S E V E N T E E N
I went out looking for love when I was seventeen
Maybe a little too young, but it was real to me
PEYTON WAS WALKING THROUGH THE CROWD TOWARDS THE RIVAL BAND. She wasn't in a good mood, and she was going to let them know.
How could have Bobby done something like that?
"Hey! Dodger!" The four members of the rock band turned around to look at her. "A word?"
Isaac stepped forward with a mocking smile.
"Did you like our song, Pey? It was for you," he said and she tossed his hand away as soon as he tried to place it underneath her chin. "Why are you being so aggressive lately?"
"I know you didn't write that song, Isaac."
"Are you questioning my love confession through my music to you? Woah! I never thought you would be that kind of girl. It's okay, princess, I forgive you."
"I know you didn't write that song because you don't have enough talent to do it and because I know that Luke wrote that song."
"You mean... this song?" He pulled from his pocket several sheets of paper that were ripped off from Luke's notebook. "You have to be more specific I have like fifteen songs in here."
"How did you get them?"
"I wrote them."
"No, you didn't, give them back!" She yelled, jumping to get them, but he was raising his arm up.
"Sorry, princess, but I can't let you have them."
"Good that I'm not a princess," said Alex coming from behind while Reggie grabbed the papers, giving them to Luke, who stood behind Peyton. "You really hit deep with stealing songs, blue parrot."
"Where are the rest?" Asked Luke, gaining the guys attention. "There are only three songs here! Where are the other ten?" But Luke wasn't screaming at Isaac, he was rather screaming at Bobby, who just stood there, silently. "Those are my songs, Bobby, I wrote them!"
"I don't know what you are talking about. I swear!" Yelled Bobby.
"You don't know what I'm tal— I'm gonna tell you exactly what I'm talking about, Danny Ocean, you moth—"
"Luke, calm down," said Reggie while Alex held him down.
"Where are the rest of the songs?" Peyton asked Isaac. "Just give them back already!"
"Oh, I can't do that. I already recorded them!"
"What!?" Exclaimed Reggie, Alex and Luke.
"Bobby let us use his uncle's studio time and we recorded every single song. Isn't that great?"
"Guys—" started Bobby, but he stopped himself.
"Don't even bother, Bobby," whispered Reggie. "You didn't steal the songs. You weren't part of the band when they took them."
"Yeah, but he let them," interrupted Luke, tossing Isaac aside and looking directly into Bobby's eyes. "Two years later and you still a piece of trash. Glad you finally joined people of your class." He quickly turned around, hugging Peyton by the waist. "Let's just... leave these Trashedies. They aren't worth it."
"Thought you would fight longer for your songs, Patterson."
"See, I'm different than you, Isaac. I can write other songs, better songs as a matter of fact. You will have to deal with stealing other people's talent because you don't have any." Luke chuckled. "And you all are invited to see us perform in the Fonda Theatre next week, with our new songs. See you, guys."
Luke turned around, walking away side to side with Peyton, the confidence quickly fading away.
"Are you sure you don't want to fight longer? Thirteen songs in one week is a lot."
"I'm really doubting my choice, but I did a cool Goosebumps Walkaway line and I don't want to mess it up."
"Dignity before anything, I got it."
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"What if we do my country song?" Asked Reggie.
"No!" Yelled Luke, Alex and Julie immediately.
"Guys, we brought you snacks," said Peyton as her and Ella walked in the garage. The guys didn't jump as they usually do, they just looked at them as they were laying on the floor and couch.
"Woah, who died?" Asked Ella as Luke grabbed Peyton's hand and pulled her down, her sitting on his lap as he closed his eyes, tired.
"Our music career," answered Alex, "that's what died."
"We are never going to write thirteen songs on time!" Exclaimed Julie groaning, closing her eyes.
"Thirteen? I though you guys recovered three songs."
"Actually two, the third one was Nobody Compares and we aren't sure if they didn't record them or already perform the other two somewhere else."
"Which means we have to start from scratch," complained Luke as Peyton looked at him.
"Well, what do you have?" Peyton grabbed Luke's notebook as he hugged her waist. "Home is Where My Horse Is."
"I wrote that one!" Exclaimed Reggie and Ella kissed his cheek.
"Which means we have nothing," said Alex, making Reggie lose all of his excitement.
"Well, what about this one... Unsaid Emily."
"That's not a song," said quickly Luke, ripping off the paper and keeping it in pocket.
"Ok?" She decided to ignore it, moving on. "Hey... what about this one?"
Luke glanced at the song before straightening up, almost making Peyton fall from his lap.
