Hey! Sorry if it's been a while since I've updated. I've been struggling slightly to write this but I made sure that I wasn't saying a bunch of unnecessary junk and got straight to the point. I've gotten some complaints and I almost thought about giving this up. But no way am I giving up. I know that I've got a good idea on here. Just please be patient with me! :) Hope you enjoy! A lot of drama is coming up, especially in this chapter!
Chapter 9: Who You Are Without Me
LA
"Layne! Could you help me get a couple of boxes from the attic?" Her mom shouted. Layne was on the front porch of her two story home with a sketch pad on her lap. Her latest attempt at drawing a portrait wasn't going so well.
"Coming!" She ran up the stairs to the attic. The attic, unlike those of most homes, was far less dusty because Layne's parents would come here almost every weekend to take a trip down memory lane. No pun intended.
There was far too little dust that covered the plastic bins and boxes that contained figments of the past. Layne's mom Peyton was struggling with lifting a box that said CHRIS'S BAND DAYS.
"Why do you need this?" She asked as her mom got it off the ground.
"Chris said he wanted to look back at it...He says he needed some inspiration."
"For what?"
"He's starting up a band again." She handed the box for Layne to carry by herself.
"What?" She gasped, struggling to hold it. "But look at how well that worked out the last time!"
"It's for a fundraiser in the summer, Layne." Chris appeared from his old room. He helped Layne take the box down the stairs. "There's going to be a talent show and whoever participates gets a chance at a record deal."
Layne almost lost hold of the box. "And where are you going to get a band? You just gonna pull it out of thin air?"
Chris laughed sarcastically as they reached the bottom of the steps and threw the box on the carpet of the living room. "I'm getting Landon and the guys to help me out this summer."
"Which leaves you with needing a front man."
"We're holding auditions in the Harringtons' front yard tomorrow."
"How? What? How did you pull that off?" Layne stammered. How is she only hearing of this now?
"Who knew Facebook could work wonders? And Derrick seeing hot female contenders could persuade him so easily?" Chris laughed. "I guess you wish you had a Facebook now, huh?"
She rolled her eyes. "Can I come watch tomorrow?"
Chris opened the brown box that had his old guitar picks, his old drum sticks, his old photo albums commemorating his very first band, and more. "Sure but wouldn't it be more interesting if you auditioned?"
Layne doesn't sing. "It would. But I'm not giving you that satisfaction."
MB
"I did not expect to feel the way...The way I do from a single day."
Massie was playing around with her keyboard and singing verses of songs to pass the time before she had to leave for Derrick's place.
Was she going to go through with it today? She couldn't believe she dared herself to do it.
"I was in love for a day. In a way. Can't explain…"
Her phone rang beside her bed. She answered, "What's up, Layne?"
"You didn't tell me you sing."
"..." How did she find out?
"Massie?" Layne demanded.
"Yes?" She sighed.
"Does anyone know?"
"Look, I don't even know if I do. I thought I'd just give it a shot." She shrugged.
Layne laughed. "Your secret's safe with me. You excited?"
Massie forced a laugh. "More like freaking..."
"Don't sweat it. You might even surprise yourself."
"I hope so..." She managed before hanging up.
/
When Massie pulled into Derrick's driveway, she was shocked at how many people showed up to audition.
She knew she wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hello ladies and gents!" Chris Abeley shouted as he and Derrick came out the front door. "Thanks for coming today! I hope you've all got the required songs memorized. First up is Kori Geldman."
The blonde ran up the steps to meet Chris and walked with him and Derrick inside. All of the band members were already set up in the garage. Apparently everyone that had to wait for their turn had to hang out either in the front lawn or in Derrick's gigantic backyard where there was a swimming pool, a pool table, and a foosball table. Everyone scattered, except for Massie who was still stunned at there being so much competition.
"Hey!" Layne appeared from the backyard and ran over to her. "I didn't know so many people were coming." Massie's self-esteem took its toll.
Layne rolled her eyes. "Please, 65% of the girls here only came to see my brother's ass. And there are only ten guys here in the first place, who are trying to impress the girls who showed up. It's that simple."
