A/N: I am a procrastinator. Apologies for not updating for a while. Anyway chapter 12, is also uploaded (I mean the two chapters this time). I have a legitimate reason for not uploading. I just got my enrollment package for the school I'll be attending soon, so I had a lot of paper work to do.

Anyway, chapter 11. Read, review and enjoy or in whatever order you want

Through The Years

Sophomore Year

Chapter 11: WHAT!

"WHAT!"

"Please tell me you are kidding,"

"This cannot be happening,"

The band had just finished practice and she had just told them the news. Let's just say the reaction was not at all what she had expected. Summer was conflicted between annoyance and amusement. Amusement that the band members were making such a big deal about it and annoyance that they think that it was a big deal. She was Summer Hathaway. There were few things she can't controlled. Feeling as if she had enough and knowing Michelle won't intervene anytime soon she opened her mouth.

"Guys it's not that bad," Summer began but was quickly interrupted.

"Yes it is," Frankie interjected.

"Did you see what happened in third grade? With the bicycle?" Freddie added.

"That was a one time thing. And that is not remotely related to this...And you promised not to bring that up!" Summer said.

"Actually I am okay with it," Alicia said causing the rest to look at her as if she was deluded. She shrugged it off, "What I'm thinking of doing it."

Summer smiled at her in thanks.

"I'm actually surprised this is your idea and not Michelle's," Billy said, "...And I may have already gotten mine."

"What!" almost everyone shouted.

"People relax! It's just a license," Summer shouted before muttering, "I don't see what the big deal is."

This, Summer soon realized was the wrong thing to say as almost all of them looked at her incredulously.

"Summer this is not just a license, this is like a... trap to your doom," Frankie said.

"A bit melodramatic don't cha think?"

"I'm serious. You guys know I have it. My mom now expects a lot more from me not just in school but as a person," Frankie said.

Summer tried hard not to laugh. Frankie had gotten his license last year and was constantly acting like a chauffeur to all of them and his parents.

"My dad let me have it, but I can only use the car in emergencies," Billy offered.

"Look as much as I like to continue on this discussion, we have to go," Michelle said as she linked her arms with Summer.

"Preppies?" Frankie asked in an innocent voice which resulted in him having a throw pillow thrown at him by Michelle.

"It's called cheer leading and for your information the whole squad will be sleeping over at Amanda Windslow's house," Michelle informed them before pushing Summer out of the door and saying, "Ta ta!"

Summer actually didn't want to go. She would very much stay at home but Michelle convinced it would be a good time to bond with the rest of the cheer leaders and what not. Summer had found herself being dragged to a nice looking estate where she would be spending the night with girls she barely knew but was going to work closely with for maybe the rest of her high school life.

"Hey girls, come on in," Amanda Windslow invited. Her parents were not at home (Summer was told they were on a trip to visit Amanda's grandmother) so they, as in the cheer leaders had the house to themselves. Amanda lived in a two storey house (just like almost everyone Summer knew) and most of the squad was situated at the living room.

The sleep over or slumber party or stay over or whatever else it is called was quite okay. Summer found herself actually enjoying herself. She had gotten to know Holly Daniels as well as Janice Baker who were first years on the squad just like she and Michelle. Summer had kept her distance from Brittany who seemed to do the same as well. Amanda, the head cheer leader was not at all what Summer expected to be. Sure she had her prejudice and was obsessed with being popular but she was nice, hard working and so passionate about cheer leading.

In fact the whole squad was something different. Summer had watched countless of films and movies where the cheer leaders were always placed as the bad characters because they were superficial and stuck up. Yet the squad was close knitted and supporting. There was like a 'sacred bond of sisterhood' as one of them told Summer and Michelle.

They were more than just a bunch of girls with pom poms. Summer learned that cheer leading had its own competition and camps as well as a lot of other things that made her think that the stereotyping of cheerleaders was prejudiced. The sleep over was on Friday and it was over on Saturday.

By Saturday morning when she had said goodbyes to the other girls, Summer was really excited for practice, cheer leading practice that is.

"Can I stop here and get a drink?" Michelle asked.

Summer and Michelle lived on the street next to each others and were walking back to Michelle's place to hang out for a while. They had stopped outside a cafe.

"Sure, buy me a drink?" Summer called out.

"Your usual morning?"

"Yeah"

"Kays," Michelle said as she opened the door to the cafe.

Summer waited outside. The morning air was cool and crisp, autumn had arrived practically weeks ago. The trees were bare and there was not much greenery. Not many people were out and about yet, so it was relatively silent. She was enjoying it and then out of nowhere a voice called out.

"Summer?"

Summer turned to find a smiling Dylan walking towards her. Oh goodness...She hadn't even bathed yet (she was planning to do it once she got home) and probably smelled like yesterday. Dylan had his hand in the pockets of his jackets and seemed not to be aware of what was going through her head.

"Dylan," Summer said cheerfully-ish, "Fancy meeting you here."

Fancy meeting you here? Who says that? However Dylan seemed to laugh it off.

"I'm actually out doing an errand for my mom. You?" he asked.

"Waiting for Michelle. We went to a sleep over yesterday," Summer replied wondering why she was giving him information on what she had been doing.

