Mean Bands (Bandom version of Mean Girls)

Battle Of The Bands

Just kidding! But he did fracture his spine, and he was out of school for a while. Some people say they saw his head go all the way around. Those rumors were bad. Some people thought I pushed him, and that was even worse.

I knew what I had to do, though. If I wanted to make amends for what I'd done, I'd have to take the fall for the Burn Book.

"I wrote it," I tell Mr. Armstrong. "I'm really sorry, and you can punish me however you like."

"I'll tell it to you later," Mr. Armstrong says coldly. "Thank you for telling te truth, Patrick."

Brendon and Gerard just stare at me during English, and they don't sit with me at lunch. Nobody wants to be around me, not even Pete. It's like my first day of school all over again.

At home, it's even worse. Mom and Dad have grounded me for throwing the party, but I don't care. My social life is dead, anyways. I'm just a boy who had too many chances.

Finally, Mr. Armstrong tells me my punishment for writing the Burn Book. "Just go to this address. I already told him you'd come," says Mr. Armstrong.

I put on shorts and socks and a hat, and go to the address. Joe Trohman opens the door. "Patrick, bro!" he exclaims. "Mr. Armstrong called. You finally joined the band, man!"

Pete, who was here for some reason, reapplied his eyeliner in the corner. "Pete, I thought you hated being in bands," I tell him.

"I do," Pete replies. "I'm only plugged in to save rock and roll. Also, Joe said there would be free pizza."

"We don't have a drummer," Joe says. "I brought in some guys to try out and drum for us, but none of them can go to the Battle of The Bands tonight." Josh Freeze, Neil Peart, the dude from Toto, and the guy from Papa Roach wave at me.

"I can't go," I say. "I'm grounded, so I can't go out."

"Well, you're already out, you rebellious punk," laughs Pete. "Let's go!"

We all pile into Joe's van and head to the Battle of The Bands. Backstage, Joe gives me a guitar, and Pete a bass. "Just rock out, have fun, and use that soul voice of yours, Trick," Joe says. "Break a leg!"

The band we're competing against steps forward. One of them, a whiny punk with bad hair, smirks at us. "We're Five Seconds Of Summer," he says. "And you are?"

"We're Fall Out Boy!" Joe screams, raising his guitar. "Bring it, posers! We may not look like much, and we don't have a drummer yet, but we have a fedora nerd, a lame emo, and my GLORIOUS afro! Hit it, Patrick!"

I start singing the song Pete wrote for us to sing.

Am I more than you bargained for yet?
I've been dying to tell you anything you wanna hear,
Cuz' that's just who I am this week.
Lie in the grass, next to the mausoleum,
I'm just a notch in your bedpost, but you're just a line in a song!

5SOS joins in with their song, "She Looks So Perfect." When they finish, the judges applaud. "Congratulations," they say. "The winner of the Battle of the Bands is... those Fall Out Boys!"

"It's Fall Out Boy, actually," Pete says. We're awarded our prizes - matching leather motorcycle jackets - and we all high-five.

"Awesome, guys!" Joe exclaims. "Let's head to the Spring Fling dance tonight to celebrate. C'mon, we'll be late!"

"I don't know," I say nervously. "People sort of hate me right now." "Then you can make everyone not hate you at the dance," replies Pete.

"Yeah," agrees Joe. "Every wound can be forgotten in the right light. Let's go!"

We drive off to Spring Fling. Spring Fling, wait... Andy's going to be there! What will I say to him?

I don't know, but I really owe him an apology.