So, hello people! I had just watched School of Rock and I think it totally did rock!!! I wanted to write a fanfic or something, and since I discovered a School of Rock section, I decided to do so... Hey, I don't know how many years there are in that school of theirs, so just bear with me as I make it up, it goes with the story anyway; let's make Horace Green a more public school. So the story synopsis is that basically, the kids are all in different cliques. Although they are in the same class, they barely associate with each other and there are often huge squabbles usually surface. The class is divided and only a few are friends. But when Mister S. comes as their substitute teacher, and forms the band, he also forms something else forms between the students... Please don't forget to review.

By Way of Rock

Chapter1

A Day in the Life

Summer Hathaway primly walked down her house's staircase clad in Horace Green's uniform. Her hair was combed neatly, her teeth were brushed to perfection, her shoes shined, and her uniform pressed. Her mother saw her small daughter and kissed her on the forehead.

"How do you feel, first day of the new school year?" asked her mother, Summer was to start fourth grade. She was going to be the fourth grade factotum, as she probably had the most credentials, "Are you a bit nervous?"

"Not really mom," she answered plainly, "But I want to get their early. Can you drive me there now?" She was itching to arrive in school, ready to impress everyone once more with what she had just learned over the summer and her newfound brilliance.

"Sure honey," said her mother, "Go on to the car and wait for me there. I need to get my keys," said her mom. She handed her daughter her schoolbag and Summer scuttled off outside to her mother's car, waiting patiently for her to come with the car keys.

Summer waited out patiently and watched the passing cars. She saw some girls, who were in the same uniform. She knew them from last year and was about to greet them, yet she stopped when the two began whispering fiercely to each other, looking pointedly at Summer.

Summer could barely make out what they where murmuring about, but she clearly heard them say, "Hey it's that girl in the third grade last year..." "Isn't she that perfect student...?" "No wonder no one likes her..." "She is such a big kiss up!" "Thank God we aren't in the same class as her!"

Summer stood there, her mouth agape, yet before any real damage was done, her mother appeared. "Summer, come on, let's head for Horace Green," her overpowering cheeriness didn't change Summer's now sullen mood, "I know that you are dying to get there!"

Maybe she was a teacher's pet, maybe she did have more merits than any other person in the class, but people did like her, right...? Summer grimaced at their comments. She knew that she didn't have the most friends, yet their rude whispers hurt her.

She went inside the car buckled up in the passenger's seat. As her mother started up the car, she propped her head on her hand which was supported by her elbow. Sometime in the ride her mother noticed her daughter's brooding mood, "Summer, what's wrong? I thought you were excited about your first day. Aren't you excited to see your friend, Katie was it?"

Summer bit her lip and faced her mother, "Mom, do you think it's wrong to be proud of how many merits you have, or to always follow what the teachers tell us to do?" Summer asked her mother hesitantly.

Mrs. Hathaway gave a concerned look to her daughter, "Of course not dear! Why are you asking?" questioned Mrs. Hathaway, as she made a left turn. They were already facing Horace Green, "You are perfect dear."

The response Summer dreaded the most had been said.

"Forget it mom, we're here already," Summer said hastily as she exited the car in a hurry, even if school wasn't to start in thirty minutes. Summer shut back the car door, "Bye mom, I'll call you later to pick me up."

"Good bye dear! I hope your first day goes well!" with that she drove off.

Summer sighed as her mother drove away. Where those girls right? Did no one like Summer? Of course not! She knew that Katie liked her, the teachers adored her, yet she wasn't exactly the most popular with the students...

She walked up to the school, not that many students had arrived yet, but there were still some students who arrived as well. She pushed the swinging doors open and entered the vast building.

Katie, labeled as the silent and brooding loner by those with power, i.e. the popular kids, got up from her bed as the alarm sounded. She bit her lip, remembering that this was to be the first day of the new school year. She got up and entered the bathroom. She took a shower and changed into her uniform.

As she came into her room once more, she walked to the life-size mirror and examined herself. Her black hair reached her shoulders, her bangs slightly concealed her forehead. Her face, although rather formidable was fixed into an eternal frown. Her body was hidden beneath the uniform; perhaps she had gotten a size too big. The skirt was rather long, and so were her woolen socks.

She thought miserably, 'I'll never be good enough, not for him...'

She sullenly walked out of her room and down to the kitchen where her parents would not be, as they were out early, on to work. She would have to fix her own breakfast and ride her bike to school, not that she minded really. She loved her parents, yet sometimes it got a little lonely when they were not around.

She buttered herself a piece of toast and munched on it thoughtfully. She sat down on the wooden chair and began to speculate on the first day of the new school year. She would see Summer, probably her only real friend. She would also see Zack and Lawrence, who she had gotten to know better the past year. She would see all the snobby girls ridiculing and poking fun at her. But then, she would see him...

Whenever she thought of him, it blocked out all the insults thrown at her, even if he did throw some himself. Whenever she saw him, her legs would go weak and her breathing would stop. Whenever he spoke, no matter how uncouth, she would always sigh as if poetry was being recited. Whenever he was there...

