FicWad

After the night of the party Molly proceeded to cut herself off from just about everyone except for Matt. Since he had left the party early he had missed her whole hysterical breakdown. Although, he did eventually hear about what had happened both at the party and the summer prior. Elyse started mothering Molly to the point of being incredibly intrusive. Patrick had taken to avoiding her at all costs, which did nothing to improve her disposition. Joe and Andy weren't around as much being that Joe didn't attend their high school and Andy was older anyway. Pete and Matt seemed to become the constants in her life for the following weeks. One day after school as Matt was driving Molly home turned to him and said, "Matthew, I believe I would like to do something, shocking."
"Okkk...haven't you done enough of that to last the rest of your life."
"Very funny. I mean, something that no one would expect from me without Elyse's influence."
"Ok...what do you want to do?"
"Pierce my lip."
"Oh good. I thought you were gonna say tattoo something in which case I would have to say no, 'cause that shit is permanant."
"So, you'll take me?"
"Yup. I know just the place too." Matt threw a u-turn around the meridian and headed towards the city.
On the way back home a few hours later he asked her, "So do you like it?"
Molly turned to look at her friend from where she had been examining her lip in the passenger side window and responded, "Its fabulous."

Piercing her lip seemed almost cathartic to Molly, and she began to socialize with her friends again. Her friendship with Patrick appeared to still be on the rocks and the fact that he didn't seem surprised by this worried Molly significantly. She couldn't understand why he didn't seem to find anything weird about her being distant to him. And she didn't understand why he wasn't pushing to get back into her life. Normally she would think it was the fact that he had a girlfriend, but he had been dating Allison before the party and prior to that he had pushed and shoved and forced his way into Molly's little world. Now it was as though he knew the truth, and as far as Molly knew herself he was the only one who didn't. One Saturday a week before the big winter formal Molly decided to throw it on the line and ask what the hell was up with him. Walking into his bedroom after chatting with his mother for a few minutes Molly started the conversation as though nothing were wrong,
"Yo Hatrack!"
"Yo." He mumbled looking up from his bed where he had sheets of music spread out around him.
"You busy?"
"Little bit." he mumbled again and Molly realized it was because he had a pencil in his mouth.
"You going to answer me in full and complete sentences?" she asked as she reached over and grabbed the pencil from between his teeth which finally caused him to look up.
"Oh hey Molly." He said as though he had just noticed her, Molly only rolled her eyes at his little twilight zone music creator world he had obviously been living in, "when did you get here?"
"Nevermind." She responded flopping down into his beanbag chair, "Whatcha working on?"
"Ohh..umm..nothing much." He said shuffling the papers together and putting them face down under his pillow. 'ok...so nothing much but you hide them. Probably some sappy love song for the bitchface.'
"So the reason I'm here. Why have you been ignoring me?"
"I have?"
"Yup. AND you've been acting like I've got the plague when you aren't totally ignoring me."
"I'm sorry. I've been busy and spending a lot of time with Alli."
"No you haven't. Been spending time with Alli I mean. I know you've been busy, we all have. Midterms remember?"
"I have so been spending time with Alli." Patrick whined not meeting Molly's eyes. 'okkkk....way to be a four year old Patrick.'
"Fine. I'm gonna bounce then. I'll see you on Monday." Molly said as she finally gave up. She gave him a chance to come clean, and let herself do the same and he just headed her off at the pass and pushed it off with a lie.
"Yea bye." He said pulling out his sheet music again and zoning back out.

It was on Wednesday of that week that Patrick showed the first real emotion in a good long while to any of them. The short boy litterally ran into the radio station lounge in the middle of the lunch period and just stood there staring at his three friends.
"Yes Patrick?" Elyse prodded.
"We're playing the dance."
"Huh?" All three responded.
"Fall Out Boy is playing the Winter Formal!"
"Holy shit." Matt said in shock.
"Uhh...guys? Not that I'm not excited by this, but a high school band is playing a high school dance. What's the big deal?" All three of the others turned to look at Molly and understanding dawned on their faces, this was her first GBS Winter Formal.
"Molly, the Winter Formal is the biggest dance of the year. Its bigger then prom." Elyse started, "Last year, we had Save Ferris play the dance." At Elyse's statement Molly eyes widened in understanding.
"And they're letting YOU play?" She finally asked in shock.
"Gee thanks for the vote of confidance." Patrick responded sarcastically.
"No its not that you guys aren't good. It's just that...well, you aren't exactly, Save Ferris." She replied lamely shrugging at Matt and Elyse who were trying to hold in their laughter. Patrick just glared and walked into the radio booth to change cds.
"Budget. Don't tell Patrick." Matt leaned over and whispered to the girls. As Vice President of the senior class he knew what he was talking about.
"oooooh." Molly and Elyse replied.

