FicWad

So, I forgot to mention, in case you don't know or haven't already Googled it, Lloyd Dobler is the main character in Say Anything that John Cusack plays. The guy in all the pictures with the boom box over his head. Just FYI. And there's flashbacks to the good old days in between the ** Enjoy.


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“You someone’s girlfriend or something?” some guy shouted across the merch table to Izzie as she tried her hardest to nod along to Arma Angelus.
“Why would you think that?” she cocked an eyebrow.
“You just don’t look like you belong here.” he grinned smugly at her.
“Why? Because I’m a girl?”
“No. You just…”
“I’m the manager. And merch girl, roadie, guitar tech and friend. Do you want to buy a shirt?” she held a tee shirt up, smiling sarcastically.
“No thanks, just admiring the view.” He said, his eyes not leaving her boobs. Izzie stood up, threateningly.
“Well, I’d suggest you buy something or leave.” She growled as the band filed off stage when the song was over.
“Or what?” the guy laughed, causing Izzie to wind up and punch him straight in the face.
“Hey. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.” Chris ran over, grabbing Izzie as she launched herself over the table.
“Hey, Chris. Good show.” She grinned.
“Everything ok over here?” Pete asked, coming over as he saw Chris put Izzie into a headlock while some dude ran away in terror.
“Everything’s super. It’s all under control.” Izzie mumbled from where her face was smashed into Chris’s stomach.
“Can I let you go now?” Chris asked, releasing her when she calmly nodded.
“That guy got in my face.” She shrugged at Pete’s confused look.
*********

“WE’RE WHAT?!” Izzie shrieked across the apartment. The members of Lloyd Dobler had lived together since they moved to New York. Originally because they were all broke, but they had moved out and all moved back in. It was weird to live apart, and they spent so much time with each other, what was the point? It was the top floor of an old warehouse or factory or something. It was all one big, open room, except for the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The kitchen was separated by a counter, and the walls to the bedrooms slid open like garage doors and tucked into the wall so when they had parties they could open it all up. The guys all shared one room and Izzie got her own, because she was a girl and it was weird when she brought guys home. And no one wanted to be in the same room with her during ‘that time of the month’.
“You’re going on tour with Fall Out Boy.” Mike, their manager said carefully.
“With WHO?!”
“Fall Out Boy.” He nodded.
“Are you serious?!” she slammed the kitchen cabinet closed. “I TOLD you…”
“Don’t start. Do you know how hard this was for me to book? You blew off your last five TV appearances and postponed your last tour because you felt like going to Cancun. No one wanted you! I tried begging, pleading, PAYING. These guys finally agreed to let you co-headline. So I don’t want to hear any of your shit! If you hadn’t toured for this new album, you would have disappeared off the radar.” Mike snapped
“It’s not that bad. The album rocks, as soon as people hear it they’ll forget about all that.” Kyle, the bass player said from the couch.
“Maybe so, but for right now, you have to try to get along with these guys. They’ll be here in a few minutes to discuss details of the tour.”
“They’re coming HERE?” Izzie yelled.
“We have no problem with them. It’s only her. I was friends with them in high school.” Kyle shrugged. Izzie huffed into her room and pushed against the door with all her strength until it slowly slid closed.
“I expect you to come out when they get here.” Mike called through the door.
“I WILL.” She snapped.

Izzie stormed into the bathroom where Steve, the drummer, was peeing. “Whoa!” he tried turning his back to her.
“It’s not like I’ve never seen it.” She went over to the window and stepped out onto the fire escape.
“Where are you going?” Taylor, the guitarist asked from the doorway to their room. In recent years he had become her new best friend, Pete’s replacement. He was also the only one who knew what had actually happened between her and Pete.
“Dudes, privacy!” Steve cried.
“I need cigarettes. I’ll be back.” She headed down the narrow stairs.
“But you don’t smoke.”
“I do now!”

