A/N: The two songs used for this chapter are "Deadbolt" and "The Beltsville Crucible," both by Thrice because they're awesome. You can find the link to the entire lyrics on my profile. Reviews are always awesome, keep 'em coming (constructive criticism welcomed too)…

Crucible

"…damn it, Will. If this is going to be our last rally at Lincoln, we might as well make it memorable and bring our A-game," he barked.

"Relax, I think I have more fingers and toes than we have fans," Will exaggerated. "It's pointless since we don't exactly belong in the popular cliques."

"Still, I think it'd be a solid send-off before heading off to college. Besides, it'd be cool to debut this new song for the EP."

"Whatev, man..."

"Alright from the top," he instructed to the band in general, tuning his guitar to drop D. He watched the slightly pudgy man twirl the drumstick between his fingers. Also, he noticed his friend and lead guitarist, Jeremy, translating some Thai to Takaka, the bass player. He counted off, "1, 2, 3…"

And on cue, Will and Jeremy began trading musical "jabs" on the drums and guitar, respectively, with such vigor and ferocity as though they were double-edged swords, battling yet also complementing each other…

The curly-headed lead singer belted out,

"When deadbolts awake you from déjà vu dreams,
Four in the morning you know where I'll be.
Out running red lights asleep at the wheel.
The sirens feed my nightmares.

I just close my eyes and I'm already here
It's already too late.
I know it's nothing but lies,
But they sound so sincere.
I find them too hard to hate…"

"Ross!" his chubby sister yelled, annoyed and winded from running down the stairs to the basement. "Dad doesn't want you guys playing so loud."

Everybody goes through some trying times in their lives.

If they say they haven't, they're probably lying through their teeth about it. And I mean that in the sincerest way possible. For some, they occur more frequently or take longer than others; however, in the end, what matters most is how you persevere through those times.

In hindsight, I suppose it's a good thing I voluntarily stepped down from lead singer and lead guitarist to, well, just the lead guitarist. I came pretty close to monopolizing the band and being a damn dictator, which isn't to say that I'm not… at times. Still, it was hard losing all the members' just months apart from each other.

Anyways, Jeremy left the band when he joined the Armed Services after graduating Lincoln.

And without him, Will and I decided to "phase out" Takaka, who left for Thailand soon after anyways. Last I heard, "Germs" was pretty peeved off about that. Soon enough, the band was flat lining when Will got accepted to University of Arizona. Will and I are still pretty good friends even though we haven't kept in contact much.

I think whatever happened then pretty much fails in comparison to what could've been…

We, the jury, find the defendant, Ross Geller, not guilty of first- and second-degree murder…

After those words were uttered, everything else turned into garbled gibberish. Two words, in its simplicity, differentiated freedom from incarceration or life from death. I'd be lying if I said I merely felt "relieved". At that moment, I knew exactly what it felt like to be O.J. except that we all know that he did it.

Of course, the prosecution presented mostly "he said, she said" evidence when there were barely witnesses. Hell, I might have been the only witness and therefore, by faulty reasoning, I was the only "suspect". Even though, I was unconscious for most of the incident.

I guess it's because someone needed to assign the blame on someone else, so they could paint them in an unflattering and biased manner. Character assassination, if you will. Ask Scott Peterson, except we know he did it too. It works in every aspect of the media, even celebrities. Still, I feel bad about the whole thing; even making light of the whole thing still hurts, especially since Idon't knowwhat happened that night.

Even a couple blocks from Missy's dorm, Ross could already hear the music blaring. As he crept closer towards his destination, he could see clouds of smoke wafting out the windows, the scent of weed crept along with it.

Entering the building, he pressed the "up" button, which opened promptly and pushed "3". The noise became louder, somewhat deafening his senses. He chuckled at the recognition of the song from the demo their band had given her three years prior.

3W.

"Ross, so glad you could make it," Missy smiled back at him. "Keg's in the back."

"So, the 'air quotes' aren't so funny now, eh?" he taunted, using them to emphasize his point.

"Well, in my defense," she replied. "You guys were going by the name Way/No Way then."

Conceding to her point, a "true" was all he could muster. "So, what's up with you and Chandler? You know those vocals could be our tickets to fame."

"Well…" she blushed while evading the issue, "he's alright."

"I'm just messing with you. I'll be out back if you need anything..."

On his way to the keg, Ross tiptoed over a few of the passed out locals, completely obliterated from the alcohol. It was your typical college gathering: several plastic red cups scattered on the floor. Some of the cups contained tiny amounts of alcohol while others had roach clips and ashes from the joints. There were also bottles and containers of every kind: half-empty 40-ounce and hard liquor bottles, flasks, emptied two-liter soda bottles, crushed cans of beer, etc.

