Sequel: Wrists Intact ›
Hearts Intact
I SingThe Blues And Swallow Them Too
We played several shows, getting more confident with each one. I won’t bore you with the details because frankly, nothing else really happened. I was still avoiding the members of Fall Out Boy and vice versa.
Right now we were at some mountain resort thing in Colorado. Some beer company had set up a contest, and about four hundred people won, and their prize was a concert. Lucky us got to get there a few days early and spend some time relaxing.
Jimmy and I were sitting on the dock, letting our feet hang in the water. It was a manmade like but still nice and pretty. Neither of us were talking, we didn’t want to spoil the moment. Only after nearly an hour did Jimmy finally speak.
“So, you having fun?” He asked. I nodded. It was true, I was, what could be better than getting to play music with my best friends?
“Yeah, this is pretty awesome.” I said. Jimmy smiled.
“Think I should ruin it?” He asked. I gave him a funny look.
“Ruin it how?” I asked suspiciously. Before I could do anything, Jimmy jumped to his feet and picked me up.
“Jimmy! Put me down!” I cried. Jimmy just grinned and threw me in the lake. The water was freezing and I swallowed a whole bunch of it. Coughing, I surfaced to find stupid Jimmy laughing at me.
“I hate you, I hate you so much!” I muttered as I climbed onto the dock. Jimmy couldn’t speak, he was laughing so hard.
“You think that’s funny? Well, here’s something even funnier!” I said, and I pushed him into the lake. Then I got out of there before he could get out of the lake and throw me back in!
I stopped running once I reached the trail leading back up to the main lodge. It went through the trees and since I was barefoot, I didn’t feel like running over pine needles. I’d rather take it nice and slow, watching carefully where I stepped. I cursed Jimmy softly underneath my breath, promising myself that I’d get back at him. It was evening and I was freezing!
“Hey, Izzye!” I heard someone call. Looking up, I was surprised to see Pete, Patrick, Andy and Joe standing with a group of guys. I immediately recognized who the guys were.
“Izzye, this is Brendon Urie, Jon Walker, Spencer Smith and Ryan Ross. Guys, this is Izzye.” Pete said, nodding to each person in turn. I tried very hard to remain calm, which is hard to do when you’re meeting one of your favorite bands ever while you’re barefoot and soaking wet.
“Hey.” I said as I shook hands with them. Pete gave me a weird look.
“What is it with you and being wet when you meet people?” He asked. I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Jimmy was no where in sight.
“I think that this is what I get for being friends with Jimmy.” I said. Now everyone was giving me weird looks. Great, apparently they all thought that I was a freak.
“What’d he do this time?” Patrick asked.
“Threw me in the lake.” I said. Everyone laughed and I glared at them all.
“Where is he now?” Andy asked. I looked back over my shoulder.
“Well he was the one in the lake when I left him.” I said. They all laughed again and I started to wonder if I was destined to be in embarrassing situations for the rest of my life.
“Where are you going now?” Joe asked. I shrugged.
“No where in particular, just some where Jimmy won’t be able to find me.” I said.
“Well will you help us find Skylar and Devin then? To introduce them? We can introduce Jimmy later.” Patrick said with a smile. I nodded even though I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to seem rude though.
“Aren’t you cold?” Jon asked me after we’d been walking for a few minutes.
“A little bit.” I admitted. Actually, I was freezing, I just didn’t want to say it
“Do you want my jacket?” Brendon offered. I shook my head, though I was flattered by how nice they were.
“No thanks, I’ll be fine.” I said. They didn’t look like they believed me.
“Are you sure?” Brendon said. I nodded.
“Yup, I’m from Canada, I’ve been way colder than this before.” I said cheerfully. Brendon smiled.
“Where are you from up there?” Ryan asked.
“I was born in Halifax but I was raised in Calgary.” I answered. “We moved to Calgary when Skylar and I were three months old.”
“Are you guys twins?” Spencer asked. I nodded.
“They sure don’t look it though!” Andy said. I nodded again.
“It’s true, most people don’t believe us when we say we’re twins.” I said. Spencer laughed.
“Oh hey, do you know a Skyla Conner? Some guy at the desk thought we were her friends so he gave us this letter for her.” Ryan said, holding up an envelope.
“Hey that’s me!” I said. All the members in Panic! looked confused.
“Didn’t you say your name was Izzye?” Jon asked. I nodded quickly.
“My name is really Skyla Conner, but everyone calls me Izzye.” I said as Ryan handed me the envelope. I looked at the address and my face fell.
“Who’s it from?” Patrick asked. I hesitated before answering.
“My parents.” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Everyone looked at each other and then back at me. Slowly, I opened the envelope.
It was a picture, a family portrait. Except that it was only my parents and Alexia in the picture. There was tiny note too. It read, The Conner Family, Husband David Conner, Wife Isabella Conner, Daughter Alexia Conner, No Other Children. I won’t lie, that hurt to read.
“Ouch.” I whispered. Spencer, who was walking beside me, saw the photo and note.
“Is that your family?” He asked, sounding shocked. I nodded.
“Yeah, or, at least they’re supposed to be.” I said. I put the photo and note back in the envelope. I’d show it to Skylar later.
“Why would they do that?” Ryan asked. He was walking on the other side of me so he saw the photo and note too.
“They don’t exactly approve of Skylar and I being in a band.” I said slowly. I stared at the ground, trying my hardest not to cry. I refused to let myself cry over something my parents did, I kept telling myself that they weren’t worth it.
“Uh, Izzye, you better hide!” Patrick said suddenly. I looked up and could see Jimmy coming down the path. In a second I bounded into the woods and hid behind a tree. I watched as Jimmy ran up to them, soaking wet.
