Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to MIOBI, which is probably a good thing because if I did it would be even more crack-ified and dramatic than it already is.
A/N: I don't know what this is to be honest, but it was super fun to write. I've seen someone do a fic in this format in another fandom but I don't remember which exactly. I liked it and thought I'd put my own spin on it. Eat it up.
-XX-
A Rock Rebel Broke My Heart Club
It's been ten years since the 2012 Olympics where the women's gymnastics team brought home gold for the USA. Finally, never before seen interviews with those close to the Olympians specifically Boulder's pride and joy Rock Rebels are being conducted and later broadcasted to the nation.
The walls of the interview room are stark white and combined with the overhead florescent light it seems more like an interrogation room more than anything. The only people in the room are the host conducting the interview and the cameraman operating the camera on a tripod, focused on a single plastic chair. The first interviewee walks into the room, a tall and slender man in his late twenties, looking rather anxious.
The interviewer smiles his laser-teeth-whitened smile and say, "There's no need to be nervous. Just have a seat, relax and tell us what your name is."
"Alright," he nods, "My name is—"
"—Carter Anderson—"
"—Austin Tucker—"
"—Nicky Russo—"
"—Max Spencer—"
"—Damon Young—"
"—Ike Benzinger—"
"—Razor," the man says, relaxing a little more. "Just Razor."
…
"Hello. First off, we've heard stories of the infamous 'Rock No Dating Rule' but we all know no one follows that. So tell us, which Rock Rebel were you involved with and what was it like?"
...
"Kaylie Cruz was my first love," Carter Anderson says dreamily. The camera zooms in for a close-up of the mass amount of chocolate curls sitting atop his head. The interviewer can't stop staring. Good God that thing is freaky. "But then I kind of sort of…cheated on her with her best friend."
...
"I actually started out as friends with most of the Rock Rebels. Let's see," Austin Tucker ticks off a finger as he counts, "After meeting them in France I initially had a thing for Emily, but then I found out about her boyfriend. Then Kaylie and I kissed a couple times, but then that all kind of blew up when she went to rehab. Then I had a brief thing with Payson, but I think I scared her with the kinky cat role-play. Then Kaylie again, but it was pretty brief. And it's been Emily ever since, but in the beginning the baby bump kinda got in the way so technically I wasn't officially involve with—"
...
"Any of them. Nope." Nicky Russo shakes his head. "I don't even know why I'm here."
The interviewer holds up an old tabloid with Nicky on the cover and Kaylie Cruz kissing his cheek. The headline reads: KAYLICKY. Nicky's eyes bulge.
"Where did you get that? I thought I burned all of those! Kelly is going to freak out if she sees that!" Nicky yells frantically. "Wait…" His brows furrow and his forehead crinkles in that way he's known for. "My girlfriend isn't going to see this interview, right…?"
...
"Payson Keeler," Max Spencer says with pride. "God, she was so beautiful and looked amazing in any light. She was a bit of a dork, but I could dig it. I really thought that we'd be—"
...
"—Together forever," Damon Young leans forward in his chair with his elbows resting against his thighs, "Emily and I…we had something great. Something the best love songs are written about. I remember once I even got on stage to sing to her at prom."
...
"At prom I surprised Payson and showed up in a tux and everything. I hate fruity words like magical, but yeah, it was pretty magical," Ike Benzinger says. "I think it almost totally made up for how I got her to skip class with me and almost try a little pot in the back of my truck."
...
Razor smirks. "If the backseat of my Jeep could talk it would tell you a lot about Lauren Tanner. See, the reason they asked me here today was because they thought I had some sidelined best friend crush on Emily and I did for a bit, but the real story is Lauren Tanner and me…"
...
"Lauren Tanner and me?" Carter's voice cracks as he asks. "I mean, yeah, she was the one I cheated on Kaylie with all those years ago. What can I say? Blame it on the alcohol…?"
...
