"And they're gonna get high...

When they're low low low...

The fire burns from better days...

And he screamed why oh why..."
---Green Day, "Misery".

Freddy sighed as he picked up the paintbrush. It was at times like these that he was just tempted to throw a whole lot of paint on the canvas and call it art. Something like... "Anger Over Art", could be quite true. And it wasn't that no-one would buy it, he knew for a fact that a lot of those 'arty' types – and he thought of the word arty in quotation marks for a reason – would hang it over their fireplace and say oh yes, I'm very interested in the symbolism of this piece. They'd say that it meant all kinds of things that he hadn't even considered. But no, the reason why he never did that is two reasons, really.

The first being that it would annoy his creative instincts. He couldn't allow himself to do that, it just wouldn't be right. It would disappoint a greater part of himself. It's so difficult to explain, but it would be like selling-out, going against his morals. And the second reason was that it simply would not help. In order to properly express his feelings, to get his anger or whatever emotion he was feeling at the time, he had to create what he thought of as art.

He'd been painting while thinking all this, and stepped back to look over his picture. He never bothered with sketching it out first; if it didn't go right then he'd do it again, or incorporate it into the idea somehow. It showed a girl sitting cross-legged with her back to whoever was looking at the picture. Her head was in her hands, and she seemed upset. She had dark brown hair, almost black, and her hair was silky and shiny. There was a guy stood next to her, a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he was looking away from her, as though he had no idea she was there. He had an angry, upset, annoyed expression, and the two were in a room.

It had blank white walls, with red handprints on, as though someone had angrily hit the wall while their hands were sticky with blood. There was a natural wood chest-of-drawers, that had been painted white, although not very well as streaks were evident. There was a hardwood polished floor, but the girl was sat on a woollen knitted rug, in circles of blue and red. There was an unmade bed to the side, and the guy was stood in front of it. There was a mirror above the chest-of-drawers, but the girl's hair was hiding her face. Placed on the bed was a small teddy-bear, but it had no eyes and it's mouth appeared to be stitched shut.

Freddy sighed, and threw down his paintbrush. "A Room With A View" he titled it, in remembrance of a movie he had once watched, and tucked it under his arm. He strode out of the room, not knowing where he was going. Maybe, he thought. Maybe I should end it all. The rain beat down upon him, and he slid the painting into a protective bag that he'd thrown into the garbage, not thinking that he'd need it.

He glanced up at the sky, only realizing it was raining when his dirty-blond hair was wetly plastered to his head, and hung dripping in front of his eyes. He shivered, his t-shirt clinging to his form, and his jeans just soaked up the rain. He fell onto the ground, shaking violently in the numbing cold, and tore his knee through the rip in his jeans. The blood immediately poured itself down his leg, as though it had been waiting for a chance like this, a chance to be free.

He willed himself not to cry, not to let the tears escape like the blood was so eager to. He stood up, wincing at the jolt of pain that ran through him like a steel wire, and started walking. Just where he was walking to, he didn't know, but just walking was enough for now. He walked with his head down, keeping his gaze on his feet. The sky was dark, and he hadn't realized just how late it was. An ominous rumble sounded overhead, but Freddy never looked up until the lightning flashed.

He forced himself to stop, and clutched onto the rail that was luckily nearby. He was almost bent double, wheezing, out of breath. He hadn't realized just how out of shape he was, but his shivering wasn't making things any easier. He followed his hand down to see what it was holding. A rail, and the rail was attached to the bridge. It must be fate. God was telling him that there was no point. He broke "A Room With A View" over his knee, and threw the pieces into the river that was thrashing and bubbling below him, as though just waiting to swallow him into its depths.

It suddenly burst its banks, and the water overflowed. I'm coming, don't worry, Freddy thought grimly, and prepared to jump, when-

"STOP!" came a sharp cry from behind him, and Freddy fell backward. He landed with a strong crack onto the concrete, and moaned. That was going to hurt in the morning.

Summer hurried over, still thinking about a few moments before. She'd been kicked out of the house – again – this time for not... for not what? She had so many flaws, so many imperfections that she couldn't remember which one had this time been brought to her attention. He'd been right, she knew it, so she was waiting for him at the bridge where he normally came to pick her up – and beat her up.

She peered worriedly at Freddy, who pulled a face. "Thanks for that," he grumbled.

"Pull yourself together, Jones, and stop feeling sorry for yourself," came the crisp reply. Freddy leapt to his feet – ignoring that protest from every aching bone in his body, and grabbed Summer's shoulders.

"Summer? Is that you?" There was no mistaking that no-nonsense tone, and he didn't need an answer. Pulling her towards him, he roughly kissed her. She was the first to pull away, but not as though she didn't want to, more like she wanted to say something. "What is it?" he asked, and she still marveled at how he always understood her.

"Still the same bad-ass Freddy Jones, aren't you?"

"Still the same stuck-up Summer Hathaway," he retorted, and they both enjoyed the familiar banter.

"I'm married."

"I know."

"So I'm not Hathaway, I'm Markham."

"You'll always be Hathaway to me."

"Always?"

"A Hathaway or a Jones," he replied, and before she had time to wonder what that meant, they were kissing again.

Well, not a long chapter but I think everything was said that needed to be really. I'm not sure why I went into such detail on the painting, I felt like it had some significance but I'm not sure what. I don't even know why it had all that stuff in it, I just could see it in my mind's eye, so... yeah. Actually, looking back on it, it is quite a long chapter, for me anyway. Summer and Freddy finally meet, and don't waste any time, either! I just like the whole "I'm married." "I know." bit. Anyway, I hope you all likey!

Reviews.

