Chapter 4: C-Dog's Got That One Thing

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... <- dot dot dot WISEE WORDS FROM LINDSEY *bows*

Nope! Don't take all the credit, Lindsey! Cause Kaitlyn is starting this! Yepperdoodle!

~_~

*Liz's POV*

I woke to a soft tune. It was very faint, but really sweet. It sounds like someone was playing some instrument. But....is that the flute? I sit up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I walk into the kitchen where Harry is cooking eggs.

"Hey, Hazza," I greet him.

He turns around holding the pan and screeches, "GET OUT OUT MY KITCHEN!" I flinch, but then start laughing because I remember videos of him from years ago where he's cooking and screams that very line.

"Nope. Technically, it's my kitchen." I reply instead.

He nods, "True, true. You're good, for now." He adds slyly.

"Whatever. You almost done with that?" I ask peering into pan.

He opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by a long string of high notes on the flute. When it softens Harry said, "I'll take it to go. Come on, we have someone to visit."

"Visit? Who?" I ask incredulously.

"Just come on."

"Should I change? Do I need a jacket?" I look down at my pjs. I would rather not be in public in this.

"Nope, now come on." He was now carrying two plates with eggs and two forks.

"Um-" but he pulled me out the door.

Before we knew it we were stepping out of the elevator one floor down.

"Are we visiting Kate? I don't understand." I say after a trill ends.

"Shhh, can't you just stay quiet and be surprised." He answers.

Sure enough he stops at Kate's apartment door. Here the flute is loud and clear and, it's sad, but its taken me this long to realize: Kate must be the one playing! Harry knocks once and the door is opened immediately. Vic's bright face is there to greet us.

"Hey, guys! Come on in." And she steps aside so we can walk over the threshold.

"Why are we here?" I whisper to Harry as we take a seat in a recliner, Harry sitting on the arm.

"Why not?" He looked down at me and handed me my fork and plate.

"True," It's not like I didn't want to visit Kate. It's good to see she's come out of her gloomy state.

"I'll get us juice," and Harry gets up and heads to the fridge.

I lean back in the chair, soothed by Kate's methodic playing. I take in my surroundings. Niall is siting to the left of Kate, beaming and clapping constantly. Vic is sitting on the floor I front of her, looking up at Kate in wonder. Oh yeah! Vic used to play flute! She was incredible! But after her accident she must've forgotten all about playing let alone remember how to. It must be awful. Losing a talent when she was so good at it.

"Your juice, ma'am." Harry hands me a glass full of apple juice. I take a sip before setting it down.

I ate my breakfast chatting with Harry, listening to the music and just enjoying the peacefulness of it.

Eventually Kate put down her flute and said, "I'm really sorry about that I had to practice and I didn't mean to wake anybody up, if I did. I know I'm not all that good," She began packing away her flute. "Why did you all gather in my apartment, anyway?"

"I don't know. I heard the playing and it sounded really good so I came to check out what it was. You're really good, by the way! I wish I could play like that." Vic said in amazement.

Kate laughed. "Good? Me? You wishing that you could play like me? That's a good joke. Oh! You must've forgotten."

"Forgotten what?" Vic asked confused.

"You used to play."

"Flute?"

Kate nodded. "And you were so good! Like, I'm beyond jealous of you! It was so soft and sweet and perfect. I wish I could steal your talent."

"I can't play," Vic said matter-of-factly. "You can steal all the talent you want, but you won't get anything 'cause nothing's there."

"No, you don't understand. You were really really good! I'm sure if you tried, somewhere deep down in there, you'd still know how to play." Kate said.

"I don't know. I'll bet if I could play, I was awful. No where near as good as you." Vic sighed.

"You've got it backwards, Hun. I'm no where near as good as you." Kate said. "Hey!" And she turned to me. "Do you know where her flute is?"

"Hmm..." That's a good question, I wish I knew. "Maybe... The band room still? From before the accident?"

Kate snapped her fingers. "Right! Yeah, Vic, your flute ought to be there. When break ends you can get it!"

"Okay.... Even if I get it I won't be able to play." Vic answered.

Kate shook her head, "I'm not so sure about that."

"Yeah, I have a feeling if you really try it'll come to you. I mean you've played it since the 4th freaking grade. It's gotta come so easily to you by now." I added. Vc shrugged, unconvinced. I stayed at Kate's until after lunch, talking and enjoying everyone's company, when me and Harry went back to my apartment.