"Alcohol?" Max blinks confused, nervously playing with the camera strap around his neck. "No. I wasn't drinking at the Denver Pre-Exhibition party! How do you people even remember that? I mean, yeah, I guess the dancing was pretty…ehem…memorable, but...and with Lauren Tanner? No that was just…"
...
"Kelly was just using Carter to get a rise out of the Rock Rebels…and me. She was still pissed at me for leaving Denver back then," Nicky says decisively. "And why are we even talking about Kelly and me? Aren't we supposed to be talking about the Rock Rebels? My relationship with Kelly isn't even relevant. Seriously, it took her long enough to finally call me her boyfriend. She is not going to like me talking about us on national TV."
...
"I was totally Lauren Tanner's boyfriend! Like, more official than officially!" Razor shouts excitedly. "Yeah. We made out, like, twice, went out on one date and the next morning she sent me a Facebook relationship request and we were locked down. Doesn't get more legit than that."
...
"I know how this probably sounds and makes me look, but as good as things were with Emily, it wasn't perfect and that's when I started hanging out with Kaylie," Damon explains. "We'd talk and sing together and it was really something special. Sure, I wrote songs about Emily, but I wrote songs with Kaylie. Nothing tops that."
...
"Wait…" Ike blinks at the camera like it's the first time he notices it there. "Shit. Am I going to get screwed over for talking about pot on tape?"
…
"Okay. Moving on. It's hard to imagine an elite Olympics-bound gymnast having the time to date and deal with all this drama. How did you get to dating in the first place?"
...
"We all kind of grew up together, raised in the gym and even went to gymnastics camp together," Carter says. "I was really good friends with Kaylie's brother, Leo. One day Kaylie just stopped being Leo's little sister to me…and not too long after that Lauren stopped being just Kaylie's best friend to me too."
...
Razor laughs. "It's a great story—how we got our start. Lauren was dating Carter at beginning so she'd come around the Pizza Shack, where Carter and I both worked. Well, one day I walk into the storage room to grab something and it's dark. Before I could reach for the switch, Lauren walks in and I guess she thought I was Carter because the next thing I knew she pulled open her trench coat and wasn't wearing much underneath it. She got all embarrassed and pissed off and I swear I fell in love."
...
"Well, I met the girls at a meet in France," Austin laughs as if at a memory, "I ran into Kaylie in the hallway of the hotel with my then-mode-arm-candy. Can you say awkward? Then later I bought Emily a train ticket in exchange for a little show…wait! That totally made her sound like a stripper. Emily Kmetko is not a stripper! She's gonna kill me for that!"
...
"Austin introduced us, actually," Max says. "Yeah, not very exciting of a story. Oh wait. I stalked her for a little bit, took pictures of her from afar…but not in like a creeper way. I'm a photographer and she really works the candid shots…" The host and cameraman don't look too convinced. "I am not a creeper!"
...
"We met through gymnastics," Nicky says. "Man, I was really this uptight, idealistic kid when I was training in Boulder. So I had a little crush on Payson because, well, she's Payson Keeler and then somehow I started training with Kaylie Cruz and things got, well, let's just say she gave me butterflies."
...
"We met at a kegger," Damon says. "Believe me. It's a lot more promising than it sounds. We started hanging out and then eventually Emily and I started dating. Then she introduced me to Kaylie and Kaylie and me started writing and singing together. It's all a long story with intricate detail, but if you buy my first album Meet me in Paris and my second album Your Basement Studio and just follow along with the words you'll get the gist."
...
"I met Payson in high school," Ike says. "For some reason I think girls in back braces are seriously hot."
...
"If you're even here today then it must have ended badly…"
"Well, that's what happens when you cheat, right? Carter laughs humorlessly. "You think: hey, these two really hot, really great girls both want me and if it doesn't work out with one then I have the other one to fall back on and wow, that sounded douchey. Please, please don't use that footage. I'm begging you!"
...