"Your brother's in for a lot of fun." Massie forced herself to laugh. She couldn't fight her anxiety.
/
"All right, next up is…Massie?" Chris raised his brows. "You sing?"
"We'll see…" Massie managed as she followed him to the garage.
The garage was vacated and revamped to look like a mini-stage. Miles was on bass. Scott was on drums. Ace was on keyboard. Landon was on rhythm guitar. And last but not least, Chris was on lead guitar. The irony of it all.
Wonderful, her very first crush was going to witness her sing. Could she be even more nervous?
Derrick popped his head out the door. "Massie? What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She sighed in annoyance.
"I have got to get this recorded!" He smiled like the devil's child.
"No you-" Massie began.
Chris interrupted. "The auditions are private, Derrick. Save the recording for the real show."
Derrick frowned and left for the backyard.
Ace slammed the door shut and Chris turned to her. "You ready?"
She nodded stiffly. "I'm going to sing 'Louder'…"
"Really?" Scott scratched his head. "None of the girls have tried that song so far…You're the first." 'Louder' was the first song that Chris's old band ever wrote and performed. Their former lead singer was in California working on landing a record deal.
Wonderful, all the more pressure on my shoulders.
Massie took a deep breath. She was going to break out of her shell, no matter how late it was in her senior year. She nodded. "I'm ready."
Ace cracked his knuckles. "Just start anytime."
Massie nodded towards him and began:
"I'm staring out of my window and the rain is pouring down. When you left, I was so low but I'm not gonna drown…
I don't need no shoulder. I'm gonna be a soldier. I just wanna feel somethin' I don't understand.
I'm just gonna run right through the rain.I'm just gonna dance right through the pain.
I just wanna feel that rhythm, feel that drum. Let my heart beat louder. Let my heart speak louder than my head. Heart beat louder than my head. Heart speak louder…"
As the song continued, Massie was surprised at how comfortable she felt with singing in public for the first time. It felt almost like when she danced in her room to her favorite songs. She let loose and whipped her hair back and forth. She laughed at times when she saw that Chris smiled wide at her. That must have meant that she was doing all right.
When the song ended, she laughed to herself. "I can't believe I just…"
"Massie, was that…seriously you?" Chris was in awe as he ruffled his dark blond hair.
"Chris, that was definitely her…" Miles said as he placed his bass on the side to congratulate Massie. "That was amazing. Even Fawn couldn't have competed with that…"
"Thanks!" Massie knuckle-touched him. "Who's Fawn?"
"Our old lead singer." Scott replied. "You blew us right out of the water."
Landon surprised Massie from behind. "I never knew you could sing like that."
Ace hugged her from behind. "You were unstoppable." He turned to Chris. "Please tell me that our search is over…"
"You don't even need to ask me…" Chris laughed.
Landon and Ace nodded, saying in unison, "Congrats Massie Block, you're our new lead singer!" Massie was officially stunned. "I made it? Oh my God…"
"Didn't know you had it in you, Block." Chris gave her a hug.
She let go and looked at her fellow band members. "Neither did I…"
DH
With all the people hanging at his house, Derrick realized that this was the first Saturday morning when he wasn't actually alone. And it felt…Weird. But in a good way.
Someone rang the doorbell and Derrick ran to get it.
"Hey Derrick!" Claire said. "Just came with that Script CD you wanted."
"The UK edition?" Derrick's eyes widened. "How'd you-"
"Cam called his cousin and did me a favor." She smiled triumphantly. "Just try not to get it scratched."
"Protecting this with my life." Derrick crossed his heart.
She nodded. "I'm sure you will. What's going on here?" She saw the backyard was filled with people that appeared to be waiting for something.
"Chris's band is holding auditions for a new lead singer. Believe it or not, Massie's in there." Derrick revealed.
"Wait, Massie?" Claire was surprised. Massie didn't sing. Well, she didn't know if she did. It just never came up in conversation…After all these years…
Derrick invited Claire inside. The entire band came out with Massie smiling wide. The blond pair followed them to the backyard.