We both stayed in our pjs, I mean, it's not like either of us cared, anyway. We were blaring music throughout the apartment and we danced in the living room according to the song. They were mostly One Direction, as these were my songs, and Harry knew it. I could see and feel him tense up whenever he came on. To fast songs we danced crazy-like, no rhyme or reason to it, screaming the lyrics. I'm still... completely... shocked each time he sings. I remember when I would only hear that voice on the TV and the radio and my iPod... But when a slow song came on we slow danced and I savored every second of it. Resting my head on his chest and his chin on my head. It felt right. It felt right. To have him with me, it felt like we were made to be. We fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces finishing the lovely puzzle that was my life. And I loved it. Never wanted it to end. Hold me forever, Harry, and never get go. Never let go. When the slow songs ended we broke away, but I found my arms reaching out for him again. Wanting to satisfy the aching in my heart, the part of me that craved him by my side. But before he could see I snatched my arms back and held them to my side.

At around 3, One Thing came on and I instantly got an idea. We danced around. Me jumping around and slipping a few times, but hey! That's what I'm here for!

Get out, get out, get outta my head

And fall into my arms instead.

I don't, I don't, don't know what it is,

But I need that one thing.

Yeah-

I quickly paused the music right here and screamed, so Harry would notice, "C-DOG'S GOT THAT ONE THING!!" I leapt into the pose that he had assumed when I got that picture of him at the winter concert of 8th grade. I was lunging forward and flexing one arm.

Harry looked at me confused. "Who's C-Dog?"

"Only the best guy in the world!" I said tauntingly, leaving out the fact that he's a middle-aged man.

He went rigid, "What? Is this C-Dog guy someone I should now about?" His lips were pressed in a tight line, it reminded me of Professor McGonagall. "Liz...."

I laughed at that comparison and his reaction to me mentioning C-Dog. "What's so funny?" He asked. "Who is this guy?" His face looked protective.

"You-you-" I was laughing too hard to speak right.

"What?" The tone of his voice made my laughter fade completely.

"C-Dog was my middle school band teacher." I answered quickly as if in a trance. "He's, what, like, 48 now. So it's nothing to worry about." I explained.

He was dumbfounded. "Then why does he have that one thing?"

I was laughing again. "It's an inside joke. Well... See, Regan... And.... It's a long story... Really, it's nothing to make a fuss over. It was just a joke."

He shrugged, "If you say so."

"But seriously! You need to meet C-Dog he's so awesome!!" I said.

He chuckled. "Alright, if you want me to. If he's that important to you."

"He is!" I replied strongly. Then I realized that I had fangirled over Harry to C-Dog, too. That's gonna be embarrassing. But chances are he won't even know who Harry is. I remembered all those times Kate, Vic and I tried to explain one direction and no matter which boy we were talking about he'd always say, "Oh! Is he the one with the big hair?" And he'd motion with his hands showing that his hair came out, like, a foot from his head. Harry.

I can hear the sound of an elephant stampede. It's Kate, coming down the stairs. She flings open the door and shouts,

"AMERICAN FLAG! MOM!"

Harry has the most confused look on his face, but I don't care. I'm laughing. It's something C-Dog had once said.

We both are. "Can we go see him now? We haven't seen him forever!"

"Yes, let's go."

Niall, Vic, and Louis suddenly appear in the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"C-Dog!" We chorus.

And we march out the door, side by side. Leaving Vic and our boyfriends in the dust. Realizing this, we slow down, grab Vic, then speed up again.

Harry, Louis, and Niall strike up a chat with each other, all trying to figure out what they've gotten themselves into.

We catch Vic up on who is he is, and all the inside jokes. She laughs, but I feel like she doesn't really understand them enough unless she knows him.

And I have full faith that she will.

As we open the doors of the old middle school, I remember we can't just walk in...

So I buzz in. They remember me, I'm sure. They love me. I was the president of the National Junior Honor Society. I was their Ben Carson scholarship nominee. Kate, Vic, and I were friends with all the teachers and principals.

So when I buzz, though it takes a while, the doors unlock with a click. I figure I owe them an explanation, so I tell the others and we head to the office. It was weird, seeing Harry Styles in my middle school... Almost... Unnerving. I remember all those times I had wished he'd just barge through those doors. Now he is...

