Categories > Celebrities > Panic! At The Disco > An Unexpected Birthday Present
"Are you serious, Ryan?" Brendon's voice had a hard time saying the words clearly through his laughs.
"Yeah, man. That's what happened." I didn't know what he found funny about it, but I paid no mind. My fingers typed nimbly over my laptop's keyboard as my eyes searched anxiously over it. I put the only information I knew in the search box of MySpace and sat cross legged, biting the nails of one of my hands as I waited for the results.
"She sounds okay," Jon said with an approving smile. I looked up from my laptop to smile back at him as thanks.
"Well, she is okay. But she's just a kid."
Spencer was starting to get on my nerves after that. Why couldn't he just be happy for me? "So what?" I said defensively before staring back at the screen.
When the page finally popped up, I shouted. "There!" I clicked on the only result that appeared: "Amanda Thompson - Verona, WI" The page took it's time loading once again, and I sat just the same as I had before, anticipation coursing through my head.
"What is it?" They all crowded around me to get a glimpse of the page.
As soon as my eyes danced over to the first sentence on the page, the song began to play. My ears instantly recognized the song "Homesick at Space Camp."
Landing on a runway in Chicago and I'm grounding all my dreams
Of ever really seeing California, because I know what's in between
Is something sensual in such non-conventional ways
I would have continued reading past the first sentence displayed in a decorated font had not my mood been interrupted by my childhood friend. "I know that song!" Spencer burst out. I turned my head around all too quickly, my gaze hard at him for distracting me. "Don't you remember? It was that day we sprayed you with whipped cream as soon as you walked in the door and it got in your-" I cut him off before he could finish his sentence and bring any more redness to my cheeks "Yes, I remember, Spencer," I declared lowly, glancing at Jon and Brendon who were listening with intrigued looks on their faces.
Tonight the headphones will deliver you the words that I can't say
Tonight I'm writing you a million miles away
Tonight is all about "We miss you, we miss you."
"Hey, it's her!" Brendon's voice shouted over the music when he pointed to the screen. After that, we all read the words she had typed out.
"Oh, she's shy." Jon was taking the whole thing better than I thought he would.
"Yeah, I told you she was," I replied without taking my eyes off the screen.
"It's cute. I wish I could have seen you two together." Jon looked reproachfully at Spencer following his statement.
"Well, I still don't know..."
"I do!" Brendon seemed so excited over the whole thing. There was a constant grin on his face whenever he spoke. "She's too young for you to date, but you still like her anyway! I see your dilemma, Ryro."
At that, I just stared at him blankly for a few moments. He must have had one too many Red Bulls already that afternoon. I let out short sigh before continuing on with my reading.
"Tonight is all about 'We miss you.'
And I can't forget your style or your cynicism
Somehow it was like you were the first to listen to everything we said
My smile's an open wound without you and my hands are tied to pages inked to bring you back"
The song was just an uncanny coincidence, but somehow, it made me miss her more. I turned my head in the direction of my sidekick, contemplating calling her just to talk to her again. But the voices of my band mates interrupted again; as they pointed at things she had typed and laughed in unison. All the while, I stared at the page, hoping that they would cope with it better as time went on.
They just had to accept her.
These friends are, new friends are golden
It seemed like I had been talking forever. At least I had a good reason: I didn't want to repeat the story more than once to each of my friends, so I waited after a peaceful, dreaming weekend to explain everything to them. And what did I get in return? Each one of them staring at me with wide eyes. It was only a matter of time before my six companions all burst out at the same time with random questions.
"What was it like?!"
"What was he wearing?"
"Did you kiss for more than five seconds?"
They went on like this for thirty seconds, a countless number of questions emitting from their mouths at a million miles an hour. Abby and I were the only ones that were silent.
"Wait, wait, WAIT! How do we know if you're telling the truth?"
"Abby was with me!"
"Yeah, but she wasn't there."
She stared me down, but I stared back with a challenging gaze.
"Fine, I'll prove it!" In an instant, I whipped out my cell phone from my pocket, not caring that there were a million other voices in the room all talking at once, or that cell phones were prohibited at school. It was lunch time. Who really cared?
Finally, he picked up. "Happy belated birthday." I smiled.
"Amanda?" I didn't say anything. I was too busy searching for the button that put him on speakerphone. Once I had it, I held it out to them.
"Say hi to my friends, would you?"
"Hello..."
They all stared, wide-eyed again. I just rolled my eyes at them and got up from the table to go outside where it was less noisy. And I made sure to press that same button to make it a private conversation once more.
"Guess what?" I asked him.
"What?"
"I miss you." I sighed and leaned against the wall just outside the door to the school. I longed to be with him again, and it had only been a few days.
"So do I. But don't you remember what I told you?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well, just keep that in mind."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Would I ever let you down?" I giggled. We seemed to have a knack for answering our questions with another question. "Listen, I have to go."
"Okay." I choked on the single word. I couldn't help it. Saying goodbye to Ryan was never something I enjoyed.
"Never say goodbye."
