Soul Punks

Ch. 18

*Courtney POV*

Right after I got out of class I took my phone out and sent a message to Pete, Andy, and Joe, saying that we need to have an emergency band meeting at Pete's. I grabbed Patrick's hand and pulled him to the parking lot where we found Joe.

"Wow, hold up princess. Why do you got your pannies in a twist? What's the big deal?"

"I'll tell you when everyone is around. Just tell Pete to drive you and his little fairy butt to his house. I gotta go find Andy." With that I left him. I could see the look he gave Patrick before I dragged him to Andy's car.

"Hey Andy! Go to Pete's house, we've got some business to explain." I practically threw Patrick down into Andy's little car, and sat down next to him. Andy didn't question anything, which I liked about him, as he put the keys in the ignition and drove off.

We pulled up into Pete's drive way, where a very confused Pete stood. "Can someone please explain why I had to drive my "little fairy butt" here in such a hurry?" Pete said tapping his foot.

"Because I'm quitting the band." I said. Every single jaw dropped except for Patrick's, he knew what was happening.

"What! We haven't even picked out a name yet?! You can't leave, we can't even properly announce that our band broke up when we don't even have a name!" Joe said waving his arms in the air.

"Yea what gives, you said you would be lead singer, no back outsies." Andy said crossing his arms.

"Really Andy, 'back outsies'" I said laughing.

"Hey this isn't funny, now we don't have a singer, we can't be a band without a lead singer." Pete said seriously.

"Or do you?" I said suggestively.

"No Courtney we can't, we cannot have a functioning ba-"

"No Pete! Patrick can be your guys' lead singer!" I said pushing Patrick in the middle of our little group circle. All the guys fell to the floor laughing hysterically.

"What guys I'm serious! Patrick show them," I looked over at Patrick who just shook his head shyly. "Oh come on, they are your best friends, they won't laugh." I realize that they were laughing at that moment and looked down at them.

"S-s-stop! We-we can't take it anymore!" Pete stuttered.

"Ugh, Patrick please. You promised Miller, plus Pete was right, you guys need a singer to be a band." He looked at me and looked down at the guys laughing, he knew I was right.

He started singing another song that I didn't recognize, he must have wrote it. All the guys stopped laughing and their eyes went wide. They all got up and started cheering as Patrick finished his song.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new lead singer!" Pete exclaimed.

"Haha, what gives Trick? Why have you been holdin' those vocals back from us?" Andy asked.

"Well I only sing when I'm writing songs, alone. I never sing in front of anyone." Patrick said looking down.

"Then how did little miss bossy know about these amazing vocals?" Pete said.

"Cause he wrote me a song and then performed it for me in music class. Isn't he the best." I said hugging him from the side. He started to blush really hard, awww he was embarrassed.

"Well then, lover boy over here is going to be our new lead singer. And you have no way outta this because we need one and you are super good." Pete said giving him a slap on the back.

"What, I don't get a say in this?" Patrick said as all the guys started to walk away.

"Welcome to my world," I said as I slapped him on the back and ran after Andy to beg for a ride home, I was too lazy to walk home.

After about ten minutes of begging on my knees and ten bucks out of my wallet, Andy finally agreed to drive me home. "You are a very persistent little girl you know that?" Andy said with his eyes on the road.

"I would like to think so yes, and your welcome for getting your band a kick ass singer." I said with a smile.

"Yea Patrick is pretty good. Kinda sounds like a less experienced Elvis Costello."

"Yea he kinda does. Hey, what's that on my porch?" I said squinting trying to make out the black blob sitting on my porch.

We pulled up to the curb and I ran up to my house. "Wow slow down, it could be a rapist! Or something else really dangerous!" Andy yelled from behind, but it was too late.

I slowly walked up to the blob, which turned out to be a man curled up with his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. "Hey Andy you were right, it is a rapist," I said with a smirk.

As I spoke the person's head slowly lifted and his face looked like hell. It was Frank. He was all sweaty and he had rings under his eyes. He was really pale, paler than usual. "Courtney, I need your help." Frank said sounding very panicked.

"God Frank what happened? Did your girlfriend cheat on you too?" I said, making the connection to Patrick's melt down on my front porch.

"I appreciate the jokes, but can you cut it out for one god damn minute! This is serious, they are coming!" He yelled.

Andy ran up and stood right next to me. "Wow man calm down, whose coming?" he said backing Frank up and sitting him down on my porch swing.

"They are coming to see me. They said he got better and he feels bad about what happened. They found out where I moved, they'll be here tomorrow." Frank was swaying back and forth. "I don't want to see them, I know I always act like I don't care, but I do, ok! He was my best friend and he turned on me, he treated me like shit!" Frank was crying now.

"Oh my god, is it what's his face? Jared?Gerald?" I felt bad, I didn't remember his name.

