Friendship
Chapter
10: Freaking Out on You
(Un) Important babbling-notes from Cimmy: This is a stupid chapter, completely ridiculous. But it’s kind of funny, so I’ll let it slide.
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Notes: From Cecilia’s point of view.
“Why can’t I laugh, why must I cry, every
time we say goodbye? Why does it rain, here in my heart, everyday that we’re
apart? Why can’t it be, just you and me? What will it take to make you see?
These are the words, to my heartbreak lullaby.”
The day of the first game since Cecilia and Fred’s break-up. Cecilia was sitting on the bench in the locker-room, trying hard not to scream out loud.
She had told Fred about kissing Adam. That had not improved their situation. Fred was still mad at her for everything. Now he had something more to be pissed at too.
“We could use our usual tactic to block out their defense... Cecilia, are you paying attention?”
“No.”
“Of course, coach.” Cecilia rubbed her ankle. Ever since her little fall down the stairs, it had been aching from time to time. Not worse then her heart had been aching, but it was still pretty bad.
“Good. The first line-up begins. Charlie, do you have control over your players?”
“Huh?” Charlie sounded deeply offended by Coach Bombay’s question.
“Do you know where your line is?” Coach Bombay said to be clearer. He was sounding a bit annoyed.
“Yeah,” Charlie muttered. “Fred? Travis? Nish? Cee?”
“Yeah,” Nish shouted, busy tying his skates.
“I’m here,” Travis said calmly.
“Here,” Fred sighed, not sounding very into the up-coming game. He sounded more bored then ever.
Charlie cleared his throat when his fourth team player didn’t answer at once. She’d been way to occupy with staring at Fred. “Cee? Hey, Cecilia!”
Cecilia turned her head, forcing herself to stop looking at Fred. He hadn’t been paying any attention to her at all the last couple of days. No glaring, no mad staring, not even any insults. Nothing. Why did he pretend like she didn’t exist?
“Hello, Cecilia!” Charlie bellowed. “Are you paying attention, or what?”
“Yes!” she shouted back, completely out of the blue. God, he was such a pain in the ass!
“You could at least answer when I speak to you,” Charlie frowned. “I don’t mind you screaming at me, just do it for the right reasons, okay?”
“Screw you.”
“Yeah, whatever, Captain.” Charlie looked at her in misbelieve. She wasn’t the one who usually caved in like that. He had probably been expecting an outburst or some other kind of explosion.
“Okay, then,” he said, a bit confused. “Uhm, so let’s get going, then. Are you all ready?”
The unison “Yeah!” filled the room. Cecilia was the only one still lost in a moment. Fred was gorgeous, dressed in his hockey-gear. Why couldn’t he just forgive her already?
She knew for a fact, that she could block-out most of her problems if she just began to think of a song. She couldn’t sing in public, but to herself couldn’t hurt anyone, could it? Besides, that was how she had survived most of her childhood.
She had been humming all day on a song she heard her little cousin sing on the last time she called home. She only knew the chorus, but she couldn’t stop singing it anyway.
Looking at Fred just made her think of another song. What was that song called? She wanted to know if he still cared for her, if he still was thinking of her sometimes. If he still loved her...
“Does he love me? I wanna know. How can I tell if he loves me so?” she mumbled by herself. Yes, that was the song she was thinking of. “Is it in his eyes? Is it in his face? Is it in his warm embrace? Is it the way he acts?”
Cecilia kept mumbling to herself, until Charlie had another outburst on her.
“Cee! For God’s sake, could you pay attention or what? What the hell are you whispering about?”
Cecilia looked at him. Charlie was giving her an icy stare, but she couldn’t bitch back, she was occupied with trying to remember the lyrics to her new mind-obsession. Her dad used to listen to that song on the way to work when she was little. Why couldn’t she remember how it went?
“If you wanna know, if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss. That’s were it is.” Her quiet mumbling drove Charlie crazy.
“Stop talking to yourself! Pay attention! Coach, can I throw this puck at her?”
Fred mumbled something that sounded like “Go ahead,” but Cecilia was the only one who heard him.
“Oh no, you’ll be deceived. Oh no, he’ll make believe. Oh no, it’s just his charm. Oh no, that’s just his arms. Oh no, that’s not the way.”
Cecilia got tears in her eyes. This was not her plan to get him back. Singing stupid songs about Fred, who’s going to deceive her and stuff?
Charlie walked over to her and banged his hand against her helmet. Good thing she had already put it on, otherwise Charlie would have hit her unconscious.
“And you’re not listening to all I’ve
said.”
Charlie gave her an angry stare. “Get up,
Cee. Where trying to win a game here. Wanna join us?”
Fred got up from his side of the bench, and Cecilia tried to catch his eyes when he left. Why was he behaving like this? Didn’t he want her back?
