Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Dead On Arrival
Smoothing her clammy and slightly trembling hands over the white, silky fabric, Ana persuaded the cool material of the dress down over her hips, admiring her reflection in the full length mirror that stood silently in the corner of a quaint loft apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Being back in the city, bunking up in Janelle's personal safe haven wasn't exactly where Ana wanted to be, but 9 days after dismissing her visit with William and Gabe, Los Angeles was too aggravating and Chicago was just too lonely. Biting nervously, almost gnawing violently, on her bottom lip, Ana stared intently at the reflection in the mirror, the reflection of the woman staring back at her. Poking ever so gently at the stitches and the bruise on her face, there was no explanation for the tears that were forming behind her eyes at that moment, but it was something she didn't seem to be controlling.
Gingerly lifting the fabric up from around her calves before sitting down, she shuffled briskly from the mirror to the couch, huffing loudly in frustration as she dropped down less than delicately onto the cushions. Watching the scene from the doorway of her bedroom, Janelle stared with concern in her eyes as she ran a towel and a then a comb through her damp hair before tossing both haphazardly on to the kitchen table as she made her way towards the living room.
"Please don't tell me you called off the wedding?"
Janelle's voice immediately startled Ana, but it was the lapse in registration that made her question harder to comprehend.
"What? Why?"
Gripping the towel that was still wrapped around her damp body, Janelle took a seat on the couch, careful not to sit on the gown as she stared down at her best friend with concern and an anxious feeling in her heart. With the fabric of the dress still bunched between her fingers and tears still drying slowly on her cheeks, Ana stared bewildered as Janelle began to speak, her voice bubbly, in a very joking manner.
"Well, as romantic films have taught us over our lifetimes, this would be the tell tale scene were the bride is very unsure of her impending marriage and has already called off, or is seriously contemplating calling off her wedding. All that's really missing is depressing background music to accompany the scene and an overbearing mother or a psychotically jealous Maid of Honor."
Nearly ten years ago Ana was forced to accept the fact that her mother would never be around to watch her reach all of life's greatest accomplishments; her driver's license, first car, high school and college graduations, and subsequently both of her engagements and one current, potential wedding. It was never going to be a light hearted burden to carry around, but Ana made the best of it, pushing the smile out through her teeth and lips and turning it over on its side, "Well I've only got one of those people, so I guess you've got a lot of work cut out for you."
Staring at her reflection, now from across the room, Ana wiped the last of the tears from her eyes as a lingering silence fell hush on the room. Janelle just sat and watched as Ana smoothed the dress back down over her knees, the wheels of her mind visibly turning on end.
"What --" With a heavy sigh to compose her thoughts, Ana stuttered, and began again, "What if I'm not ready for this? What if I'm a horrible wife?"
Janelle laughed, probably much too loudly for the serious situation at hand, but it was an uncontrollable reflex. With a deep breath, she apologized for her outburst and continued with her previous objective. "You're going to be a great wife, that's inevitable and you're more ready for marriage than anyone I've ever know. If you're really going to worry about anything, it should be his potential of being the worst husband you could have ever picked."
With a heavy frown, Ana's face immediately dropped at the ideological destruction of her current lover, but Janelle was quick to pick up the pieces, and offer and obvious explanation.
"Anabella, listen to me; I know you might not want to hear it, but I have to say it, just this once.” Turning to face Ana more clearly on the couch, Janelle held the towel tight to her body and let out what was on her mind, "You know I love Patrick, dearly, with all of my heart and you know that I could never be happier for you than I am right now, but sometimes, that boy is a moron. He's yet to figure out that you're the single greatest thing to ever happen to him, and I'm just afraid that when he finally does, it's going to be too late."
The tears were silently streaming down her cheeks as Ana fumbled with the ruffled fabric in her lap, unsure of exactly how to respond to what she had just heard, because somewhere inside her, she knew that Janelle was right. So instead, she took that advantage to change the specific topic, "This is the last tour."
The nearly horrified look in Janelle's eyes was almost as intense as Ana imagined a die hard fan would be, but she could only chuckle lightly at hear mistake, correcting it immediately, "Not forever, just you know, for a little while."
With a sigh of relief, Janelle had to laugh at herself for a moment, "Well that's good, right?"
Ana shrugged, honestly, because it was hard to decipher the good from the bad these days. "I mean, yeah, I guess so. They'll do some promotional stuff before the year is through, but then they're taking a break. They'll come home, he'll produce some stuff, we'll get married, he'll write for a new album. Maybe it won't be so bad."
"I think it's going to be great." Janelle assured her emotionally battered counterpart, "You'll get married, make a baby or two; who could ask for more?"
"Yeah" Ana scoffed sarcastically, "Because I'm so ready to explain to my child that daddy can't come to his soccer game but he can entertain thousands of strangers half-way across the country, or the world for that matter."