"Sorry," he said quickly, without moving his eyes from the song. "Oh sweet Peyton, you are a genius!" He exclaimed, kissing her cheek before he looked at the rest. "Guys... do you remember that song we wrote like a month ago?"
"Please be more specific."
Luke chuckled before he started humming, Alex quickly following him.
"So kiss me kiss me kiss me... And tell me that I'll see you again."
"'Cause I don't know," followed him Julie as he stood up, grabbing his guitar. "If I can let you go."
Luke started playing the guitar, and Alex was quick to run and follow him on the drums. Julie stood up, grabbing the notebook from Peyton and running towards her keyboard, while Reggie grabbed his bass.
"Close your eyes you'll be mine and that's alright. Take a breath no rest till the sunrise. Heartbeat so sweet when your lips touch mine. We don't have to go home right now. But we're never gonna stop cause we're dreaming out loud. We know what we want, we know we're gonna get it somehow... Never say goodbye."
Ella sat next to Peyton as both watched the guys, and how their smiles grew back on the faces.
"So kiss me kiss me kiss me, and tell me that I'll see you again. 'Cause I don't know, if I can let you go. So kiss me kiss me kiss me, I'm dying to see you again. Let's make tonight the best of our lives, yeah. Here's to teenage memories."
Alex, Reggie and Julie followed him on the vocals. The instrumental part came, where everyone played as there was no tomorrow, laughing and looking at each other.
Luke walked towards the microphone as the music slowly faded away.
"So kiss me kiss me kiss me," the music entered again, making him smile widely, "And tell me that I'll see you again. 'Cause I don't know if I can let you go. So kiss me kiss me kiss me, I'm dying just to see you again. Let's make tonight the best day of our lives, yeah. Here's to teenage memories."
The song slowly faded away, and the guys looked smiling to one another.
Peyton and Ella quickly stood up, cheering them. The band turned around to look at them and laughed.
"You have a standing ovation, guys," said Ella with a smile.
"That was amazing! What wasn't that in the setlist?"
"Well," whispered Alex, "we wrote it between all of us and when it came to the setlist we just thought it wouldn't be as good."
"That's because we never rehearsed it. Sounded great!" Exclaimed Luke. "It actually gives me an idea for a song."
He was quick to put his guitar down and run towards the couch, grabbing the notebook and his pen and starting to write. The band quickly following him.
"Well, we are gonna go. We'll leave you guys to do you thing," announced Peyton, but the guys didn't even bother to look up.
"Bye..." they said, focused on their music.
Peyton and Ella walked away from the garage, holding their laughter.
"Can you believe they just had that song laying around, not even thinking about it?"
"You know musicians, they are perfectionists," replied Ella. "One doubt about the song and they toss it away. That's just how they are."
"I see that now." Both chuckled.
"So... is Luke a good kisser?"
"Ella!" Yelled Peyton. "Don't... ask that."
"Why not!? I'm curious that you haven't even mentioned it already. Wait... you have already kissed him, right?" Peyton shook her head, making her sister laugh. "Oh my God! What are you waiting for!? Pigs flying!?"
"No, just... the right moment. So much stuff has happened the last two days, the party, Bobby, the stolen songs. We don't even know what we are!"
"You guys are a guy and girl that like each other and already have said it! Just kiss already!"
"Don't force me! When did you kiss Reggie for the first time?"
"After our first date. You and Luke have had like fifty dates! You were five and you already were going to the movies! You guys've had movie nights like... every week since you know him. He was the boyfriend without the rewards!"
"It's like the second time you've said that and I still don't get it."
"He behaved as your boyfriend, he cared for you like a boyfriend, you guys did all that crappy relationship stuff... but you didn't kiss him. The rewards are kissing, cuddling, being all over each other."
"Yeah, I got it, I got it," she interrupted her.
"You practically gave him all the boring stuff and never the fun part!"
"Yeah, Ella... I understood," she told her. "No need to go further details, thank you."
Peyton looked in front of her. Well that was a fun way to look at it.
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Luke knocked on her window and she quickly opened it, greeting him with a smile.
"You won't believe this. We wrote like five songs in just one afternoon. We felt really inspired for some reason." Let her know Luke as he closed the window behind him. "That song you found kinda gave us hope, you know?"
"I'm so happy for you," she said to him as he turned around. "I'm glad that you guys are moving on, and taking this awful thing that happened to you guys and transformed it in the possibility of new and better songs. I think it's really wonderful."
"Well, also sucks because we still miss eight songs but yeah, creative experience, always positive." Peyton chuckled before looking at him.
He is the boyfriend without the rewards.
