Chapter 36

The microphone was almost poking his nose. His grey eyes, in an effort to look at it, were squinting and making him look cross eyed.

“Um,” His voice wavered a bit, the woman holding the microphone smiled warmly at him. “Well, I had a crush on this girl-”

“Really?”

He frowned at the extra chirp her voice carried. “Yeah, and I um, I wrote a couple of lyrics about her that later became some of our biggest hits.”

The reporter was elated; she surely was going to make the cover with that. “And did you get the girl?”

His eyes darted to the camera, for a second he felt small, like when he was a little boy. He scratched his forehead with his left hand, using the motion to conceal his facial expression. Horror? Shame? Guilt? He was embarrassed, that was for sure. What drove him to speaking that much in the first place?

“Oi!” His head shot up, he recognized that voice. “It’s our little Ryan!”

Little Ryan blushed, his glare lost all intensity at the redness; he looked more like he was having a fever so high that didn’t let him open his eyes. The owner of the voice halted in front of him, patting his back as he wore an enormous grin that stole the camera’s focus from him. For once, Ryan felt glad about the constant teasing he had to suffer through life by the hand of that, that...

“Oh my! What do we have here!” The woman exclaimed. Why was she so animated about his appearance? Wasn’t she making a documental on all of them? “If it is none other than Scott-”

“You left me behind!”

“-And Daniel too!”

Ryan rolled his grey eyes ceiling-wards; he could hear Scott’s laughter and Daniel’s pants.

Did he get the girl?

“Dude, you got a phone call,” The blonde guy said, holding up a shiny black cell phone in his hand. It was flipped opened, and even though she motioned the cameraman to zoom in on the lit screen, nothing much was seen.

“O-Oh,” Ryan’s grey eyes widened and he took the device, “Thanks. Excuse me.”

He stepped aside, trying to get as much privacy in the small trailer as he could. It was a good thing his friends were familiar with the nature of the call; they immediately distracted the reporter with useless trivia that was worth a lot for the media and fans.

Hopefully, nothing that involved him or any of his habits.

“Hello?” He spoke into the phone, already expecting a certain voice to reply. Knowing it was her didn’t make him less excited to hear her voice.

“Ryan! How are you? Am I interrupting something?”

“What- No, not at all!” He flinched and looked around, as if expecting someone to point at his obvious lack of spine. What other respectable boyfriend dumped anything to have a conversation with his long distance girlfriend? “I’m happy you called…”

And what self respecting boyfriend said that?

Great; at least Daniel and Scott weren’t around to catch him in his weakest moment. Again, that was.

“I’m happy to have called too,” He could hear the happiness leaking through her voice amidst the annoying static. He tried moving to a place with better signal- “Where are you?”

“The trailer,” He said automatically, balancing on one foot, and one knee on a chair. It seemed he had perfect sound like that. “We’re just done with a video. It was a kind of depressing one.”

“Really?” She asked, and he could hear she was walking. By the continuous, sharp clicking of her heels he could imagine she was going at full throttle. “Why was it sad?”

“It fit the song,” Ryan was a little frustrated. He didn’t want to talk about some stupid video; he wanted to talk about her! About the things she was doing, the people she hung out with- And more importantly, about when and how they were going to meet again. Still, he couldn’t stop his mouth from blabbing on, “The song is called Free. It’s going to be our next single, and the video is about being freed by death.”

“Ouch, depressing indeed,” As she said this he heard some banging on the trailer’s door and Daniel shout that he was coming. “I hope I can cheer you up if you’re down.”

Looking down he chucked male pride down the window and said, “You’ve cheered me up already.”

“Really?” She repeated, and he suffered a moment of panic as the line clicked dead. Just when he was about to hurl the non working cell phone to the wall he looked up-

And his breath caught in his throat.

“Louise?”

She smiled, from right across him. “In the flesh. Happy birthday Ryan.”

Behind her he could see his cousin’s unmasked face. She was trying hard not to smile; Scott and Daniel weren’t having the same success. The green eyed fiend laughed, “Aren’t you glad we got rid of the reporter and her cameraman?”

His mouth worked, but no sounds –other than a barely heard squeak- came out.

Scott waved a hand from above Lo’s head, “We’re taking off now. Enjoy your birthday present!”

As they left he could hear one of them holler a laugh and exclaim, “And the woman wondered if he got the girl! Hah!”

The door was shut with a loud bang and Louise took it as her cue to approach her boyfriend. She made a special effort to sashay a little more than usual, only because she knew she was going to get the exact kind of reaction she was getting from him, the one that made her feel gorgeous and cherished. The one she could only feel by being looked at by him.

“Well?” She asked, trying out her deepest voice. “Aren’t you going to unwrap your gift?”

In some ways Ryan James Adams had changed a lot. He was more composed in some situations where he hadn’t been before. He was less quick to anger, and he grew a lot more stubble now.

