Where Is Your Boy Tonight

A few days later Jeanie had yet to be at another practice. Maddie had hoped it meant she wouldn't be back, Andy told her not to hold her breath. She sat impatiently in her old spot on the couch, waiting for the guys to finish up. She and Joe had planned an amazing Christmas/ Hanukkah gift for the guys and they were telling them about it today.

"What are you so twitchy about?" Pete asked, "it's very distracting."

Maddie looked at Joe, who nodded at her. "Well, Joe and I..."

"Mostly Mad's idea, I helped her execute it..." Joe cut in.

"You guys have your first show!" Maddie yelled, grinning like a crazy lady.

"What?!"

"Where?"

"When?"

The questions were flying at her from each of them, even Joe who knew about it.

"OK, OK, listen and I will tell you. It's this Saturday, it's sort of like a battle of the bands only no battle. It's a thing to showcase local up and coming bands. It's at place called The Pit", Maddie explained. She stood up off of the couch, getting nervous because they were just staring at her. "I wanted to get you guys something for Christmas..."

Pete was the first to run over and lift her into a hug, "It's perfect!" After he broke the ice all of the guys hugged her and thanked her, their excitement building.

"I can't believe I'm going to sing in front of people", Patrick said after he hugged her.

"You will do absolutely amazing, I know it", Maddie assured him, kissing his cheek.

The guys spent the rest of practice talking about what songs to cover before they heard the car horn signaling Joe and Patrick to leave. Andy left to get to work at the same time, leaving Pete and Maddie standing in the cold garage.

"You're coming in, right?" Pete asked.

Maddie looked at him, "can I?"

Pete was a little taken back, "of course. I told you, you're welcome any time."

"I mean, what about Jeanie?"

Pete shook his head, "she's out clubbing with her friends. Probably cheating on me as we speak." Maddie followed him up to his room before saying anything.

"Why do you put up with her? If it's like that and you know it...", Maddie trailed off, afraid she had overstepped her boundaries.

Pete didn't seem to mind though, "I'm not really sure. I think because she's familiar. I don't know. She kind of, gets me or something." He changed the subject after that, "what do you want to watch?"

Maddie walked over and picked a movie. She sat down beside Pete on the bed and the phone rang.

"Hello", Pete answered. He then put his finger up to his lips to signal Maddie to be quiet. She knew then it was Jeanie. If she had been Andy or Joe she would have started yelling to make her mad. But she didn't want Pete to get yelled at so she didn't speak.

"You know I don't want to do that...", Pete said. "I don't like to go to those places, there are too many people..."

Maddie tried to mind her own business but it was really hard not to listen in when she was sitting close enough to basically have her ear pressed to the phone too. She could hear Jeanie's voice, slurring her words and trying to sounds cute.

"I'm not coming out", Pete said. Jeanie screamed something into the phone and the line went dead.

"Everything ok?"

"It will be, she's drunk" Pete said. Maddie knew that but didn't say anything. "What did you pick?", he asked to change the subject.

Maddie grinned and answered, "The Breakfast Club."

Pete laughed before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her right next to him like he always did, "OK, Princess, whatever you want."

Saturday night came quickly and at seven on the dot they were all standing in a small back area of The Pit waiting for their turn to set up.

"Do you guys need anything?", Maddie asked. She was nervous for them and she could tell Patrick was too. The others seemed cool. Well, Pete was a little upset. He and Jeanie had fought before leaving for the show. She said it wasn't her "scene". Maddie wasn't sure what she meant by that, and she wasn't sure why Jeanie was there if all she was going to do was sit at the bar miserable.

"Water, please?" Patrick asked. Maddie nodded and went to get some bottles of water.

She stood at the bar waiting for the girl to bring her back five bottles of water when Jeanie slinked over, smoking a cigarette and drinking something Maddie was positive was alcohol.

"So, are you and the chubby one, like together?" Jeanie slurred.

Maddie shook her head, "no. I'm friends with all of the guys. And his name is Patrick, not the chubby one."

Jeanie laughed before stating, "sure" and taking a long sip. "You can't be friends with guys. That's not how it works. You also can't be friends with Pete."

Maddie was doing a pretty good job of not sinking to her level but the last part bit her the wrong way. "I can be friends with anyone I want. And you can be friends with guys, it does work, you just have to not be a total whore." She collected the bottles and walked back to the guys seething.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Joe asked when she slammed the door to the room they were in.

"One guess, it's sitting at the bar with bleached hair and her boobs falling out of her shirt" Maddie answered him, handing the guys their waters.

Nobody said anything, just looked at Pete. "What did she say?"

"Nothing, forget it."

"No, Mad, tell me."

"It's stupid. I shouldn't have let her get under my skin. Forget I said anything, I don't want to ruin this for you guys."

