“Hey guys, I got something I want to ask,” Pete said as he sat down at the lunch table. All the guys in the band were gathered chatting about the fate of Fred. Everyone was a senior and, with the impending graduation date closing in on them, they knew their days as a band were soon coming to an end. Pete and Rocco were going off to California for the summer. Pete had not decided what he wanted to do in the fall. Rocco was going to Vanderbilt. Austin was going to the University of Tennessee. Raz was taking a year abroad to travel. They only had a few more weekends left to play at the skate park. The guys in the band were realizing that this chapter in their lives was going to end soon.

  Austin sighed, “Is it the question we’ve all been wanting to ask but have been too afraid to say out loud?” All the band members looked at each other in silence.

  “Well, I don’t think it’s that,” Pete said, “but we should talk about that too.”

  “What did you want to ask?” Rocco replied.

  “I was approached by the guidance counselor during class break. She wanted to know if Fred would play the Prom,” Pete responded. All the members looked at each other in surprise.

  “Play the Prom?” Raz asked.

  “Yeah,” Pete said. “I was just as surprised as you all. She said that she had never seen such a positive reaction from students towards a talent show winner. So, she thought it would go over well if we played at the Prom.”

  “You mean the entire time?” Austin asked.

  “No, just an hour or so. They’ll still have a DJ to fill in the rest of the time,” Pete replied. The band members looked at each other in contemplation.

  “Do we get to play what we want?” Rocco asked. “I seem to remember someone clearly making that a point of contention.” Rocco pointed at Pete.

  “Well, we didn’t talk about any of that,” Pete responded. The guys in the band gave Pete a look of disappointment. “But hear me out. We’ll play what we want. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? They’ll pull the plug? They’ll never ask us to play at the school again?”

  Rocco shrugged and nodded. Austin and Raz followed with the same gesture. They didn’t have much to lose if they decided on their own playlist. The students wouldn’t care what they played. It was clear from the sellout shows at the skate park that the audience loved the music even if they were not very familiar with most of the songs. The band was going to break up soon, and the school administration would likely not bother with detention this close to graduation. So long as they didn’t do anything illegal, there were not very many repercussions.

  “Did you give her an answer?” Rocco asked.

  “I told her I would talk it over with you all,” Pete said.

  They sat silently contemplating this offer. Rocco broke the silence. “I have an idea.”

  “What’s that?” Raz said.

  “We’ve avoided this topic for a while, so I’m going for it. I think we all know that we are going to disband. Why don’t we make the Prom our final show?” Rocco made the proposition sullenly. He had said what everyone had been thinking for weeks. They all sat looking around and letting what Rocco proposed sink in a little.

  Pete looked at the guys and pounded his fist on the table. “I think that is a fucking spectacular idea.” The rest of the guys stared at Pete. “It’s perfect. We could all wear matching tuxes—like those disco ones with the ruffled shirts.”

  “Yeah,” Raz added in. “We could see if we could play the park after the prom, like an after party.”

  “And make a farewell tour?” Austin asked.

  Pete smiled widely. “The FRED IS DEAD tour.” They all loved this idea.

  “What are you doing for the prom?” Rocco whispered to Mike the next day before class.

  Mike turned to look at Rocco with a goofy look on his face. Rocco raised an eyebrow. Was Rocco going to ask him to be his date to the prom? “I didn’t have any plans on going since it’s a senior prom and I’m a sophomore.”

  “Oh! That’s right. Seniors only unless a senior brings a sophomore as their date,” Rocco said in jest.

  “Yeah, that’s the rule. If only I had a boyfriend that were a senior. He could take me as his date,” Mike looked around the room in an exaggerated manner. Rocco laughed.

  “Would you go to the prom with me?” Rocco asked seriously.

  “As your plus one?” Mike asked still in an exaggerated tone.

  “As my boyfriend and as my date,” Rocco replied.

  “I would want nothing more than to go to the prom as your boyfriend and as your date,” Mike said in a sweet tone.

  “There’s a catch,” Rocco added. Mike raised an eyebrow.

  “A catch?” Mike asked suspiciously.

  “Fred is going to play at the prom, so you’d have to be on your own while we play,” Rocco said.

  “You’re playing at the prom???” Mike exclaimed catching everyone’s attention.

  “Well, it was not officially announced yet, but since you said it like that,” Rocco said and stood up to address the entire class, “Yes, Fred is playing the Prom!” The class broke out in applause and cheers. Mr. Pendleton was not there to quiet them down. Once the noise died down, Rocco sat back down to continue his discussion with Mike.

  “Will I be there as your date or as your band assistant?” Mike asked.

