You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home
You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home
Raina McGlynn trudged home tired-eyed and exhausted from a long walk in the rain. Another day of boring, painstaking work at the LA law firm where she was interning, another day of worry about what she might find when she gets home. Her parents were fighting worse then ever. Most of the time, she could escape to her great friend and sometimes-fling Brendon Urie’s apartment that he shared with his bandmates to escape the worst of it, but tonight they were playing a show in Portland and Raina was all alone.
Just the thought of Brendon and his friends did manage to comfort Raina a bit, bringing a little warmth to her rain-chilled body. She had known them all since their high school days in Vegas, when she and Ryan Ross were in the same physics class and the rest of the boys were in Raina’s dysfunctional brother Crest’s graduating year. They were fun, lively, and always were the talk of the school. And Brendon... He was the center of it all. The Sun to their solar system, keeping everyone warm and in the light. His contagious smile and dazzling, dark eyes never failed to make Raina forget all about her troubles at home. It was what most attracted her to him.
Unlocking the door groggily, she was met by seemingly-blinding lights and deafening voices. When her eyes adjusted to the bright lights she was surprised to see her brother sitting in the living room, her parents standing, screaming before him.
“I can’t fucking believe this!” Her dad yelled, running his hands through his salt and pepper full head of hair. Raina’s stomach instantly dropped- her father rarely swore. “Failed? Failed out?!”
“Whoa,” Raina said, instantly alert again with adrenaline. “What’s going on?”
Her family spun to face her, as if her presence in her own home was out of place.
“You,” Her mom hissed, “both of you!” She now yelled, addressing Mr. McGlynn as well. “You never supported him! That’s why this happened!”
“Just tell me what’s going on,” Raina choked.
“Your brother failed out of school,” Her mom answered, “obviously he couldn’t handle it without the support he needed from the rest of his family.”
Dumbfounded and confused as ever, Raina blinked a couple of times before walking into the kitchen. Mrs. McGlynn yelled after her.
“Well, you have nothing to say for yourself? Look what you did!”
Raina did look, but not inwardly. A letter, folded three ways, sat on the kitchen table. The two sides were crumpled, obviously from the tight grip of a former reader. She let her eyes scan over the words.
Against school policies... Possession of drugs and alcohol... Numerous incidents... Immediate expulsion.
Now she really couldn’t believe what was going on. Crest McGlynn didn’t fail out of USC. He was kicked out for drugs. As Raina let her ears tune back in to the conversation in the next room, this is what she heard her dad arguing to her mom.
“This is his own responsibility-”
“No,” Her mom interjected, “No. This is your fault-”
“Our fault?!” Raina cried, really angry now. “He didn’t fail out! He did something illegal and got expelled! Stop kidding yourself!”
Raina had never seen such a terrible look come over her mother. Her sunken, grey eyes bulged with rage- her petite, scrawny figure positively swelling up heatedly. For a fleeting second, Raina thought she might hit her.
Instead, she got right up to Raina’s face and hissed, spraying spit onto Raina’s cheeks, “you can handle it now, since it’s your. Fucking. Fault. I’m done. Goodnight.”
And with this, she stormed up the stairs. The yelling resumed, this time between Raina’s dad and Crest. Raina let herself tune out again. She couldn’t take the noise.
She snuck out the sliding glass door into the rainy backyard and ran back towards Alexandria Street. The last time she walked this road was when she went to the guys’ last blow-out party. Such good times, such simple happiness, seemed ages ago.
Cars whizzed by, spraying water up onto the sidewalks. Raina welcomed the cool, depressing dripping of the rain on her shoulders. She tried to focus on the beautiful way the lights of LA reflected on the puddled streets... The way the shadows danced in and out of sight...
Then, one very familiar shadow of a tall, thin boy took Raina by surprise. She peered from between her long, soaked, dark brown bangs and focused her eyes on a drenched Brendon Urie.
“Bee, what are you doing here?” She asked, surprised.
Brendon shrugged. “I heard about Crest from some of my friends at USC. I knew you’d need someone to turn too.”
“But what about Portland?”
Another shrug, “they’ll get over it. You’re more important.”
Raina didn’t know what to say. The image of Brendon waiting for her on the city streets this drizzling night was heartwarming beyond measure. The stress of the day and the pain her family constantly put on her caught up with Raina now. She was never at ease, never at home, because how could anyone find the comforts of a home in a place like that? Tears mixed with rainfall, and she stepped forward into Brendon’s open arms.
