The Past is Best Forgotten

“Ryan?” Brendon said, poking his head into the other’s dressing room. Ryan looked at him. “We’re about to go on. Are you ready?”

Ryan nodded sadly. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said. “I haven’t been ready once this tour, have I? It's almost over so why should it start now.”

“Is this some new kind of stage fright? Or is it just because of Bri?” Brendon asked, coming in and sitting down, “Because you always say you aren’t ready, then you go out there and blow them away.”

The other just shrugged. “I guess it's because of Bri. I miss her, and the fact that I haven’t been able to call her all this time? For all I know, she could still think I hung up on her.”

Brendon nodded. “Well, here is the plan. Tour ends this Friday. We fly back and you can tell her how much you love her and how stupid you are all you want. Does that sound all right with you?”

Nodding, Ryan got up. “It sounds great.”

That Friday, Ryan was ready to leave before the rest of the band even woke up.

"Gosh, Ryan, you're ready to get away from all of us aren't you?" Spencer said.

Ryan nodded. "I sure am." The others were relieved that he was joking around like his usual self instead of his mopey self.

The time between Ryan and Bri seemed like an eternity for him. The line was to long in the airport, the depart was way longer, and the one hour flight was slower than Christmas.

Once the plane landed in L. A., Ryan jumped up and ran into the airport. He saw Keelie among the crowd and ran toward her. "Where's Bri."

Keelie smiled. "She's at the recording studio with Fall Out Boy. They finally got her in there."

Ryan smiled. "Are you serious? They got her to sing."

"Either that or they blindfolded her and forced her to go there," she said with a laugh. Then she saw Brendon, ran up to him, and jumped on him, kissing him senseless.

"What a reunion." Jon said sarcastically.

"They're in love," Ryan said.

Once they left the airport, they went to the studio that Bri and FOB were at.

Ryan walked into the studio quietly, seeing Patrick and Pete looking through the glass at Bri. They looked at him and waved.

Pete took off his headphones. "Come listen to the sweet, melodic sounds of Bri Larson."

He looked at her and smiled, but did receive anything from her. She seemed deeply interested in what Patrick said.

"Paramore." Was all that Ryan heard from Patrick.

"Yes, please Patrick?" she had a puppy dog face that made everybody melt.

Patrick smiled. "Ok. You can sing Paramore. What song?"

Bri thought for a minute. "That's What You Get."

Nodding, Patrick started the music and she started singing. "No sir/ well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore/ it's your turn to take a seat we're settling the final score/ and why do we like to hurt so much I can't decide/ you have made it harder just to go on and why, all the possibilities/ i'm sure you've heard..."

Ryan heard her singing and couldn't help but put on a little smile on his face. Before he knew it the song was over, and Bri was walking out of the recording area. He jumped up and shouted her name.

She turned. "What do you want?" The look in her eyes wasn't the look he really wanted to come home to.

"I missed you," he said, hoping that would lighten things up.

She scoffed. "You couldn't be a better liar, Ross." The words hit him like bullets to his heart.

"Bri," Patrick said, "Let's hear what he has to say, I'm sure it's pretty good if he took the time to come here after an exausting tour."

She rolled her eyes. "I really don't have the time for this right now."

"Bri," Brendon said calmly, walking up to her and looking at her with the care of a big brother.

"No," she said angrily, pulling away, "'Talk to him he had a good reason for getting drunk and then run off for a month. He had a reason to scare the living crap out of you.'" She was near crying, "Well, I don't want to here it." She walked out of the room, all the men in silence.

Ryan looked at Patrick, then at Pete, "Has she been like this all month?"

The two nodded and Pete added, "We thought you being back would help. I guess it just made her madder."

"Nothing has really made her happier, we've all tried. Even Gerard and the rest of My Chemical Romance couldn't cheer her up."

Ryan sat down. "I should of called her sooner."

"You had no time," Brendon said.

"I COULD HAVE MADE TIME!!!" Ryan yelled. "I COULD HAVE CALLED HER DURING A BREAK, AND I DIDN'T!!!"

"DON'T YELL AT ME, RYAN, I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP!" Brendon said, just as loudly as Ryan.

Ryan gave a small, hysterical laugh. "What am I going to do? Everythings been messed up, and it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault," Pete said, "things like this just... happen. It's going to work out somehow. I know it."

"What is your problem?" Keelie said angrily as she walked into her and Bri's apartment.

"What do you mean?" Bri said dully as she kept her eyes on the T.V.

Keelie stared at the back of her head. "With Ryan!"

Bri laughed sarcastically and stood up, looking her straight in the eyes. "What's my problem? What's his problem! 'I missed you, Bri.' That's not going to help him! He was probably lying cause he knows how easy I am to forgive him! Most of the time in the past he just went 'I'm sorry' and gave me this cute, little smile that made me smile and go 'You're forgiven' and eveything was just daisies and tulips!"

The other froze. "You remember all that?"

"YES!!!" Bri said, "I remember every little thing about Ryan now. I don't remember my time with Pete, or Patrick or Brendon, just RYAN every second we ever spent talking on the phone, or hanging out, or keeping my skittles from Franki." She was now crying. "And he just... got drunk and then left me with nothing but 'i have something important to tell you...' then nothing."

Keelie came up to her and hugged her. "He didn't mean to, and he tried to call after he had his phone charged at the hotel, but Karen picked up your phone."

Bri shook her head. "I really don't want to talk about what Ryan did or didn't do. I just... wanna be mad at him."

Keelie nodded.

Just then Karen came in with several shopping bags. "Bri, I found the most amazing... what happened?" Karen asked, walking toward Bri.

"Ryan just has her stressed," Keelie told her. "He didn't do anything either, so don't suspect he did."

Karen just nodded.

"I want to fix it so bad," Ryan said as he walked into Brendon's house with the rest of the band.

"Your almost obsessing over it," Brendon said as he came in after Ryan. "Plus, none of us really know WHAT it is."

"It's me!" Ryan said. "I got drunk, then I just up and left."

"It wasn't your decision to leave, though," Spencer said. "She knows that, right?"

Ryan looked at Brendon. "Did she know that?"

Brendon nodded. "You told her just before you were about to make your big confession."

Just then, the band heard a knock at the door. Jon went to answer it and saw Gerard.

"Hey Gerard," Brendon said from the couch. "How's it been?"

"Fine, I guess," Gerard said, "Bri's been all moody, but we can handle that."

"She's been more than just mad?" Ryan asked.

Gerard nodded. "Depression and anger are her main things lately. She be all mad at the drop of a hat and then she would be at the point of near tears. I hated seeing it during shows, but I can't really stop her from it." He turned to Ryan. "I know that your crazy about her and it probably hurt you coming home to her being all mad at you and everything, but Bri couldn't handle that for long, expecially with you. Just wait for a little while and - I owe you if this doesn't happen - she will come up to you and hug and say she's sorry."

Ryan nodded. "It'll probably take a little more time than it has in the past, though. She's REALLY mad at me."

Gerard nodded and then after a short pause, gave a little smile. "I know what can ease all her anger on you, it's surefire."

"OK, tell me," Ryan said, eager to hear it.