katie – you two seem quite … close," Freddy hinted, giving Zack a friendly nudge with his shoulder. Zack grinned unwillingly and Freddy gave a triumphant laugh. "You DO like her! Ha, I knew it!" Freddy cried.
"Freddy, come on … I mean, it's no big deal …" Zack said hopelessly as Freddy grinned at him.
"My little Zacky's all grown up," Freddy joked, ruffling Zack's hair and pinching his cheek patronisingly. Zack didn't quite see how this applied, seeing as he'd been serious about a girl before and Katie therefore wasn't the first crush Zack had had.
"What? That doesn't even make sense!" Zack said, laughing. Freddy took no notice and continued teasing Zack. Suddenly he stopped and looked over Zack's shoulder. Zack immediately turned round and saw what Freddy was looking at – Katie. She was coming towards the two boys, her large schoolbag slung over her shoulder. Zack wheeled back round to face Freddy, a blush creeping into his face.
"Freddy! What am I going to do? She's coming over!" he hissed. Freddy laughed.
"Relax man, you're one of her best friends. You've known each other for ages … just chill out," Freddy told him.
"Hey," Katie said.
"Hi!" Zack cried, turning round so fast he almost fell over. He was still blushing, and he ran a hand nervously through his hair. Katie laughed at him.
"What's up with you today? It's only me. You don't have to be so nervous," she said with a grin. She readjusted her bag and smiled at Freddy. "Hey Spazzy."
"Hey," he returned. "I've got to go now … I've got stuff to do," he said vaguely, pushing past Katie. He had just seen Summer coming out of the school gates with Alicia and Marta. As he went, he heard Katie ask Zack about his latest song, but by the time Zack had started talking, Freddy was out of earshot.
"Summer!" he called as he neared the small brunette. She turned, tucking a lock of straight brown hair behind her ear.
"Oh, hi Freddy," she said shyly. Surprised by her rather timid response, he looked at Alicia and Marta, both of whom where smiling at Freddy as though they knew something he didn't.
"Well, we have to go now … things to do," Alicia said as she passed by. There seemed to be something else in her voice, a sort of hint; it was as though something was going to happen, and Alicia knew exactly what it was, when it was going to happen and who it was going to happen to. Marta raised her eyebrows at Summer and gave Freddy a significant glance and then she was gone too.
"What was that about?" Freddy asked Summer, looking at Alicia and Marta as they walked away. Marta said something and they both turned around at the same time, looked at Summer and Freddy with some interest, and then turned back round giggling.
"Dunno," Summer said. They both lapsed into silence as the kids around them pushed past, talking amongst themselves. Freddy cleared his throat and Summer looked down at her feet.
"So …" Freddy began awkwardly.
"Yeah …" Summer returned.
Another few seconds of silence, then "I really have to go," Freddy said.
"Yeah, me too," Summer returned immediately. The two looked at each other for a second longer.
"Well … see you later," Freddy said.
"Yeah, bye," Summer said quickly. Freddy turned round and started walking in the direction of his home and Summer began her walk to her bus stop.
That evening, Zack and Katie went out to the park for a late-night walk. The idea was to talk about a History Assignment they both had, which was due in for the following week. However, Zack had a sneaking suspicion that they probably wouldn't be talking about schoolwork that much.
Zack peered into the hallway mirror as he pulled his jacket on. He lifted up his thick fringe and frowned at what he saw. He had a generous helping of spots scattered across his forehead, which was his main reason for not having his hair cut; while the other boys were busy loading their hair with gel to make it stick up in the air like a hedgehog, Zack was brushing his hair down to cover his spotty forehead. He also had a couple of spots on his right cheek, but nothing a bit of concealer wouldn't cure.
After spraying on a bit of deodorant, brushing his teeth and smudging a bit of his sister's concealer on his cheek, Zack made his way over to the park, where he would be meeting Katie in five minutes. The walk didn't take long, and he could soon see the large park gates looming up ahead of him. Just in front of them, leaning against the wall, was Katie. She smiled as he approached, and dug her hands deep into her pockets as she walked towards him.
"Hey," she said. She was wearing her trainers, which was good, because if she had been wearing her boots, she would have been taller than Zack, and Zack hated it when girls made him feel small.
"Hi," he returned, hoping that he wasn't blushing. They started into the park, their conversation swaying casually from one topic to another as they walked. Eventually, the two came to rest near the lake, where they sat on a bench near the water's edge. Zack picked up a couple of small pebbles and made them bounce along the surface of the water. His last stone bounced a total of seven times before sinking to the bottom of the lake.
"Wow! Seven bounces … I've never seen anyone do that before! The most I've ever got is five," Katie told him as he made his way back to the bench. He simply grinned sheepishly and fiddled with his little fingernail as Katie sat and watched the ducks on the lake as they swam around in circles, eating soggy bread.