In others, he was the same old little Ryan who cowered behind his mother’s skirt in a sailor outfit. That much she knew when he innocently asked, “Um, where is it?”

It was kind of funny, but at the same time irritating. Here she had gone up to the extent of dolling up for him and he- Oh well. “You silly, I’m the gift.”

“O-Oh!” His eyes bulged in that way she was so used to, and this time she couldn’t help but smile widely. She wrapped her arms around his sturdy neck and brought his face closer to hers.

“I’ve missed you,” She murmured against his lips, revelling in the fact that his arms immediately sneaked up around her waist, pulling her flush against him. How she missed his warmth, his feel, his lips on hers. How she missed the way his stormy eyes penetrated her short sighted ones. She placed a peck on his lips, then another. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Me too,” He said after a beat, pressing his lips tighter in a more personal, hotter kiss. “You have no idea.”

Talking would have to wait, she guessed, because right now what she wanted was to kiss him again and again; until later in the darkness of her room she could feel his tongue sliding skilfully against hers. It’d teach her college roommate a lesson about crushing on someone else’s boyfriend.

If she could know she was the Ryan James Adams’ girl, that was.

Her fingers ran down the thick, black locks of his short, silky hair, massaging his scalp softly as they looked into each other’s eyes. It earned her a tiny moan from him; he loved it when she did that. Her smile was sweet and spice at the same time, and he responded in kind by crushing his lips on hers again; his fingers delicately forcing her jaws apart, allowing him to take the kiss to further and farther lengths.

This time she was the one groaning; it always made her impatient when he kissed her like that, and after so long without seeing him she just wanted to speed up things and-

Well, he always slowed down in the end, like he was now as he nibbled her lower lip and released it with a loud pop.

Lo’s cheeks twitched, “You keep getting better at this. Are you sure you’re not practicing with anyone else?”

“Does practicing with you in my dreams count as anyone else?” He shot back with a sheepish smile.

“I guess it doesn’t,” She said, running the tip of her tongue across his swollen lips, slowly trailing hers down to his chin, which she loved so dearly. “But c’mon, here’s the real deal. Lets practice some other things as well, shall we?”

He let their bodies fall on the trailer’s master bed, humming contently. “In that case… I’d be more than happy to unwrap my gift.”

Daniel popped open the next beer bottle with the help of his chair. It made a pleasant frizzy sound. “Cheers!”

“Cheers!” Scott echoed next to him; they both took a drink simultaneously, watching over the trailer’s door with a box of cold beer between them. “And cheers to the reunited couple.”

“I bet they’re practicing that old art of baby making,” Dandy said with a snicker, taking another swig.

“You got it. And by the looks of it-” Blondie’s eyes twinkled, “It seems to be the ancient, animal way, what with the way the trailer’s suspiciously rocking…”

“You’ve got such a dirty mind, my friend.”

“Pfft, you’re laughing along, you moron.”

“Hey!” The younger guy exclaimed, “I called you my friend and you call me moron? How’s that work?”

“It just does,” Scott Walker took another sip of beer before addressing his comrade in mischief, “So tell me Dandy, where are you sleeping tonight? ‘Cause I sure as Hell have a warm bed waiting for me.”

“Are you rubbing the fact that you’re still with Henri on my face?” Dandy asked frowning, somewhat pouting as his friend chuckled.

“Say, do you still remember Lily’s number? Why don’t you give her a call?” He received a mean glare for that, “Don’t you think it’s time to man up? You’ve enjoyed the heat of plenty different beds already, mate.”

“Shut up,” He snapped before downing half of the bottle in one large gulp. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah, I know,” The other said with some wisdom to his words. “But it’s worth it.”

They looked together at the trailer, tacitly remembering all the trials and hardships they went through to get there and realize their dreams, and all the obstacles they sorted out to mature as human beings. Not to mention, all the shit they put up with to help Ryan grow the fuck up.

Daniel sighed suddenly, “I feel old.”

“Toast to that?” Scott asked him amiably, and they clinked their bottles, ready for a long night of vigilance.

End

MMIX

For more information visit the Three Zeros to The Left website at…

AG’s last note: Heartfelt thanks to all of those who read and reviewed, especially for those who stuck around from the beginning (you know who you are). Previous chapter’s reviews will be replied to via review reply or telepathically for the anonym reviewers.

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EDIT: This story was featured in Undiscovered as highlight story of the week from July 17th, 2009. Sweet! You can find the link to the site in my profile.

You can click the big X if you don’t want to read the long farewell speech :P

From the beginning I wanted to write the kind of high school story I would have liked to read; it was going to involve clichés, because this is the one fandom that can’t do without them. But I was going to find my own way to turn those around and twist them to something different. So I thought, “Hey, there’s enough shy girl vs. super extrovert guy going on.” And thus the idea of a shy guy and an outgoing girl was born (read: outgoing, not overwhelmingly so). It might have been done before, I concede, but not this way huh?