  “Only as my date,” Rocco said. “We’ll get Jared to set everything up. All you have to do is look pretty.” Mike smiled.

  “Do you want to get matching tuxes?” Mike asked blinking his eyelashes.

  “Well,” Rocco said drawing out the word, “that’s another catch. The guys are all going to wear matching powder blue tuxedos with ruffles, so unless you want to wear that…”

  “I’m going to pass on that,” Mike replied. “But I’ll wear a powder blue tie and cummerbund in solidarity.” Rocco gave him a thumbs up.

  “There’s a final thing,” Rocco added.

  “What else?” Mike said in exasperation.

  “This will be Fred’s final performance,” Rocco said. Mike stared at him with a gaping expression.

  “Are you serious?” Mike asked in shock.

  “Yeah, it’s inevitable so we’re just going to close up Fred with a bang,” Rocco replied. “We are going to play the skate park one final time right after the prom as a ‘Fred is Dead’ tour.”

  “Oh my god, Rocco,” Mike frowned. “I can’t believe it!”

  “Yeah,” Rocco said quietly. “The end of an era.”

  “The Fred is Dead Prom Night Extravaganza.” Mike pondered. Rocco gave him a half smile. “I will be there with you for every minute of it.”

  “I’ll need you there,” Rocco said. Mike gave him a warm smile and held Rocco’s hand until the bell rang for class to begin. “Fred is Dead,” Rocco said and gave Mike a devil horn sign.

  “Long live Fred,” Mike said returning the horns.

  The memories of the Valentine’s Day Dance flooded Mike’s brain as he stood in the mirror adjusting the power blue tie of his rental tux. He was wearing a standard tux but opted for long tails. Instead of the cummerbund, he chose a matching powder blue vest. He was combing his hair into a neat side part when Joe appeared at the threshold of his bedroom. Joe was wearing a tux with a matching red tie and cummerbund set. It was a very classic and traditional look which Joe always pulled off well.

  “Whoa!” Joe exclaimed. “Get a look at you!” Mike smiled widely at Joe through the mirror. He turned to face Joe and gave him a couple of turns. “Tails and all!”

  “Well, I am the date of a punk rock star, so I need to go against the grain a little,” Mike said.

  “It’s still very classy,” Joe said pulling at Mike’s tails.

  “Who’s your date?” Mike asked.

  “Well, officially I’ll be walking in with Tiffany, but we’re going as friends more than anything,” Joe replied.

  “Really?” Mike said with a tone of disbelief.

  “Really,” Joe replied.

  “Okay, then,” Mike said.

  “And how’s this working with you going as Rocco’s date? I mean, he’ll be performing and all,” Joe asked.

  “Well, not the whole time,” Mike said. “They’ll just play an hour or so towards the end, so we will still have some chances to have a dance here and there.”

  “I’ve been hearing this is the ‘Fred is Dead’ tour. How’s Rocco handling all of this?” Joe asked.

  “Well, I think he’s more excited at the idea of a ‘Fred is Dead’ theme. I don’t think the reality has set in though,” Mike said.

  “I see,” Joe said looking at the floor.

  “But one thing we decided. We are not going to make this a sad event. We are all just going to enjoy the night. If we get sad, that’s fine; but we aren’t going to dwell all night on it,” Mike said with a finality that hinted that the discussion was over.

  “You got it!” Joe said.

  “Are you going to be at the park after the prom?” Mike asked.

  “Absolutely!” Joe said. At that moment, a pair of headlights turned into the driveway. It was Rocco to pick up Mike. “I think your chariot awaits.” Mike looked out the window to see Rocco approach the roundabout.

  “Then let’s get the ‘Fred is Dead’ tour underway,” Mike said as he and Joe left Mike’s room.

  Mike stood outside on the patio in his tuxedo awaiting Rocco. As Rocco stopped the car, he took a moment to admire Mike. Mike was so handsome and well put together with a splash of powder blue rebelliousness and coat tails. Rocco felt a tug at his heart realizing that this could be the last time Mike would be waiting for him at his stoop. Before he could let the emotion take hold, he pinched his leg to distract himself from his sorrow. He was not going to get weepy tonight—at least not until the night was over. Tonight was a celebration.

  Rocco stepped out of the car and walked over to where Mike stood. With Mike standing on the stoop, Rocco had to look up at Mike. Mike gave him a minty fresh smile.

  “Good evening, sir,” Mike said regally.