Even though the rest of school is on break, the staff is here half-days. And I was hoping it was C-Dog's time.

Kate pulls open the office door, not wanting to go first. I make a face. That was my plan. Instead, I go in timidly.

Dr. Bastings, the vice principal, is at the front desk, and he looks up first. I give a shy wave.

"Liz...? Kate? Vic?"

I smile. "Hey..."

His face hardens. "Who are they?" He says, looking pointedly at the boys.

For people who seemingly have no fear, they are frozen under the pressure of my 4 foot 9 inches vice principal.

"Um...," I start. I wasn't sure how to respond.

Kate saves me. "These are Harry, Louis, and Niall."

"Aren't those the names of the boys you like? What was it... One.... One Direction? Yeah. Oh, hey! Liz! You once yelled at me to put on their music at lunch! But... What are they doing with you guys?"

I turn to Kate. "Hey, Kate, you wanna take this one?"

She pulls on a frightened face, "Uhh...."

"How have you been, Kate?" He asks. "Do you still have awful scented hand sanitizers?"

She looks afraid. "Um... Well.... I, actually..." I could see all the memories of Dr. Bastings flash across her eyes and she seemed to lean further away. She always thought Dr. Bastings was a creeper. There have been....many occurrences when he was creeper-like, so I won't disagree. Yeah, he's quite the creeper.

"Are you alright?" He leans closer and now Kate's shaking.

"I'm...fine, you know. I just....we....we wanna see Mr. Castaldi!" She blurts.

Dr. Bastings is shocked. "Oh, okay. Well we'll need to see some ID, then of course you can." So we all get in line showing him our ID confirming we are who we say we are. Then we receive our orange visitors passes, clearly displaying our names.

"Lead the way!" Vic exclaims she seems quite excited to see our old band teacher. But who wouldn't be he's awesome!

So me and Kate walk confidently to his room. Our feet carrying us without us having to apply a single thought. We've taken this route so many times.

We soon arrive outside his room, his door was ajar like always. It felt so familiar. I miss his class. Kate, who was now fully confident with C-Dog, walks in first. Me following close behind.

He's sitting at his desk, in the same place as where we had left it. He has his glasses on and he's looking onto his computer, typing. "C-Dog?" Kate asks softly.

He freezes, looks up slowly, then his face crinkles into its usual smile. He takes off his glasses, "Girls!" He exclaims to me, Kate, and Vic.

"Hey, C-Dog!" I cry. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"Oh my gosh, C-Dog, we have missed you so much like you don't even understand!! We miss you oh my gosh!! Oh my gosh!! C-Dog!! I can't believe we're seeing you again!!" Kate was talking so rapidly it was hard to catch her words. And was...? Yep. Kate's tearing up. Darnit, Kate, why?

C-Dog chuckled. "It's good to see you too, Kate! I've missed you all so much!" He turned to Vic hovering in the doorway. "Vic, you're being awful quite. How are you?"

She steps forward shyly. "Hello, Mr. Castaldi." She says professionally.

From the start C-Dog could see something was up. He was too smart not to see. From the way she was so timid. To when she said 'hello' and when she called him 'Mr. Castaldi' rather than C-Dog. He could tell. And he was ready for an explanation. "Is she alright?" He turns to me and Kate.

Kate coughed then looked to her feet avoiding eye contact.

"Um....well..." I couldn't find the words to say. "No," I manage. "Not really-"

But before I finish, I search around for anything that could change the subject.

"Oh! Are these your kids?"

"Yeah, this is Cami and Bradley. Are those your kids?" He points to the boys.

Kate giggles. "No! This is Harry, Louis, and Niall."

"Niall... The name rings a bell..."

I hear Harry mutter something that sounds remarkably like "we're less popular than we think" so I elbow him.

"And hey! You're the guy with weird hair! From One Direction! Kate. Please tell me you didn't kidnap them."

"She didn't," said Niall. I could tell he wanted to say something more, but he didn't.

"Well..."

"She didn't!"

I say directly to C-Dog, "She thought about it. Before we knew them." I could see Kate redden beside me.

"What do you mean by know them? Goodness, it's only been a few years, girls!"

"She means that... Well, it's a long story. But we're dating." Harry pulls me in protectively, but for the first time I fend him off.