With that in mind I started shaping the boy’s personality first, and noticed that there were external forces that influenced him greatly. Like that his two pals were created. Next was naming the lot of them. Ryan’s name came easy (much later I realized “Ryan Adams” is in fact a celebrity… first time something like this happens to me); it’s a classic name that doesn’t lose its appeal (so it’s good for your kids, if you’re wondering). His buddies’ names had to be on par, with no weird combinations or whatever. Scott Walker and Daniel Johnson, simple… but when you add the fact that they nick named themselves as Cooties and Dandy, it kinda changes a bit. Henriette Adams (Henri) came along the same way; she was the other big (and only female, other than his mum) influence in Ryan’s life. I knew from the start she and Scott had a thing for each other since quite sometime, and that was why she put on a special grumpy front for Ryan and Daniel. Hence her “mask”.

The camaraderie between the three stooges was mentioned a lot, you guys liked that, didn’t you? I particularly enjoyed the innuendos. They can’t say a single thing without having an ulterior meaning; it’s part of who they are. I hope I made a decent work at creating and portraying their personalities. And don’t forget the major catalyst: The Babysitting of Ryan. It’s a lot like something I’d do to my kid if he’s too shy to tell the girl he likes how he feels. Only because I’m mean like that.

Louise Parker was a subconscious blow to myself; I picked the name quick and settled for it, later on realizing Louise wanted to be a journalist, and it reminded me of Lois Lane (journalist extraordinary that gets saved by Superman every time), and then Peter Parker (who… crap, is also a journalist of sorts!). And then I thought, “Well that’s funny, because Louise is the one doing the actual saving.” So in that sense, she’s Ryan’s personal hero. Lily was born from the need of something to affect Louise and passive-aggressively push her into action; at the beginning she was going to be just another sidekick, but I think she gained her own importance with time. I’m especially happy she and Daniel never hooked up in the story, and no, I’m not doing a side story about them.

There had to be a motive for Ryan to come out of his shell that was rooted from inside of him. WHAM! Rock music. Why the hell not? I’m a huge fan of modern hard rock, and I know real life stories or people (famous rockers, no less) that overcame their shyness and gained people skills thanks to music, not to mention musicians have a certain appeal, and he was going to need all the weapons he could get to capture Lo’s attention. Other than his fully bloomed physique, that is. Progressively Ryan became less introverted, thanks to the influence of Lo, one way or the other. Or more accurately, cos his mum pulled a prank on him.

One of the big things of the story was that at the same time Ryan started opening up (a tiny little weenie bit), people around him started showing they approved of what he had to offer. This in turn, instead of making him feel happy and more confident, only freaked him out (since he didn’t have the social skills to deal with attention) and made him close off again. Insert Louise and the absolute need to get closer to her. This is precisely what gave the story its title: Everybody Wants Ryan. Including her.

Strangely the hardest part for me was to mention real life bands in the story; on one hand I wanted readers to relate to the kind of scene I was aiming for, and on another I felt apprehensive (it might put off some people, narrow the plot a lot, etc). It was a double edged sword I thought about a lot during the months I spent writing the first ten chapters without posting the story. In the end I mentioned some of the bands that helped me find inspiration to write this story, Metallica, Pantera, Disturbed, Nickelback, Green Day and Three Days Grace, I think. I didn’t mention others like my eternal Linkin Park, Lostprophets, Evans Blue, Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle, or most recently 3 Doors Down, Red and Slot. Music is art, folks. I tried to create art by writing up the Zero’s own lyrics. Believe it or not that was a long process (the lyrics you read weren’t written on the spot). These bands helped me a lot, and trust me when I say I wish I could thank them properly and in person!

The lyrics that made it to the story were:

1) My Name

2) You Get

3) Get Away

4) The Funny Song (chap 19)

5) Every Little Thing

6) Forget

7) Free

8) Down

9) All For Now (the much awaited)

Lots of “get” going on.

There are about two more that didn’t make the final cut. They were too hard for T rating. And oddly, there were three songs in the final chapter alone. I seriously hope it doesn’t make anyone think of High School Musical or some crap like that. Which were your favourites?

I hope you guys noticed about the chapter prologues? I once said they were the present time, and the story was actually the past. That’s true, and also the chapter prologues come around at about the middle of the story, and from them on they become the past as well. Nifty huh?

Finally, I want you all to know that in spite of the weekly updates, it took me over two years to write this story. Give or take. I wrote the first ten-ish chapters without having posted the first, and made some changes here and there to fit my (hopefully) improving writing. It was my second attempt at an original story, but the first hard worked one. And I wanted to do it right, with proper grammar, punctuation, tenses, not to mention the sub-plots and biggest plot itself. I’m happy with it, even if it didn’t get a whole lot of mass recognition.

I’d like to think that, while at the beginning it possibly looked another one of those stories, it turned out to be something else.

Lastly, THANKS!

AG Out