Chapter Text
Laney Penn still vividly remembers the first time she fell in love.
Or, well, at least she thinks it was love… What?! She was only seven, for rock-gods’ sake!
Up until then, the only types of love she knew were from her family and what she had read in fairy tales. And even then, she found a lot of the stories unrelatable and unrealistic.
I mean, c’mon! Little Laney had thought. Love at first sight sounds so stupid!
So, she never expected her first love to hit her like a bullet train.
It all started when her family moved to Peaceville, and the tiny girl held hope the town lived up to its name and she got a peaceful, quiet restart… only for a hyperactive, blue-haired boy to suddenly burst into her life. Literally! The wall at the music school still has a small dent from when Corey had slammed the door open.
He was loud and obnoxious—getting into her personal space and asking her to join his band before he even introduced himself. No amount of snarky remarks and sarcastic comments deterred the blue-haired boy. Laney was about ready to shove him out the door, and lock it so he could never bother her again… But then he played a short melody on her grandma’s electric guitar, and everything just - stopped.
Growing up in a family of musicians, Laney had been exposed to a wide range of songs - from classics to heavy metal, from rock to pop, from country to electronic - Yet Laney had never heard a song quite like Corey’s.
His tune was loud, energetic, and in your face!… But it was also clumsy, rough, raw —and, well, absolutely breathtaking. Every note carried the love Corey had for music. The pure joy he felt when he played.
After Corey’s performance, Laney had just stared, entranced, at the guitarist as he flashed her a cocky smile.
And so, Laney had absolutely, hopelessly, inexplicably fallen in love.
Not romantic love, of course - she was only a kid! She hadn’t fallen for Corey! She fell for his music!
…Though at some point, the butterflies in her stomach started acting up even when Corey wasn’t playing. Her pulse quickened not only when he riffed out a new guitar solo, but whenever he flashed her a smile. Soon, even his jokes and teasing sounded just as sweet to her ears as his singing did. What started as admiration for his music had slowly transformed into a romantic affection that she couldn’t deny.
To be honest, Laney wasn’t sure the exact moment she fell in love romantically with Corey. Maybe it was the first time he booped her on the nose, her face heating up so badly she thought she had a fever. Maybe it was because of the excited spark in his eye as he went over one of his crazy plans. Maybe it was when Corey gifted her her beloved hairclip, which she knew was just a silly arcade prize he’d picked out, but he picked it out for her. Or maybe it was one of the times they were hanging out in the garage, goofing off, when Corey’s booming laughter at one of her sarcastic remarks made her feel lightheaded and free, the bassist breaking out into her own giggling fit.
Though Laney knew that she fell in love simply because Corey was just being Corey: An oblivious idiot, who had issues with personal space, didn’t listen half the time, seemed to be off in his own world… but also is the type of person who puts his all into whatever he was passionate about. The one who always looks at the bright side of things. Who cares about his friends more than anything in the world. How, despite struggling to find the right words when it came to writing lyrics, he always knew just what to say to uplift others. To help ease their worries even a little bit.
So, yeah. Now at thirteen, Laney was absolutely, inexplicably, hopelessly in love with her best friend.
…Who probably doesn’t love me back. Great. Just my luck. Laney sarcastically thought. The girl let out a sigh as she peeked over her magazine to see the object of her affection on the stage, tuning his guitar with his feet of all things, because according to Corey, “It makes my guitar sound a bajillion times awesomer, dude.”
He truly has a way with words, Laney sarcastically thought as she buried her face further in her magazine to hide her smile. He’s such a dork. Her grip crinkled the edges of the magazine as she tried her best not to swoon (What? She had some pride… Or at least enough pride not to do it where Corey or the Twins might see her).
She glanced back up, accidentally making eye contact with Corey. The boy flashed her a bright, crooked grin. Laney’s face heated as her pale, freckled skin turned as red as a tomato. She quickly lifted her magazine to cover her face.
Yes, Laney was helplessly, hopelessly in love with Corey Riffin. She couldn’t help it! The moment she first heard him play guitar, she was a goner.