He glances at me weirdly, so I give him my come on, kid, get a grip look.

"You girls have dates?!" He pauses. "Kidding."

That's when his daughter came into the room. She's grown up so much! She's about eight or nine. "These are my former students, Liz, Vic, and Kate... And those other people they brought with them."

He looked like he was about to say more, but then Cami started squealing. "But... You're... OH MY GOSH..."

The boys smiled and wave like they'd done it all their lives. Which I guess they technically have.

"You guys are that famous? That my daughter knows who you are? And Vic, you aren't usually this quiet... What's wrong? Something's up."

"Would you believe me if I told you..." I search desperately for an excuse, no matter how weak it may be. "That you're... dreaming? That Vic still remembers you-" I stop dead in my tracks.

My eyes open wide, and I can see Kate's expand as well.

He gives me a single look, and I knew I had to tell him everything.

I sigh and ask, "Can I sit down? This is going to take a while."

He nods. "Of course."

I sit in my usual spot, first chair. He seems to notice, I can see his jaw working as if he's about to say something.

He doesn't.

So I begin. "Let me explain my side of the story, Kate, you can help me, but everyone else pipe down."

"It all started when a British exchange student named Daniel Arrow came to our high school." Kate glares at Louis, who shrugs.

They make no noise, but I hush them anyway. "Shh. Anyway, he was nice and all. And- excuse me for my bluntness when I tell this. But I think you'd prefer if I don't use a filter, I never do. Anyway, it only took a week before Vic and Daniel fell in love, no matter how cheeseballs that sounds. But it's true, I know how it feels."

I purposely avoid Harry's gaze. "We all adored him. Not the way Vic did, but he was amazing. Then... He decided to Skype her. And someone walked behind the camera view. It took Kate all of five seconds to recognize him. It was Niall. She did her little flipping out thing.

"Their jig was up. We could all recognize 'Dan' by then. It was harder without stage makeup and lighting and screaming fans, which was why it took us an entire week to realize that he was Louis Tomlinson." I look at Mr. Castaldi, and clarify, "Him." I point. "Look him up. He'll be the first to pop up if you type in 'L' in Google."

He grabs his computer, and a small "whoa..." comes out of his mouth. Louis grins. "That's classified as an accomplishment, right?"

"Shocking Mr. Castaldi? Yes."

"Not fully what I meant, but good enough."

I turn back to C-Dog. "And that's how famous they are. Apparently he was just done (I'm sorry for the a/n right here but I hate the phrases "I'm done" and "I'm fine" fyi) with performing, done with his love life, done with the celebrity life in general. So he came here, the polar opposite."

C-Dog chuckles and Kate, Vic and Phia smile.

"Anyway, back to the story. She invited them all down to her house, and that includes Zayn, Harry, Niall, Liam, and, of course, Lou. Everyone. I was over, as well as Kate. We were at her house, spending the night. So we were all a bit starstruck. When they were at the door, none of us felt ready to open it, though we'd actually been ready all our lives. So when we got the nerve to do it, we were all frozen. Until Harry. He'd noticed my Harry Potter paraphernalia, and it turns out he likes the series, too. I think that was the first time I had actually seen him in person, and..." No filter, Liz. No filter! "I was already in love." I clasp my hands together uncomfortably and stare at the floor, avoiding everyone's stares. "It was all uphill from there, and I could already see Kate and Niall making googly eyes at each other. This is a bit off topic, but I had never believed in actual love at actual first sight... Until that day. Everything was great. Louis and Vic were dating, and I finally knew the best boys in the world. I knew Kate felt the same way.

"Then came the high school dance... do you know about it? Anyway, the boys came. They had code names, like Daniel Arrow, and no one recognized them for the same reasons we hadn't recognized Lou. That's how Liam met Phia... And yes, there was a fight between Lou and Vic, but that wasn't really important. Oh, Phia didn't know Liam was Liam until he had texted her... Oh! There was this one girl who found out Louis, but she's a minor character in the story. We'll gloss over her. Not important. So, Liam and Phia started dating. Harry didn't officially start dating me... well, because he wanted to protect me."

"Fat lot of good that did us. Look where we are now," Harry mutters, fingering the wretched magazine.

"My birthday came up next... Harry threw me a huge party that I didn't deserve. I mean, Daniel Radcliffe and Hunter Hayes showed up. Big names like them. And Harry and I started dating then. I convinced him... I don't remember correctly, but didn't you end up dragging me across the floor?"

