Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > The Mistake
Being proud didn't even begin to express how Ava felt about herself. She had almost made it through the entire concert without incident. The only change in her demeanor appeared during /Dance, Dance/, the song that played just before Wendy was taken. At that point Ava had felt the panic begin to rise up in her- fear, dread, and sadness all washed over her at once. Closing her eyes just managed to bring back flashes of police lights, blood stained clothing, and the intense feeling of everything being completely out of her control. It was as if her body was preparing for what it thought was coming next by relying on past events. Forcing her thoughts in a different direction, she began using her therapist's techniques for defeating a panic attack.
Breathe in.
50- 49- 48- 47- 46- 45- 44
Breathe out.
43- 42- 41- 40- 39- 38- 37- 36
Breathe in.
35- 34- 33- 32- 31- 30- 29- 28
Breathe out.
"Are you okay, Ava?" Matthew pulled her around so that she had to face him instead of the band.
Breathe in.
27- 26- 25- 24- 23- 22- 21- 20
Breathe out.
"Ava, look at me." His hands gripped tightly on her shoulders. "Look. At. Me."
His direct tone took her by surprise.
Breathe in.
19- 18- 17- 16- 15- 14- 13- 12- 11
Breathe out.
"Stay with me."
Breathe in.
10- 9- 8- 7 -6- 5- 4
Matthew pulled her against his chest, practically crushing her under his arms.
3- 2- 1
Breathe out.
Like magic, Ava began to feel the control once again become hers. It terrified her to think that it could be lost so easily. She knew those fifty numbers didn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, but for some reason they worked wonders for her. At least in minor instances.
Sighing against Matthew's shoulder she took in her surroundings. It was just a song. A song she had listened to a thousand times before and nothing bad had happened. She would be fine. She would make it be fine if she had to.
Placing her hands on Matthew's chest she pushed away from him- his warmth leaving her- and immediately the cooler air brought her back to reality. He was trying his best to help; Ava had to give him that. She wondered what Wendy would think of his efforts. Most likely she would be pleased. Wendy had always been soft-hearted for a person in need.
"I'm good, now. Thanks, Matthew." Ava pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, self-conscious of how everyone else had reacted to her little episode. Glancing around told her that no one had noticed at all. Thank god. Everyone didn't need to know she was a little crazy at the moment.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah."
"We can leave if you want to."
"No, really, I'm fine."
Matthew didn't look convinced, but he let it drop anyway. The rest of the show went without any anxiety from Ava at all. She kept that little part of her life pushed away to the back of her mind. She would resume feeling guilty at a later date when she had the time and the energy to deal with it. Right now she wanted to concentrate on a boy. If that made her a terrible person then she guessed the title fit.
Ava felt her heart skip a beat as soon as she realized the concert was over. The band said their farewells and headed off the stage in her direction. She noticed Patrick right away, pulling the strap of his guitar over his head, knocking his hat askew in the process. Ava decided right then and there that he was- without a shadow of a doubt- the sexiest guy in the world. It really was no wonder why girls practically threw themselves at him. He just possessed that certain something that made him irresistible. And Ava was feeling fully drawn to that charm.
Which sucked. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that she should want nothing to do with him, it never worked. Her body and her mind had two totally different ideas of what was best for her. Right now, her body was winning. She was in Cincinnati after all.
"Hey." She said casually when he approached, not knowing the appropriate after-concert etiquette.
"Hey." He said back. After the closet incident he had been whisked away by some guy that practically screamed 'I'm in charge' to do some warm ups with the band. Ava was left to find Matthew after that and didn't see him again until he was onstage.
"You guys were amazing." She smiled, meaning every word. "This was definitely the best Fall Out Boy concert I've ever been to."
"And how many have you attended?"
"Including this one?" He nodded. "Two."
"Ah, I see. Any concert in the world- even Nickelback- would probably be better than the last one you went to."
She laughed. "That's probably true, but you really were wonderful. Crisis or no crisis, I swear."
Patrick grinned. "Flattery can get you everywhere."
Ava sighed, trying not to be won over so easily. All the while she knew it was a hopeless cause. "Maybe I was banking on that."
He groaned. "Listen, I have to go do a few band things. Some kids won some sort of backstage passes or something and were promised some form of actual interaction with us, so..."
"Go be Mr. Lead Singer Man. I'll just hang out around here somewhere." She interrupted. "Don't worry about me. I have Matthew so I'm not alone."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Matthew, right."
"Patrick..."
"The two of you are getting pretty close, aren't you?"
That caught her a little off guard. "Uh, I suppose."
His frown deepened. "Is there anything I should be aware of there?"
Ava cocked one eyebrow. "What are you getting at?" Surely he didn't think...
"I don't know... he's a boy, you're a girl..."
"You're kidding, right?" Ava could hear her voice becoming higher as she spoke.
Patrick glanced over to where Matthew was standing a good thirty feet away, talking to one of the tech guys. "Uh..."
"Do you really think I'm the type of girl who goes after my dead best friend's boyfriend?" She couldn't help but be blunt. His accusations were beyond ridiculous.
