Five Feet Away From Bob Bryar...

The story:

This record shop in town has job openings and I was going to go tomorrow [Friday] to fill out an application but I just did it today to get it over with.

I go down to Scotties [the shop] and ask for an application. The lady behind the counter couldn't find them so I just walked around the store and looked around. I looked out the front window and across the street from Scotties is Tito's Burritos, a... food place. Infront of Tito's were these three guys who looked totally out of place for this town.

My town is full of... preps. No other way to put it. Anyone who likes anything other than what they play on your typical cheesy top-of-the-pops music station can easily be recognized by how they look, so one dude in all black, one dude with earrings, and one dude with a skull cap and lumberjack shirt are easily spotted by people like me. It's like one of those 'Which one does not belong?' type things. These three guys didn't belong.

The guys went into Tito's and I'm like to myself "Okay, some cool guys going to get a late lunch. Sweet." So I get to work on filling out the music quiz part of my application. It takes me forever 'cause I honestly don't know jack shit about classical music, jazz, and some other stuff. While I'm almost done I looked over and the three guys were outside Tito's again just standing there and one is smoking.

I look harder at the guy who's smoking and freeze 'cause "Oh my god, is that Bob Bryar?" Then, of course, my mind was racing because, 'Why would Bob Bryar be in my stuck-up crap town?' and 'What the fuck is he doing here? Thats not him.' So they walk across the street and stop at the side divider in the road, so they don't get run over, I think, "Okay... if that is Bob, he will have those unmistakable blue eyes." They walk farther across the street and my heart is pounding and I know it's cliche but seriously... my heart was about to be power-launched out of my chest. The two other people who I paid no attention to walked into the store and past me. I stared at the guy standing outside smoking and we make eye contact for a split second and I saw the blue eyes and almost had a heartattack right there.

I went to the girl behind the counter and asked, "Do you know the band My Chemical Romance?" she said she did so I asked, "You wouldn't know what the drummer looks like, right?" And she said she didn't listen to them. I told her that that was the drummer outside and that I was sorry for kinda freaking out but I love MyChem. She googled him and said, "Yeah that's definitely him."

Then I look behind me 'cause if I didn't look away I would've fainted and behind me is cute-security-guard and Matt Cortez. Matt stops about two feet from me and talks to the guy behind the desk. I took a picture of Matt with my phone but the background light was terrible and made him all solid black. Then two minutes ago I looked in my saved photos and its not there. I pressed erase instead of save... And I'm not sure what he said to the guy, I was back to staring at Bob.

Then my mom calls me with my social security number to put on the application, so I pick up and then just hang up once I realize I can't talk.

Matt and the guard walk out of the place and I hear Bob say something like, "Do we have to go home now?" And Matt or the guard says "Yeah."

So all the while I was just standing there paralyzed with my heart beating the shit out of my chest.

...and then they left.

The girl behind the counter asks the guy who talked to Matt if "that was the drummer from My Chemical Romance?" He says yes and shes asks why he didn't say anything and then he says that he probably wouldn't want to just be pointed out and have attention drawn to him.

I silently agree in my head because that is one other reason I didn't say anything. I didn't want him to think that everywhere he went was full of crazed fans.

Now that I reflect on what happened about an hour or two ago... I have regrets. I mean, I could've atleast waved... or atleast went up to him and said calmly "Hi, Bob." I didn't even make myself known, for fucks sake!

Ugh.

...regrets suck.