"Sleep over? Like a slumber party," Dylan said trying to hide his amusement, "I didn't think you were the type."

"Be nice," Summer said giving him a look and trying to ignore that happy feeling coming from inside her before saying, "You've been typing me? So what am I like?"

Dylan began playing along with her game, "Oh that's easy. Perfectionist, prep, studious, responsible...the list goes on and on."

"Think you know me so well do you?" Summer asked hiding her smile.

"Well, I'm not really sure yet. I need to talk to you more to find out. How about tomorrow for lunch?" Dylan responded.

Summer felt herself squeal inside and floating off but then realised something.

"I have a thing on for tomorrow," Summer began to say but was shortly interrupted by Michelle.

"Here's you drink," Michelle said as she handed Summer her drink.

"Thanks," Summer said trying to catch Dylan's eye, who seemed to be looking down when she said she couldn't go tomorrow.

"Hey Dylan. What are you doing here?" Michelle asked politely.

"Errand for my mom," Dylan shrugged as he explained.

Michelle nodded and soon the three teenagers were standing awkwardly beside one another not sure what to do.

"Well, we better be off, see you in school Dylan," Michelle finally said.

"Yeah, see you," Dylan said as Summer and Michelle began walking off.

Summer did not know what possessed her to do what she did, it was not at all like her but she turned around and called out to Dylan who was now a few feet away from him.

"Dylan!"

Dylan turned around and looked at Summer questioningly. Summer could feel Michelle's gaze on her.

"How about next Friday night instead?" Summer asked, her heart hammering furiously in her chest, waiting to be rejected.

"Yes," Dylan said as he smiled. Summer could feel her smile widening and waved at him before turning around and walking away with Michelle in her tails.

"What was that?" Michelle asked when she caught up.

"I don't know," Summer confessed, what just happened? Did she just arrange a date with Dylan? And he said yes? Summer spoke up once more, "I think I have a date with Dylan next Friday."

Summer could sense rather than hear the excited squeal coming from Michelle. Soon she found herself jumping and hugging Michelle as if they were both excited little kids.

...

"WHAT!"

"Please tell me you are kidding,"

"This cannot be happening,"

It felt like déjà vu. Summer could have sworn that was the same respond she got when she told them she was planning to get her car license. But this time, the respond was met with a third approval, a third not approval and a third nonchalant (The thirds were not equal.)

It was Saturday afternoon. There was no band practice but that didn't stop the band from getting together. They were all at Zac's house, hanging around.

Summer had dropped off her sleep over things at her house which was just opposite of Zac's, took a nice deserving shower before Gordon had called her up to tell her that the band was hanging out a t Zac's.

Summer who had originally wanted to keep her date a secret was let down. It turned out that Michelle who met Tomika on the way to Zac's accidentally let slipped about the date and pretty soon the whole band knew.

"I'm going on a date," Summer offered weakly to Frankie who she could see was slipping into his big brother mode.

Frankie had showed off his big brother mode more than ever this year with Gordon dating Alicia (although Gordon was still his bud, he had personally said that neither him nor Alicia was to hurt one another), Tomika starting to hit it off with a guy at her school and the whatever else.

"Tell," Frankie said as he stood up in front of her.

Summer rolled her eyes and went to where Michelle was sitting.

"His name is Dylan Harper. He is a sophomore at my school. We met last year briefly at the Ball and once again at the battle of the band. As far as I know he has no criminal records," Summer said.

"Summer," Frankie said deadpanned.

"Ignore him," Martha said as she hugged Summer, "I am so happy for you."

"Tell me the details," Alicia said. She was previously sitting beside Gordon but now all the girls seemed to surround Summer as she began retelling what had happened.

The boys stood in one group watching warily. There was a lot of giggling and chorus of 'oohs' and 'that is so cute' and 'OMGs'.

Katie turned towards the boys once they were done as said, "The girls are all for Summer. Boys?"

"No absolutely not," Frankie said.

"Have fun," Billy winked.

"Whatever makes you happy," Marco said.

Gordon just shrugged

"Whatever," Freddie said

"He hurts you, I'll break his arm," Zac said. There was a moment of silence before Zac added, "Or whatever else that is of his that is easiest to break."

...

Michelle closed the door to her house. It was night time. After the boys had input their opinion on Summer's date, Summer had spend the rest of the time assuring Frankie she would be alright. Michelle knew one way or another she would have to be around Frankie on Summer's date night. Frankie had conveniently 'stopped by' last year when she went out for a date with a guy from her English class, and Frankie had scared him off.

She was absolutely furious with Frankie but was soon quit glad when she found out that the guy had been seeing another girl. Anyways, she knew she had to keep an eye out for Frankie who was keeping an eye out for Summer. Michelle was happy for Summer. Dylan was a great catch and it was a sight to see; Summer rarely gets flustered and tongue tied.

"Michelle dear, is that you?" Her mother called out.

Michelle frowned. Her parents were rarely home. They were always at their jobs and would only come home late every day. Then there was the tone her mother called her out at. It made Michelle feel that there was something going on.

Michelle found both her parents in the living room looking as if they have been discussing something for a while and was tired out .

"We have something to tell you," her mother began.

Chapter done. What do you think? Click the 'next' button for the next chapter