Your Voice Was The Soundtrack Of My Summer

I was getting aggravated as I searched my room for my earrings. Then I saw them poking out from underneath Munster. I picked him and got my earrings. Luckily they weren’t broken. And then they wouldn’t go in my ears. A few pain endorsing minutes later they finally went in. I straightened my black and red polka dotted dress and waited down in the living room for Becky and the others. Josephine wasn’t home, thankfully. I was nervous so I thought I would play Guitar Hero 3. I was just at the end of a battle against Slash when the doorbell rang. I examined myself in the mirror one more time and patted down any unwelcome frizz in my hair. I opened the door and Becky jumped into me. When we let go I examined her dress. It was the same hot pink one she had showed me before. I chuckled and motioned everyone inside. Then at the end of the line there was Patrick. He smiled at me shyly and I couldn’t help but blush. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a green and white striped shirt, and a blazer jacket. He wasn’t wearing glasses like when I first met him. He looked perfect, we brought each other into a hug, and I didn’t want to let go. Everyone started to aw, and stuff. I felt sad when we did let go. A few pictures here, a few there and we were heading out. Everyone had gone out before Patrick and I. Patrick held out his arm. And I happily looped mine through his. I gasped when I saw the limo parked outside.

“Becky! You got a fucking limo?”

“Yes indeed.”

I mouthed a wow and slid inside next to Patrick.

“You look, um, great tonight Piper.”

I love his cute awkwardness.

“Thank you, you look… perfect.”

Did I just say perfect? Goddamn and the fucking idiot train just stopped.

“Uh, thanks.”

We both blushed at the same time. Everyone was starting to have a pretty good time and we didn’t even make it to the dance. Pete accidentally pushed Patrick over and his hand landed on top of mine.

“Ugh, uh I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

I picked his hand back up and laced our fingers together. He seemed to ease up a bit. I looked over at Becky who was now winking at me. In a little bit of time we had learned so much about each other. Our fingers were still intertwined when we walked into the school gym. We all went to get a table to sit at. The guys had gone off to go get some punch. I watched Patrick walk away and I slumped in my seat smiling.

“Hey Becky, I have to ask you. How come Pete and Andy don’t have dates?”

“Well Pete has a major crush on my cousin Hailey and she lives in Canada. So you can put two and two together. Andy didn’t want to go in the first place… but Joe made him.”

“Oh.”

“What about you… and Patrick? It looks like you’ve already fallen in deep haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Well good, this will be good for both of you. Considering what happened with you and Jake and what happened with Patrick and Sara.”

Jake was my ex boyfriend. He tried to rape me, I haven’t had a real relationship with a boy ever since.

“Who’s Sara?”

“Andy told me that Sara was Patrick’s first girlfriend ever in freshmen year. He told me she cheated on him… it was pretty bad.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah later on in sophomore year she ended up getting pregnant by the dude she was cheating with. They both had to drop out of school.”

“Should I bring it up?”

“No I wouldn’t. Not right now at least.”

“Then how am I going to let Patrick know I’m not going to hurt him?”

“Well you’re not officially dating yet Piper… you have to remember that.”

“Yeah but how are we ever going to be together if he feels I’m going to be just another whore… I really like him Beck.”

“That’s up to Patrick to see you’re not like that. I’m sure if he thought you were then he wouldn’t have asked you to the dance.”

“That’s true.”

“I’m sure Patrick knows you’re nothing like Sara.” Andy chimed in between gulps of punch. I didn’t realize he had come back. Then came Pete, Patrick, and Joe. Patrick put a cup of punch in front of me and I thanked him. He sat down next to me and held my hand underneath the table, like he didn’t want me to let go. Which was understandable. “You can’t beat me at a staring contest Hurley!” Pete hollered.

“You want to bet Wentz?”

“Fine! Whoever wins gets…”

Pete started rummaging through his pockets he pulled out a five-dollar bill.

“Five bucks?”

“Yes… that’s all I have on me.”

“Ok… if I win I get your five dollars. If you win then I have go out on the dance floor and act like a complete idiot.”

“Deal.”

So there they went into a stare off. Patrick leaned closer to me so he could whisper something in my ear. I closed my eyes as his warm breath sends chills throughout my body. “You really look beautiful tonight.” I was able to get out a, “thank you,” without my voice cracking or whatever. “Ha mother fuckers! I told you Andy you couldn’t beat me!” Pete threw his arms in the air victoriously.

“Damn!”

“Get on the dance floor Hurley!”

“Fine… I’ll be a good sport.”

We all watched Andy take the walk of shame over to the middle of the dance floor. Then when he started dancing he had us all in hysterics. He was all over the place, the poor boy, I almost felt sorry for him.

“Hey Andy! Do a booty dance!” Joe yelled.

“Oh come on!”

“Yeah Andy do it!” Pete demanded.

“Absolutely not!”

“Andy as the staring contest king I demand you to do a booty dance!”

“You are so fucking cruel… all of you.”

He did as Pete told him. Everyone was staring at him and some were laughing. After the song was over he held his head down and sat back down in his seat. All of us were still laughing.

“Ok… ok listen Andy. Since you did that I might as well give you my five dollars. Lets call it an entertaining fee.”