"I wouldn't say badly. I'm still friends with all of them," Austin says. "The times in between were tough though. I'd be lying if I said those girls didn't drive me to drinking on more than one occasion. Oh, and then there's Kaylie's dad who looks like he wants to kill me all the time. Probably wasn't the smartest move saying I was 'falling' for her in front of her parents before we even really went out on a real date. Yup. That could have gone better…"
...
"I don't know." Max frowns and shrugs his shoulders. He seriously looks like he's right about to cry. "I really don't."
...
"It kinda ended before it even started," Nicky says. "I managed to get out of Boulder before all the real drama started. Things fell apart with Payson and Kaylie gave me this whole dramatic 'I can't betray Payson' speech and so I said 'see yah' and transferred to Denver Elite. Smartest decision I've ever made."
...
"Of course it ended badly," Damon says. Unable to keep still, he drums his knuckles against his fidgeting leg. "Unplanned pregnancies often do."
...
Razor laughs. "Yeah. It did. I can't say I was ever surprised though. Do you know that song from that movie Flashdance? And before you say anything, shut up! That's my mom's favorite movie! Anyways, it goes like: she's a maniac! Maniac! On the floor! Yeah, well, that's Lauren's theme song and the floor is a metaphor for the world."
...
"Dude! Yeah!" Ike shouts. "It's, like, one minute we're dancing at prom like we own the world and the next Payson just drops out of school, stops taking my phone calls and goes back to her old life like I never even existed! Payson Keeler, that...that…heartbreaker!"
…
"If you had the chance, would you give it another shot with a Rock Rebel?"
...
Carter shifts nervously and stares at his shoes. "I usually try not to think about questions like that because I'm pretty sure there's a greater possibility of ligers really existing than there is of me getting back together with Lauren or Kaylie," Carter says. The interviewer murmurs something to him and Carter blinks confusedly. "Oh. Ligers are real? I thought Napoleon Dynamite made them up…"
...
Austin just smirks. "I can tell you I definitely would and I did."
...
"I can honestly say no," Nicky says without hesitation. "I wouldn't expect you or anyone else to get it, but somehow Kelly and I work. Sure, I never really got a real chance with Payson or Kaylie and I was upset over it for a long time, but I'm over it. I'm happy with where my life is at and being with Kelly Fucking Parker. Why would I want to change that?"
...
"Listen, man, I'm a professional fashion photographer," Max says, motioning to the expensive high-tech camera hanging around his neck. "I'm constantly surrounded by hot supermodels, but if Payson Keeler would be willing to I'd give it another shot in a heartbeat."
...
"Without a doubt," Razor says enthusiastically. "I think that's how you can tell you're really in love with someone. If you can see a chick go batshit crazy and do some damn psychotic things and still be into her then that can't mean anything, but love."
...
Damon strokes his chin, looking deep in thought for a long moment. "I think everything happens for a reason and the universe sets up events to get you where you need to be in your life. I don't think there's any going back."
...
"No way," Ike says resolutely. "Payson Keeler had a chance with a stud like me and she blew it. Plus, she doesn't wear that back brace anymore. That is a real deduction in hotness points."
…
"Did you learn anything from dating a Rock Rebel?"
...
"Don't cheat. It gets you nowhere," Carter says, wagging his finger at the camera. "Oh, and don't trust a hoe. Never trust a hoe! That gets you nowhere even faster."
...
"I learned that sometimes butterflies are just butterflies," Nicky says. "Just because someone makes you feel something doesn't mean 'Happily Ever After' is automatic. It's something you work towards and sometimes you have to have feelings for a few wrong ones before you can finally figure out who's the right one." He gives the camera a meaningful smile.
...
Damon still looks pretty deep in thought before he grins at the camera, a light bulb going off in his head. "Got it. You can tell when it's really true love and real heartbreak when you win a Grammy for the album inspired by it."
...
Sniffling a little, Max says, "Don't date blondes. Ever."
...