  “Good evening, sir. Your presence is requested, and your chariot awaits,” Rocco said making a gesture towards the car. Rocco took Mike’s hand and led him to the passenger side. Rocco opened the door and motioned for Mike to get into the car. As Mike slid into the seat, Rocco whispered “You are so fucking handsome” into Mike’s ear. Mike smiled and blushed.

  Rocco got in the driver’s seat and started the car. He turned on the air conditioning. It wasn’t hot outside, but they were sure to get warm in their tuxedos. Mike turned to look in the backseat.

  “Where’s all your equipment?” Mike asked noting the absence of Rocco’s guitar and amp.

  “It’s already at the gym. Jared is on duty,” Rocco replied.

  “By the way, that ruffled tux is something else,” Mike said.

  “Is that good or bad?” Rocco asked.

  “I couldn’t get away with it,” Mike replied, “but it’s working for you.” Mike leaned over and gave Rocco a kiss on the lips. Rocco’s face started to flush. Mike could always get a response from Rocco with his kisses. They kissed for a few minutes unconcerned if anyone was watching them.

  “We better get to the restaurant. The reservation is in 30 minutes, and we are supposed to meet Raz and Meigs there,” Rocco said breaking up the kiss.

  “Where are we going?” Mike asked.

  “The steakhouse where we had our first date,” Rocco said.

  “Ah, that’s so sweet,” Mike said swooning a little at Rocco’s romantic gesture.

  They pulled out of the Barbers’ driveway and onto the main road into town. They barely made it in time for their reservation. Rocco was glad he had made the reservation. The restaurant was packed with other prom goers. A few who Rocco recognized waved as he and Mike were seated at their table with Raz and Meigs. This was usually the only night that the steakhouse was filled with high school students. Even though the restaurant was filled with a roar of chatter, the behavior of the teenaged clientele was surprisingly sedate compared to the antics of the lunchroom.

  Even though Raz and Meigs were no longer dating, they still decided that they wanted to go to the prom together. They both wanted to make a statement that there could be more than one token gay couple at the prom. All four enjoyed lively conversation and delicious food. Meigs joked at how he knew it was Rocco and Mike’s first date when he served them. Meigs also got teary eyed when he expressed his gratitude toward all of them for accepting him into their group without hesitation. The conversation was starting to get sad when Mike reminded them that tonight was about celebration. They all nodded and went back to enjoying their meals. When the last bite of dessert was eaten, it was time to get to the school.

  They paid their bills and stood up. Rocco looked over at Raz.

  “Are you ready to kill Fred?” Rocco asked half serious, half in jest.

  “Let’s kill the fucker,” Raz said and followed everyone to the parking lot.

  The theme of the prom was Enchanted Forest which meant there was a medieval theme all throughout the gym. This was most likely due to the popularity of Mel Gibson’s Hamlet. On the wall was a painting of a castle. Cardboard turrets were scattered throughout the gym. There were faked royal crests all over as well as a few armor suits made from cardboard. The area where pictures were taken was decked out in a medieval theme. The photographer did not bat an eye at Rocco and Mike wanting to pose for a picture together, especially one where they were embracing each other.

  Rocco saw Jared setting up their equipment on the stage. They were not scheduled to go on stage for another hour. Rocco was about to go assist Jared when Mike stopped him.

  “Let Jared do what you hired him to do. Right now, I want you to conduct your duties as boyfriend,” Mike smiled and led Rocco out to the dance floor.

  The DJ had started playing music about 30 minutes ago, but the dancefloor was sparse at this early hour. Mike and Rocco danced to a couple of fast songs while the floor started to fill up with prom goers. When a slow song came up, Rocco held out his hand for Mike to take. He pulled Mike close to him and put his arms around Mike’s waist. Mike wrapped his arms around Rocco’s neck and put his head on Rocco’s shoulder. They slowly swayed back and forth savoring the tender moment. They lost themselves in the slow beat—no one else was in the room except them. When the song was over, they parted both lost in each other’s eyes.

  It took Austin’s voice to snap Rocco out of his daze. “Rocco, we’ve got 15 minutes until we’re on.” Mike gave Rocco a smile and nodded for him to go do his pre-show prep. Rocco leaned forward and gently kissed Mike before heading off with Austin. Mike sighed heavily trying to contain the tears he felt coming on. He didn’t want Rocco to know that he was barely containing his sorrow. It was going to be a difficult challenge for him to stay happy and positive tonight. Mike maneuvered himself to the front of the dance floor by the stage. He wanted to be sure that he was in clear sight to see and be seen by Rocco. He wanted Rocco to know that he was cheering for him during this last performance.

