ROCK N ROLL: LIFE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

CHAPTER 7:

CHARLOTTE'S P.O.V. IN PART I

MARY ANNE'S P.O.V. IN PART II

MARGO'S P.O.V. IN PART III

Disclaimer: I don't own the BSC -that would be Ann M. Martin.

--

Part I: Charlotte's P.O.V.

Monday, July 14: about 7:00 P.M.

Pennsylvania

"So, what do you want for supper, Charlotte? Mexican? Italian? French?" Stacey asked as she drove us down the street in her baby blue Mustang (a gift from her father). It was a little over a month later, and Stacey had just picked me up from the airport.

"Italain sounds good." I replied, looking down at a picture of a guy who looked around twenty with dirty blond hair and brown eyes that was lying on the floor of Stacey's car. "Who's that?"

"Oh, just some guy I met about a week ago. He was here to visit some relatives, but is a junior at Harvard. We talked, and had dinner together. I was really beginning to think he might be the guy for me, then he told me that he's engaged. What a jerk!" Stacey replied venomously, angrily hitting the steering wheel with her left hand.

"What's his name?" I asked curiously, wondering how someone could be so cruel.

"Clay Addington." Stacey answered. "Why didn't he just tell me he was engaged to begin with? Why lead me on like that? I know I wasn't around him that much, but I really thought I loved him."

"Um...so where are we going to eat?" I asked Stacey, trying to change the conversation.

Stacey opened her mouth to reply as her cell phone started to ring, "Just a sec, Char." she replied, digging her Blackberry out of her Prada purse. "Hello?"

"--"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Stacey squealed.

"--"

"That's great! Congratulations!"

"--"

"Of course I'll help you with your wedding!"

"--"

"Okay. Bye."

Stacey turned to me with a smile on her face. "Olive Garden sounds good." she replied, turning into the Olive Garden parking lot that was on our left. "Anyway, that was Dawn. She's actually getting married! Out of everyone, I thought her and Kristy would be last, but she's the first! She's coming here next week to stay awhile so I can help her with her wedding. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not! Dawn's fun. Is she going to be staying at your house too?"

"Yes. But she already said she doesn't mind sleeping on the couch -it has a fold-out bed. Also, you can invite a friend over for a week or so anytime you want, if their parents will let them come, that is."

"Maybe Vanessa can come. She doesn't get any peace with Adam watching over her twenty-four-seven. She's never gotten to go on a date without Adam finding out about it." I replied hopefully.

"Oh, I love the Pikes! I miss going to Sea City with them. Do they still go every year?"

"Yeah, they go the last two weeks of August. Maybe you and I could both go! My mom said I needed to get out of Stoneybrook for a while, but she didn't say anything about Sea City."

"Sure!" Stacey replied eagerly as a waitress lead us to our table. "As long as the Pikes don't mind and I can get off of work. Oh! Before I forget, my next-door neighbor has a fifteen-year old son named Brandon. Maybe we can play matchmaker and introduce him to Vanessa..."

--

Part II: Mary Anne's P.O.V.

Wednesday, July 23: about 2:00 P.M.

Spiers' House

"I'm so glad it's summer." I told my boyfriend of five years, Logan Bruno.

"Me too," he replied, sitting down on the coach in my dad's house beside me. "No more tutoring hyper superstars until September."

I laughed. Logan had been working as a tutor for Flash City since last September. "Are they really that bad?"

"Well, it can be pretty difficult to get them to calm down and pay attention, but I can't really blame them. Most of the time, I don't want to do lessons either -we're usually in pretty awesome places."

"How many kids are there in the band that are still in school?" I asked curiously.

"Eight. Six of them are dancers." Logan replied, scooting closer to me. "But I don't really want to talk about my work right now, do you?"

"Not really." I replied, staring into Logan's sparkling eyes.

"How about we go over to my house, and I can show you some souveneirs I bought?"

"Sure." I stood up and grabbed my purse off of the table.

--

Ten minutes later

Logan's House

Logan opened the front door to his apartment, and I gasped when I saw the inside. A large bouquet of red roses were arranged in the middle of the enetertainment center below a huge banner that spelled out the words, "Marry Me." Okay, so Logan's set up was nowhere near as fancy as the proposals you read about in novels or see in movies, but I couldn't ask for anything more.