What would they think if they knew Katie was fantasizing like this, all about some boy? What would Summer say, if she found out that her friend was romanticizing over some schoolmate, him nonetheless? Katie wasn't thought of as the romantic type, yet ever since she developed feelings for him, her emotions were sprawled out either in poetry or song.

She finished her toast and downed her milk. She grabbed her satchel and headed out the door. She went to the porch where her bike was parked, and mounted it. She pedaled off to Horace Green, where she would finally see him...

As she biked along the sidewalk, she spotted a group of girls; they were from Horace Green as well. They were in a grade or so higher than Katie. Their skirts were hitched dangerously high, their uniforms were a few sizes too small, and not all of their buttons were actually fastened.

Katie sighed; those were the kinds of girls he would like...

Yet as much as she did like him, she would never change her appearance for some boy, him nevertheless. As much as she adored him, she was just as strong-willed and intelligent. She knew that changing her appearance and the way she acted only proved superficiality, after seeing so many movies that shared this topic. If he did happen to like her, than he wouldn't mind the way she was or who she hung out with.

She continued pedaling on, though faster, trying not to catch the attention of the girls, driven by the fear of an unpleasant encounter with the ditzy kind. Her thoughts strayed back to him once again.

She began to wonder if he even knew her name...

'Of course he does!' she thought to herself. She remembered one time he said her name. Summer, being the factotum, was absent one day, so their teacher assigned him to do roll call. After what seemed like an eternity, he called out her name.

...Katie...

It sounded so beautiful when he said it. He made such a common name sound charming and unique. His rich voice and intense tone invaded her dreams at night. Even the most boorish words could sound like a ballad when he belted them out.

Well, perhaps not...

Katie shook her head from those mushy thoughts. Some years ago, she would have been disgusted at the way she was thinking. She would be completely disgusting with him. Yet now, the boy that she was supposed to abhor, she now adored. She should have hated him with all her might, since he was such a jerk, yet somehow she couldn't bear those feelings.

She kept her feelings as a deep, dark secret. No one knew about such emotions, not even Summer. The only one she confided into was her notebook. It was a blue, spiral notebook. She brought it everywhere she went.

Within this notebook, she put in all her thoughts and feelings. Here she scribbled down the poems and songs dedicated to him. This notebook was her escape from the harsh realities and the biting truths. Within it, she unleashed her soul...

Katie continued biking, until she saw another kid clad the Horace Green uniform. It was a boy on a skateboard, his hair slicked back, and his bag hanging lazily on his shoulder. Katie smiled when she recognized who it was...

Freddy Jones, probably the most sought after boy in his grade, searched blindly for the snooze button of his alarm clock, yet to no avail, he was forced to get up, by the threatening shout of his mother. He got up sluggishly and trudged to the bathroom, barely realizing that it was the first day of the new school year.

He took a shower, indolently put on his uniform in an unkempt way, and walked to the fogged up bathroom mirror. He reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of hair gel, his best friend...

Although he loved hair gel, he hated the way he had to wear it to school. He didn't like his hair slicked back, he liked it spiked up, making him look cool. Although his uniform messily put on now, it would be fixed right away by his mother.

He went downstairs and found his parents there. His mother was fixing breakfast and his father reading the newspaper. His mother squealed when she saw him, "How's my little Freddy-weddy! Are you excited for your first day of school?" She pulled her son into a tight hug.

He pulled away from her and wiped his cheek with his sleeve, "I guess," he answered, as his mother began straightening out his uniform. Freddy sighed in embarrassment, "Can I take my skateboard to school?"

"Your mom and I were planning to drop you off son," said his dad, looking up from the paper. He gave his son a calculating look, "Or are we going to be cramping your style?" he asked, humor in his voice, with the smirk his son inherited plastered on his face.

"Oh don't be silly dear!" his wife replied before Freddy could, "We are the two coolest parents in his whole class! We are the two hippest 'rents you'll ever find!" Freddy watched in horror as his mother 'got jiggy with it.'

Mister Jones's head turned to his son, his face contorted in suppressed laughter, "You have our full permission to bring your skateboard..."

Mrs. Jones looked at her husband with mock hurt and whacked him upside the head with a spatula, "Eat your breakfast Freddy, and go on and leave your passé parents!" his mother moaned dramatically. Freddy jumped into the food.

"Who ever said that I wasn't cool?" asked Freddy's father, smirking with his left eyebrow quirked.

Freddy let out a small cry of frustration and finished up his breakfast, "I am going to leave now, before anything else I will regret happens!" He grabbed his leather schoolbag and skateboard and ran out the door, "And for the record, dad... You are way cool!"

"Freddy Jones!"

He jumped on his skateboard and zoomed off before his dear mother could bite his head off. As he skateboarded he looked inside his bag to see what junk was in it. He found a lot of lint, remnants of old sandwiches, scattered test papers and homework, and a photo.

It was the photo of his class last year. It was their official class photo; they were arranged by height and made to look perfect for the camera. He was standing in the furthest row, as he was one of the tallest kids. He was beside Katie and Frankie.