  Mike looked up at the stage. He had to contain his emotions even more when he saw the logo of Fred that he painted for the guys. His mind went back to a time when his and Rocco’s relationship was just blossoming—the days when he would spend hours watching the band practice. What would he give to go back to those days when it seemed like they had forever to be with each other? Mike blinked his eyes quickly and looked up trying not to let his tears fall. He had to look away from the logo to gain his composure.

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  Rocco, Pete, Raz, and Austin stood off to the side of the stage in a huddle. They were going over their playlist with one of the teacher chaperones. The band members picked relatively tame songs that were of their own picking to play at the beginning of the show. However, unbeknownst to the chaperone, there was a secret playlist that they did not share. Their songs would get harder and more punk. It was still a relatively tame list, however. They could save their real rocking for the skate park later. They decided they would end the prom show with their rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama” which had become a fan favorite.

  Pete sighed trying his hardest to not to break down in tears. “Okay, are we going to be ready for this?” The guys in the band nodded sullenly.

  “It’s going to be hard to be upbeat,” Raz replied.

  “I know, but we gotta end on a high note,” Pete said.

  “You know, I’m not as sad as I thought I would be about this. This isn’t really our final act. I think I’ll have a harder time at the park later,” Rocco said.

  “Yeah, you know, I’m with you on that, Rocco,” Austin said looking at his drum set. “I don’t think it’s going to hit until then.”

  “Then let’s think of this as just another show,” Pete said and looked out at the crowd. The DJ faded out the last of his playlist to allow the chaperone to take the stage to introduce Fred. Pete looked at Rocco. Rocco returned the look. “Can you believe how far we’ve come this year?”

  Rocco felt a sense of peace fall over him. He had come out, got a boyfriend, and was a member of a high school rock band. It had been quite a year for Rocco. “Yeah,” Rocco said, “I can believe it.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you all tonight. Our very own Miners Creek talent show winner. Give a warm welcome to Fred,” the chaperone announced. The crowd went into a frenzy of applause and cheers.

  Austin ran on the stage holding his drumsticks and got behind his set. Raz went on stage waving to the crowd. Rocco took the stage. He spotted Mike front and center cheering him on. Pete was the last to appear taking center stage.

  “Thanks for having us here tonight. It’s an honor,” Pete shouted into the microphone. “We regret to inform you that tonight is Fred’s last night.” There was silence in the audience. “Since we’re all going our separate ways after graduation, we decided we’d make tonight our Fred is Dead tour. We’re inviting all of you all to the skatepark after the prom to our after-party show.”

  The crowd started to cheer and applaud. The band watched with admiration as the audience gave them a round of appreciative applause for their year of entertainment. Pete nodded to the band members.

  “One more time, we’re Fred! We’re here to ROCK!!!!” Pete screamed into the microphone. “2…3…4…”

  The band started in with their set progressively working in harder songs into the playlist. Rocco drifted away to his performance head space seeing Mike and the notes in his vision. All the love and sorrow he had been feeling these past few weeks went into his guitar. He gave his peers the performance of a lifetime and worked up quite a sweat. He kept his eyes on Mike the entire the time. A few times, he saw Mike shedding a tear. Even though, Rocco had been prepared for this, he found it hard to fight back his own tears. The only thing he could do was focus his pain into his playing, further adding to his performance.

  As always when he got into the zone of his performance, it was over before he knew it. Fred ripped into “Sweet Home Alabama” whipping the audience in a rowdy sing-along. Rocco strummed the last note of the song as the audience went into a crazed fever of shouting and cheering.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Miners Creek!” Pete said. “See you at the skatepark.”

  The guys in the band set their equipment down for Jared to disassemble and collect. They all exited the stage without Pete doing his customary announcement of the members of the band. He couldn’t hold it together to do it, but none of the guys were bitter about this. They all wanted to get off the stage. They huddled in a corner giving each other hugs.

  “We got one more performance. Let’s make it count,” Pete said. They glanced over at Jared dismantling the drums. “I’m gonna miss that kid,” Pete said.

  The chaperone walked back on stage as Jared did his service for Fred. “Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Fred one more time!” The crowd happily obliged while the guys in the band watched from the side of the stage. “Mr. DJ, it’s time for the last dance.”

  “Excuse me, fellas, I got one more thing to do here,” Rocco said and exited the stage. He was going to have the last dance with Mike and needed to rush to find him before the song started.

  Rocco didn’t have to search. Mike was standing right next to the steps leading up to the stage. He had been waiting there since the middle of Fred’s last song. Rocco made his way down the stairs keeping his eyes on Mike who was smiling through his tears.

  “May I have this dance?” Rocco asked as he approached Mike.