They all laugh, picturing it. Mr. Castaldi laughs, too. I bet he can imagine it happening. It was a very Liz-like thing to do.

"So Kate, Phia, and Vic were at the party as well. Um... I believe it was there. Louis and Vic took the elevator in their house- don't ask- and of course, One Direction was playing. Elevator music, very cliché. Why not? So, of course, Vic started singing. And she's amazay-great. She's great."

I look around me to see if anyone had seen me slip. I had almost said amazayn, and that might've been weird, knowing our current company.

"So that's when Louis asked her to go on tour with them."

"She's that good?"

"Yeah. She is."

"So she accepted. I'm saying this now, under the circumstances, but it was a very rash decision. I didn't really want her to go, but that was mainly for selfish reasons... If she went, then Harry would have to go too. That, and she's my best friend, obviously. But go she did. We got tickets to their first concert, in a city nearby. I forget exactly where now. The boys had chosen to keep our relationships private, so we could be protected. They made it kind of obvious at that concert, but nothing major. Until the end of a song, Louis forgot himself and kissed Vic on the cheek. A crazy fan went wild at that point and, to this day, we don't even know who it was. But she chucked her cell phone onstage, and it hit Vic... It hit her directly on her temple."

I'm not sure if Vic herself even realized it, but she rubbed the exact spot where it had collided with her head. I could see everyone else looking.

A small bruise was all the physical damage left.

"All I remember was the phone and Vic crumpling. I remember myself jumping on the stage and running towards her... Nothing else more. I was focusing entirely on her. She looked dead, and in that moment, everyone thought she was. I was the one with the wherewithal to realize she was breathing, and got someone to call 911. Then I was done (I hate saying that). She got onto the ambulance, which rushed her to the hospital."

The entire room was silent, listening to my recollection of that day. "I got on the ambulance with her, Harry with me. I wasn't really aware of much else. The next thing I know we were at the hospital and the lady was telling us that our Vic was in a coma. And she didn't know how long she'd stay like that. I remember passing out, because I was at my breaking point right then. I remember waking up in a chair-"

"Harry put you there."

"Thank you. And I visited with Vic. Kate was with me. Um, I think Lou was after me. Yeah. He was.... I remember Eleanor coming in. His ex-girlfriend, one of the reasons he had run away to Falling Moon. It was then that Vic woke up... I didn't know at that point, I was too busy fending off the paparazzi, who now knew that I was with Harry, and that Kate was with Niall. And Vic with Lou, obviously. Um... Louis... you can take it from here. I don't know all the details."

He gave me a look that said I didn't share them for a reason! but I didn't say another word.

"Okay, I guess I'll take this one," he says in his British accent, glaring at me. I shrug in response.

"So I was overjoyed to find her awake, so I kissed her. And... And... She slapped me. She apparently had no memory of me, of her, of anyone. But Eleanor was there, too... And I think I loved her. But I loved Vic, too, but she didn't remember me at all. So I ran away again. Okay, someone else explain." This was already a touchy topic with him, but explaining it to a complete stranger, he couldn't take it.

Kate takes the reins. "We stayed with Vic after all that time."

"Always," I add.

"And we rebuilt our friendship. We tried helping her regain her memories, we explained everything to her family. But her memories were irretrievable.

"Until we ran into her... friend... Mack. You know, the tuba player?"

"I know Mack, yes."

"Yeah, him. Of course. Anyway, something about him triggered something, and her first memory back was of Louis. She wanted to find him, and she seemed to know where to accomplish that. So she ran, and we followed... And eventually, we found him, writing poetry."

Niall snickers a little. "Hey, put it to music, and it's just songwriting!" Lou retorts. "So she told him that she remembered him, and they fell in love again. She's been slowly regaining memories ever since, and we want to help her remember how to play the flute again."

The room was quiet for a while, with the exception of his daughter, who was still freaking out a bit.

Finally, Niall took her hand and pulled her over to sit with him. She made a little squeaking noise in the back of her throat.

"Wow..."

We all nod.

"I think that you guys should check in with me more often!"

"We will!"

Harry pipes in. "But now... They're practically celebrities. We knew this would happen. But..."

He holds up the magazine.

"Well, you guys have definitely gotten yourselves into a mess."

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