She slowly leaned in, placing her hands on his cheeks before joining their lips.
There weren't enough words in the English language to describe it. The way Peyton's lips tasted on his couldn't be express in words. The way his all body trembled as he felt her hands on his cheeks as she pulled him closer, stepping on her tippy toes.
He always thought there was a song for everything. For every emotion he would feel, he would always find a song to describe it.
Except kissing Peyton Swan.
No one could describe how it feels to kiss Peyton Swan except him.
His heart was beating so fast that he thought he was going to die, right in the spot, this would be the thing that killed him.
And he couldn't help but to laugh, making her break apart.
"I have no idea why I laughed," he admitted, making her look at him.
"Do I kiss funny to you?" He shook his head.
"No, no. You are an excellent kisser. Let's just... forget." She nodded before he kissed her again.
But he laughed.
"Ok, what's so funny? I feel like Ross Geller over here."
"I'm so..." He cleared his throat, to stop his chuckling. "I'm so sorry it's just that... I'm kissing you," he said in a deep voice.
"Oh do tell," she mocked him. "What is so funny?"
"It's just that I'm kissing you! You! Peyton! It's... I like it but... it's just so..."
"So what!? So what, Rachel Green!?"
"Weird..." he admitted, sitting down on her desk. "I mean, not bad weird. It's nice it's just... God, weird. Like... I've known you forever... girl." He nervously punched her shoulder in a friendly way. "I really have no idea why I did that, I'm sorry."
"Ok, Luke, let's make this clear," she started while he grabbed her hands, bitting his lip. "Do you want to kiss me?"
"Uh? Yeah... yeah, of course I want to! Yes... yes." Peyton raised her eyebrows. "Sounded a little excited over there, huh? Too much Xander Harris, sorry." He grabbed her waist with a smile. "Look, Peyton, I like you. But... you gotta give me something, I've known you since you were five and used to cut Barbie doll's hair. Kissing you is a big step, you know?"
"Never thought it was a funny step," she mumbled, letting go off him and walking to the other side of the room. "I never experienced someone laughing after I kiss them."
"Of course! How? I mean, you are a great kisser. Definitely the best kiss I've ever had," he said as he followed her, making her look at him.
"How could you know? You went full Spongebob in the middle of it," she defended while he hugged her waist, leaning in and joining their lips again.
She smelled like vanilla, as always. Her skin was soft and her lips tasted like fruits.
He chuckled again, breaking apart and this time Peyton giving up.
"I'm sorry," he said between laughs, trying to calm down. "I have no idea why I keep doing it. There's something wrong with me."
"Yeah, I figured," she said before sitting on her bed, him sitting next to her and trying to lean in, but she moved her face. "See, I don't want to now." He groaned, laying his head on her shoulder. "We could watch a movie."
"Fine," he gave up, turning around and standing up, walking towards Peyton's laptop. "What do you want to watch? West Side Story? A Beautiful Mind? Pretty in Pink? I'm offering you three completely different styles."
"Whatever you want," she said, laying her head on her pillows as he pressed play, laying next to her.
She didn't even move when he laughed.
"I didn't even touch you!" She exclaimed.
"I know I was just remembering—" he looked at her. "When Alex fell... the other day..." he lied, letting her lay her head on his shoulder.
Oh God...
POP CULTURE REFERENCES GUIDE
chapter seventeen
"Hey! Dodger!"
Dodger is a character on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. He is a poor kid that teaches Oliver how to pickpocket.
"I'm gonna tell you exactly what I'm talking about, Danny Ocean."
Danny Ocean is the main character of the movie Ocean's Eleven and its sequels. He is portrayed by George Clooney, and it's a genius in robbery.
"Ok, what's so funny? I feel like Ross Geller over here." "So what!? So what, Rachel Green!?"
Rachel Green and Ross Geller are character from the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) that confronted a similar situation when they kissed.
"Sounded a little excited over there, huh? Too much Xander Harris, sorry."
Xander Harris is a character from the TV action/horror series Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Xander was known to be very humorous and sarcastic, especially in the face of danger. He would act nervous around Buffy since he had a huge crush on her, normally super excited.
"West Side Story?"
West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
"A Beautiful Mind?"
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film based on the life of the American mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner. The story begins in Nash's days as a graduate student at Princeton University. Early in the film, Nash begins to develop paranoid schizophrenia and endures delusional episodes while watching the burden his condition brings on his wife Alicia and friends.
"Pretty in Pink?"
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. The film was written by famous filmmaker John Hughes and starred Sixteen Candles's star Molly Ringwald.