"Okay guys! Thanks for coming! But we've found our new lead singer! Miss Massie Block!" Chris announced, flashing a toothy grin.
There were gasps from the crowd and some groans of disappointment. There was some scattered applause.
Claire shouted, "Massie! Congratulations!" She tackled her with a hug and muttered loud enough for Derrick to hear. "You've got some explaining to do…"
CL
After celebrating at Derrick's house for Massie's audition, Claire drove home to find something she never desired to happen.
"Mom!" Claire gasped as she saw her mom crying on the couch. "What happened? Did something happen to Todd? To Dad?"
At the sound of "Dad", her mom flinched.
Judi struggled to get words out of her mouth.
Claire squeezed her hand, assuring her she'd be patient but on the inside, she was desperate to know what was wrong.
"Claire, your father's leaving us," her mother whispered as the tears started slipping out.
She had never seen her mother break down but this was too much for her to take in. The tears weren't only out of sadness, she knew. They were from anger and the fact that they had all been deceived. Betrayed.
She didn't expect this to happen but now she knew better.
She knew her parents were having marriage issues but her mom was fighting so hard to make things work, for her and Todd's sake. She grew adjusted to her parents being separated and living in the same household. She just never thought it would happen this soon…Her dad leaving to start a new life of his own…She wasn't even sure if they were all prepared to start their lives out so differently. Shouldn't have they all talked this out first? Would they ever?
"…It's okay, Mom," Claire reassured. What else could she say? She was at a loss for what else to say.
"Could you please pick Todd up from Nathan's?" She choked.
She nodded. At least she was doing something.
What was going to happen when she brought Todd home? He was going to throw the hugest fit in history. This was going to be a lot harder for him because he got along more with Dad than she did.
Nice going, Dad…
AR
"So you do motocross?" Alicia was impressed and terrified at the same time. That's what it was like when she was getting to know the impulsive Josh Hotz.
"Yeah." Josh smirked but then he frowned. "Your face is pale…You okay?"
Alicia and Josh were working on an economics project together at Barnes & Noble. They were just finishing up for the day.
She forgot to eat breakfast in the morning as she was in a hurry to get an extra hour of dance under her belt. She was determined to kick ass at her recital in a few weeks.
"I didn't eat breakfast…" She blushed. She felt so irresponsible in front of Josh, who was in a whole new level of irresponsible. She didn't understand herself at times.
"Really? Why don't I take you to IHOP, then?"
She smiled. "Sure."
/
After stuffing themselves with enough pancakes, the dynamic duo pulled up to Alicia's driveway.
"Thanks for the ride…And for breakfast…" She laughed.
He nodded. "No problem. You're buying next time."
"Hold me to that." She agreed as she slammed the passenger door and waved goodbye to him.
As Josh pulled his Chevy out of the driveway, a voice called out.
"Alicia!"
The Spanish beauty whipped her head in the direction of the mini Cooper. A tan blonde girl was leaning on it.
"Olivia?" Alicia's eyes bugged out.
"Surprised to see me?" She laughed.
"Hell yeah!" She jogged over to her and hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm on break from the surfing tour." She twisted a strand of her blonde hair around her slender fingers.
Olivia Ryan has been Alicia's best friend since she can remember. Since the fifth grade! Olivia left Westchester High and got a private tutor to pursue her surfing career. She's getting quite famous. She's been on multiple covers of Sports Illustrated and surfing magazines. She's also been a swimsuit model.
Her navy blue eyes widened as she looked at Alicia up and down. "Wow, where's the sophomore I left in my wake?"
Alicia blushed. "What are you talking about? I haven't changed much…"
Olivia laughed as she wrapped her arms around Alicia again. "Modest as always, I see. So…Who was that guy that you were just with?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, Josh? He's our new neighbor." Alicia smiled.
"Just your new neighbor?" Olivia folded her arms over her chest. "Didn't look like that to me…"
She rolled her eyes. "Please, me and Josh? We're far from getting together…Plus, I don't even know if he…"
Olivia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Look, I know what you're thinking but I don't like Josh…" She tried so hard to convince her best friend.