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"No, not put any way." She crossed her arms, her defenses setting in. "This is the kind of thing that is irrevocably constant in... I don't know... in society. A person just doesn't do that. Ever."
"The two of you looked pretty cozy during /Dance, Dance/, Ava."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. The two of you were... embracing or something."
"Embracing." Ava stated back to him blankly.
"Yes. I saw you pretty clearly."
"Obviously not clearly enough."
He waited for her to continue whatever explanation she was going to give.
"If you were paying attention to the song, Patrick, you would have noticed that it just happened to be the one that played right before Wendy disappeared. Things just started replaying in my head and I started to have an anxiety attack. Thank god Matthew was there to help me."
He blinked, his expression dramatically softening. "Ava..."
"No. Not now." She took a step backward, knowing she didn't need to be close to him. Ava wanted to be angry- it was so much better than feeling sad or guilty. Letting Patrick redeem himself could easily take that away from her. "Go be a good band member and find your little VIP fans like you're supposed to."
"Ava, don't... you have to realize what that looked like to me..."
"Oh, I realize. It is more than apparent that we don't know each other as well as we thought, because anyone that knows me would never ever suspect anything between me and Matthew."
"It was just a question, Ava." Patrick muttered. "I didn't actually want there to be anything between you and him, I just needed to make sure." She frowned, damn him for being so cute. He reached for her hand, and she reluctantly let him take it.
"If I had something going on with Matthew, why would I have even come to the concert?" She asked, trying to be logical. He looked away, and she immediately understood what he had been going through his mind. "You thought I was just one of those girls trying to get with a member of Fall Out Boy."
He tried to look shocked at the idea, but he couldn't hide it. That was exactly what had been going through his head.
She laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not content with just a stupid song."
"Nor have we slept together." He replied, knowing exactly what song title she was referring to. They were both trying to make light of whatever just passed between them.
Ava nodded. "And there's that."
"Of course, I'm not opposed to the idea..."
"Hmm. I don't know." She said, overdramatically, "I'm busy trying to prove I'm not after you for your celebrity status. Any you," she poked him in the chest with her finger, "need to go do your band stuff."
He jerked her toward him as he wrapped his free hand around her waist- his other was still holding his guitar. "So hold that thought." He whispered in her ear then crushed his lips against hers. This time his kiss was hard and quick, but still left her shaken none the less. He pulled away, taking a step back. "Stay here."
"Where else would I go?"
Patrick grinned, "Who knows. You tend to end up in strange situations."
Ava rolled her eyes as he headed off in the direction the other guys had gone before. What was she getting herself into?
Heartache most likely.
____________________________________________
I'm back from D.C!!! Sorry it took so long for me to update! Thanks for hanging in there with me. I also know this chapter was a little on the short side, but hey... What is a girl to do? Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!
Breathe in.
50- 49- 48- 47- 46- 45- 44
Breathe out.
43- 42- 41- 40- 39- 38- 37- 36
Breathe in.
35- 34- 33- 32- 31- 30- 29- 28
Breathe out.
"Are you okay, Ava?" Matthew pulled her around so that she had to face him instead of the band.
Breathe in.
27- 26- 25- 24- 23- 22- 21- 20
Breathe out.
"Ava, look at me." His hands gripped tightly on her shoulders. "Look. At. Me."
His direct tone took her by surprise.
Breathe in.
19- 18- 17- 16- 15- 14- 13- 12- 11
Breathe out.
"Stay with me."
Breathe in.
10- 9- 8- 7 -6- 5- 4
Matthew pulled her against his chest, practically crushing her under his arms.
3- 2- 1
Breathe out.
Like magic, Ava began to feel the control once again become hers. It terrified her to think that it could be lost so easily. She knew those fifty numbers didn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, but for some reason they worked wonders for her. At least in minor instances.
Sighing against Matthew's shoulder she took in her surroundings. It was just a song. A song she had listened to a thousand times before and nothing bad had happened. She would be fine. She would make it be fine if she had to.
Placing her hands on Matthew's chest she pushed away from him- his warmth leaving her- and immediately the cooler air brought her back to reality. He was trying his best to help; Ava had to give him that. She wondered what Wendy would think of his efforts. Most likely she would be pleased. Wendy had always been soft-hearted for a person in need.
"I'm good, now. Thanks, Matthew." Ava pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, self-conscious of how everyone else had reacted to her little episode. Glancing around told her that no one had noticed at all. Thank god. Everyone didn't need to know she was a little crazy at the moment.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah."
"We can leave if you want to."
"No, really, I'm fine."
Matthew didn't look convinced, but he let it drop anyway. The rest of the show went without any anxiety from Ava at all. She kept that little part of her life pushed away to the back of her mind. She would resume feeling guilty at a later date when she had the time and the energy to deal with it. Right now she wanted to concentrate on a boy. If that made her a terrible person then she guessed the title fit.
