Chapter 1

The Letter

~No ones POV~

It was a quiet summer afternoon in the small town of Peaceville. Thirteen year old Laney Penn was bored out of her mind as she lay on her bed staring at her bedroom ceiling. Her radio was sitting in the corner of the room playing a demo cd Kin had made of the bands music. The girl hadn't even bothered to change out of her pajamas, which in truth were just black basketball shorts and an oversized red t-shirt.

It had been a week since Laney had seen the guys. Kin and Kon were on vacation in Hawaii with their family. As for Corey, his parents found out he had been reading his sisters diary and grounded him. Not to mention that Trina had put a lock on her diary so there was no way they could use it for lyrics anymore. Laney, however, had other things on her mind. Corey's grounding was to last a week and it started last Friday. Now today was Friday. That meant tomorrow he would be done with his punishment and she would be able to see him again. With the twins on vacation for the rest of the month, band practices would only consist of the two of them. Laney blushed lightly at the idea of being alone with her secret crush. Yes, she had to admit it. She's has a crush on Corey for what seemed like eternity. They have been best friends ever since they first met in elementary school. Laney could remember it well.

*Flashback*

It was second grade and about half the school year had already passed. Laney was sitting by herself at a table, coloring while the other kids played duck-duck goose. The teacher had asked Laney why she didn't want to play with the others. In truth, non of the other children were very nice to her. They liked to make fun of her for her quiet nature and fire truck red hair. Not wanting to give them another reason to beat her up on the playground, Laney told the teacher she was just tired and would rather not participate. The teacher shrugged it off and went back to her desk. Laney put her head down and continued to color in her picture of a drum set with a smiling face on it.

After a few minutes, the classroom door creaked as it opened slightly. Laney looked up and saw a boy timidly poking his head into the room. He was scrawny, and his bright blue hair fell just past his ears. Laney could tell he was nervous. The boy was looking quickly around the room until his eyes met Laney's. His eyes were large, only a shade lighter then his hair. Laney almost lost herself in them, until she was snapped back to reality by snickers from the other children. The shy little girl turned her head back down to her picture, her face turning a light shade of pink.

The teacher finally noticed the boy in the doorway and walked over to him. He handed her a piece of paper which she quickly read before leading him to the front of the classroom. "Class" the teacher said, and the rest of the children went to their seats. "We have a new student" she announced. The boy stood there, looking at the floor. "This is Corey Riffin" she said cheerfully, nudging Corey in the shoulder lightly. He looked up and stuttered a small hello. "Why don't you take a seat over there" the teacher said, pointing towards the back table where Laney was sitting. "Okay" Corey responded shyly. He walked over and sat in a chair next to Laney. The teacher went back to her desk as the other children resumed their game.

"Hi" the boy said, trying to look through the girls thick red hair so he could see her face. Laney tilted her head up slightly, not meeting his eyes. "H...Hi" she stuttered. Corey noticed her nerves, and felt strangely compelled to continue the conversation. "My name is Corey. I just moved here with my family." Laney was surprised. Nobody had ever really made an effort to be friendly towards her before. She pushed her hair back, and saw the boys face clearly for the first time. He was very cute, and had a small smile on his face that instantly made Laney's heart flutter. After a moment, she regained her focus and was able to speak clearly for the first time. "I'm Laney," she said, "Laney Penn. I've lived here all my life." Corey's smile widened and he blushed slightly at hearing the shy girl speak.

He then noticed what she had been working on. "I like your picture" he said. "Do you play the drums?" "Actually," Laney said, feeling strangely comfortable with this boy she had only just met, "I play the bass. But, I like all sorts of instruments." "Really" Corey asked. She nodded. "That's so cool! I like instruments too. I play the guitar" he said enthusiastically as he began to rock out on an air guitar, making the young red head laugh. The two kids spent the rest of the day talking about instruments, music, and other random things. Laney wasn't sure what, but there was something about Corey that always gave her butterflies. Ever since that first day when they met, Laney has wanted them to be more then friends.

*End Flashback*

Laney smiled at the memory when she heard a knock on her door. She got up and paused her radio before answering. Her mom was standing there with some papers in her hands. "What's up Mom" Laney asked. "You have mail" her mom said, handing Laney a small white envelope that was addressed to her. Laney was confused. She never got mail. "Who is it from?" "I have no idea" her mother responded before turning and walking back downstairs. Laney closed her bedroom door and sat down on her bed. She opened the letter cautiously until she realized the handwriting was familiar. It was from Corey. It read:

Dear Lanes,

By now you probably know that I got busted for using Trina's diary to create lyrics. I'd call you or text you, but my phone was taken away as part of my punishment. My dad told me if I wrote a letter by hand I could send it to you, so here it is. I'm not sure how long it will take to get to you. I hope you get this before Saturday, though. I want to see you that day. Come to the garage around noon. Even though the twins are gone, Grojband is still gonna rock! Plus, I want to see you. We need to figure out a new solution to our lyric writing issue. I hope you can make it.

~Corey

'He wants to see me?' Laney thought after she'd finished reading the letter. 'No,' she went on thinking, 'he wants this for the band. Everything is for the band.' Still, Laney was delighted that she would be able to see him. As she laid in her bed later that night, thoughts of the coming day filled her with excitement. 'I can't wait to see my Core' she thought to herself. 'Wait, did I just think "my" Core?' With that, she silenced her mind and fell into a deep sleep.