You Clicked Your Heels And Wished For Me (Ryden)

Fourth Of July

July 4, 2015

"Get in the f*cking car Spencer my God!" Brendon joked. Spencer giggled and hopped into the minivan. Spencer, Jon, Brendon, Hayley, Chad, and I were all going to a park to see fireworks for Independence Day.

We decided to let Chad drive and I sat in the passenger seat. Brendon and Jon took up the middle seats and Spencer and Hayley sat in the back.

I decided to turn on the radio to make our drive more interesting. Just as I turned it on I heard a familiar song.

"This is my song!!" Hayley squealed. She started to pretend to headbang and play the guitar.

"I'm in the business of misery let's take it from the top!" We all sang out at the top of our lungs. Hayley's face was bright red from smiling and laughing so much. We all rocked out for the remainder of the song, trying our best to make Hayley proud of our... skills.

The rest of the drive was pretty boring, besides the occasional strange comment from Spencer or the obscure music reference from Brendon. When we arrived at the park there was a moderate amount of people so we parked in an empty spot. We set up our lawn chairs in a clearing between trees that lined the parking lot. The fireworks were being set off behind an old factory in a lot next to the park so we were in the perfect spot.

I stretched out in my lawn chair and grabbed a coke from our cooler, swatting at the mosquitos that were flying around. We were sat next to an adorable family of two dads, a baby girl, toddler boy, and teenage boy.

"That's like us in the future," Brendon whispered in my ear. I smiled and nodded, noticing that one of the dads had dark brown hair and the other had dirty blond hair.

Should I introduce myself? Yeah sure. Why not?

"Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself and my friends since we'll be sitting with each other for the next few hours. I'm Ryan, this is Brendon, and these are my friends Hayley, Spencer, Jon, and Chad," I gestured toward them.

The darker haired one, who was holding the baby, turned to me and gave me a big smile. "Hello! I'm Matthew and this is my husband Dominic. Our eldest son here is Caleb then we have Jackson and Roslyn."

I said hello and waved to Roslyn, who smiled and burped.

We both got back to our own individual activities but I couldn't help but laugh at the adorable remarks Jackson kept making. They seemed like a very happy family.

About an hour later Brendon and I both needed to use the restroom so we wandered through the park to a small building with a female sign on one side and a male sign on the other. We entered the male side and were greeted by a surprisingly clean bathroom with four stalls.

After using the stall and washing my hands we walked back out into the park which had quickly gotten dark. That meant the fireworks were going to start, so we quickly rushed back to our chairs.

I hopped into my lawn chair and grabbed a bag of chips. An explosion of color burst in the air, followed by a loud but calming bang. It was a nostalgic sight, reminding me of the days when I would watch fireworks with my parents. My mom and dad would hold hands and I'd sit in between them, snuggled against my mom's side and watching the fireworks. I would always plug my ears and just bask in the colored light. My ears would be filled with the sounds of my humming, which comforted me in hard times.

I remember one Independence Day I was watching fireworks with Spencer and we got popsicle stains on our shirts. But it was okay, I was happy. Summer of '94 I believe, really great.

Then there was the day. July 4, 1998. My mom and I were at the grocery store getting snacks for the fireworks when we got the call that Dad was arrested. We rushed out of the store and drove down to the police station where my mom made me stay in the car and wait. I was so scared the whole time so I just watched a tree waving back and forth in the wind for what seemed like ages. I spent that night looking out my bedroom window at the fireworks in the distance. It was horrid.

I shook my head to rid it of those thoughts and I focused back on the current fireworks. They were of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some burst at the same time and some exploded one after another. It was really a spectacular show.

..................................................................................

July 5, 2015

When we got back into town it was nearing 1 am so I just decided to crash at Brendon's house. He laid a sheet over the couch and threw a pillow and a blanket on top for me to sleep. I changed into an oversized t-shirt and turned on a fan in the living room so I wouldn't die of heat stroke in my sleep.

"Would you like a glass of water?" Brendon asked. I politely nodded and stretched myself onto the couch, exhausted from the day's activities. I closed my eyes and all I could hear was the whirring of the fan and the kitchen faucet pouring into a glass. I opened my eyes again as Brendon handed me the glass of water and sat on the edge of the couch.

"I really enjoyed watching the fireworks with you guys, I'm glad we could do that. Just like old times," Brendon remarked. I took a sip of water before replying.

"Me too. It was so much fun, I really missed hanging out with you guys after I left the band and all," I mumbled the last part. Brendon nodded and yawned. He stood up, kissed me goodnight, and headed into his bedroom.

"Goodnight, I love you!" I called.

"Love you too!" He called back and quietly closed his door behind him

Goodnight.