"Alright well, maybe it's not time for baby-making just yet" Janelle admitted defeat, "but having him around will help bring you two back to where you once were."
With a heavy sigh, Ana agreed with hesitation, "I hope you're right."
"I am, I'm always right, that's why I'm your best friend. You look beautiful in that dress, you're marrying a man who, although is a fumbling idiot, would give the entire world to you if he could and you're going to have by far, the most rocking wedding in history. Stop worrying so much, sister."
Ana couldn't help but smile at how over confident Janelle could be, before Janelle was immediately mocking their current situation, "If only our men could see us now, sitting around, crying, in a wedding dress and a wet bath towel."
"Add a beer bong and three gallons of jungle juice; its sophomore year Halloween all over again."
"Oh don't remind me" Janelle cried, before she hopped up from the couch, Ana immediately following suit.
"Maybe I should take the dress off before I have any more nervous break downs ..." Ana was trying to make a joke as she struggled to reach around to the zipper but Janelle was off in space somewhere, Ana could see something brewing in her eyes. "What?"
"I just got the most ingenious idea I've ever come up with!" Janelle ecstatically sped across the room to the computer and started typing away like a crazy woman. Less than a minute later, with the click of the mouse she was spinning around in the desk chair with a ridiculous grin planted on her lips and a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
"Let's go to Miami."
"What? No. When? How?"
"One at a time, let's go to Miami. Yes. In three days and preferably we fly there in a plane." Always a smart ass, Janelle laughed at Ana's expression as it was explained to her, noting the look in her idea, letting Janelle know that she wanted to do it, but that she wasn't going to go without a fight.
"I ... I don't know, I mean, I was going to try to get some more work done while I was out here and we ca--" With a sigh, Ana cut herself off, because her argument didn't sound as convincing verbally as it did in her head.
"It'll be great; we'll visit the school, hit a few frat parties, catch a Fall Out Boy show down at the beach, and get too drunk to find the dorms, just like old times." It was hard to hold back the smile as she explained their itinerary and threw in the mention of the special surprise, and it was hard not to laugh at Ana's reaction and realization that maybe Janelle wasn't as crazy as it seems.
"I think we're a little too old for frat parties. Help me out of this dress?" Trying to change the subject so she could give it some thought, Ana struggled more with the zipper as she motioned for some help.
"Good cleavage says we're never too old for frat parties and only if you agree to a weekend of drunken alumni debauchery!"
Sighing in defeat, Ana bit her bottom lip nervously as she contemplated her answer, finally giving up, and giving in. "As long as you promise no jungle juice or beer bongs ... then I guess ... fine, I'll go."
Clapping her hands together in excitement, Janelle hopped up to fulfill her immediate promise, glad that she always got the last word.
Gingerly lifting the fabric up from around her calves before sitting down, she shuffled briskly from the mirror to the couch, huffing loudly in frustration as she dropped down less than delicately onto the cushions. Watching the scene from the doorway of her bedroom, Janelle stared with concern in her eyes as she ran a towel and a then a comb through her damp hair before tossing both haphazardly on to the kitchen table as she made her way towards the living room.
"Please don't tell me you called off the wedding?"
Janelle's voice immediately startled Ana, but it was the lapse in registration that made her question harder to comprehend.
"What? Why?"
Gripping the towel that was still wrapped around her damp body, Janelle took a seat on the couch, careful not to sit on the gown as she stared down at her best friend with concern and an anxious feeling in her heart. With the fabric of the dress still bunched between her fingers and tears still drying slowly on her cheeks, Ana stared bewildered as Janelle began to speak, her voice bubbly, in a very joking manner.
"Well, as romantic films have taught us over our lifetimes, this would be the tell tale scene were the bride is very unsure of her impending marriage and has already called off, or is seriously contemplating calling off her wedding. All that's really missing is depressing background music to accompany the scene and an overbearing mother or a psychotically jealous Maid of Honor."
Nearly ten years ago Ana was forced to accept the fact that her mother would never be around to watch her reach all of life's greatest accomplishments; her driver's license, first car, high school and college graduations, and subsequently both of her engagements and one current, potential wedding. It was never going to be a light hearted burden to carry around, but Ana made the best of it, pushing the smile out through her teeth and lips and turning it over on its side, "Well I've only got one of those people, so I guess you've got a lot of work cut out for you."
Staring at her reflection, now from across the room, Ana wiped the last of the tears from her eyes as a lingering silence fell hush on the room. Janelle just sat and watched as Ana smoothed the dress back down over her knees, the wheels of her mind visibly turning on end.
"What --" With a heavy sigh to compose her thoughts, Ana stuttered, and began again, "What if I'm not ready for this? What if I'm a horrible wife?"