Frankie was a big kid, he wasn't as tall as Lawrence, but he was a bit bigger. Frankie was a friend to Freddy. They usually pulled a few jokes on their classmates and had a lot of laughs together. He was another tough guy of the class, yet he wasn't as popular as Freddy.

Katie, she was a loner, her only friend was probably Summer, the perfect teacher's pet. She was one of the hardest targets to play a joke on, yet when they managed to pull something off, it was priceless. Not that she would cry, yet you could feel her annoyance and anger. She rarely ever did smile, much less to Freddy, yet in this picture she was beaming... 'She looks pretty in this picture.'

Surprised that the thought popped into his mind, he was unaware of the lamppost in front of him...

He wasn't supposed to think that way! He was considered a bad boy, and well, Katie was a good girl, even if she was the brooding type. He didn't like girls like Katie, he liked girls who were more like... well, girls!

His image was brought up ever since he was introduced to Horace Green. His bad attitude and his trademark smirk caught the attention of the female population. Thus he had skyrocketed up on the popularity list. He became friends with those labeled, 'the-popular-badboys-who-are-hot-yet- untouchable.' This label was just as or even more popular than the 'ditzy- and-stupid-yet-totally-popular-girls-and-boys' label.

He got up woozily and rubbed his head. He stole a glance at his watch and freaked, apparently school was going to start in ten minutes, and he was still a distance off. He jumped on his skateboard again and skated off, not particularly wanting to be late on the first day...

Zack Mooneyham straightened his tie out in front of his mirror. He inspected himself once more; his black hair was neatened, combed, and gelled down. His uniform was ironed neatly and his tie was angled perfectly. His pants were pressed and his shoelaces were tied. He studied his face in the mirror. It was long and his eyes were deep and sunken in and his cheekbones were rather hollow. He wasn't bad-looking, bordering on handsome, but it would help if he smiled more often.

He was doing all this for approval, approval from his father. His dad expected him to do his best and be the best. His father made sure that Zack was never out of line, causing the poor child to become introverted and intimidated. Zack idolized his father at times, yet he was also frightened and scared as well. He wanted the best for his son, yet it didn't seem that way all the time...

"Zack, come down now or you'll be late for your first day of school!" his father called from downstairs.

Zack sighed as he heard his father's commanding voice. The man was very intimidating; his interest of the guitar was limited, as he was only allowed to play classical music. He was a silent, listening child, as that was what his father made him.

He walked down the stairs, his posture erect, and his face emotionless. His father waited at the foot of the bottom step, waiting to inspect his son, "Good morning Zack, are you ready for your first day?" He reached for his already straight tie and straightened it out some more.

"Good morning, dad. I believe I am ready for my first day of school," he answered in a monotone voice. He forced a smile at his father, wanting to tell him so badly that he was nervous and uncertain.

"Very well then, eat your breakfast, and you can ride your skateboard to school," his father said to him as he headed for the door, "Call me on my cell phone if anything happens, goodbye son."

Zack gave a sigh of relief as his father exited the house. He ran to the kitchen, where his breakfast was most likely to be. It was a bowl of muesli. Zack sighed once more and ate the muesli unenthusiastically, not exactly savoring its taste. Sighing was a thing he usually did...

As soon as he was finished eating his 'breakfast', he took his schoolbag and skateboard and exited the door, making sure to lock up the door behind him. He mounted his skateboard and whizzed off to Horace Green.

He had covered some distance, when he heard a girl's voice sound behind him, "Zack, wait up!" the girl called. He stopped his skateboard and turned back, it was Katie, a new friend of his whom he got to know better in the last year. She was pedaling on her mountain bike.

He smiled as he saw her, "Hey Katie!" he waited for her to reach him.

"Are you excited for today?" she asked as she reached where he was standing, Katie was panting slightly, but she smiled as she confronted Zack.

"Excited, kind of... Nervous, definitely," he answered, making her laugh, "What about you?" He mounted his board again, and got ready to ride.

"There are some low points, but there are some high points as well," She replied simply, "Although I don't know which outweighs which..." The two continued on biking and skateboarding, chatting occasionally. Both of them were glad that they had someone with them to take the plunge.

After some minutes, they arrived at Horace Green. Katie dismounted her bike and parked it at the bike rack. Zack picked up his skateboard and stared at the vast building, "Are you ready to go in?" he asked her, knowing the answer she was going to give him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she answered unsurely, shrugging as if it was not really a big deal.

They pushed open the swinging doors, beginning what was to be a new chapter in the most exciting story which was their lives...

I am so glad that it I finished this chapter! You don't know how relieving this is! I'm posting it right away and I promise to update as soon as I can! So, do you guys like it? I hope it was okay... I only did these four characters, because they are who the story is mainly going to revolve around. I bet you didn't think that the guy Katie saw was Zack, I'm sure that you thought it was someone else... Heh! Heh! Heh! I really do hope that you like it, and that you are going to review... The interactions at school will begin in the next chapter; can you people wait for it, although I don't know when I will be updating? I will be including the others and Dewey as well! Just wait and please comment on my work! Please don't forget to review...