Rock On!: A Parb Story

Chapter 16: The Comeback

Barb's POV

Creek was about to hurt Poppy, I couldn't let that happen! I ran forward, grabbing my guitar and blocking the blade inches away from Poppy's face.

She looked at me, relieved. I smirked a little. I turned to face Creek, his face full of shock.

"Hands. Off. My. Girlfriend," I told him, pushing him back.

"Ooh," the crowd said, intrigued.

I helped Poppy get up, who had a big smile on her face when I saw her.

"You said it," she said, gleeful.

"Yeah," I said looking back at the others, "I guess I did."

"That won't change anything!" Creek yelled, getting back up, "if you wanna win, you'll have to take me out."

"We figured you'd say that," Poppy said, pulling out a cassette, "which is why I made a little something for just this occasion."

She handed it to me, it was labeled Poprock remix. Perfect.

"Oh, and what's that?" he asked sarcastically.

"Your downfall," I said, putting it into the beatbox and plugging in our guitars. Once Branch plugged it into the speakers, we unleashed our remix.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh."

It was the perfect mix of Pop and Rock, just like me and Poppy now.

"Make it count, play it straight, don't look back, don't hesitate when you go Big Time!"

"What you want, what you feel, never quit and make it real when you roll Big Time! Oh, woah!"

As we jammed, our friends joined in, amplifying it tenfold.

"Hey! Hey! Listen to your heart now! Hey! Hey! Don't you feel the rush? Hey! Hey! Better take your shot now! Oh, oh! Oh, oh!"

As me, Poppy and the others played on, it sent blasts of both Rock and Pop around the stadium, hitting Creek hard.

"Go and shake it up! What you gotta lose? Go and make your luck with the life you choose! If you want it all, lay it on the line! It's the only life you got so you gotta live it Big Time!"

The ground shook with the music, and Creek tried to attack us, but we just moved too fast for him. He was on our turf now.

"Step it up, get in gear, go for broke, make it clear! Gotta go Big Time!"

"Make it work, get it right, change the world overnight! Gotta dream Big Time! Oh, woah!"

The crowd was on its feet now, once against us, but now all for us, against Creek.

"Hey! Hey! Give it all you got now! Hey! Hey! Isn't it a rush? Hey! Hey! Finish what you start now! Oh, oh! Oh, oh!"

Just as we hit the reprise, Poppy and I grabbed a couple of small flyer bugs with our hair, and we circled Creek in a tornado of Poprock.

"Go and shake it up! What you gotta lose? Go and make your luck with the life you choose! If you want it all, lay it in the line! It's the only life you got so you gotta live it Big Time!"

The vibrations sent quakes all over the stadium, sending Creek bouncing around wildly in midair to the beat of the rhythm.

"Look around, every life is shining now, it's brighter somehow!"

"Look around, nothing's really as it seems, nothing but dreams!"

"You and I, we gonna make a brand new sound like we own this town!"

"We can fly, now our feet are off the ground and never look down!"

"Welcome to the Big Time! All the pretty people seen walking in the sunshine!"

"Welcome to the good times! Life will never be the same!"

As we looked on with the crowd, they all were united with us. All old thoughts of Poppy were gone, they were with her now. No, with all us.

"Go and shake it up! What you gotta lose? Go and make your luck with the life you choose! If you want it all, lay it on the line! It's the only life you got so you gotta live it Big Time!"

The last blast sent Creek sky high, and Poppy slingshot herself up even higher, ready to end it

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

"If you want it all, lay it on the line! It's the only life you got so you gotta live it Big Time!"

With that last verse, Poppy hit Creek with a Rock blast so hard that sent him straight back to the ground, leaving a crater in us wake. I landed nearby and looked on. Creek just laid there in the rubble, alive, but defeated.