Unlikely-to-bear-it: You were gonna kill him? He might die anyway, I'm not sure... I have no idea what's going to happen, lol, but he should get what's coming to him. I hope. It might not even be a happy ending, for all I know. Omigosh, Basket Case rocks, doesn't it? It's like the story of me! Well, the first verse anyway, not the second... and have you seen the video? Mike is so cute! He has all this fluffy blond hair, bless! No, I don't like like him (how childish am I; like like, lol) I just think he's sweet. Now Billie, well, that's a different story... She is an awesome song, it's definitely one of my favorites. I can see him as a painter to, and I don't really know why. Maybe because he's a very creative person, I can see him putting a lot into his music, so he'd be either an actor or a painter, and being an actor wouldn't quite fit, I don't think. You getyour songsin your teachers' heads? Damn, I need to learn how to do that! I was having this massive bonding session with one of my teachers over "Dookie", and I was talking about Thin Lizzy with one of the others! He started playing The Boys Are Back In Town for us on the piano! It rocked! SO DOES JOHN LENNON!

thesolitary-dragon: Ok, this might take a while :o) Drinking is bad? I mean, yes! Drinking is bad! Well, drinking alcohol is bad... Kinda... Anyway! I don't know if any other author has done Freddy as a painter... I don't think so... I'd like to think it's an original idea, but I'm not sure. I just - for some reason - see him as a painter. Your sushi is old? That's bad. I don't like... sushi. I don't think. I might do. I've never actually dared try it. I can't really stand seafood though, except for good ol' reliable fish 'n' chips, mm-mmm.Green Day are the wonderfullest of bands! They just ROCK! They rock so hard! I don't think it's weird that you asked your dad to go with you at all, he sounds pretty cool. You live in/near Vegas? As in, Las Vegas? Or some other Vegas? Is there some other Vegas? Wow, the only Green Day song I can play on drums is Are We The Waiting, which isn't that hard, but I can play When September Ends, Macy's Day Parade and Good Riddance on guitar. I really have no control over them, I don't even have any idea where this story is going or what's going to happen.
Awesome is a good word. There's no way around it. I only got, like, 99 in this really easy English test that I had (everyone else got 100) because I used a word like, "awesomeness" and apparently it's not a word. But it should be! So then my friends were telling everyone who'd listen that I made up a word in my English exam... mutters under breath If a man abuses you, chop off his 'manhood' and burn it in front of his eyes... I'm not violent! I swear! Yes, I do think Whatsername worked well. I've used two AI songs so far, but it just depends on what I'm listening to, really. I think maybe Waiting for the next chapter, or possibly- Jeez! I just nearly blinded myself with the mouse! Anyway, I think maybe Waiting, but it might not be. Ooh, it may well be- no! I just remembered! It's going to be a couple of lines from "Fashion Victim", from Warning. Well, I say that now... His name is Billie Joe, not William Joseph, so named because his mom is from Oklahoma. He thinks it's spelled B-I-L-L-I-E because she was high on drugs from the pregnancy... oO His thoughts, not mine. Lol, I'm not obsessed! ahem Anyway, hoped that cleared things up for you :o) My favorite Nirvana song is (at the minute, it could change any time) Penny Royal Tea. And the person is question got kicked in the shin, if that makes you feel any better.
Yes, we do talk about music! But music rocks! Yay for music! And here's the much-longed-for update, hope you enjoyed!

Rachel: I'm glad you find it realistic, and The Lies They Tell Us rocks, doncha think? Yay! More Green Day fans! They just kick ass, don't they? Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

Marcy Bayd: Nope, Freddy and Summer are not married... cries Don't they make such a lovely couple? Yeaha, Freddy rocks! I hope you like this chapter!

XxInsanityxX: I have a few of their abulms before Insomniac... There's their first one, back when Al Sobrante (sp?) was the drummer, which is 1039 Smoothed Out/Slappy Hours... or maybe the slash is in a different place... there's Kerplunk, Dookie (I think) and a few others... And nooo! Give me my Billie posters back! cries hysterically

i am not a chipmunk: intense... is a fun word... lol, I know, Freddy needs a good hug, but he needs a shower first, methinks. I have problems writing long reviews, I hate the box you have to write in! Grr, anyways, I'm glad you like it and I'm just happy that you reviewed at all!

rockerchik777: I don't prefer the older material, per se, I just wish the band weren't so mainstream. I was talking about GD and someone said "Do you know when their second album is coming out?" Jeez, I almost slapped them around the face! Idiots... Wow, North Carolina! You have an American accent, then? That rocks soooo much! And London is cool... I almost went on the London Eye, but I'm scared of heights, so I didn't, lol. I did a lot of other stuff, though. I hope you have fuuuuuuuun, 'cause England rooooooooocks!

Nanners-77: Although is there any point in writing this and I'm talking to you right now? Lol, but I may not be when you read this. Although I may. Meh. Anyway, not only did Joey curse Michigan, he cursed the good name of rock 'n' roll with his utterly crap music. I mean, who puts in an ostentious (big word, it means 'showy offy') guitar solo right after the first verse? Just 'cause he has a rock-star daddy (who, by the way, I've never heard of) it's like, I rock, yay! All his fangirls, too... pfff, you can practically hear the giggling shakes head Anyway, I'm a GOOD friend now, huh? I feel so honored! And it would rock so bad if I went to Toronto... one minute, just going to, um, ask you something... as weird as that sounds... Ok, NY is not very near Toronto, so when I go to NYU I won't be able to come and see you even then! cries Anyways, glad you liked it, and I was confused writing it, lol!

i am phsycopathic: They've met each other! They have! hides Please don't hurt me... or yourself, lol! I've updated!

Anyways, muchos huevos! And yes, I am aware of what that means... ;o)