  “Yes,” Mike replied taking Rocco’s hand. The last song came on which was “Save the Best for Last”—same as at the Valentine’s Day dance. This song had become the love song of 1992. Proms everywhere reserved this song for the last dance of the night.

  Rocco and Mike embraced and moved to the beat of the song—Rocco with his hands on Mike’s waist; Mike with his arms around Rocco’s neck and his head resting on Rocco’s shoulder. Again, the room full of teenagers disappeared. To them, the only thing that mattered was this one fleeting moment in each other’s arms. Even as the song ended, they continued to dance to the song in their head. Neither of them wanted to let the other go. Neither wanted this moment to end. As the lights of the gym came on, they remained in their embrace still dancing to a song that ended 5 minutes ago. Mike held Rocco tighter as he started to cry. Rocco started to feel his emotions overtake him. Pete and the other guys saw that the two were in their own world and decided to let them have their moment. They all started to make their way to the skatepark leaving Mike and Rocco holding each other as the crowd started to disperse. It wasn’t until the chaperone tapped them on the shoulder that they came back to reality. They both wiped their tears away and joined the others at the skatepark.

  O’Malley was anxiously awaiting the crowd when the guys in the band pulled up. If things went as he expected, this could be one of the biggest crowds the skatepark had seen. There were already lots of teens milling about that had not gone to the Prom. He spent all day making sure the bathrooms were spotless since there would be lots of kids in tuxes and dresses.

  Jared was the first to come in carrying the equipment he had disassembled from the prom show. Pete and Raz came in next followed by Austin and Wendy.

  “Hey guys,” O’Malley grumbled. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Prom stuff,” Raz replied.

  “Where’s Rocco?” O’Malley noted Rocco’s absence.

  “He’s coming. He and Mike had to share a moment,” Pete said. Austin and Wendy went backstage to have a make out session while Jared continued to set up.

  “Ah, okay. I’m getting a little nervous about the post-prom show,” O’Malley chuckled.

  “Bah, don’t worry about it. But we gotta tell you something,” Pete said.

  “Okay,” O’Malley said looking at Pete.

  “O’Malley,” Pete started, “as you know, we are all graduating and—”

  O’Malley interrupted Pete. “I know what you’re gonna say. This is your last show.”

  Pete laughed. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

  “I knew this day was coming. I get it. You guys have to move on,” O’Malley said without any indication of a change in emotion.

  “I’m sorry,” Pete said. “You’ve been nothing but the best to us.”

  “You guys have really picked up business here. I don’t know if I’d still be here without you guys,” O’Malley replied lighting up a cigarette.

  “See, Rocco and I are going to California for the summer. Then, Rocco and Austin are going to college soon thereafter. Raz is going abroad to explore the world. So, Fred won’t be around anymore,” Pete replied.

  “Yeah, I guess I’m gonna have to find a new band,” O’Malley answered taking a drag of his cigarette. “But they’ll never be a replacement for you fellas.”

  “That’s about the sweetest thing you’ve ever said,” Pete said.

  “Ah shit,” O’Malley said as he coughed. Rocco and Mike arrived and joined the bandmembers. The park was starting to fill up with prom goers as well.

  “We were just telling O’Malley that this is our final performance,” Raz said.

  “I’m sorry, O’Malley,” Rocco said. “We all decided that it’s the best thing to do with summer coming up.”

  “I’m going to miss you guys something awful,” O’Malley said taking a final drag from his cigarette.

  “Wait a minute,” Pete said. Everyone looked at Pete in surprise. “Bands change all the time. Why didn’t I think of this before? What if instead of killing Fred, we just say we are going on hiatus and reform Fred?”

  Rocco and Raz both raised their eyebrows but then started to give Pete’s suggestion some consideration.

  “Are you suggesting Fred with different members?” Raz asked.

  “Exactly,” Pete said. “O’Malley, you could oversee finding the talent. Fred can be the park’s house band.”

  “You’d consider something like that?” O’Malley asked.

  “If you all agree?” Pete said looking at Rocco and Raz. They both nodded without hesitation. “We will get Austin to agree to it.”

  “And you want me to find the members? I don’t know nothing about playing in a band,” O’Malley said.

  “Don’t worry about that. All you have to do is find one person who’s all in. They’ll do the rest of the work. Just make sure they sound good together,” Pete said.

  Rocco looked over at the stage as Jared was finishing assembling the drum set. “Actually, you may not have to worry about any of that. I may have a guy who would be interested in keeping Fred going.” Pete followed Rocco’s eyes and saw Jared.

  “Good call, Rocco,” Pete said. “Go talk to him.”