Pete walked over and held Maddie's arms, forcing her to look at him, "I'm sorry." He hugged her and walk off saying he would go talk to her.

Maddie look at Andy who was gawking at her.

"What?"

"He never apologizes for her. EVER."

"Maybe he's finally sick of her acting like a snotty bitch?"

Andy laughed, "I doubt it."

Just then a guy with a clip board came in the room, "which band are you guys?"

"We don't have a name yet", Joe told him.

"Ah, ok. You must be "no name", you're up next", the guy said and walked off.

"Shit, shit, shit" Patrick began muttering. Maddie knew he was really nervous then. She hugged him while Andy went to find Pete.

When Andy was back with Pete the guys picked up their instruments and went to the stage. There weren't many people there so Maddie went and stood right in front. She noticed Jeanie still sitting at the bar shooting daggers at Pete with her eyes. She smirked to herself and thought, 'Pete must have said something to her.'

"Ok guys, we uh, don't have a name, so..." Pete began. The crowd of about twenty people started shouting suggestions. "Wait, that one! Fall out boy? Yeah, I like that! Ok, well, we're Fall Out Boy, at least for tonight", he said with a laugh. "This is Basket Case by Green Day."

The guys played three more songs and then they were done. The crowd seemed to really like them and cheered when they left the stage. Maddie went to the back again to help them load up their stuff in the van.

"You guys were great!" she yelled, running up and hugging the first person she came to, who happened to be Andy. She hugged each guy and congratulated them. Unfortunately the last person she hugged was Pete, even more unfortunate was that Jeanie stumbled into the room while she was doing it.

"Uh, what the fuck are you doing?!" she screeched at Maddie.

"Hugging my friend who just did an amazing job performing", Maddie began, "not that you would know since you were too busy trying to get guys to buy you drinks to watch them."

She heard Joe and Andy let out a collective "ohhh" in the background.

"Listen, bitch", Jeanie said walking up to Maddie, "you better stay the hell away from my boyfriend."

"Ok, Jeanie, seriously it was an innocent hug!" Pete defended.

"You!" she yelled, turning toward Pete, " don't you even say it was innocent! I saw how you watched her the ENTIRE time! We're you pretending you were singing to her, huh?"

"WHAT?!" Pete exclaimed, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "I couldn't even see you because you were sitting at the bar! I had to look somewhere..."

"There are forty other people out there, Peter!" Jeanie yelled.

Maddie was watching the whole exchange with her mouth hanging open. This was insane.

"Mad" Joe whispered in her ear, "come help us load up? This could go on for a while." Maddie nodded and grabbed the first thing she could find, a duffle bag with gear in it, and followed Joe outside.

"What the actual fuck was that?" she asked when they reached Andy's van.

"That was a normal exchange for them" Andy said, "the only thing weird to me was that Pete was standing up for you. He's never done that for anyone else."

"He was watching you the whole time" Joe spoke up.

"Shut up, Joe, I was too" Patrick said. "It's a nervous thing, find someone you know and concentrate on them."

"This was such a weird night" Maddie sighed, "I am SO proud of you guys though. Do you think Fall Out Boy is the name?"

They all laughed, but said they didn't hate it. They would talk about it the next practice. Maddie said goodbye to Joe and Patrick and went back inside with Andy. She had ridden with him and Pete and he wanted to stay longer to check out some of the other bands. Maddie didn't mind hanging out.

"These guys are really good", she said loudly next to Andy's ear so he could hear her over the throbbing bass.

"The drummer is actually a friend of mine, they're trying to get on Warped Tour next year", he leaned down and told her. Maddie nodded, "maybe you guys will be too!" Andy laughed and turned back to face the stage. Maddie felt a pair of arms go around her waist, she realized it was Pete before she screamed for Andy to help her.

"I'm sorry about her" Pete said with his lips really close to Maddie's ear.

"Where did she go? Did she leave?" Maddie asked, knowing she must have, otherwise Pete was in danger of being clawed to death with Jeanie's long fake nails.

"She got pissed and started making out with some guy, I dumped her. Again." Pete said. Maddie nodded and went back to watching Andy's friend's band. "After you guys left I told her you were my best friend and she would have to get over it. Apparently she couldn't."

Maddie looked at Pete with shock, "I'm your best friend?"

Pete grinned back at her, "yep." He rested his chin on her shoulder and started swaying them to the music. Maddie laughed, "you're in an awfully good mood for someone who just had a break up."

"That's because I'm officially done with her."

Maddie hoped it was true. Going by what the guys had told her though it wouldn't be the last time. She thought back to how they said he was always in a great mood after they broke up, then would get really sad for a while before eventually getting back with her. Maddie made a vow then to help him through this. She didn't want her newly appointed best friend dealing with that bitch again.