Punk Princess (completed) (being edited)

Chapter 4

"Alec!"

"What, Lacey?"

"You're playing that wrong!"

"No, I'm not! That's what the freaking music says!"

"Well, you're reading it wrong then, because--"

"Shut up, Lacey! Gah, you're being so obnoxious lately!" Alec throws his drumstick across the room, breaking it into two pieces. He and Lacey continue their latest screaming match while West and I get out of the way.

"This is their third fight this week, and it's only Tuesday," West says, closing his eyes and groaning. "I can't get them to stop fighting long enough so we can even have a band name conversation."

"I'd rather she be fighting with me," I say. "I hate that, too, but at least that's just her glaring at me and telling me how preppy I am."

"Yeah, I guess," he says. I put my arm on his back. West is stressed. Really stressed. His little brother has been bothering us all afternoon, and when he finally got that to quit, Lacey started yelling at Alec. "You wanna go upstairs and let them duke this out? We can always come seperate them if they start getting physical with it."

"I honestly don't care right now," I say, quickly getting up and following him up the stairs.

"Are you kids alright down there?" West's mother, Ms. Newman, asks us. "Are Alec and Lacey fighting again?"

"Yeah," West replies. "I... I think they have problems outside of the band right now, but it needs to stay that way before it all falls apart without really starting."

"They'll be fine, West. I'm sure. Don't worry about it too much. Do you two want anything to eat?"

"No, Mom, but thanks. We got food after school."

West and his mother continue talking, but I run through the last three days in my head. Sunday, we practiced for three hours, and afterwards, decided that we should enter a local Battle of the Bands. Lacey glared at me (I came up with the idea, and the boys agreed), but I've decided to just ignore her for now. I don't want to start a fight or permanently damage any chance of at least having a tolerance of each other between us. Monday, we had school, and then practiced from three-thirty to almost eight. Lacey and Alec got in a fight at quarter to eight, and I left before it got too bad.

Then today happened. Lacey and Alec got in a nasty arguement at school over pretty much everything -- the band, school work, not being able to see each other as much, me, West... the list goes on and on. West got Lacey to cool down, and I talked to Alec before he could punch a locker or wall or something and break his hand. I've decided that I like Alec a lot more than I like Lacey, and that I really don't understand their relationship. They're so different. It's not even just the opposites attract thing -- they're just so different from each other that it's insane.

And now they're fighting again. Actually, from what I can hear, they're fighting about me being in the band. Again. Alec defends me while Lacey screams at him and gives him multiple reasons, with many of her favorite four-letter words heavily laced around the reasons. Alec screams back at her, cussing her out, but she just screams louder, swearing even more. That's the one thing they both have in common -- they're resistant to each other, and fighting with them just makes them want to fight back even more. And they swear a lot when they're pissed. They have that, too.

"I'm really sorry about her," West says, "She's... I don't know what's up with her. I mean, I knew she would probably hate your guts, because she has this terrible stigma against preps, and--"

"I'm punk rock, West. I'm not just a prep. I'm not what I look like. Do you think that I'm just an air-headed, blonde, preppy chick?"

"No, Cait. I know you're not just a stupid prep. I could tell."