‹ Prequel: Backstage
Center Stage (Into the Future)
New Beginnings to Old Tales
“SCOTT! GET OUT OF BED! YOU’RE GONNA BE LATE…AGAIN!” Scott stirred awake. He knew the voice was his mom, annoyed at him for sleeping in…again. He lay in bed and turned to see what time it was. His clock was set to ‘date’. 9. 27. 2015. He groaned and pressed the top button to get it to switch to the time. His eyes widened. 7:10.
‘Oh shit I’m gonna be late!’ Scott thought. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a collared black shirt. Scott walked over to the mirror to check himself out. Staring back at him was a boy of 16. Dark brown almost black hair hung untidily in his hazel eyes.
‘20 minutes till school,’ he thought to himself. He grabbed his sweat shirt, his car keys off of his dresser and ran out of the room.
“Bye mom,” Scott said as he walked by Sami.
“Have fun at school,” she said with a laugh. Scott couldn’t help but laugh with her.
“Yeah, because I always do.” And with that he jumped into his green Honda civic and drove off.
Scott’s cell phone started to ring. “Hello?” Scott said as he pressed the phone to his ear.
“Hey buuuuuuddy!” the voice said with a fake cheeriness. Scott laughed.
“What’s up Jakob? Car still at the shop?” Scott asked.
“Maybe…” Jakob Armstrong said on the other side of the line. Scott laughed.
“You need a ride to school?” Scott asked with a sigh.
“Yes!” Jakob practically screamed into the phone.
“Alright. You’re lucky your house is on the way to school or else you’d be stranded,” Scott said as he hung up.
A few minutes later, Scott pulled up to the Armstrong house. 16 year old Jakob Armstrong sat on his front porch step, playing with a piece of gum in his mouth. His hazel eyes squinted as he watched his best friend’s car pull up outside of the gate in front of their house for privacy purposes.
“Get your ass in this car or we'll be late!” Scott called out the window. Jakob ran down the steps, almost tripped and then did trip. The whole time Scott was in the car laughing hysterically. Jakob scowled up at him and shook his auburn hair out of his eyes.
“Shut up and unlock the door,” Jakob said as he rubbed his elbow. Scott pressed the button and Jakob got in the car.
“You have problems, spaz!” Scott said as he drove off. Jakob laughed. “How come Joey couldn’t take you?” Scott asked.
“Please. When's the last time he has ever done anything nice for me?” Jakob asked as he leaned into the upholstery of Scott’s seats. Scott shrugged. “Besides, he left early. He went to pick up Kaylee.” Scott nodded and looked over into the back seat.
“Where’s your backpack?” he asked. Jakob’s face fell.
“Uhh…” he stuttered.
“YOU IDIOT!” Scott yelled. He made a sharp U-turn as he drove back to the Armstrong house.
That Morning
“Mom, I’m going to band practice,” Joey yelled up the stairs.
“Ok…Why so early?” Adrienne called from the stairs.
“Picking up Kaylee,” he called back.
“Oh, ok.”
Joey Armstrong grabbed his car keys off of the hook. When he turned around, he ran into a half asleep Jakob. “Watch it!” Joey snapped.
“Why are you up so early?” Jakob mumbled taking the orange juice out of the fridge.
“Because I have a girlfriend who needs a ride to band practice,” Joey said to him. Jakob stared for a moment, then shrugged and poured some of the juice in a glass. “Don’t worry little brother, you’ll get one someday,” Joey said with a laugh as he headed out the door. Jakob watched him leave.
“Bye honey, I have to go to work. Don’t do anything stupid today,” Adrienne said as she kissed Jakob on the cheek. He quickly wiped it away.
“Mom, do I ever do anything stupid at school?”
Adrienne stared daggers at him.
“Would you like me to remind you of all your little ‘incidents’ as your principal calls them?” she asked. Jakob shook his head.
“Nope, I remember them all,” he said as he tapped his temple with his finger. “You have to admit, that was a pretty big explosion.” Adrienne shook her head and left. As Jakob was taking a sip of his orange juice, he looked up at the clock…Then he remembered...
“CRAP MY CAR!”
With Joey
Joey walked up to the porch and knocked on the door. He waited for about ten seconds until someone pulled it open. It was Kaylee. Her face broke into a smile when she saw him standing there.
“Hey babe,” Joey said.
“Hey,” she said back. Joey looked her over. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a plain white top. She had blonde hair that was a little below her shoulder. Joey thought she was beautiful and had since he was ten years old.
“Mom, I’m leaving!” Kaylee called into the house.
“Ok honey,” Katie Stone yelled from inside. Kaylee grabbed her bass from the ground next to the door then walked outside and closed it behind her. She immediately ran into Joey’s arms. She ran her hand through his auburn brown hair. She always loved his hair. Joey smiled down at her and kissed her.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded.
She placed her bass carefully in the back seat next to Joey’s guitar.
“I missed you,” she said as she placed her head on his shoulder. “I was only gone for a day. And I wasn’t even gone,” Joey said with a laugh.
“Still…” she said. Joey put and arm around her shoulder and continued driving. Joey had been gone helping Sami, Katie and Nikky in the studio. They were having computer problems and Joey had been helping his dad with that kind of stuff as long as he could remember.
“I love you,” Kaylee said as she held onto Joey’s hand. He smiled.
“I love you, too.”