"What did I learn from the Rock Rebels? What didn't they learn from me?" Austin winks at the camera. "Nah. I learned that girls aren't just pretty things to wear on your arm. They actually have feelings and stuff. I can name you a lot of times I saved their cute butts, but ultimately, they saved me."
...
"She'll choose gymnastics over you," Ike says sourly. "Always."
...
"How to braid hair," Razor answers. "I am pretty awesome at it now."
…
Closing remarks and where are they now?
...
~ Carter Anderson
He glares at the interviewer. "What? What do you mean this interview was voluntary? The only reason I showed up here was because I thought I was getting paid!"
Carter never made it to the Olympics and instead ended up back home, working for his dad's ranch. Despite his fail love life, he is still firm believer in love and is looking for a Mrs. Carter Anderson via online dating sites. He loves cattle, long walks through the stable and hair products.
...
~ Austin Tucker
"I may have bounced around the Rock Rebels like a ping pong ball, but I don't regret it at all," he says. "Going to train at the Rock changed me and thank God for that."
Austin is currently dating Emily Kmetko and helping her raise her and Damon's daughter as if she was his own. It blows his mind how he went from a gymnastics bad boy to a family man, but he still wants everyone to know that he can still party like a champ and outdrink anyone. Currently accepting challenges via Twitter.
...
~ Nicky Russo
"This has been a really unpleasant afternoon," Nicky says, clearly eager to get the hell out.
Since filming, Nicky became the owner of Denver Elite Gymnastics. Ten minutes after signing papers, Nicky stood in the center of the empty gym with Kelly, telling her to imagine how great it's going to feel to tell their gymnasts that this is all theirs, not to mention the exact spot where they met and where he proposed. Nicky then got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. Kelly made him squirm for a bit, but then accepted. They plan to have a spring wedding and the Rock Rebels are even invited. After all, if Payson and Kaylie never rejected Nicky he never would have gotten to know Kelly.
...
~ Damon Young
"I may not be too proud of some of the things I did when I was younger, but I am proud of where I am now," Damon says. "Screw the journey. It's all about the destination."
Damon's latest album Girls & Gold has been the best selling album for the last two years and just won a Grammy for Best Album of the Year. He's planning an international summer tour and rumor has it that Kaylie Cruz will be accompanying him for a few duets and maybe even a rekindled spark. Tickets on sale now.
...
~ Razor
"Lauren Tanner, I swear you won't regret it if you give me another shot. You put up with my dorky and I put up with your crazy. I honestly don't even remember why we broke up in the first place," he says with fingers laced as if in prayer. "Call me. Just incase you forget. My number is 303-896-6958."
Upon national broadcast of this program, Razor had to change his number after the millions of calls and texts from teenage girls (and a few sex offenders) that poured in. After making him sweat it out for an entire three days, Lauren finally called him about that second chance.
...
~ Ike Benzinger
"I just want to know why, Payson!" he shouts at the camera. "How could you just forget about me like that? Did I mean nothing to you? I wore a freaking tux and went to freaking prom for YOU! I thought you and I had something special, Pay-Pay…"
Ike still lives in Boulder and still smokes pot in the back of pickup trucks.
Since seeing this video Payson Keeler has taken a restraining order out against Ike Benzinger. Though not explicitly stated when questioned on her relationship status, sources say Payson has last been seen cozying up to her old coach, Sasha Belov.
...
~ Max Spencer
He waves at the camera. "See you around, girls."
Max is currently single and continues to travel all around the world taking pictures of hot half-naked swimsuit models and getting paid to do so. He still holds out for the possibility of reuniting with Payson Keeler, but it doesn't stop him from enjoying life either.
The camera slowly zooms in on the lens of the camera hanging around Max's neck before finally fading to black.
…
It seems America's favorite girls in gold really did make it (to the Olympics) and break it (hearts that is).
A/N: This was one of the most ambitiously random things I've ever written. After writing this I really feel like doing a variation of the movie The Hangover with the MIOBI boys. LOL I really want to know what you think about what I wrote. Giggles or fail?
xoxo