Ava felt her heart skip a beat as soon as she realized the concert was over. The band said their farewells and headed off the stage in her direction. She noticed Patrick right away, pulling the strap of his guitar over his head, knocking his hat askew in the process. Ava decided right then and there that he was- without a shadow of a doubt- the sexiest guy in the world. It really was no wonder why girls practically threw themselves at him. He just possessed that certain something that made him irresistible. And Ava was feeling fully drawn to that charm.
Which sucked. No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that she should want nothing to do with him, it never worked. Her body and her mind had two totally different ideas of what was best for her. Right now, her body was winning. She was in Cincinnati after all.
"Hey." She said casually when he approached, not knowing the appropriate after-concert etiquette.
"Hey." He said back. After the closet incident he had been whisked away by some guy that practically screamed 'I'm in charge' to do some warm ups with the band. Ava was left to find Matthew after that and didn't see him again until he was onstage.
"You guys were amazing." She smiled, meaning every word. "This was definitely the best Fall Out Boy concert I've ever been to."
"And how many have you attended?"
"Including this one?" He nodded. "Two."
"Ah, I see. Any concert in the world- even Nickelback- would probably be better than the last one you went to."
She laughed. "That's probably true, but you really were wonderful. Crisis or no crisis, I swear."
Patrick grinned. "Flattery can get you everywhere."
Ava sighed, trying not to be won over so easily. All the while she knew it was a hopeless cause. "Maybe I was banking on that."
He groaned. "Listen, I have to go do a few band things. Some kids won some sort of backstage passes or something and were promised some form of actual interaction with us, so..."
"Go be Mr. Lead Singer Man. I'll just hang out around here somewhere." She interrupted. "Don't worry about me. I have Matthew so I'm not alone."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Matthew, right."
"Patrick..."
"The two of you are getting pretty close, aren't you?"
That caught her a little off guard. "Uh, I suppose."
His frown deepened. "Is there anything I should be aware of there?"
Ava cocked one eyebrow. "What are you getting at?" Surely he didn't think...
"I don't know... he's a boy, you're a girl..."
"You're kidding, right?" Ava could hear her voice becoming higher as she spoke.
Patrick glanced over to where Matthew was standing a good thirty feet away, talking to one of the tech guys. "Uh..."
"Do you really think I'm the type of girl who goes after my dead best friend's boyfriend?" She couldn't help but be blunt. His accusations were beyond ridiculous.
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"No, not put any way." She crossed her arms, her defenses setting in. "This is the kind of thing that is irrevocably constant in... I don't know... in society. A person just doesn't do that. Ever."
"The two of you looked pretty cozy during /Dance, Dance/, Ava."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. The two of you were... embracing or something."
"Embracing." Ava stated back to him blankly.
"Yes. I saw you pretty clearly."
"Obviously not clearly enough."
He waited for her to continue whatever explanation she was going to give.
"If you were paying attention to the song, Patrick, you would have noticed that it just happened to be the one that played right before Wendy disappeared. Things just started replaying in my head and I started to have an anxiety attack. Thank god Matthew was there to help me."
He blinked, his expression dramatically softening. "Ava..."
"No. Not now." She took a step backward, knowing she didn't need to be close to him. Ava wanted to be angry- it was so much better than feeling sad or guilty. Letting Patrick redeem himself could easily take that away from her. "Go be a good band member and find your little VIP fans like you're supposed to."
"Ava, don't... you have to realize what that looked like to me..."
"Oh, I realize. It is more than apparent that we don't know each other as well as we thought, because anyone that knows me would never ever suspect anything between me and Matthew."
"It was just a question, Ava." Patrick muttered. "I didn't actually want there to be anything between you and him, I just needed to make sure." She frowned, damn him for being so cute. He reached for her hand, and she reluctantly let him take it.
"If I had something going on with Matthew, why would I have even come to the concert?" She asked, trying to be logical. He looked away, and she immediately understood what he had been going through his mind. "You thought I was just one of those girls trying to get with a member of Fall Out Boy."
He tried to look shocked at the idea, but he couldn't hide it. That was exactly what had been going through his head.
She laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not content with just a stupid song."
"Nor have we slept together." He replied, knowing exactly what song title she was referring to. They were both trying to make light of whatever just passed between them.
Ava nodded. "And there's that."
"Of course, I'm not opposed to the idea..."
"Hmm. I don't know." She said, overdramatically, "I'm busy trying to prove I'm not after you for your celebrity status. Any you," she poked him in the chest with her finger, "need to go do your band stuff."
He jerked her toward him as he wrapped his free hand around her waist- his other was still holding his guitar. "So hold that thought." He whispered in her ear then crushed his lips against hers. This time his kiss was hard and quick, but still left her shaken none the less. He pulled away, taking a step back. "Stay here."
"Where else would I go?"
Patrick grinned, "Who knows. You tend to end up in strange situations."
Ava rolled her eyes as he headed off in the direction the other guys had gone before. What was she getting herself into?
Heartache most likely.
____________________________________________
I'm back from D.C!!! Sorry it took so long for me to update! Thanks for hanging in there with me. I also know this chapter was a little on the short side, but hey... What is a girl to do? Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!
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