Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Go Ahead and Burn it Down.
How Far We've Come
They ate. They boys raved about the pancakes. They also volunteered to do the dishes. Chris went to go get ready so she, Pete, and Patrick could go pick up Stacy at the airport. When it took Chris more than an hour to get ready, Pete went to investigate.
He knocked on her door. There was no answer. He opened the door saying, “Seriously, Chris, we’re gonna be late.”
She was sitting on the floor still in her pajamas. She was crying, holding what looked like a CD case. Pete sat in front of her.
“Hey, kid,” he said softly, “What’s wrong?”
“What if Stacy hates me?” she looked up at him.
“She wouldn’t be coming all this way to see you if she hated you,” Pete pointed out, wiping
away her tears.
“But what if she’s coming just to say how angry she is?”
“Chris,” Pete laughed a little, “that’s ridiculous. She’s coming because she loves you. I’ve talked to her. I promise that’s the reason.”
She nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and fiddling with the CD in her hand. Pete looked down at it. It was a copy of Take This To Your Grave still in shrink-wrap.
“I never opened it,” she whispered.
Pete realized that it must be the copy they sent to her. “That’s ok.”
“No it isn’t. I looked up what the song you guys sang to me last night was. Grenade Jumper. It’s on this CD. Maybe if I had listened to it I would have realized how stupid this whole thing was three years ago.”
“Maybe.” Pete replied.” Maybe not. I mean sure you would have heard Grenade Jumper, but you
also would have heard Saturday which was written about us trying to forget Matt. Or Homesick at Space Camp, which is also about you. A lot of the stuff on that album is about Matt and the way he affected our lives. Hearing that might have made you angry. You might not have been ready for that. It might have made things worse at the time. You still might not be ready to hear it, and that’s ok. But I hope you are ready to have us in your life again. Because we’ve missed you. And we let you get away once, but, I promise, we aren’t going to let it happen again.”
She was crying again. Pete held open his arms and the girl crawled into his lap and let him rock her.
Patrick and Becca had been standing outside the half open door. They had heard everything. Becca was silently crying. Patrick’s eyes were wet, but he was smiling. He always knew it would eventually be ok, and now it was. Chris had stopped crying. Patrick checked his watch. It was almost two o’clock. He knocked on the door softly and said, “Hey guys, we have to go get Stacy soon. Her plane lands in an hour.”
“Ok,” Chris called back. She wiped her tears and stood up. She put the CD on her bedside table, still unopened. She turned to Pete, who was now standing, and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he said into her hair. Then he held her at arm’s length. “No go clean yourself up, kid. You look a mess.”
“Gee thanks,” she said smiling, lightly hitting him on the arm.
“Hey, I just call them like I see them.”
Chris laughed and began to gather up the things she needed to get ready. Pete lounged on her bed and flipped on the tv. “Don’t put on mascara!”
Chris just laughed from the bathroom.
Out in the hall, Patrick looked at Becca. “Are you ok?’
“I have never heard her that upset before. I mean, she told us about Matt, like after we moved in together, but it was very matter of fact, and she only spoke about it that one time. I had no idea that was why she came here. She was so happy. She didn’t sleep, but she was happy. What happened in Chicago?”
“I don’t think I can tell you that. The only person who can tell you is Chris, and I’m not sure if she can,” Patrick told her. “If you’re going to ask her, I’d suggest waiting until all the festivities are over and her parents have left. I’m hoping the crying stops soon. There will probably be more when Stacy gets here, but she’s like Chris’ big sister, so it’s to be expected. But after that, I think we should try to keep graduation and everything happy.”
Becca nodded and wiped the tear residue off her face.
Chris came out of her bathroom in a blue and green tie-dyed sundress. She looked at Pete disapprovingly. “You are not allowed to go anywhere with me looking like that.”
He huffed and crossed his arms like a child.
“I mean it Pete Wentz. Go change.”
“Fine, mommm,” he said sarcastically. He grinned at her, got up, and stole the bathroom.
Chris sat on the bed and brushed her hair back into a loose bun. There was a knock on her door. “Come in,” she called.