"Katie, you fancy going to a concert on Friday night?" Zack asked casually. The butterflies in his stomach we fluttering faster than ever, and Zack thought he might throw up from the simple anticipation of waiting for her answer. But Katie simply flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled at him.
"Yeah, sure."
"Really?" Zack blurted out, sighing with relief as Katie laughed at his reaction.
"Yeah, really," she said, giggling. "What, did you think I'd say no?" When Zack didn't answer her, she continued. "I love live music! I wouldn't have said no for anything … which concert where you thinking of?"
"It's just a little thing going on at Theo's Bar, you know, on Upper Mills Road? This band called … erm, I can't remember. But they're a new band … I don't know, I was just thinking of dropping in and seeing what it was like. Does that sound cool to you?" he asked.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Katie said, grinning. Zack was going to suggest they meet up for a drink before heading down to Theo's Bar, but he was interrupted by the arrival of two other people on the opposite side of the lake. He recognised them both immidiately – the blonde boy was Freddy, and the petie brunette was Summer. They had both been laughing as they came towards the lake, but their laughter died away quickly as they both noticed Zack and Katie on the opposite side of the water.
The four teenagers looked at each other as an unbrearably awkward silence settled betweek them. Freddy and Summer stood on one side of the lake, with Zack and Katie on the other. After almost ten seconds (which seems like an eternity when you're standing in silence, Freddy noted) and not a word, Summer simply turned on her heel and walked away.
This immidiately spurted Zack into life, and he came tearing across the bridge over the lake after Summer.
"Wait, Summer! It's not what it looks like, honestly!" he cried desperately. It wasn't that he still loved her – he had finally got over her, with Katie's help, admittedly; he just didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. But Summer was either out of earshot or was ignoring him; she carried on walking without so much as turning round.
"Leave her," Freddy told Zack as the guitarist proceeded to follow Summer. He put his hand on Zack's chest and pushed him back slightly, stepping in the way.
"But –" protested Zack.
"Hey, I said leave her," Freddy repeated, his tone firm and forebading. When he spoke like that, Zack knew it was best to do what he said or he'd probably end up with two black eyes. By this time, Katie had made her way over to the two boys.
"What's going on?" Katie asked.
"Nothing. It's got nothing to do with you," growled Freddy.
But Katie knew better. "If Zack wants to go and see Summer, then what's the problem … it's not like you've got anything to do with it," she sneered at Freddy, obviously retorting to his last comment. Katie could be a real bitch if she wanted, Freddy recalled. He chose to ignore her.
"Nothing's going on," Zack muttered. "I'll be back in a minute," he told Katie, pushing past Freddy.
Freddy let him go, but called after him, "I would have thought you'd done enough damage by now."
This last comment caught Zack of guard, and he turned to Freddy, who continued before Zack had a chance to speak.
"Yeah, you heard me. You have no idea how much you hurt that girl, do you? No idea how many times she's been on the phone to me, crying her eyes out over what you did to her … honestly, the things she told me, about what you'd said to her, all the promises you made. You broke her heart, man, and if you want to go and hurt her some more, then fine – go! But if I were you, man, I'd stay away from her, at least till she's calmed down," Freddy said.
"Hey, I haven't exactly had a great time over this either! I made one, stupid, little mistake and she totally blew it out of proportion – I apologised and everything!" Zack cried, walking back to where Freddy and Katie now stood.
"Oh, so that makes it okay, does it?" Freddy said scornfully.
"No, but it's not as if I meant to hurt her – like I said, it was just a stupid mistake."
"You make me sick … you stand here and tell me that an apology was the best you could offer her – the girl of your dreams, the love of your life … you expected her to forgive you for a simple apology …" Freddy said, no longer shouting, his voice sincere.
"I don't see what it's got to do with you, anyway," Katie told Freddy. "This is between Zack and Summer, and I don't think it's doing anyone any favours, you sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."
"Oh, shut up Katie," Freddy snapped. He was already in a bad mood with Zack, he didn't need Katie nosing in and bossing him about.
"Hey, leave Katie alone! It's not as if any of this is her fault," Zack said, his crush on Katie causing him to jump to her defence.
"Whatever. I'm going to go and see if Summer's okay," Freddy said, turning his back and walking away.
"That's it – go and talk to Summer, tell her what a terrible person I've been for finally getting over her! Tell her how much of a prick I am for actually wanting a bit of happiness for a change – it's not like I had any with her! Tell her how you hate me, and how much you love her … the frigid bitch!" Zack yelled after Freddy. Although it was true that throughout their three years of dating each other, Summer had never let Zack go beyond second base, he didn't really mean what he said. He was angry and frustrated, and wanted to hurt Freddy the only way he knew how – through Summer.