"Of course I'll marry you." I breathed, standing on my tip-toes to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world." Logan slid a small, yet elegant diamond ring on my finger as I began to wonder if I was trapped inside a Danielle Steel novel.

--

Part III: Margo's P.O.V.

Friday, July 25: about 12:00 P.M.

Brewer Mansion

"So you'll tell Jordan I'm sorry?" Karen asked me, "I already told Charlotte when she was in the hospital. I never would've told the tabloids who Charlotte is if I knew that it was going to turn out so badly. I guess I just thought someone in Stoneybrook would tell, so I didn't see the point in keeping it a secret. But I'm so sorry. I would tell Jordan myself, but he's pretty hard to get in contact with. I've already sent him three letters. I tried calling once, too, but Claire told me had already left to go to the two-week music festival in Los Angeles."

"Sure." I replied. "He'll probably be pretty busy in L.A., but he calls home at least once every day -otherwise Mom would kill him. He'll be back in town on August fourteenth, but we're leaving for Sea City the next day. I hope I don't get carsick."

"Hey!" I exclaimed suddenly, getting an idea, "how about you come to Sea City with us? I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind an extra person. Besides, I think Jessi is coming with Mallory."

"Yeah! Sea City sounds like fun -as long as Jordan doesn't hate me, that is."

"I really doubt he hates you." I assured her, "besides, even if he does, it'll be easy to avoid him with so many people around."

"Well, okay. I'll ask my dad when he gets home." Karen told me as I began to walk towards my mom's car -she had come to pick me up.

"Alright. Bye, Karen!"

"Bye!"

"What time do you have to be at the Newton's?" Mom asked as I got into the passenger seat of the Station Wagon (why won't my parents get a new car?!).

"In about three hours. Mrs. Newton has a dentist appointment, and Mr. Newton will be at work." Every now and then I babysit the Newton kids (as well as a few other kids from different families) for some extra cash. Jamie is ten-years-old and his little sister Lucy is four. All of us Pikes try to do whatever we can for a little extra cash because we don't get very large allowances. Whatever money we earn, we can keep and spend however we want. I usually spend all of my babysitting money (which isn't really too much) at Hollister, American Eagle, or Abercrombie.

"How are Jamie and Lucy?" Mom asked as she stopped at a red light.

"Well, Lucy's still the same. Small, cute, sweet, and -well, four. But I'm worried about Jamie. He's been acting strange here lately." I explained as the light turned green and Mom drove off.

"How so?" I noticed a boy my age from S.M.S. and ducked so he wouldn't see me in such an ugly car. "Well, he seems quieter than normal. Also, sometimes he looks like he wants to ask me something, but he never does. He seems to constantly be thinking about something, but gets really defensive if I ask him what he's thinking about."

"Hm. I don't know. I'd probably have to be around him to get an idea of what's going on." Mom replied as we pulled into our driveway.

"Maybe I can get some information out of him today." I said hopefully as I noticed Mal, Vanessa, and Claire sitting on the front porch, talking excitedly.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked curiously.

"We're going to Hollywood!" Claire squealed.

"Girls, we're not going leaving until tomorrow." Mom informed everyone, making her way to the front door.

"But we want to go today!"Claire whined, really playing up the "baby of the family" role.

"Wait!" I interrupted, "What do you mean we're going to Hollywood? How come nobody told me?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Mom explained. "Your father and I were going to wake all of you up tomorrow morning and tell you to pack. None of you are supposed to know about it." Mom looked at Mallory, Vanessa, and Claire. "How did you three find out about it anyway?"

"Claire heard Dad talking to one of his friends on the phone when he thought no one was around. Naturally, she told everyone she could find." Mallory informed all of us.

Mom sighed. "So everyone knows then. You three might as well take your suitcases to your rooms, though. Like I said, we're going tomorrow."

Wow. Life's never dull when you're a Pike.

A/N: This chapter was supposed to be way longer, but I'm getting tired so I figured I'd go ahead and post it. Jamie Newton will be in the next chapter, along with Stacey, Dawn, and Charlotte. First person to review this chapter can chooses someone they want in the next chapter! :)