He spotted the three most reliable people across the dorm near the silver barrels while pumping the tap as the yellowish brown liquid poured into their cups.

"About fucking time, Geller," the dirty-blond haired fellow emphasized, wearing a navy blue zip-up hooded sweatshirt with "New York" emblazed in white on the front.

"Already a little tipsy there, Mike?" he divulged.

"Hey man," the slightly shorter blue-eyed individual spoke, pulling a cigarette from the carton.

"Chandler," he nodded his head in acknowledgement, removing the folded pieces of paper from his pocket. "So, I finished writing the last two songs down."

"Great, let's see them," he said skimming through the lyrics. "Sound good, but I also scored us a 'gig' in front of the Asian Student Union as a bookend to where we started. Plus, it'd help us plug the album."

"We haven't recorded it yet though."

"It's not until after we start recording," Mike chimed. "Besides, it doesn't mean we can't shamelessly promote it? And get new fans stoked about it."

"Why not," Ross resigned.

She complimented, "Nice set you guys had up there."

The faint sound of hip-hop music played in the background of the club.

"Thanks, I'm Ross. And you?" Ross replied, handing her a drink.

"Does it matter?" the girl retorted. "You're probably going to forget about me anyways. I'm just another groupie to you."

"Well, if that's true, then you're, uh," he hesitated, "the most beautiful groupie I know.I've seen you, um, around on campus, so…"

She smiled, "Not too smooth, but I like."

He chuckled, "So, if you're not going to tell me your name, where you from?"

"I'm from Berkeley, California. I mean the Bay Area was great and all, but moved here because I love the big city and fast-paced environment that New York has to offer."

"Ah, valid point," he countered. "I've lived most of my life in New York, gets dull sometimes, which is why going to different cities playing music can be fun…"

"So, this music thing, you think it'll last?"

"I mean, I hope so. Then again, I'm no fortune teller," he joked, "which is why I have paleontology to fall back on, you?"

"Well, I've been back and forth between several things," she stopped, noticing how he grasped onto every word she was saying as though they were her last, "b-but…"

She couldn't get her last sentence out as he pierced his lips up against her lips, dropping the glass she had been holding. And to his surprise, she responded and was every bit as into it as he was.

"W-wait, you have a..."

"Yeah, I'm like the battery, I'm Eveready... what?" he joked.

The band had a decent turnout of about a hundred fifty, maybe even two hundred. They played a good portion of the songs from the EPs and a handful from the new album.

"I don't know how many of you followed the band through the years," Chandler spoke rhetorically, "but we're finishing off with this song.It's going to beone of the songs on the album we're recording."

The lead crooned,

"True friends stab you in the front,
Keep you from getting what you want
When one more fix could kill you.
They help you realize that you're
More and less than you first had believed…"

Chandler's vocals blended in and flowed well with the drums, strumming in eighth note triplets and also, harmonizing with riffs and power chords.

"3000 miles just to learn
All that's gold does not all shine.
And helping words aren't always kind
When one more kiss could kill you…"

Chandler went into the interlude, taking a sip from the bottled water as Ross went into his solo while Mike chipped in with drums in certain spots as the song culminated to a raging end.

"How to let my guard down,
Accept the fire that has spread among us…"

He'd just finished up putting his guitar into the back seat of his truck.

"Monica," Ross called for his now slimmer sibling, "what are you doing here?"

She broke away from her boyfriend to chat with the elder Geller sibling.

"You can't even personally invite your sister to one of your 'gigs'," she answered, jokingly punching him in the arm. "And you're too good to visit family? Some Geller you are."

"Eh, didn't think it'd be 'your kind of music.' I'll probably visit them before the break's over, butI've been busy finishing getting this degree and working on the record," he diverted. "Besides, things have been different since the trial. Anyways, how'd you find out?"

"Kip told me about it. Wow, I thought you guys sucked, but the band is… somewhat good."

"Ha-ha," he mocked. "Still, I'm glad you made it. How are mom and dad?"

"Yeah, it's definitely good to see my big bro again. You know they do believe you, that you didn't do it. But mom's still the same, giving me so much crap. I can't wait to finish this culinary thing and so I can move in with Nana. And dad, well, he's dad."

He felt relieved about his parents, yethe also hadn't completely approved of her relationship with Kip. However, he saw that she was happy and knew Kip wasn't an asshole, so he went along with it.

"So, the guys and I are going for some drinks. You can come if you want."

"I know, Kip told me about it. Of course, I'm coming."

Great, he thought. "Awesome..."