“It’s Ok,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “I’m here. I have you. You’re home now.”
Her gratefulness was overwhelming. Bringing her sparkling, wet eyes to his, Raina whispered with trembling lips, “you put your arms around me and I’m home.”
Just the thought of Brendon and his friends did manage to comfort Raina a bit, bringing a little warmth to her rain-chilled body. She had known them all since their high school days in Vegas, when she and Ryan Ross were in the same physics class and the rest of the boys were in Raina’s dysfunctional brother Crest’s graduating year. They were fun, lively, and always were the talk of the school. And Brendon... He was the center of it all. The Sun to their solar system, keeping everyone warm and in the light. His contagious smile and dazzling, dark eyes never failed to make Raina forget all about her troubles at home. It was what most attracted her to him.
Unlocking the door groggily, she was met by seemingly-blinding lights and deafening voices. When her eyes adjusted to the bright lights she was surprised to see her brother sitting in the living room, her parents standing, screaming before him.
“I can’t fucking believe this!” Her dad yelled, running his hands through his salt and pepper full head of hair. Raina’s stomach instantly dropped- her father rarely swore. “Failed? Failed out?!”
“Whoa,” Raina said, instantly alert again with adrenaline. “What’s going on?”
Her family spun to face her, as if her presence in her own home was out of place.
“You,” Her mom hissed, “both of you!” She now yelled, addressing Mr. McGlynn as well. “You never supported him! That’s why this happened!”
“Just tell me what’s going on,” Raina choked.
“Your brother failed out of school,” Her mom answered, “obviously he couldn’t handle it without the support he needed from the rest of his family.”
Dumbfounded and confused as ever, Raina blinked a couple of times before walking into the kitchen. Mrs. McGlynn yelled after her.
“Well, you have nothing to say for yourself? Look what you did!”
Raina did look, but not inwardly. A letter, folded three ways, sat on the kitchen table. The two sides were crumpled, obviously from the tight grip of a former reader. She let her eyes scan over the words.
Against school policies... Possession of drugs and alcohol... Numerous incidents... Immediate expulsion.
Now she really couldn’t believe what was going on. Crest McGlynn didn’t fail out of USC. He was kicked out for drugs. As Raina let her ears tune back in to the conversation in the next room, this is what she heard her dad arguing to her mom.
“This is his own responsibility-”
“No,” Her mom interjected, “No. This is your fault-”
“Our fault?!” Raina cried, really angry now. “He didn’t fail out! He did something illegal and got expelled! Stop kidding yourself!”
Raina had never seen such a terrible look come over her mother. Her sunken, grey eyes bulged with rage- her petite, scrawny figure positively swelling up heatedly. For a fleeting second, Raina thought she might hit her.
Instead, she got right up to Raina’s face and hissed, spraying spit onto Raina’s cheeks, “you can handle it now, since it’s your. Fucking. Fault. I’m done. Goodnight.”
And with this, she stormed up the stairs. The yelling resumed, this time between Raina’s dad and Crest. Raina let herself tune out again. She couldn’t take the noise.
She snuck out the sliding glass door into the rainy backyard and ran back towards Alexandria Street. The last time she walked this road was when she went to the guys’ last blow-out party. Such good times, such simple happiness, seemed ages ago.
Cars whizzed by, spraying water up onto the sidewalks. Raina welcomed the cool, depressing dripping of the rain on her shoulders. She tried to focus on the beautiful way the lights of LA reflected on the puddled streets... The way the shadows danced in and out of sight...
Then, one very familiar shadow of a tall, thin boy took Raina by surprise. She peered from between her long, soaked, dark brown bangs and focused her eyes on a drenched Brendon Urie.
“Bee, what are you doing here?” She asked, surprised.
Brendon shrugged. “I heard about Crest from some of my friends at USC. I knew you’d need someone to turn too.”
“But what about Portland?”
Another shrug, “they’ll get over it. You’re more important.”
Raina didn’t know what to say. The image of Brendon waiting for her on the city streets this drizzling night was heartwarming beyond measure. The stress of the day and the pain her family constantly put on her caught up with Raina now. She was never at ease, never at home, because how could anyone find the comforts of a home in a place like that? Tears mixed with rainfall, and she stepped forward into Brendon’s open arms.
“It’s Ok,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “I’m here. I have you. You’re home now.”
Her gratefulness was overwhelming. Bringing her sparkling, wet eyes to his, Raina whispered with trembling lips, “you put your arms around me and I’m home.”