Dance to This Beat

"Shhh!" I heard someone whisper loudly.

Opening my eyes, I saw a white tiled celing. I tried to sit up, but was physicaly unable. Turning my head, I saw mom, Kaity, and Ryan. In a chair in the corner, I saw Charlie holding Conner. Next to him was a short brunette.

"Charlie," I said horsely.

He looked up. "Well hey there, 'Edward Sissorhands'."

I looked down at my arms. There were scars on nearly every square inch.

"How long's it been?" I asked mom.

"... Three days."

"Why's Charle the only one here? Where's David and Jason?"

Her and Charlie exchanged glances.

"I'll tell her," Kaity offered.

"We'll leave you three alone."

After mom, Charlie, and the brunette chick were gone, Kaity started talking. "So Jon came by yesterday. He was here pretty much all day with me and Ryan."

I lowered my head. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to apologize to your mom," Ryan answered. "And to see how you were doing."

"Well, it that the 'big news'?"

"No...."

"What is it then?"

Ryan and Kaity looked over at each other.

"Tell me you guys!"

"Your mom thinks Vegas isn't a good place for a teenager in your situation to grow up," Kaity started. "She thinks that you need to get away from it and some of the people here. So she called Charlie and as it turns out, he has an extra room in his new apasrtment. They talked and you're moving to Chicago to live with him."

I sighed audibly. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much."

"Well, actually," Ryan inturrepted, "Panic has to go up to Chicago to start recording our new album in a few weeks, so we'll be up there soon. And it's over your birthday too."

"Me, you, Bren, and Spence are hittin' up Starbucks while you're there. Then we're going shopping at Clandestine."

"You got it."

"I feel left out," Kaity joked.

I looked at the clock. "Shouldn't y'all be at school?"

"We decided to play a little hookey," Ryan grinned.

"I'm so proud!"

There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," Kaity called, taking a sip of her coffee.

Mom, Charlie, and who I assumed to be Racheal reentered the room.

"Hey mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything."

She nodded and took Conner, who was getting fussy, back from Charlie.

------

After three hours of boring conversation, there was another knock at my door. Josh, Hanna, Brendon, and Spencer stepped in my hell hole, filling it to maximum capacity.

"Hey," I said sleepily, my boredom overtaking my happiness.

"Hey, sweetheart," Brendon answered.

"Hi," Hanna said.

"We got everything, Ms. Jameson," Spencer announced to my mother. "Hanna got all the clothes and us men did all the heavy liftting."

Hanna snorted a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You had to call Alexandria when we first started just to get help moving the t.v."

That's when I noticed the pretty brown-headed girl standing next to Brendon. She looked short -- about five-three -- and had pink hair framing her face. She had pale skin with bright red lips and dark blue eyes that were almost a shade of navy. She was quiet though, her stance gave that away.

Ryan motioned to her and she walked over to stand with him. "Claire, this is Alexandria, my girlfriend; Alexandria, this is Claire, my best friend."

"I thought I was your best friend," Spencer whined.

"You're my best dude friend, and she's my best chick friend," Ryan explained impatiently.

I giggled quietly. Spencer had actually moved from where he was standing so mom wouldn't see him flip Ryan off. That was a hand gesture I used pretty much daily right in front of her.

------

"Bye," I said, kissing Ryan's cheek. I looked back at all the friends I was about to leave and sighed.

Just when I reached out to open the door of the moving van, someone yelled out. "Wait!" He had a deep voice and sounded like he had been crying. I didn't have to turn around to see that it was Jon. When I did, though, I saw him bounding towards me quickly, trying to catch
me before I left.

"What do you want?"

He stopped as he got to me. "Where are you going."

"To Chicago to live with Charlie. Away from Vegas. Away from you."

"Please don't go," he pleaded.

"I have to."

"Please don't. I wasn't thinking the other day, I was angry. But I'm still in love with you. I haven't left that house in three days except to go visit you in the hospital or going to school. I'm a mess. Claire, I love you. 'Always and forever,' remember?"

I felt a tear slip down my face as I opened the door to the moving van. "I can't," I said in nearly a whisper. "That ended when I put these marks on my arms."

I climbed up into the large vehicle. With my hands clasped together, I sobbed quetly as Charlie pulled out of the driveway -- mom's driveway.

Goodbye Vegas.

Goodbye Jonathon Jacob Walker.