  Rocco walked over to the stage. “Hey, Jared. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Jared looked up from the drum set. “Yeah, of course,” Jared said and walked to the edge of the stage where Rocco was standing. “What’s up?”

  “I want to ask you something,” Rocco said. Jared nodded, jumped down from the stage, and looked at Rocco attentively. “You love this band as much as we do.”

  “I’ve had the best time with you guys. I hate this is our last show,” Jared smiled.

  “Well,” Rocco started. “It’s our last show.” Rocco pointed to himself, Pete, and Raz. “But we’ve been thinking. How would you like to be in charge of Fred after us?”

  Jared gave him a look of confusion. “But you guys are Fred.”

  “No,” Rocco said. “We are just the members of Fred. Band members come and go all the time, but the band remains. We want you to oversee finding new bandmembers for Fred—for Fred the Second.”

  “You want me to find replacements for you guys?” Jared asked.

  “If that’s how you want to think about it,” Rocco said.

  “Why me?” Jared asked.

  Rocco smiled. “Because you’ll be the last remaining member of Fred. It’s up to you to keep Fred alive.”

  “You think of me as a member of your band?” Jared asked with a look of both surprise and sentiment.

  “You’re as much a member as we are, Jared,” Rocco said putting his hand on Jared’s shoulder. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”

  Jared was deeply touched by what Rocco had said. Tears were welling up in his eyes. “It would be an honor to keep Fred going.”

  Rocco smiled and patted Jared’s shoulder. “As of this moment, you have all rights and responsibility of Fred, Jared. We work for you from this point forward.” Jared nodded. “One more thing, how are you on guitar?”

  “I don’t know how to play a guitar,” Jared said with a suspicious tone.

  “Hear me out,” Rocco started. “I’ll be going to California soon, so I doubt I’ll have room in the car for it. But, when I get back, I don’t know if I’ll be able to play my guitar anymore. There’re just too many memories attached to it—too many Fred memories. Can I ask you to take care of it for me? Maybe try to learn to play it? For me?”

  “Anything for you, Rocco,” Jared said.

  “If you can’t get the hang of it, pass it on to the next guitarist of Fred,” Rocco said. Rocco started to go back towards the group but stopped. “One final, final thing.”

  “What’s that?” Jared asked.

  “Fred doesn’t do requests. Fred plays whatever the fuck Fred wants to play,” Rocco said and went back to the group. Pete gave him a questioning look. Rocco nodded indicating that all was settled with Fred.

  The crowd started to fill in tightly as the guys in the band made their way backstage. They broke up Austin and Wendy’s make out session and filled him on the future of the band. This time, their pre-show huddle wasn’t as melancholy as before the prom. Fred was going to continue in some form after they were gone. They left the band in good hands.

  Rocco felt especially happy at the idea of Jared being in possession of his beloved instrument. He and his guitar had some great times together. However, his guitar needed the love of a high school rocker. It didn’t need to be mounted on a wall to be looked at occasionally. There were plenty of pawn shops in Nashville where Rocco could find a newer guitar and amp to start his college years.

  “Alright, this is our last show, but I don’t want to make it sad,” Pete said. All the other band members nodded. “Let’s rip it up.”

  They all ran on the stage to a packed park. Half of the crowd was dressed up; the other half was in street clothes. The crowd jumped up and down with excitement.

  “We’re Fred. And I lied to you,” Pete said in the mic. “This is not the last show of Fred. This is just my, Rocco’s, Raz’s, and Austin’s last show. We decided to hand off Fred to our dear assistant, Jared. Where are you, Jared?” Jared ran out from behind the stage to wave at the crowd. “Come here, Jared,” Pete waved Jared over to the front of the stage. “This is Jared, and his job now is to find new members for Fred. So, if any of you fuckers want to join a band, talk to this little guy. Now, get the fuck off the stage and let us do our job!” The crowd cheered at this news and at Pete’s brashness.

  “Enough moping…2…3…4…” Pete yelled as the band started in on a Sex Pistols song. They played for a little over an hour. The excitement of the evening added with playing the Prom was starting to wear down the members of the band. They had given their audience all they had and, by the time they were ready for a break, they were ready to end the show.

  “Alright guys, we’ve played the prom, and we’ve played here for a while. I think we are ready to retire from our careers as a high school rock band,” Pete said followed by some disappointed “aaah”s in the crowd. “I know, but it’s time for us to say goodbye. You all have made this year amazing. We’ve enjoyed entertaining you all. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

  Pete started to well up with tears. He turned away, wiped the tears from his eyes, and gathered his composure. He walked over to Rocco and whispered something. Rocco smiled and nodded. “We’ve got one more song to play. Mike Barber? Come up here.”