Janelle laughed, probably much too loudly for the serious situation at hand, but it was an uncontrollable reflex. With a deep breath, she apologized for her outburst and continued with her previous objective. "You're going to be a great wife, that's inevitable and you're more ready for marriage than anyone I've ever know. If you're really going to worry about anything, it should be his potential of being the worst husband you could have ever picked."
With a heavy frown, Ana's face immediately dropped at the ideological destruction of her current lover, but Janelle was quick to pick up the pieces, and offer and obvious explanation.
"Anabella, listen to me; I know you might not want to hear it, but I have to say it, just this once.” Turning to face Ana more clearly on the couch, Janelle held the towel tight to her body and let out what was on her mind, "You know I love Patrick, dearly, with all of my heart and you know that I could never be happier for you than I am right now, but sometimes, that boy is a moron. He's yet to figure out that you're the single greatest thing to ever happen to him, and I'm just afraid that when he finally does, it's going to be too late."
The tears were silently streaming down her cheeks as Ana fumbled with the ruffled fabric in her lap, unsure of exactly how to respond to what she had just heard, because somewhere inside her, she knew that Janelle was right. So instead, she took that advantage to change the specific topic, "This is the last tour."
The nearly horrified look in Janelle's eyes was almost as intense as Ana imagined a die hard fan would be, but she could only chuckle lightly at hear mistake, correcting it immediately, "Not forever, just you know, for a little while."
With a sigh of relief, Janelle had to laugh at herself for a moment, "Well that's good, right?"
Ana shrugged, honestly, because it was hard to decipher the good from the bad these days. "I mean, yeah, I guess so. They'll do some promotional stuff before the year is through, but then they're taking a break. They'll come home, he'll produce some stuff, we'll get married, he'll write for a new album. Maybe it won't be so bad."
"I think it's going to be great." Janelle assured her emotionally battered counterpart, "You'll get married, make a baby or two; who could ask for more?"
"Yeah" Ana scoffed sarcastically, "Because I'm so ready to explain to my child that daddy can't come to his soccer game but he can entertain thousands of strangers half-way across the country, or the world for that matter."
"Alright well, maybe it's not time for baby-making just yet" Janelle admitted defeat, "but having him around will help bring you two back to where you once were."
With a heavy sigh, Ana agreed with hesitation, "I hope you're right."
"I am, I'm always right, that's why I'm your best friend. You look beautiful in that dress, you're marrying a man who, although is a fumbling idiot, would give the entire world to you if he could and you're going to have by far, the most rocking wedding in history. Stop worrying so much, sister."
Ana couldn't help but smile at how over confident Janelle could be, before Janelle was immediately mocking their current situation, "If only our men could see us now, sitting around, crying, in a wedding dress and a wet bath towel."
"Add a beer bong and three gallons of jungle juice; its sophomore year Halloween all over again."
"Oh don't remind me" Janelle cried, before she hopped up from the couch, Ana immediately following suit.
"Maybe I should take the dress off before I have any more nervous break downs ..." Ana was trying to make a joke as she struggled to reach around to the zipper but Janelle was off in space somewhere, Ana could see something brewing in her eyes. "What?"
"I just got the most ingenious idea I've ever come up with!" Janelle ecstatically sped across the room to the computer and started typing away like a crazy woman. Less than a minute later, with the click of the mouse she was spinning around in the desk chair with a ridiculous grin planted on her lips and a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
"Let's go to Miami."
"What? No. When? How?"
"One at a time, let's go to Miami. Yes. In three days and preferably we fly there in a plane." Always a smart ass, Janelle laughed at Ana's expression as it was explained to her, noting the look in her idea, letting Janelle know that she wanted to do it, but that she wasn't going to go without a fight.
"I ... I don't know, I mean, I was going to try to get some more work done while I was out here and we ca--" With a sigh, Ana cut herself off, because her argument didn't sound as convincing verbally as it did in her head.
"It'll be great; we'll visit the school, hit a few frat parties, catch a Fall Out Boy show down at the beach, and get too drunk to find the dorms, just like old times." It was hard to hold back the smile as she explained their itinerary and threw in the mention of the special surprise, and it was hard not to laugh at Ana's reaction and realization that maybe Janelle wasn't as crazy as it seems.
"I think we're a little too old for frat parties. Help me out of this dress?" Trying to change the subject so she could give it some thought, Ana struggled more with the zipper as she motioned for some help.
"Good cleavage says we're never too old for frat parties and only if you agree to a weekend of drunken alumni debauchery!"
Sighing in defeat, Ana bit her bottom lip nervously as she contemplated her answer, finally giving up, and giving in. "As long as you promise no jungle juice or beer bongs ... then I guess ... fine, I'll go."
Clapping her hands together in excitement, Janelle hopped up to fulfill her immediate promise, glad that she always got the last word.
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