It worked, too, for no sooner had Zack stopped talking than Freddy punched him in the jaw. Katie screamed as Freddy lunged, and the two boys landed in a heap on the floor. Freddy punched Zack again in the nose and suceeded in giving him a nosebleed. Zack tried to push Freddy off him, but Freddy was too strong. Instead, the drummer continued to punch Zack in the stomach and chest.
"Don't … dare … insult … Summer … not … her … fault …" Freddy was saying in between punches. Eventually, Zack managed to punch Freddy in the mouth and, taking advantage of his weak moment, threw him off. Freddy rolled away and wiped his mouth as Zack coughed and spluttered, trying to get his breath back. Katie rushed over to him and then turned to Freddy angrily.
"Look what you've done to him, you idiot! He can hardly breathe!" she cried. Instead of apologising, Freddy lunged at Zack a second time, ready to punch the living daylights out of him, but Katie held him back with surprising strength. She pushed him away and he stumbled slightly, but didn't trip.
"Whatever. See you round, losers," he muttered, before walking off away from the lake to find Summer.
It was now getting dark, and he wanted to get out of the park before all the drunkards and drug adicts came and camped out for the night. It was also getting a little cold, which Freddy had failed to notice while he was fighting Zack and Katie.
He found Summer after about ten minutes of looking. She was sitting on a bench between the café and the picnic area, looking glumly into the middle distance and generally looking sorry for herself. Freddy sat down beside her but said nothing. He was still seething, and found that he was finding it hard to calm down. He ran through the events of the past half an hour or so, from his and Summer's arrival at the lake to now, and he found that there was one event that didn't make sense to him.
It was the fact that Summer had left pretty much immidiately after seeing that Zack and Katie were there. What was that look on her face, just before she had stormed off? Hurt? Jealousy? Anger? Why had she felt like that? As far as Freddy could see, she was over him … so why the sudden take off?
"Hey, Summer? How come you took off so suddenly, you know? When you saw Zack and Katie together at the lake? I mean … why were you so upset? I thought you were over him." Freddy had never had a way with words, especially when it came to questions.
Summer didn't answer him straight away. Instead, she looked sideways at him, taken aback slightly by this new, slightly shallow side, she now saw in Freddy.
She paused for a moment before answering, searching his face for that ever-undrestanding side of Freddy that she had grown to know and trust. She wanted Freddy to understand what she was thinking, what she was going through, without actually having to explain it to him, as he had managed to so many times before. But now, there was only a frank look of curiosity and, hidden in his face somewhere, a faint hint of confusement. For the first time in a long time, Summer realised, Freddy truly didn't understand her. For some odd reason, as well as feeling slightly upset, she also felt betrayed, as though simply by not understanding her pain, Freddy was doing something wrong.
She couldn't quite believe that she could be so misunderstood by someone so close to her.
"You don't get it, do you?" she said in disbelief. "No, of course you don't." She paused, searching for a way to explain her feelings to him without making her anger and unexplainable feeling of betrayal apparent. She failed. "I mean, you've never been in love, right? I loved Zack. For three whole years, I loved that boy … and now, only a month after we break up, he's off seeing some other girl! I mean, even if I am over him, don't you think it's going to hurt just a little, seeing him with somebody else?" Freddy didn't answer. He was ashamed at not recognising Summer's pain at the time, and he wished he had been more sensitive towards her, rather than going off punching his best friend in the stomach …
"Summer, I'm sorry. I should have realised –"
"Save it," she said. "I've had enough of sorry's for one day." And with that, she stalked off. This time, Freddy didn't bother to go after her.
A/N: So there you have it. The latest installment of At the Bridgewater. I decided to end it there before it got any longer, but also it seemed like the natural place to stop. There isn't exactly a cliffy, but I think it does leave you guys wondering what's going to happen next, which is good! lol ... in all honesty, I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen, although I have a pretty good idea.
Anyway, the next chapter should be up around Christmas... I know it seems a long way off, but I had exams before then and, quite frankly, I'd rather be revising for them than redrafting some fanfiction. I hope you understand that my life doesn't, contrary to popular belief, rotate around the computer screen and that my happiness does not depend on how quickly I can write the next chapter. As some of you may have noticed, I take a lot of time over my writing, and I don't want the next chapter to be any kind of dissapointment to you. So, there you have it - a million and one reasons as to why the next chapter won't be up until around Christmas time. As I said before, PLEASE send me your review (and please give me some constructive critisism - I get tired of people saying 'OMG, this story is so great! update soon!' ... wow, that sounded bigheaded) lol, so yeah. That's about it ... cya!