  Mike looked up at the stage in shock. He had found Chris in the crowd and was standing next to him off to the side.

  Pete spotted Mike in the crowd and pointed at him. “Come on Mikey!” Mike nervously laughed and started to approach the stage. “Hurry before we turn into pumpkins!” Pete yelled. Mike picked up the pace and ran up the little stairs at the side of the stage. He stood a little off to the side of Pete.

  “Mikey, our last song is for you,” Pete said. Pete turned Mike towards Rocco. Rocco winked at him and started the first few notes of “Here Comes Your Man”. Mike puts his hands over his face. He couldn’t believe that he was being serenaded to. He uncovered his face but turned bright red. Pete stood over next to Rocco as he played the guitar. He began singing the lyrics to Mike as Rocco strummed. Mike stood there not knowing what to do except enjoy his boyfriend playing their song.

  “So long so long…” the band members sang

  “You’ll never wait so long…here comes your man….” Pete sang.

  Mike started to tear up as the song ended. The crowd tore into a frenzy of cheering and applause. Rocco took his guitar off and walked up to Mike. He took Mike’s face in his hands and kissed him on the stage in front of the entire crowd. The crowd cheered but neither Mike nor Rocco paid any attention. As they continued kissing, Pete yelled into the mic, “Good night!”.

  The guys in the band walked off to the back of the stage. Rocco and Mike remained on the stage kissing as if nothing in the world existed except the two of them. A few groups of teens in the audience started to disperse to go to other undisclosed locations. A large crowd remained at the skatepark. O’Malley wanted to keep the park open as long as the law allowed which would be 2 AM. Fred stopped playing around 11:30 so there was still time to enjoy the night.

  The stage lights shut off with a loud click. Rocco and Mike snapped to attention.

  “Oh shit, I didn’t realize it’s all over,” Rocco said laughing.

  “Thank you for that. I love you, Rocco,” Mike said with a smile on his face.

  “I love you, Mike,” Rocco replied trying not to choke up.

  “Where did everyone go?” Mike asked looking around.

  “Let’s check backstage,” Rocco took Mike by the hand to the back of the stage where the guys were gathered sitting around in a circle. Wendy and Jared were with the group.

  “It’s over,” Pete said looking down at the ground.

  “It’s not over,” Jared replied. “I’m going to be sure of that.”

  Pete started to cry. Jared went over to Pete and gave him a hug to assure him that Fred was not over.

  “I tried my best to keep it together tonight,” Pete said still hugging Jared.

  “I know,” Jared patted him on the back. “You can let it out.” Pete continued to cry for a moment and then gathered his composure.

  “Do Fred proud,” Pete said to Jared and walked off to the bathroom.

  “God damn, this is tough,” Austin said. Wendy put her arms around Austin’s neck and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He returned the sentiment with a kiss on the forehead. Rocco and Mike went over to Austin and Wendy for a group hug. They waved Raz in who had his back turned to the group because he had been overcome with emotion at seeing Pete break down in addition to the realization that it was over for him.

  They all remained in the group hug for a moment.

  “I love you guys so much,” Raz finally said wiping his tears away.

  When the group finally broke off their hug, Mike turned to Rocco.

  “Listen, Chris is here. I can get a ride home from him if you want to hang out with the guys. I’ve got to be getting home, and I don’t want to pull you away,” Mike said with a hand on Rocco’s face.

  “I’d like that,” Rocco asked. “You sure you wouldn’t care?”

  “Not at all,” Mike said. “You need to spend some time to have a proper goodbye.”

  Rocco nodded and held Mike’s hand. Rocco smiled but started to cry. Mike gave him a sweet smile and wiped his tears away. He gave Rocco a light kiss on the cheek and walked away to find Chris.

  “Now what?” Raz asked the group.

  “I could go for a drink,” Rocco replied.

  “Maybe O’Malley has something strong,” Raz said.

  “Hey, we are going to cut out,” Austin said holding Wendy. “It’s still prom night.”

  Rocco and Raz laughed. “So it is,” Rocco said. “Alright, you two have a good night.”

  Rocco and Raz walked off to find O’Malley. On their way to O’Malley’s office, they spotted David Wick and Meigs sitting at a picnic table talking. Rocco and Raz looked at each other.

  “Should we see what that is about?” Raz asked.

  “It doesn’t look like an argument,” Rocco said. “But, yeah, just in case.”

  They approached the table. David and Meigs looked up at the two and greeted them. “Hey guys, great show!” David replied.