It was Patrick, dressed and ready to go. “Time to leave?”
“Almost, Pete’s changing and I need to find my shoes.”
Ten minutes later Pete was ready and Chris had found her black Chucks, her keys and her purse. They shouted goodbye at everyone as they left the apartment. Then they piled into Chris’ CR-V and drove to the airport.
“Can we stop by the bus to get the rest of our stuff on the way back to the apartment?” Patrick asked.
“Sure,” Chris replied, “As long as you don’t mind going to the grocery store too. The girls and I are cooking dinner for our parents and y’all, but I haven’t had time to shop yet.”
They parked at the airport and went in the terminal. They waited outside security for a few minutes. Then Pete straight up shouted “STACYYYYYYY!”
A girl with short black hair, giant sunglasses, and a shirt that said The Academy Is… waved and started to walk quicker. She pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head and then Chris recognized her. Stacy walked through the glass doors. Chris took off at a run. Stacy dropped her roller bag and her backpack and caught Chris in a hug.
“I’m so sorry,” Chris cried into Stacy’s shoulder. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Stacy said, kissing her head, “But everything’s ok now.”
The boys walked over. Pete drawled, “Just like Stacy, always making a scene.”
“Shut up, Pete,” she said, her tear-streaked face grinning at him. She let go of Chris to hug both boys. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Stacy,” Patrick hugged her back.
“Happy you’re here,” Pete said, twirling her around.
Patrick picked up Stacy’s roller bag and Pete shouldered her backpack. Chris and Stacy led the way out of the airport arm and arm. In the car, before they started driving, Chris checked her reflection in the mirror, “Good call on the no mascara, Pete.”
“What can I say? I know my beauty products.”
The car laughed. On the drive to the previous nights venue they caught up. While the boys went to their bus to get more supplies, Stacy and Chris had a heart-to-heart similar to the conversations she had been having with Pete. As Patrick predicted, there were more tears. But afterwards they agreed that what needed to be said had been said, and they could pick up where they left off.
They ate. They boys raved about the pancakes. They also volunteered to do the dishes. Chris went to go get ready so she, Pete, and Patrick could go pick up Stacy at the airport. When it took Chris more than an hour to get ready, Pete went to investigate.
He knocked on her door. There was no answer. He opened the door saying, “Seriously, Chris, we’re gonna be late.”
She was sitting on the floor still in her pajamas. She was crying, holding what looked like a CD case. Pete sat in front of her.
“Hey, kid,” he said softly, “What’s wrong?”
“What if Stacy hates me?” she looked up at him.
“She wouldn’t be coming all this way to see you if she hated you,” Pete pointed out, wiping
away her tears.
“But what if she’s coming just to say how angry she is?”
“Chris,” Pete laughed a little, “that’s ridiculous. She’s coming because she loves you. I’ve talked to her. I promise that’s the reason.”
She nodded and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and fiddling with the CD in her hand. Pete looked down at it. It was a copy of Take This To Your Grave still in shrink-wrap.
“I never opened it,” she whispered.
Pete realized that it must be the copy they sent to her. “That’s ok.”
“No it isn’t. I looked up what the song you guys sang to me last night was. Grenade Jumper. It’s on this CD. Maybe if I had listened to it I would have realized how stupid this whole thing was three years ago.”
“Maybe.” Pete replied.” Maybe not. I mean sure you would have heard Grenade Jumper, but you
also would have heard Saturday which was written about us trying to forget Matt. Or Homesick at Space Camp, which is also about you. A lot of the stuff on that album is about Matt and the way he affected our lives. Hearing that might have made you angry. You might not have been ready for that. It might have made things worse at the time. You still might not be ready to hear it, and that’s ok. But I hope you are ready to have us in your life again. Because we’ve missed you. And we let you get away once, but, I promise, we aren’t going to let it happen again.”
She was crying again. Pete held open his arms and the girl crawled into his lap and let him rock her.