“Wait, so WHERE are we going?” Joe asked, scratching his head as Fall Out Boy’s limo inched down the street through traffic.
“To their apartment, to finalize details for the tour.” Bob, their manager said.
“Oh, cool.” Joe nodded as Pete sighed.
“Are you sure you’re cool with this?” Patrick looked over at him.
“Yeah, we can still pull out if you want.” Bob shook his head.
“No. I want to do this.” He pulled his hood up.
“It’s just down the block. We should be there any second, as soon as this truck moves.” Bob said, looking down at the address written on the front of the folder he was holding. Just then a petite girl with long, raven hair flowing down to the middle of her back stepped out in front of the car. She was wearing a bright blue tunic dress with black and white striped leggings and hot pink converse. Pete’s breath caught in his throat and all conversation in the car stopped as they all watched her cross the street.
“Hey, isn’t that Izzie?” Andy pointed as she entered a deli across the street.
“Yeah…” Pete said under his breath.
“She got hot. Well, hotter. This tour’s going to rock!” Joe held his had up for a high five, but put it down when Patrick glared at him and nodded towards Pete, who practically had his face pressed to the window staring at the building she disappeared into. “Sorry.” Patrick was the only person Pete had told about what happened between him and Izzie. He was the only one who knew how torn up he was inside.
“Ok, let’s go.” Bob opened the door and got out.

Patrick pressed the button labeled DOBLER, L. and they were buzzed into the building. They rode the elevator up and were greeted by Mike and 3/4 of the band at the top. The apartment was the entire top floor, so the elevator opened directly into it. After they were done their greetings and reminiscing they all sat down in the living room. The guys and Izzie were friends with Joe in high school. The bands had hung out a lot at home, and on the road, before Izzie made them pick FOB or her. Pete looked around the apartment. It looked like someone had given a bunch of teenagers an unlimited decorating budget. (Which the label basically had.) It was a really nice space, airy and open, but there was a giant mural of the Death Star on one wall and a black silhouette of a fireplace on the other, with a glass shelf acting as a mantle that held their Best New Artist Grammy, both VMAs, their Kid’s Choice Award and a couple others he didn’t recognize. Other than the murals, the entire apartment was pure white, the walls, floor, ceiling, giant chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. The furniture was a fluorescent combination of orange, lime green, yellow, purple and blue that looked like it belonged on the set of Austin Powers. “Does someone want to get Izzie so we can get to business?” Mike looked at the Lloyd Dobler guys, before gesturing at the closed door.
“She’s not in there. She went down the fire escape.” Steve shook his head.
“She WHAT?” Mike narrowed his eyes as the elevator doors opened. Pete’s head snapped around as Izzie stepped off. This was the first time they had been in the same room in nine months. She had come by his house last summer when someone tried to sue her and she needed legal advice from his dad. They had both been in his kitchen for about 30 seconds before she suddenly remembered an important appointment and fled.
“Sorry I’m late. Hey guys.” Izzie grinned as she approached the group. The FOB guys all stood up politely when she came over. “Joe…Andy…Patrick…” she gave them each a quick hug.
“I love you, you’re the only person I know who’s shorter than me.” Patrick joked. “How tall are you now?”
“5 foot 2. I grew half an inch.” She laughed and brushed past Pete, taking a seat between Taylor and Kyle.
“Where are your cigarettes?” Taylor said sarcastically.
“I don’t smoke.” She smirked, giving Pete an icy stare. Her naturally dark hair was dyed a black so dark it had a blue tint, and combined with her pale skin, people had been calling her Snow White since she was a kid. It just made her emerald green eyes sparkle even brighter as she glared at him. He gave her a mean look and turned his attention back to the tour.

“So, rehearsals this week and next week, then we hit the road.” Mike shook Bob’s hand as they got back into the elevator a couple hours later.
“Yeah. It should be great.” Mike stared at the door for a moment after the elevator was gone before turning to Izzie, sulking in the corner.
“If you don’t start acting like a professional, I swear I will quit. You’ll have to find someone else to deal with your attitude. That goes for you too!” he pointed at the guys playing video games. He sighed as the elevator returned. “Just try to be civil to them, I don’t know what happened between you and Pete, and it’s none of my business, but don’t let it get in the way of you having fun on tour.” He stepped in to head home, or wherever he went when he left.

***"You sure you’re ok?” Pete asked, as Izzie tried again to fit all the equipment into the back of the van.
“Yeah, he just pissed me off. That’s all.”
“Ok, because I promised my mom I’d take care of you.” He closed one of the back doors.
“Pete, I’m the last person you need to worry about.” She laughed, holding the pile of stuff in place as she quickly pulled her hand out of the way and slammed the door shut.
“Nice job.” He said, sarcastically.
“Shut up. When I’M a rock star I’ll make someone else load the van.”
“But you’re NOT a rock star.”
******


Please review! And if anyone knows how to post in italics, I can't figure it out.