  “Thanks!” Rocco replied. “What are you two up to?”

  “Oh, we are just chatting,” Meigs said and winked at Rocco to assure him that everything was fine.

  “I’ll go see about O’Malley,” Raz said walking off to the office.

  “May I?” Rocco asked and motioned at the table.

  “So formal! Sit down,” Meigs replied.

  Rocco took a seat and undid the top button of his ruffly tux shirt.

  “I didn’t expect you two to be so friendly,” Rocco said.

  “I’ve been trying to make amends,” David said looking at Meigs.

  “It’s cool, Rocco,” Meigs said. “We’re cool now.”

  “Just like that?” Rocco asked a little shocked at Meigs nonchalance. After all, this guy had spent the biggest chunk of his high school days torturing him and Meigs.

  “I’m stronger than you think,” Meigs replied and looked over at David.

  Rocco looked over at David who was tapping his fingers and looking off in the distance. “Well, if Meigs forgives you, I guess I will too. Just like I said I would.”

  David looked over at Rocco. “You mean that?”

  “Yeah, David. I need to let it go. I mean, after graduation, we won’t see each other again,” Rocco replied.

  “It doesn’t have to be like that,” David said.

  “Well,” Rocco replied, “I suppose it doesn’t. Let’s just see what happens when I get back from LA.”

  Raz appeared with some paper cups and a few cans of soda.

  “Everything ok?” Raz asked setting everything down on the table.

  “Yeah, everything’s ok,” Rocco said giving Raz a smile.

  “Okay, so O’Malley gave me a bottle of whisky but wants us to keep it by the office. He doesn’t want us sitting out in front of everyone with a bottle,” Raz said.

  “Understood,” Rocco said. Pete emerged from the bathroom—eyes dry but red from crying. “Pete! Over here!” Rocco stood up and waved to get Pete’s attention. Pete walked over to the table. Pete, Rocco, Raz, David, and Meigs spent the rest of their time getting tipsy and recounting tales of the past year until the park closed. It was the last time any of them hung out at the skatepark together.

  Mike

  Mike found Chris among the crowd. He was talking to Jared and a group of skater kids he had never met.

  “Hey Mike! Nice performance on stage,” Chris said laughing.

  “Gee thanks,” Mike said blushing.

  “Aren’t you and Rocco going off to have a romantic end to your prom night,” Jared asked.

  “I let him off the hook,” Mike said. “I wanted him to hang out with his band one more time.”

  “How’s he doing?” Jared asked.

  Mike sighed. “I think it hit him harder than he expected. I think it hit all of them hard.”

  “Yeah, it’s the end of an era for them,” Jared said.

  “Yeah, it is,” Mike said looking off at the dwindling crowd. It was the end of an era for him as well.

  “Well, you’re Fred now. What are you going to do?” Chris asked Jared.

  “I guess the first thing I need to do is learn how to play that guitar,” Jared pointed at Rocco’s guitar.

  “Wait,” Mike said. “Rocco gave you his guitar?”

  “Yeah, pretty much,” Jared said with a chuckle. Mike was stunned at this news. Rocco without his guitar was like the Statue of Liberty without her torch. Mike looked over at the stage. His eyes settled on the lonesome guitar on its stand. He saw the stickers that read “Queer as Fuck” on the body. He stared at it for a moment and realized something. Of course, Rocco gave it away. There were too many memories attached to it. There was no way Rocco could ever play it again without thinking of Fred.

  “Of course he did,” Mike said distantly. After another moment of contemplation, he turned to Chris. “Hey Chris, can I get a ride home from you soon? I’m ready to get out of this tux.”

  “Of course you can,” Chris responded with a smile.

  “See you guys at lunch on Monday?” Jared asked.

  “Yeah, see you at lunch,” Mike said. Jared walked up to the stage to begin his dismantling duties one last time.

  Mike and Chris watched him for a moment. Jared handled the equipment with such loving care. It was clear to Mike that Fred would reemerge again soon.

  “You know what?” Chris spoke after a moment.

  “What’s that?” Mike said.

  “I’ve always wanted to learn to play drums. You think I could be Fred’s drummer?” Chris asked watching Jared carry off the cymbals.

  “Why not?” Mike replied.

  Mike and Chris walked off to Chris’s car. As Mike got into the passenger seat, he began to think about what would become of his social life next fall. He would, of course, have baseball. He would surely spend time with Jared and Chris. He wanted to be a part of Fred’s next chapter. Little did he know that this passing thought would lead to spending lots of time at the skatepark over the next two years working with Chris and Jared and the other new bandmembers keeping Fred alive.