Ok freeze. Here’s a little bit about what’s happening. This is the year 2015. Sami did not marry Curtis and is single. Jakob and Scott are best friends so nothing has changed there. Joey and Kaylee are in a band called Black Dawn (all of the people who know about
them say that their name is a rip off of Joey’s dad’s band) and are also in a relationship that has been going on since they were 14 so about 5 years now.
‘Oh shit I’m gonna be late!’ Scott thought. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a collared black shirt. Scott walked over to the mirror to check himself out. Staring back at him was a boy of 16. Dark brown almost black hair hung untidily in his hazel eyes.
‘20 minutes till school,’ he thought to himself. He grabbed his sweat shirt, his car keys off of his dresser and ran out of the room.
“Bye mom,” Scott said as he walked by Sami.
“Have fun at school,” she said with a laugh. Scott couldn’t help but laugh with her.
“Yeah, because I always do.” And with that he jumped into his green Honda civic and drove off.
Scott’s cell phone started to ring. “Hello?” Scott said as he pressed the phone to his ear.
“Hey buuuuuuddy!” the voice said with a fake cheeriness. Scott laughed.
“What’s up Jakob? Car still at the shop?” Scott asked.
“Maybe…” Jakob Armstrong said on the other side of the line. Scott laughed.
“You need a ride to school?” Scott asked with a sigh.
“Yes!” Jakob practically screamed into the phone.
“Alright. You’re lucky your house is on the way to school or else you’d be stranded,” Scott said as he hung up.
A few minutes later, Scott pulled up to the Armstrong house. 16 year old Jakob Armstrong sat on his front porch step, playing with a piece of gum in his mouth. His hazel eyes squinted as he watched his best friend’s car pull up outside of the gate in front of their house for privacy purposes.
“Get your ass in this car or we'll be late!” Scott called out the window. Jakob ran down the steps, almost tripped and then did trip. The whole time Scott was in the car laughing hysterically. Jakob scowled up at him and shook his auburn hair out of his eyes.
“Shut up and unlock the door,” Jakob said as he rubbed his elbow. Scott pressed the button and Jakob got in the car.
“You have problems, spaz!” Scott said as he drove off. Jakob laughed. “How come Joey couldn’t take you?” Scott asked.
“Please. When's the last time he has ever done anything nice for me?” Jakob asked as he leaned into the upholstery of Scott’s seats. Scott shrugged. “Besides, he left early. He went to pick up Kaylee.” Scott nodded and looked over into the back seat.
“Where’s your backpack?” he asked. Jakob’s face fell.
“Uhh…” he stuttered.
“YOU IDIOT!” Scott yelled. He made a sharp U-turn as he drove back to the Armstrong house.
That Morning
“Mom, I’m going to band practice,” Joey yelled up the stairs.
“Ok…Why so early?” Adrienne called from the stairs.
“Picking up Kaylee,” he called back.
“Oh, ok.”
Joey Armstrong grabbed his car keys off of the hook. When he turned around, he ran into a half asleep Jakob. “Watch it!” Joey snapped.
“Why are you up so early?” Jakob mumbled taking the orange juice out of the fridge.
“Because I have a girlfriend who needs a ride to band practice,” Joey said to him. Jakob stared for a moment, then shrugged and poured some of the juice in a glass. “Don’t worry little brother, you’ll get one someday,” Joey said with a laugh as he headed out the door. Jakob watched him leave.
“Bye honey, I have to go to work. Don’t do anything stupid today,” Adrienne said as she kissed Jakob on the cheek. He quickly wiped it away.
“Mom, do I ever do anything stupid at school?”
Adrienne stared daggers at him.
“Would you like me to remind you of all your little ‘incidents’ as your principal calls them?” she asked. Jakob shook his head.
“Nope, I remember them all,” he said as he tapped his temple with his finger. “You have to admit, that was a pretty big explosion.” Adrienne shook her head and left. As Jakob was taking a sip of his orange juice, he looked up at the clock…Then he remembered...
“CRAP MY CAR!”
With Joey
Joey walked up to the porch and knocked on the door. He waited for about ten seconds until someone pulled it open. It was Kaylee. Her face broke into a smile when she saw him standing there.
“Hey babe,” Joey said.
“Hey,” she said back. Joey looked her over. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a plain white top. She had blonde hair that was a little below her shoulder. Joey thought she was beautiful and had since he was ten years old.
“Mom, I’m leaving!” Kaylee called into the house.
“Ok honey,” Katie Stone yelled from inside. Kaylee grabbed her bass from the ground next to the door then walked outside and closed it behind her. She immediately ran into Joey’s arms. She ran her hand through his auburn brown hair. She always loved his hair. Joey smiled down at her and kissed her.
“Ready?” he asked. She nodded.
She placed her bass carefully in the back seat next to Joey’s guitar.
“I missed you,” she said as she placed her head on his shoulder. “I was only gone for a day. And I wasn’t even gone,” Joey said with a laugh.
“Still…” she said. Joey put and arm around her shoulder and continued driving. Joey had been gone helping Sami, Katie and Nikky in the studio. They were having computer problems and Joey had been helping his dad with that kind of stuff as long as he could remember.
“I love you,” Kaylee said as she held onto Joey’s hand. He smiled.
“I love you, too.”
Ok freeze. Here’s a little bit about what’s happening. This is the year 2015. Sami did not marry Curtis and is single. Jakob and Scott are best friends so nothing has changed there. Joey and Kaylee are in a band called Black Dawn (all of the people who know about
them say that their name is a rip off of Joey’s dad’s band) and are also in a relationship that has been going on since they were 14 so about 5 years now.