My Life, My Paramore
Four
For the second time in the span of a day, I found myself nervously pacing the floor. This situation, though, took a more urgent spot in my brain. I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and dialed Hayley’s number with shaking fingers.
It rang twice, then a familiar voice answered. I almost fainted with relief. “Hello?” Hayley sounded a little shaky, but otherwise fine.
A smile spread across my face. “Hayley? Are you okay? I’m so so soooo sorry I didn’t call! I didn’t even think to call. And now th - ,”
“Emily? Emily!” Her voice sounded amused as she interrupted my almost frenzied flow of words.
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
“...Oh.” I laughed. She was fine. “How are they treating you?”
I heard laughter. “Well, umm, fine, except I don’t actually think I’m supposed to be on the phone.” Her voice got softer. “This lady is looking at me like she’s going to bite my head off...”
I laughed. “Okay, umm... Do I need to let you go?”
“Yeah, I suppose. But come see me! I’m, like, dying of boredom.”
“Can do.”
***
No one else seemed to share my almost frantic need to go visit Hayley. After I relayed the news that she was just fine, but the hospital was keeping her anyway - probably for attention related reasons - they were suddenly aware that they had things to get done. And that it was ten o’clock.
I sighed as I walked to my car alone. What losers.
The drive to the hospital was very unexciting. I saw a squirrel... and almost ran off the road watching it. After that, I focused more on my driving.
When I got to the hospital, I walked straight to the reception desk. The woman sitting at it stared up at me with crystal blue eyes - behind black rimmed, narrow glasses - and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. She seemed to recognize me. “Hayley Williams? Room two-oh-two, that way.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, and I nodded.
My feet echoed in the too-clean hallway, and I was glad when I got to Hayley’s room. She grinned up at me from her seated position on her bed. “Come to rescue me?”
I laughed, walking over to curl up in the window sill across from her bed. “Sorry, doll. No can do. But I’ll stay here with you.”
“Good enough.”
***
The next thing I knew, the sun was in my face and there was a stranger in the room. She was standing timidly over Hayley, with her back to me, and she looked almost scared. “Umm, excuse me? Who are you?”
She must have jumped twenty feet at my voice. Obviously, she hadn’t known I was there. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.
Her brown eyes looked about ready to pop out of her head as she turned around and saw me. She tried to talk once, unsuccessfully. The second time she tried, her voice was shaky, but there. “E-Emily... I-I-I... Please don’t be mad!”
She cringed, and I hid a smile behind my hand. “Why on earth would I be mad? Who are you?” I leaned back against the window.
She seemed to quake with fear. “I-I’m Lohgan... The one who hit Hayley. But I didn’t mean to! Please, please don’t be mad!”
I burst into laughter, and she blanched. The look on her face made me laugh even harder.
“Y-you’re not... you’re not mad?”
I shook my head. “Of course not! It was an accident. Those things happen. Trust me, I know...” I trailed off, shaking my head.
She cocked her head, and her feathery brown hair fell into her face. “Did something happen?”
The stranger’s consideration threw me off. I paused for a second, then thought: what the heck? Who’s she gonna tell? I glanced at Hayley; I could throw a party and she wouldn’t wake up. “Promise you won’t tell?” She nodded her head, and I beckoned her forward. She came and sat next to me in the windowsill.
“Okay, so it all started when...”
It rang twice, then a familiar voice answered. I almost fainted with relief. “Hello?” Hayley sounded a little shaky, but otherwise fine.
A smile spread across my face. “Hayley? Are you okay? I’m so so soooo sorry I didn’t call! I didn’t even think to call. And now th - ,”
“Emily? Emily!” Her voice sounded amused as she interrupted my almost frenzied flow of words.
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
“...Oh.” I laughed. She was fine. “How are they treating you?”
I heard laughter. “Well, umm, fine, except I don’t actually think I’m supposed to be on the phone.” Her voice got softer. “This lady is looking at me like she’s going to bite my head off...”
I laughed. “Okay, umm... Do I need to let you go?”
“Yeah, I suppose. But come see me! I’m, like, dying of boredom.”
“Can do.”
***
No one else seemed to share my almost frantic need to go visit Hayley. After I relayed the news that she was just fine, but the hospital was keeping her anyway - probably for attention related reasons - they were suddenly aware that they had things to get done. And that it was ten o’clock.
I sighed as I walked to my car alone. What losers.
The drive to the hospital was very unexciting. I saw a squirrel... and almost ran off the road watching it. After that, I focused more on my driving.
When I got to the hospital, I walked straight to the reception desk. The woman sitting at it stared up at me with crystal blue eyes - behind black rimmed, narrow glasses - and flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. She seemed to recognize me. “Hayley Williams? Room two-oh-two, that way.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, and I nodded.
My feet echoed in the too-clean hallway, and I was glad when I got to Hayley’s room. She grinned up at me from her seated position on her bed. “Come to rescue me?”
I laughed, walking over to curl up in the window sill across from her bed. “Sorry, doll. No can do. But I’ll stay here with you.”
“Good enough.”
***
The next thing I knew, the sun was in my face and there was a stranger in the room. She was standing timidly over Hayley, with her back to me, and she looked almost scared. “Umm, excuse me? Who are you?”
She must have jumped twenty feet at my voice. Obviously, she hadn’t known I was there. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.
Her brown eyes looked about ready to pop out of her head as she turned around and saw me. She tried to talk once, unsuccessfully. The second time she tried, her voice was shaky, but there. “E-Emily... I-I-I... Please don’t be mad!”
She cringed, and I hid a smile behind my hand. “Why on earth would I be mad? Who are you?” I leaned back against the window.
She seemed to quake with fear. “I-I’m Lohgan... The one who hit Hayley. But I didn’t mean to! Please, please don’t be mad!”
I burst into laughter, and she blanched. The look on her face made me laugh even harder.
“Y-you’re not... you’re not mad?”
I shook my head. “Of course not! It was an accident. Those things happen. Trust me, I know...” I trailed off, shaking my head.
She cocked her head, and her feathery brown hair fell into her face. “Did something happen?”
The stranger’s consideration threw me off. I paused for a second, then thought: what the heck? Who’s she gonna tell? I glanced at Hayley; I could throw a party and she wouldn’t wake up. “Promise you won’t tell?” She nodded her head, and I beckoned her forward. She came and sat next to me in the windowsill.
“Okay, so it all started when...”