"Hmph, could've fooled me." She laughed.
"Liv, seriously…" Alicia joined her.
"So am I going to get to say hello to your parents? Or are they as bitter as ever?"
"Bitter as ever, I'm afraid." Alicia shrugged.
Olivia nodded, understanding what her home life was like. They've kept in touch since Olivia left, after all.
"Why don't we go shopping? I heard there's a poster of me at Ron Jon's." The blonde suggested.
"Sure." Alicia nodded.
It was really good seeing Liv again.
But Olivia's suspicious glare wasn't something she could easily shake out of her head.
HF
"All right, where is it that you're taking me, Mr. Fisher?" Kristen giggled with her blindfold on.
Her laugh was melodic and calm. It was pretty rare when it came to Kristen Gregory. She was the top contender for being valedictorian. She was Supergirl. She always seemed so under pressure that Harris knew he needed to help her lighten up.
"Take off the blindfold and see for yourself." He whispered in her ear.
She took it off and gaped. "You brought me to Benihana?"
"Surprise!" Harris laughed.
"Harris!" She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him at the restaurant's entrance. "I can't believe you did this!"
"It comes naturally…To blow you away." He smirked,
"Understatement of the century." She held his hand as they followed the waiter to their table.
"This is amazing…How did you-"
"My roommate's dad's the manager."
He left her speechless again and he just loved it.
They engaged in their intimate conversations as the professional chefs prepared their meals. Kristen's eyes were wide with amazement. She played footsie with him to pass the time.
As they ate their steak, Kristen almost choked.
"Hey, you okay?" Harris knew something was wrong.
"My dad…He's here!" She hissed as she nodded her head toward Mr. Gregory's direction.
"What?" Harris almost choked, too.
They both saw Mr. Johnny Gregory laughing at his table with…
Mrs. Gregory?
"Mom?" Kristen gasped.
"But I thought you said your parents were split up…" He narrowed his brows.
"So did I…My mom wasn't supposed to be home from Moscow for another week." Her mom worked as a flight attendant. Her parents took turns to live with Kristen in her childhood home. Her parents went back and forth to stay with her. Kristen's dad got a separate apartment whenever he didn't stay with her and Kristen's mom Ava would stay with her sister when she wasn't working as a flight attendant.
"Do you want to go up to them?" Harris said after a prolonged silence.
"No way!" Kristen shook her head. "They'll see-"
"What? Us together?" Harris demanded.
She looked frustrated. He hated seeing her like that. He didn't want to make things harder on her.
"Look, Kris…Take this chance to tell them about us…They can't get too upset because they're hiding something from you, too…"
She knew he was right when she sighed in surrender.
"Okay." Kristen nodded. "We'll go."
He followed her to their table. "Mom. Dad." She breathed.
Her parents were caught up in their laughter until she caught their attention.
"Kristen?" Her mom exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" Her dad blurted.
"Shouldn't I be asking you guys the same thing?" She argued evenly.
"Well…" Her mom began.
"I'm here with Harris…My boyfriend." She admitted.
Harris was shocked at how fast she said it. She always kept him on his toes and that's just what he liked about her.
"Boyfriend?" Her parents almost shrieked.
"It's not like I'm not allowed to have one…"
"Kristen Michelle-" Her dad stammered.
Harris lightly interrupted. "Sir, I would never hurt your daughter. I really do care about her."
"Harris, I haven't seen you in ages!" Kristen's mom was the more reasonable one. Her dad tended to be high-maintenance at times…Especially at times like these.
"It's good to see you, Mrs. Gregory…I mean, Miss Durant." He remembered that Kristen told him that she went back to her maiden name.
Kristen's mom blushed at the name. "Well, Kris…Now that you're here…I think it's time your father and I told you…" She looked to her dad to continue.
Her dad sighed. "Your mother and I are getting back together."
"…What?" Kristen and Harris almost shouted for the entire restaurant to hear.
Songs Used: In Love For A Day by Jordan Pruitt and Louder by Charice
Chapter Title: Who You Are Without Me by Kate Voegele
Stay tuned! :D
-Ariana