Patrick and Becca had been standing outside the half open door. They had heard everything. Becca was silently crying. Patrick’s eyes were wet, but he was smiling. He always knew it would eventually be ok, and now it was. Chris had stopped crying. Patrick checked his watch. It was almost two o’clock. He knocked on the door softly and said, “Hey guys, we have to go get Stacy soon. Her plane lands in an hour.”
“Ok,” Chris called back. She wiped her tears and stood up. She put the CD on her bedside table, still unopened. She turned to Pete, who was now standing, and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he said into her hair. Then he held her at arm’s length. “No go clean yourself up, kid. You look a mess.”
“Gee thanks,” she said smiling, lightly hitting him on the arm.
“Hey, I just call them like I see them.”
Chris laughed and began to gather up the things she needed to get ready. Pete lounged on her bed and flipped on the tv. “Don’t put on mascara!”
Chris just laughed from the bathroom.
Out in the hall, Patrick looked at Becca. “Are you ok?’
“I have never heard her that upset before. I mean, she told us about Matt, like after we moved in together, but it was very matter of fact, and she only spoke about it that one time. I had no idea that was why she came here. She was so happy. She didn’t sleep, but she was happy. What happened in Chicago?”
“I don’t think I can tell you that. The only person who can tell you is Chris, and I’m not sure if she can,” Patrick told her. “If you’re going to ask her, I’d suggest waiting until all the festivities are over and her parents have left. I’m hoping the crying stops soon. There will probably be more when Stacy gets here, but she’s like Chris’ big sister, so it’s to be expected. But after that, I think we should try to keep graduation and everything happy.”
Becca nodded and wiped the tear residue off her face.
Chris came out of her bathroom in a blue and green tie-dyed sundress. She looked at Pete disapprovingly. “You are not allowed to go anywhere with me looking like that.”
He huffed and crossed his arms like a child.
“I mean it Pete Wentz. Go change.”
“Fine, mommm,” he said sarcastically. He grinned at her, got up, and stole the bathroom.
Chris sat on the bed and brushed her hair back into a loose bun. There was a knock on her door. “Come in,” she called.
It was Patrick, dressed and ready to go. “Time to leave?”
“Almost, Pete’s changing and I need to find my shoes.”
Ten minutes later Pete was ready and Chris had found her black Chucks, her keys and her purse. They shouted goodbye at everyone as they left the apartment. Then they piled into Chris’ CR-V and drove to the airport.
“Can we stop by the bus to get the rest of our stuff on the way back to the apartment?” Patrick asked.
“Sure,” Chris replied, “As long as you don’t mind going to the grocery store too. The girls and I are cooking dinner for our parents and y’all, but I haven’t had time to shop yet.”
They parked at the airport and went in the terminal. They waited outside security for a few minutes. Then Pete straight up shouted “STACYYYYYYY!”
A girl with short black hair, giant sunglasses, and a shirt that said The Academy Is… waved and started to walk quicker. She pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head and then Chris recognized her. Stacy walked through the glass doors. Chris took off at a run. Stacy dropped her roller bag and her backpack and caught Chris in a hug.
“I’m so sorry,” Chris cried into Stacy’s shoulder. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” Stacy said, kissing her head, “But everything’s ok now.”
The boys walked over. Pete drawled, “Just like Stacy, always making a scene.”
“Shut up, Pete,” she said, her tear-streaked face grinning at him. She let go of Chris to hug both boys. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too, Stacy,” Patrick hugged her back.
“Happy you’re here,” Pete said, twirling her around.
Patrick picked up Stacy’s roller bag and Pete shouldered her backpack. Chris and Stacy led the way out of the airport arm and arm. In the car, before they started driving, Chris checked her reflection in the mirror, “Good call on the no mascara, Pete.”
“What can I say? I know my beauty products.”
The car laughed. On the drive to the previous nights venue they caught up. While the boys went to their bus to get more supplies, Stacy and Chris had a heart-to-heart similar to the conversations she had been having with Pete. As Patrick predicted, there were more tears. But afterwards they agreed that what needed to be said had been said, and they could pick up where they left off.
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