"I won't. I promise." I forced my fingers to flip the phone down and place it back in my pocket, and then put my head back against the wall and sighed. But I supposed only time would let us know when we would meet again.
"Yeah, man. That's what happened." I didn't know what he found funny about it, but I paid no mind. My fingers typed nimbly over my laptop's keyboard as my eyes searched anxiously over it. I put the only information I knew in the search box of MySpace and sat cross legged, biting the nails of one of my hands as I waited for the results.
"She sounds okay," Jon said with an approving smile. I looked up from my laptop to smile back at him as thanks.
"Well, she is okay. But she's just a kid."
Spencer was starting to get on my nerves after that. Why couldn't he just be happy for me? "So what?" I said defensively before staring back at the screen.
When the page finally popped up, I shouted. "There!" I clicked on the only result that appeared: "Amanda Thompson - Verona, WI" The page took it's time loading once again, and I sat just the same as I had before, anticipation coursing through my head.
"What is it?" They all crowded around me to get a glimpse of the page.
As soon as my eyes danced over to the first sentence on the page, the song began to play. My ears instantly recognized the song "Homesick at Space Camp."
Landing on a runway in Chicago and I'm grounding all my dreams
Of ever really seeing California, because I know what's in between
Is something sensual in such non-conventional ways
I would have continued reading past the first sentence displayed in a decorated font had not my mood been interrupted by my childhood friend. "I know that song!" Spencer burst out. I turned my head around all too quickly, my gaze hard at him for distracting me. "Don't you remember? It was that day we sprayed you with whipped cream as soon as you walked in the door and it got in your-" I cut him off before he could finish his sentence and bring any more redness to my cheeks "Yes, I remember, Spencer," I declared lowly, glancing at Jon and Brendon who were listening with intrigued looks on their faces.
Tonight the headphones will deliver you the words that I can't say
Tonight I'm writing you a million miles away
Tonight is all about "We miss you, we miss you."
"Hey, it's her!" Brendon's voice shouted over the music when he pointed to the screen. After that, we all read the words she had typed out.
"Oh, she's shy." Jon was taking the whole thing better than I thought he would.
"Yeah, I told you she was," I replied without taking my eyes off the screen.
"It's cute. I wish I could have seen you two together." Jon looked reproachfully at Spencer following his statement.
"Well, I still don't know..."
"I do!" Brendon seemed so excited over the whole thing. There was a constant grin on his face whenever he spoke. "She's too young for you to date, but you still like her anyway! I see your dilemma, Ryro."
At that, I just stared at him blankly for a few moments. He must have had one too many Red Bulls already that afternoon. I let out short sigh before continuing on with my reading.
"Tonight is all about 'We miss you.'
And I can't forget your style or your cynicism
Somehow it was like you were the first to listen to everything we said
My smile's an open wound without you and my hands are tied to pages inked to bring you back"
The song was just an uncanny coincidence, but somehow, it made me miss her more. I turned my head in the direction of my sidekick, contemplating calling her just to talk to her again. But the voices of my band mates interrupted again; as they pointed at things she had typed and laughed in unison. All the while, I stared at the page, hoping that they would cope with it better as time went on.
They just had to accept her.
These friends are, new friends are golden
It seemed like I had been talking forever. At least I had a good reason: I didn't want to repeat the story more than once to each of my friends, so I waited after a peaceful, dreaming weekend to explain everything to them. And what did I get in return? Each one of them staring at me with wide eyes. It was only a matter of time before my six companions all burst out at the same time with random questions.
"What was it like?!"
"What was he wearing?"
"Did you kiss for more than five seconds?"
They went on like this for thirty seconds, a countless number of questions emitting from their mouths at a million miles an hour. Abby and I were the only ones that were silent.
"Wait, wait, WAIT! How do we know if you're telling the truth?"
"Abby was with me!"
"Yeah, but she wasn't there."
She stared me down, but I stared back with a challenging gaze.
"Fine, I'll prove it!" In an instant, I whipped out my cell phone from my pocket, not caring that there were a million other voices in the room all talking at once, or that cell phones were prohibited at school. It was lunch time. Who really cared?
Finally, he picked up. "Happy belated birthday." I smiled.
"Amanda?" I didn't say anything. I was too busy searching for the button that put him on speakerphone. Once I had it, I held it out to them.
"Say hi to my friends, would you?"
"Hello..."
They all stared, wide-eyed again. I just rolled my eyes at them and got up from the table to go outside where it was less noisy. And I made sure to press that same button to make it a private conversation once more.
"Guess what?" I asked him.
"What?"
"I miss you." I sighed and leaned against the wall just outside the door to the school. I longed to be with him again, and it had only been a few days.
"So do I. But don't you remember what I told you?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well, just keep that in mind."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Would I ever let you down?" I giggled. We seemed to have a knack for answering our questions with another question. "Listen, I have to go."
"Okay." I choked on the single word. I couldn't help it. Saying goodbye to Ryan was never something I enjoyed.
"Never say goodbye."
"I won't. I promise." I forced my fingers to flip the phone down and place it back in my pocket, and then put my head back against the wall and sighed. But I supposed only time would let us know when we would meet again.
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