"Gerard." Frank said annoyed.

"Right, Gerard. Andy I don't think you could help, I'll fill you guys in later, we might need moral support. Or muscle support, I don't know these guys," I said. Andy wished Frank luck and drove off.

"Alright, now start from the beginning. How do you find out they are coming?"

"Well, I was at home watching tv, and my phone went off. I picked it up and it was Mikey, remember I said we kinda kept in touch. It was never over phone, just text messages, so I knew something was up. He told me that Gerard had just got outta rehab and he was practically the old Gerard I used to hang out with. He said ever since he got out he had been talking about how he fucked everything up with all of his friends and family. So I guess he's on this kick to make everything right again."

"Wait he was in rehab? Was it that bad? How old is he?"

"He is a little older than us, he is in his like first or second year of college. Mikey is his little brother, he's our age. Anyway, he said that Gerard planned a trip over here to come see me and try and fix our friendship. I don't believe he changed, people don't change Courtney." He said looking down.

"Oh how do you know? You're only like 17, we don't know how the world works yet. People can change, that's what rehab is for." I said rubbing his back.

"No you don't get it! I know what rehab does! It doesn't help, it just pushes the habit down, they repress it. Then after a while they say you're fine and let you back out into the world. Then you fall back into habit, it's a vicious cycle! I would know, my dad was an alcoholic. He tried rehab, it didn't work." He said wiping the tear from his face.

"Oh my gosh, Frankie I'm so sorry," I said pulling him into a hug. "You don't have to worry, when they get here I will be right next to you, ok. I'll be there for support and maybe some of the guys can make it too. So when are they gonna get here?"

"That's the problem, I have no idea. They just said they would catch a taxi to my house when they landed. The only time Mikey gave me was tomorrow, I think it was so they could catch me of guard so I couldn't escape."

"Well, I'll try and be there as early as I can. Will that make you feel better?"

"Co-could you maybe, just like, uhh spend the night with me at my house. I can't face him alone and I know for a fact they took the red eye flight, Mikey was in line to get onto the plane when he called. You could sleep in my bed and I could get the floor. Please Courtney, nothing sexual, I know you're with Patrick. I just need someone there."

"But what about your parents? You have them, right?" Frank looked down.

"Pop's in rehab and my mom has to work double jobs. I'm all alone Courtney," he looked at me with the biggest puppy eyes I have ever seen. How could I say no to that? He looked like a little beaten puppy.

"Oh alright, just because you are alone. I'll go grab some stuff and meet you back out here in a minute." I walked back inside and grabbed the essentials, clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, and stuff like that. I had to come up with an excuse for being gone all night though.

I just told my parents the guys wanted to have a party celebrating the band, and a lot of other girls would be there. They let me go easy, any time I say I will be hanging out with girls they are fine with it. I think they secretly hope that I become really close with one of them and ditch the guys, that'll never happen though.

"Alright let's bounce," I said as I walked down the stairs. Frank smiled and led me to his car.

The drive to Frank's house was completely silent except for the muffled radio playing in the background. His house wasn't very far from mine so it didn't take long before we arrived, thank god. I have to admit the car ride was a little awkward. You could feel the tension coming from Frank, I could tell he was really worried.

We pulled up to his house and it looked empty. There was no one waiting in front and I heard Frank let out a sigh in relief.

"Welcome to casa de Frank. Me casa es su casa." He said motioning to the living room.

It looked pretty normal, you never would have guessed a pretty dysfunctional family called this home. I guess since no one was ever here it never really got messed up. I walked into the living room and tripped over something in the dark. There was a loud thud when I hit the wooden floor.

"What was that? Courtney are you ok?" Frank said rushing into the living room and flipping the light switch.

"It was nothing, my shirt fell." I said awkwardly standing in the middle of the room.

"That didn't sound like a shirt falling?" He said smirking, seeing through my obvious lie.

"Well I was wearing it when it fell." We both started laughing, and kept laughing when Frank tripped over the same box I had in his fit of laughter.

We decided to just watch a movie, he picked out The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I had seen it way to many times in the last month. It's like it's the only movie people watch anymore. (*cough cough* talking about how in literally every fanfic there is a scene where they watch The Nightmare Before Christmas *cough cough* you know what I'm talking about)

We ended up watching the Watchmen. It was one of my favorite movies, I was surprised he had it. Not many people know about the Watchmen. Apparently it was Gerard's, but he gave it to Frank cause he liked the movie. This Gerard dude didn't seem all that bad, I don't know why Frank is freaking out so much.

The sex scene came on and it felt really awkward again because Frank and I had cuddled up against each other at some point. It didn't feel right so I scooted back to the other side of the couch. After a while I feel asleep, I don't remember when. All I was thinking about was Rorschach and what was on it's way here.