Finally the night of the dance arrived. Molly was sitting in her room staring at her dress, her hair and nails were done and ready she just had to get dressed. The dress Elyse had forced her to buy last month when as far as Molly knew she would be attending with Danny. It was gorgeous, Molly couldn't deny that, she just didn't want to show up by herself. She had two tickets and everything, just no date. Molly walked across the room and picked up the hanger, holding it up to her body she smiled. The dress was apple colored and hit her mid calf with a sweetheart and halter mixed neckline. The dress screamed "Hollywood Circa 1940's". Her mom had even given Molly her pearls to wear with it.
"Well I guess I just go with Elyse and Matt and the three of us live it up like crazy swingers or something."
"Or you could go with me?" Molly jumped and turned around only to crack up at the sight of Pete standing at the top of her stairs in a 1940's style zoot suit holding out a red rose corsage.
"What are you doing here?"
"A little birdie mentioned that you might need a date to the dance."
"Yea, and you're playing tonight remember?"
"Exactly. This way I don't cramp your style and you can maybe meet someone. And if any creeps approach you then you point at me and say 'I'm with the hottie bassist.' Simple as that." Molly shook her head at him.
"Alright. Then go downstairs so I can get dressed."
"I can't watch?"
"GO!"
"Alright alright." He said holding his hands up in surrender as he walked out.
Molly quickly got dressed and double checked her make-up before grabbing her heels and going downstairs.
"That was fast." Pete said from the hallway where he was waiting.
"I only had to put on the dress. Everything else was ready. I wasn't not going to see you guys play."
"Oh. I thought I was being all cool and convincing you to come out."
"Yea sorry."
"Oh well. Lets go." With that he snapped the corsage on her and started down the stairs.
"How charming."
"I already said this wasn't a real date. That'd be icky." Molly laughed at followed him downstairs.
"How quickly you change your tune. Do you remember what you said when you met me?"
"Yes. Please don't remind me. I still feel like I was hitting on my sister." Molly rolled her eyes as they walked out the door of the house.
"Where are we going first?"
"Elyse's for pictures. Everyone is meeting there."
"Everyone?"
"Yes everyone unfortunatly."
"Wonderful." Molly rolled her eyes again and slumped back into the passenger seat of Pete's car as he pulled off in the direction of Elyse's.

Thankfully the picture taking wasn't all that painful for the Molly. Andy and Joe had even come for pictures even though they technically weren't attending the dance. Molly almost busted a gut trying not to laugh when Elyse's mother insisted on a group picture and then told Allison to please get out of it, only to make the blow even harder by asking where in the hell Max was. Elyse had to step on Molly's foot after that final comment to keep her from busting out.
Once they had all arrived at the dance they walked in together and the boys headed off to go double check on the equipment they had dropped off a few hours earlier. Allison then proceeded to stand there bitching about how Patrick was abandoning her at their Winter Formal. The other three just looked at each other before walking off towards the dance floor leaving the blonde standing there sputtering in shock. Molly spotted Danny dancing to the DJ spun music with a little blonde who she knew he was friends with, and had suspected had a crush on him. She pointed it out to Elyse and Matt who nodded in sympathy.
"Do you want us to hate him?" They asked.
"Nah. But if you want to say a few nasty things about her to make me feel better it'd be appreciated." All three friends laughed as they began another dance by dancing entirely inappropriately to what they thought of as crappy music.
"Pissing off these posers is always so much fun." Elyse yelled in Molly and Matt's direction. They both nodded as Matt spun Molly around in a west coast swing turn to the beat of Jay-Z. About ten minutes later the DJ's music cut off and they heard Pete say into the microphone.
"HELLO UNDERAGE PEOPLE!" The three friends laughed as they moved closer to the stage to get a good look at their friends. Seeing the four boys strapped to their instruments tonight was to put it bluntly, fucking hysterical. Pete was wearing his zoot suit and Patrick had on a nice black suit; however, Andy and Joe were both wearing their usual gig attire. Jeans and t-shirts, and it probably wouldn't be long before Andy was shirtless.
"At least they took off their jackets." Matt pointed out about Pete and Patrick.
"Yea but they still look silly." Elyse said.
"I think they look very handsome." Molly said diplomatically to her friends. "But your right, it still looks ridiculous when they're up there ready to rock out in suits."
"ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?" Pete screamed into the mic a few seconds later, and no one made a noise. The three friends on the floor looked at each other worriedly as Pete repeated his sentence, this time to scattered half hearted cheers.
"Oh boy." Molly said out loud as she watched the four boys on stage send each other nervous glances before launching into a cover of Operation Ivy's "Here We Go Again".
Two songs later and the group of friends realized they had nothing to be worried about. The band had specifically stuck to their more danceable covers and originals as they doubted too many kids were going to want to start thrashing and moshing around at the formal. After they had played for the hour they had been booked for Patrick stepped up to the mic. This surprised everyone as it was usually Pete who did the whole talking spiel before songs.
"This is a new one that we just finished. It's called Pretty in Punk." Patrick stepped back and talked to Pete for a few seconds before nodding at Andy who counted off a quick four count and all four boys launched into the new song. It began with Joe's guitar, Pete's bass and Andy's drums before Pete screamed into the mic and Patrick's guitar joined the other three. A few seconds later and Patrick's voice flowed through the speakers mingling with the instruments, and once again Molly's heart wasn't her own. 'Damn him' she thought to herself.
However, it wasn't until Patrick hit the bridge leading into the chorus and Elyse nudged Molly hard did she really consider the lyrics she was hearing over just the tone of his voice,
"I was terrified, and would you mind if I sat next to you and watched you smile? So many kids but I only see you, and I don't think you notice me, well...."
"Elyse."
"Yea?"
"Umm...I could be wrong, but that doesn't sound like a song one would direct at their girlfriend."
"Nope. Definitly doesn't." Molly's best girlfriend replied with a smirk before adding, "Maybe our favorite human jukebox finally grew a brain."
"Yea, like my life works out that well. Besides, Pete writes their lyrics."
"...oh yea. Hm..."


----------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: if you're reading this you should probably know what the title is from but just in case: "Pretty in Punk" Fall Out Boy.

ok and this is definitly the last update for this one until Wednesday 'cause its 11:30p.m. and I have a long 2 days ahead of me. Hopefully everyone loves this chapter so no one is mad at me for leaving them hanging.
love all my readers. I get to go giggle at the hatrack and the wentz for two days.