Alone Together {Patrick Stump}

Chapter 6

At IHop, we sat at our table and figured out what to order. I stared at my menu, unsure of what to get. Pete noticed and smiled.

"I recommend the buttermilk pancakes, or the chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes," I whispered from next to me. Patrick sat on my other side. "The french toast is pretty good, too." When the waitress came to take our order, I decided on ordering two buttermilk pancakes with over easy eggs and lightly fried bacon. Pete nodded his approval with a smile.

We talked and ate and laughed, just like we did last night. My life was finally coming together for the first time since my parents died, and I was afraid of doing something to ruin that. I took everything with caution. The guys all told me I had nothing to be afraid. Pete's words mattered most to me, because he knew the right things to say. Despite what they all told me, I couldn't help but to worry. My worries weren't helped by the fact that I was to start at my new high school the next day. Today was Sunday. Pete and Joe wanted me to start this Thursday, Patrick wanted me to start Wednesday, but Andy said it would be easiest to start on a Monday. I wanted to disagree, I wanted to say I could start on Tuesday, but I knew Andy was right.

After we ate and left, the guys let me come watch them practice. They were practicing at Patrick's today. I loved watching their practice. They were just so amazing. Pete introduced new lyrics, several were turned down. I wrote down all the ones that were turned down. If I worked around with the words and added some music to it, I figured the guys would like them more. I knew Pete was a great lyricist, but I bet I could make his rejected lyrics into something great.

After the guys left, I sat in the lounge with Patrick. He had the TV on while I worked with Pete's lyrics.

"What are you working on?" Patrick asked.

"New song," I replied. "While watching your practice, I wrote down all the lyrics that were rejected. I figure I could help Pete make them better, because I wouldn't want to steal his lyrics to write my own song."

"That's great, Lyra!" Patrick was smiling when I looked up. "I'm sure Pete will like that."

"You think?" I asked.

"Yeah!" he said. "Let's see what you got so far." I showed him the notebook and he looked at the pages I was using for the song. 

"Do you think I could borrow your instruments to work on the music part?" I asked nervously. "I promise to be careful."

"Of course you can!" Patrick said. "I'll help too. It'll be a good bonding project for us." He was still smiling. I loved how he was always smiling. It made me feel good inside.

"That sounds great," I said with a smile. 

That's the thing about the band. Ever since I discovered their music, they've been the only thing that could get me through a tough day. Now, I'm always smiling when I'm around them. They make me feel complete. They make me realize that the world isn't all as bad as it seems from the outside. You just have to find some people to keep in your life that make the world good. Once you've found those people, the world isn't so bad. The guys make me feel this love you can't get anywhere else, like it was reserved in my life for them. Love could be a beautiful thing.

That night, I put all of my new school supplies in my bag. I climbed into bed with new worries. What if no one wanted anything to do with the new girl? What if they knew I was adopted? What if they found out why I was in an orphanage to begin with? Most importantly, what would they do when they knew about the band?

I woke up to the smell of Patrick cooking in the kitchen. I checked the time. Just enough time to take a quick shower. I showered and dressed, but didn't do my hair and makeup yet. I went downstairs quickly and Patrick smiled when he saw me.

"I was just getting ready to go up and wake you," he said. I smiled back and sat down at the table while he handed me a plate. Bacon and eggs. I ate quickly. "I packed a lunch for you take to school. I hope you'll eat it?"

"Of course," I replied with a smile. And I would. I wasn't at the orphanage anymore. I was with Patrick and the other guys.

I went back upstairs and dried my hair. I brushed it and straightened it. I wanted to look nice. I did my makeup so that it looked like I had some on, but it wasn't super noticeable. It was a huge change from my usual, thick eyeliner. I then put on my black heeled boots that I wore more than anything. They had been my older sister's. She had also died on the same night as my parents. I had grown into the shoes just last summer, and I've worn them almost every day since.

The guys showed up to take me to my first day of school. We drove to the school, me in the passenger seat while Patrick drove. When we got there, I didn't get out of the car. I looked on in fear. Patrick put a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want one of us to go inside with you?" he asked. I looked at him and nodded.

"Can Pete come with me?" I asked nervously. Pete made all my depressing thoughts go away when he was close by. Patrick nodded and Pete jumped out of the car. He opened my door and I climbed out. 

I waved goodbye to the guys in the car as Pete and I walked into the school. We got several looks. It was no doubt. He was Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy, and I was some freshman girl no one had seen before. I walked to the office with Pete by my side. I felt like I could relax, like my nerves were pointless, when I was with him. He made me feel this safety that no one else could give me. Some guy, a senior probably, looked me up and down and whistled. Pete gave him a death glare and wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulders. Usually, Pete would have just punched him, but he wanted to give me a chance at making friends. Pete Wentz attacking a senior because of me definitely wasn't the best way to start your freshman year at a new school.