“Hug him and squeeze him tight, find out
what you wanna know. If it’s love, if it really is...”
“It’s there in his kiss,” she said a bit too loud.
Fred turned around. “You’re never satisfied, are you?”
That was all he said to her during the whole first period. And she wanted him back? Was she out of her mind?
Between the first and second period, she was singing the song quiet to herself all the way through the break. That was how she could block out any memories of Fred and his jerk-attitude.
She was in the middle of the song when it hit her. Fred was really a jerk. And she was singing about him. And she couldn’t even sing properly, so why waste any time at him? She tried to hold back the laughter that was threatening to pour out of her system. Everybody turned their heads and stared at her when she chuckled quiet to herself. No one said anything, but she guessed that they were all pretty confused.
The second period began and Adam sat down next to her in the booth, like he always did. Charlie was giving directions to Sarah, whose line was going out in the first change.
“Don’t break my heart,” Adam whispered to her.
“What?” she said. Was he going to start with her too?
“Wasn’t that the song you were singing?”
“I don’t sing.”
“Yeah, you do. Badly, but you do sing from time to time.” Cecilia laughed. Damn him, making her laugh like that.
“No, I wasn’t singing, and especially not about breaking your stupid heart.”
“What’s it called then?”
“Uhm,” Cecilia coughed a little. She felt her cheeks getting warm. “Nothing.”
“I know that song,” Adam smiled. “Hey, remember that song from that movie?”
“Yeah, Adam, I remember that song perfectly well,” she snored sarcastically.
“I love that movie,” he chuckled. He leaned back on the bench and stretched his legs out in front of him. They were back to being just friends, from their trip to ‘kiss-world’ and back. Freaking out together were their main occupation when they were hanging out now. Like it had always been.
Cecilia smiled to herself, but stopped instantly when she saw the expression on Fred’s face. Was he never going to forgive her for this?
“Especially that song, I love that song,” Adam continued. Was he still going on about that song?
“What song?” she asked him. He turned and smiled at her.
“That song, in that movie we saw.”
“What movie?”
Adam started to speak to himself, and she could almost hear what he said.
“There are still some things that makes us all the same. You, me, them, everybody.”
Cecilia laughed. Oh, that song!
“Everybody, needs somebody. Everybody, needs somebody, to love. Someone to love. Sweetheart to miss. Sugar to kiss. I need you,” Adam began to sing loudly.
Cecilia couldn’t help but laugh when he grabbed her hand and started to shake her around. “Sing, Cee.”
“Sometimes I feel, I feel a little sad inside,” she said to make him happy.
“C’mon, you know the lyrics,” Adam shouted and got to his feet. He wasn’t going to make her sing in front of the whole team, was he?
“I need you, you, you!” Adam sang, and with her hand in a firm grip, he began waving her around. Cecilia tried to stop laugh. It was pretty obvious that he was trying to cheer her up. “I need you, you, you,” she mumbled quietly.
“Louder, Cee!”
This was not Adam. It was Adam on too much sugar, too much alcohol, too much whatever it was he’d been consuming before the game. Everybody was staring at them, and not only their own teammates.
She had to admit, she felt like really letting go, but he couldn’t make her sing in front of all these people. She wasn’t that crazy.
She stood up and tried to climb over the bench to get away, but Adam was very determined when it came to being ridiculed in public.
He pulled her arm and made her twirl around. She almost lost her balance, but he caught her before she fell. Luckily enough, because she wasn’t sure she could take any more falls this week.
She smiled. “You’re nuts!” she yelled at him, to drown out his horrible singing voice.
“I know,” he cheered back and climbed onto the bench. Since he had her hand in a firm grip, she had no choice but to climb after him. Public-mockery, prepare yourself.
Adam began to hum on the melody, and Cecilia found it very captivating. Fine, if he wanted her to sing, she could sing.
“We’re so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight, and we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of Illinois law enforcements community...”
“And the Ducks, of course,” Cecilia smiled.
Portman was already about to wind up the rest of the Ducks, by jumping up from the bench. He and Jesse cheered at her comment.
“...who have chosen to join us here in the Palace Hotel ballroom...” Adam continued. How could he remember all that from only seeing the movie once? Well, he kept re-winding this part several times. Many, many times.
“Or, just as well here at the hockey-rink in Los Angeles,” Cecilia speed-talked, to match Adam’s energetic behavior. She was really having that crazy-feeling now.
“...at this time. We do sincerely hope you all enjoy this show, and please remember people, that no matter who you are and what you do to live, rive and survive, there are still some things that make us all the same,” they both shouted.
“You, me, them, everybody! Everybody!” At the last ‘everybody’ half of the team joined in. Except from Fred, who seemed to be struggling hard not to smile.
