After The Dance (FOB FanFic ft. Panic! At The Disco)

~PART ONE~ [Chapter 8] It's Not Like We're A Band Or Anything

"Since when have you worn fedoras?" Pete asked as he, our two other band members, Jennifer, Lexy, Marie, and me walked down the halls of school. We four guys walked in front of the three girls. He leaned in and whispered, "You're attracting unwanted attention." I looked around and saw all of the girls looking at me with smiles on their faces as they stood at their lockers or passed by me and my friends.

"I wouldn't say it's unwanted," I said as I waved to a group of girls and grinned. They grinned back.

I was having one of the best mornings I think I've ever had in all my high school experience. That was until we crossed paths with Panic!. The smile on my face disappeared as we approached each other, glares on their faces and scared looks on ours (it was an act though - We, and I think I'm speaking for the rest of my friends too when I say this, stopped being scared of them when we realized they were intimidated by the popularity of Fall Out Boy).

"Nerds," Brendon addressed us as we approached each other.

"Assholes," Pete snickered. Neither of them really meant what they were saying, at least to each other, I mean, they were good, and maybe even best, friends.

Those were the only words exchanged between us before we passed by each other, which gave Dallon the perfect opportunity to flick my newly acquired hat off my head as we brushed by one another.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, stopping in my tracks and turning around.

"This isn't the fucking 1920s, idiot!" He called back to me, causing all of his friends, including Catherine who complimented me yesterday on how it looked nice on me, to laugh hysterically. Lexy came up to me and bent down to pick up the hat, handing it to me.

"Thanks," I mumbled, tucking the hat under my arm and spinning around to rejoin the group who had continued walking down the hallway and actually disappeared.

Lexy caught up to me and said, "I never said this yesterday, because, you know, my dad walked in on us..." She spoke as if her dad walked in on us having sex. We were just sitting on her bed. We weren't ripping each other's clothes off and eating each other's faces. "...but the fedora really suits you. I like it."

I laughed nervously, "Your sister said that too." She gave me a confused look that said When did you talk to my sister? "As I was walking out of the house yesterday," I explained, "She was walking into the kitchen and saw me with the fedora and...yeah."

She nodded her head in understanding as we walked together towards our class that we shared. Just like the group, the attention from the girls in the hallway had disappeared. I hung my head and sighed.

*****

I was sitting in the music room with the people I hung out with ninety-five percent of my life as we practiced the song we officially called "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?". You know how word had gotten around that Fall Out Boy was going to be at Elisa's party? Well, now word had gotten around that they weren't just going to be there, no, now they were performing at Elisa's party. Marie informed us at lunch.

So here we were, after school, trying to get this new song perfect for the party that was going to be in two days. Normally we'd be at my house, but my mom wasn't there and she didn't like it when I was home alone (even though I was seventeen years old and my older brother was twenty-two). So Andy talked to some teachers and we got the music room. Bad thing was that anyone could walk through that door and our cover could be blown.

We were taking a break after running the song twice when we heard the easily recognizable footsteps and chatter of our favorite band coming towards the music room. "Shit!" Pete exclaimed angrily as we all tried to hide the evidence that we'd been playing music. It didn't help that Pete had his thick ring of eyeliner around his eyes. He said something about how it gets him in the mindset for performing? I don't know...

I put my glasses back on and licked my hands to slick my hair back. Andy slipped on his shirt that he threw to the side and Joe tucked his in. We had hidden all of the instruments (and Pete) just as Spencer, Brendon, Ryan, and Dallon walked into the music room.

"What are you retards doing here?" Spencer inquired, leaning over to Brendon and whispering into his ear, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, "I thought you said no one would be in here!"

"I didn't know the dorks would be here!" Brendon remarked in a hushed tone.

"We were just..." I started to say when I was cut off by Lexy.

"It's none of your business what we were doing here, dickheads." She crossed her arms and said, "Now if you don't mind, we were here first, so," She extended her hand out in the direction of the door, "Buh-bye!"

Dallon walked up to my friend so close that their noses were almost touching, "What would a bunch of fags like you need with a music room?" He asked, pushing her back. She stumbled into my arms. "Shouldn't you be helping someone with their homework or being shoved into a garbage can?" He gasped, "Unless you're keeping something from us..." He spoke in such a way that gave me the bad feeling he knew who we really were. And I'm pretty sure that's how everyone else felt that way too.

"What would they possibly be keeping from us, Dallon?" Ryan asked, walking up behind him and placing his hand on his shoulder, "They're losers. I mean, what? Do you think they have some big secret or something?"

I swallowed hard and tugged at my collar nervously.

Dallon looked at all of us for a little while, tension presiding over to the quite large and mostly empty room for a good while before he sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like we're a band or anything," Joe muttered. Lexy, Andy, and I shot him a look with wide eyes.

Spencer chuckled nervously before saying, "Let's go, guys," He turned around and began to walk out with his three friends when he stopped in his tracks and called back to us, "See you guys at the party. Ooh, wait," He spun around with a smirk on his face, "I forgot. You fucktards weren't invited." His smirk evolved into a full smile and he walked out of the room backwards, his posse following after him.

"For your information, we fucktards were invited," I mumbled under my breath before taking off my glasses.

"Is the coast clear?" Pete's voice sounded from somewhere in the room.

"Yeah, it's clear," Lexy retorted. Pete came out from behind the gigantic cymbal in the back corner of the room.

"The nerve of those guys!" He scoffed, "Thinking they're so much better than us. At least we don't shove it in everyone's face that we're a band. Oh yeah, and nice going, Joe," Pete looked over at him, "You almost blew our cover!"

"I'm sorry," He apologized, "I just...you know I'm not good in situations like that. I get nervous."

"Well it doesn't matter, because they don't suspect a thing," Marie joined the conversation, "For now at least."