Chapter 12

A week has passed since Pete and I spoke about Mike. Nothing has happened. He hasn’t asked me out or anything. He’s hardly said two words to me. Yea, Pete. It’s like he’s obsessed with me. I thought sarcastically while watching them play. The Academy is that is. We were at a venue in Florida. The guys were on stage playing their hearts out while I was standing at the side of the stage watching them.

After their second song I left and went backstage. I soon found Pete, Brendon, and Ryan sitting lazily on a couch. I stood in front of them for a while trying to send them a mental message to make room for me. I guess they didn’t get it because neither of them budged, so I sat down on Brendon’s lap (who was in the center) and place my head on Pete’s lap and my legs on Ryan’s.

A minute had gone by when someone finally spoke. It was Pete and he was looking down at me.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello.”

“What’s new?” He asked.

“Nothing. What’s new with you?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “There’s just some pretty girl with her head in my lap.”

“Oh,” I said. “Should she move?”

“Not unless she’s uncomfortable.”

“Ok,” I said wiggling to get a little more comfy than I already was.

“Hey!” I heard Brendon say. “Stop all that moving.”

“Sorry, love,” I answered smiling at Pete.

“I’m tired.”

“Then go to sleep,” Ryan answered a little rudely.

“I will,” I snapped back.

By then Pete was listening to the band playing and absentmindedly stroking my arm and I drifted to sleep.

About fifteen minutes later I woke up when Brendon and Ryan were trying to get out from under me.

“Where are you two going?”

“Their sets almost over and we’re next,” Brendon answered as they walked away.

“Oh,” I looked down at my lap and noticed Pete’s arm thrown across my waist.

“Go back to sleep,” Brendon yelled from where he was. I just stared at him and the other guys from Panic who were getting ready to go on.

“Yea, go back to sleep,” Pete chimed in pulling on my waist so that I would lie back down.

“OK.”

The next time I woke up it was about an hour later and I was no longer lying on the couch with my head in Pete’s lap. I was curled up on his lap with my face buried in his neck.

“Oh!” I squealed once I realized it was Mike and not Pete.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled while trying to quickly get off his lap.

“It’s ok,” he pulled his arms tighter around my waist. “You can go back to sleep.”

“No. I’m awake now,” I answered trying to get up again.

“You don’t have to get up,” he said a little sadly.

“Ok,” I put my head back on his shoulder and once my face was buried in his neck again I smiled.