“Fuck you Wentz…” Andy said while shoving the five dollars in his pocket. Slowly into the night everyone left to go dance. Me, I don’t dance in public so I was fine just where I was. Then the flashing strobe light slowed down and, “You Can’t Be Missed If You Never Go Away,” by Cobra Starship started to fill my ears.

“Would you like to dance?” Patrick said shyly.

“Sure.”

We walked out to the dance floor hand in hand. I wrapped my arms around Patrick’s neck and Patrick put his hands on my waist.

“Hey Piper.”

“Yeah.”

“I wanted to thank you for coming with me to the dance. I’m sure I’m the last person you wanted to go with.”

I chuckled a little and laid my head on his shoulder. “You’re the first person I wanted to go with Patrick,” I whispered into his ear. He held onto me tighter to bring our bodies closer. I could feel his heartbeat against mine. Soon they beat at the same time, like one. It was the most spectacular moment I’ve ever experienced. I felt like me with this boy, like I don’t have to keep secrets, or care for anything else in the world. But in the back of my mind I’m still wondering about his trust levels with me. At the end of the song the strobe lights started flashing faster, I lifted my head off of his shoulder and for a minute or two we looked into each other’s eyes. His eyes were the prettiest greenish blue. “Wow, you have really pretty eyes.” I told Patrick.

“Thanks yours aren’t so bad either.”

I giggled and he smiled that smile. If I had a photographic memory I would keep that smile in my mind forever.

“Come on let’s go outside.”

I took Patrick’s hand and went out the back door of the gym. There we sat down on the school mascot’s statue. “Chicago is quite famous for bears aren’t they?” I looked up at the statue of the school mascot, Barrington.

“Ha yes I guess we are…”

As a gust of wind blew through my hair I shivered. Patrick took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

“You know I’ve never met someone as sweet as you.”

“Nah it’s just called having manners.”

“Well more boys should be like you and have manners.”

He smirked and looked down at his feet.

“Patrick… I uh have to talk to you about something.”

“Ok.”

“I wanted to ask you… if you trust me.”

“Of course I do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah… why do you ask?”

“Well…”

“Wait, someone told you about Sara right?”

“Yes, don’t be mad, Becky told me not to bring it up but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to make sure you trust me enough to…”

“What?”

“Be together.”

“I’m not mad at anyone for telling you. The whole secrecy thing with that has pretty much was over with. I’ve tried to leave the past behind me.”

“But you’re not quite there yet?”

“Yeah…”

“I totally understand how you feel.” I said as I scooted closer to him to wrap my arm around his shoulder. “You’re not the only one who has some recovering to do.” Patrick looked up at me puzzled, and worried.

“Patrick, I think you should know something about me. Something I haven’t told anyone outside my family, and Becky.”

“Piper, you’re sort of freaking me out.”

“No, it’s nothing to be freaked out about, well kind of, it is scary to think about but… anyway, uh, my ex boyfriend, Jake, he tried to, um, rape me.” I closed my eyes to make sure any tears wouldn’t escape them. Patrick desperately wrapped his arms around my body and tightly held on. “I’m so sorry,” He whispered in my ear.

“It’s ok… I just thought I would let you know that you’re not the only one with trust issues.”

“Piper you must trust me enough to tell me something so personal like that.”

I lifted my head and nodded.

“You’re starting to show me that I shouldn’t be afraid to fall in love again.”

And then we had that deep intense moment. You know like in the movies right before a couple kisses for the first time. My heart rate quickened when our lips touched. Patrick brought his right hand through my hair and the left on my hand. Then my phone rang, I didn’t pay mind to answer it. “This heart, it beats, beats for you. My heart is yours.”The lyrics from, “My Heart,” by Paramore rang from my cell phone and swirled through my head. When my phone stopped ringing that’s when we stopped kissing. A toothy grin spread across both of our faces. I took my cell phone and looked to see who had called, it was just Becky.

“We better get back inside, Becky is probably thinking I left her for the buzzards.”

Patrick and I walked back inside the gym in each other’s arms. When we walked through the doors Becky ran towards me.

“Where did you go? I thought you weren’t going to come back!”

“Chill I was just outside, getting some fresh air.”

“Why didn’t you answer my call?”

“Bad service?”

I looked at Patrick who grinned. Becky looked at me, then Patrick, and back again.

“Whatever, I can spend the night at your house right?”

“Sure.”

“The dance is almost over, we should call it a night.”

“Ok.”

During the ride home Patrick and I cuddled, Becky and Joe ended up making out, and Andy tried to get revenge on Pete with another staring contest. We pulled up outside my house, Becky said good night to Joe, and I said goodbye to Patrick. I rummaged through my bag to find my keys. Next thing I knew Patrick came running up my driveway and he crashed his lips onto mine. I was a little caught off guard at first but quickly I relaxed my body onto his. “I’ll call you tomorrow, I love you,” he whispered in my ear.

“I love you too.”

I watched Patrick walk back to the limo. Then I looked at Becky, her mouth hung agape. Then when the limo drove away she started jumping up and down like a rabbit. “You’re together, you’re together,” is what she kept chanted as I turned the key in the lock.

“Get inside, you’re going to make the next door neighbors call the cops.”