“Everybody, needs somebody. Everybody, needs somebody, to love. Someone to love. Sweetheart to miss. Sugar to kiss. I need you,” Adam and Cecilia sang loudly. No, they were more like yelling the words, instead of singing. All the players out on the ice had slowed down, and were now paying more attention to the lunatics at the bench.
Cecilia jumped sideways over the bench, forcing the people sitting on it to stand up. Adam was waving his hands hysterically, and fell down when he accidentally put his feet down on Connie’s water bottle. Cecilia tried to grab his hand, and they tumbled down on the floor.
“Sometimes I feel, I feel a little sad inside,” Adam howled and helped her up from the floor. They both jumped up on the bench again. Cecilia saw Charlie’s terrified expression. She couldn’t help but laughing. He would kill them!
She grabbed Adam’s jersey and pulled him closer, and started to talk rapidly again. Funny, homework could take hours to learn, but a song-text could be memorized just like that.
“You know people, when you do find somebody, hold that women, hold that man, love him, please him, squeeze her, please her, hold, squeeze and please that person. Give them all your love. Signify your feelings with every gentle caress,” she cheered and gave Fred a dazzling smile. Did he actually return a smile too?
“... important to have that special somebody, to hold, kiss, miss, squeeze and please!” Adam continued. Right, back to earth again, Fred’s smile wasn’t so important right now.
“Everybody, needs somebody. Everybody, needs somebody, to love. Someone to love. Sweetheart to miss. Sugar to kiss. I need you, you, you!” If she ever were offered a singing part in a play, she’d be very surprised.
The referees had started to object to them holding up the game, and were having a frantic conversation with Coach Bombay and Muck. They didn’t look too amused, but both Ms. McKay and Mike were laughing at the two crazy morons on the bench.
Charlie climbed onto the bench too, probably trying to get two of them down from there, but Cecilia just jumped into his arms and made him fall down again.
“Everybody, needs somebody. Everybody, needs somebody, to love. Someone to love. Sweetheart to miss. Sugar to kiss. I need you, you, you,” Adam laughed. They had gotten Portman, Jesse, Connie and Russ to start singing too. Guy and Scott were forced by Connie to join in, while the rest were laughing.
Both Adam and Cecilia took a deep breath and repeated the speed-talking part again. They were stumbling over each other’s words, but at least they made the rest of the team laugh.
“You know people, when you do find somebody, hold that women, hold that man, love him, please him, squeeze her, please her, hold, squeeze and please that person. Give them all your love. Signify your feelings with every gentle caress,” they both shouted to each other. Cecilia crawled up on the bench again and began to jump around, just like Adam.
Charlie was having his most pain filled look in his eyes. Cecilia reached for his hand and tumbled down from the bench again. Slippery things, those benches.
“Shut up,” Charlie begged. He was looking a bit amused, but it was hard to tell, Charlie could show ten different expressions at the same time. And he looked rather pissed too.
“I need, you, you, you,” Cecilia smiled at him and threw her arms around his neck. God, she wished he could’ve been Fred.
They were all bouncing up and down in the booth now, well, except from the pissed-looking Charlie, and Fred.
Okay, they were behaving like morons, but when was the last time they’d been having this much fun at a game? It was also along time ago she and Adam had a chance to freak out together.
“That’s enough, team,” Bombay yelled to drown the singing. “Charlie?”
“I am not part of this, coach,” Charlie said meekly. “You think they’ll listen to me, huh?”
Cecilia released him from her grip and danced over to Adam instead. Could this be the first time in quite a while that she was actually being able to laugh?
“I told you I love this movie,” Adam smiled at her. He looked like a lunatic, bouncing up and down, and she loved it.
“I heard you the first time,” she laughed. “Thank you, Banks.”
“You’re welcome, Cee. Well, you’re smiling. Charlie’s kind of smiling. Fred doesn’t look sad. My mission is accomplished. Now, do me a favor.”
“What?” she asked happily. She was tired, hoarse and smiling. This was the nicest thing Adam had ever done for her. Well, kind of, anyway.
“Talk to him,” Adam nodded at Fred’s direction.
Cecilia sighed. Fine. “Sometimes I feel,
I feel a little sad inside, but I need you, you, you.”
She was actually still smiling, when she went over to talk to Fred.
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Music:
Lyrics was borrowed from A*teens’ ‘Heartbreak Lullaby’ (anachronism, I know),
Cher’s ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ and most important from the movie Blues Brothers
‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’.
Author’s Note: Okay, I was having a freak-out moment on my way from school, and I just had to express it somewhere. Hope you don’t think I’m too crazy. I was tired of this whole angst story, so I thought I better cheer it up a little.
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