“Hey guys, have you seen Izzye?” Jimmy asked. Apparently he didn’t notice Brendon and the others.
“No, we haven’t seen her all day.” Andy said. Jimmy nodded and then he finally seemed to notice the members of Panic! At The Disco. He shifted his weight uncomfortably.
“Jimmy, this is Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Jon Walker and Ryan Ross. Guys, this is Jimmy King.” Pete said. There was more handshaking.
“It’s nice to meet you guys but I’ve got to go, I’ve got to find Izzye.” Jimmy said, making a fast escape. He gets pretty nervous when meeting new people. I waited until he was out of sight before I came out of the trees.
“Where do you think Skylar and Devin would be?” Joe asked a few minutes later. I thought for a moment.
“Probably out at the picnic tables down by the west side of the lake. They like watching sunsets.” I said, glancing up at the sun. Yup, it was defiantly setting.
“Okay, to the west side we go!” Andy said, leading the way. We all followed him.
“How old are you?” Brendon asked.
“Seventeen.” I said at the same time that Pete said “Twenty.” The members of Panic! looked confused.
“Take your pick, I can be either one.” I said with a smile.
“You look young, I say seventeen!” Brendon said. Jon shook his head.
“Nah, I say twenty.” He said.
“I’m going with seventeen.” Spencer said. Ryan stared at me, thinking hard.
“I’m going to have to agree with Brendon and Spencer, you look young, seventeen!” He said finally. I smiled.
“Seventeen it is!” I said.
“No more meeting people at bars then!” Pete said, turning to look at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, forgetting that only young children do that. Everyone laughed.
“We ever going to find out this inside joke?” Spencer asked. As Pete told them my thoughts turned to the photo and note from my parents. They were obviously pretty angry at Skylar and I, but how did they know that we were going to be at this resort? It was a mystery.
“Hey, you were right!” Joe said, sounding genuinely surprised. We had reached the west side of the lake and sure enough, there was Skylar and Devin, standing on the dock, watching the sunset.
“Of course I was right, why wouldn’t I be? I’ve known these guys for seventeen and twelve years.” I said. Everyone laughed. Maybe I should be a comedian.
There was more introductions and once they were done, I handed the envelope to Skylar. I decided I couldn’t wait until there was no one else around. As he looked at it his face fell.
“Well then, at least we didn’t like them that much.” He said finally. I forced a smile and he put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed reassuringly.
“That’s true.” I said. Devin smiled at us.
“Well, no more pink!” He said. Both Skylar and I laughed. It was easier to laugh at it than it was to actually think about the fact that our parents had basically just disowned us.
“Why are you wet?” Skylar asked after a few seconds, pulling is arm away from me. Pete and the others laughed while I rolled my eyes.
“Ask Jimmy.” I said. Skylar stared at me for a few seconds and then started laughing.
“He threw you in the lake, didn’t he?” He asked. I nodded.
“Did you get him back?” Devin asked.
“If by getting him back you mean that I pushed him in the lake, then yes, I did get him back.” I said. Everyone laughed again.
“So I guess you’d be a little bit mad if I threw you in the lake now?” Skylar asked with an evil grin. I back away from him.
“Do it and die!” I said. Skylar lunged at me and I tried to jump out of the way but I was too slow. Skylar picked me up and before I knew it, I was back in the stupid lake.
“I hate you, you are no brother of mine!” I said as I started to climb back onto the dock. Everyone was laughing at me.
“Oh come on Izzye, no hard feelings?” Skylar asked, holding out his hand. I took it and smiled sweetly at him.
“Oh no, none at all!” I said. Suddenly, I pulled him forward. My beloved twin wasn’t ready for it so he went tumbling into the lake.
“Now.” I added as I climbed all the way onto the dock. Everyone was laughing so hard a few of them, Devin including, had to sit down.
“You are a bad, bad sister!” Skylar said, climbing up onto the dock beside me. I smiled at him.
“Who’s older between the two of you?” Ryan asked. I rolled my eyes as Skylar grinned.
“I am, by seven minutes and fourteen seconds!” He said.
“Yeah, I don’t even have that advantage over him! I’m the youngest in the whole band!” I said. Ryan smiled.
“How old is everyone else?” He asked.
“I’m nineteen and so is Jimmy.” Devin said. “Izzye is the baby!”
“Urg, I hate you, have I ever told you that?” I said. Devin grinned.
“Every day princess, every day.” He said. I threw a pebble at him.
“Stop calling me that!” I cried. Devin grinned evilly.
“Or what?” He asked.
“Or, or, I’ll, well, I haven’t quite gotten to that part yet, but I’ll think of something! I will, I promise you that!” I said. Everyone laughed and I smiled. My parents might have disowned me but I was actually pretty happy right now. Who needed them when I had all the family that I needed right here? (Let’s add Jimmy to that and ignore the fact that I was still a little angry and creeped out Pete and Patrick and I had just met the members of Panic! none of that matters, it felt like everything was okay!)
“So why are you guys here?” Devin asked Jon a little while later. We were all sitting on the dock, watching the sunset.
“Actually, we might be joining you guys on the tour.” Jon said.
“Really? That’s awesome!” Devin said happily. He and I absolutely love Panic! At The Disco, we have forever (forever being since we first heard their music before they were big.)
“You tired?” Skylar asked me quietly. I nodded and yawned.
“Yup, dead tired.” I said. Skylar smiled and turned to stare at the sun. It was beautiful, one of the more beautiful sunsets I had ever seen.
“Go to sleep then.” He said. I gave him a weird look and shook my head.
“No way, I am not going to sleep on the dock!” I said. He laughed.
“Fair enough.” He said. Suddenly, someone called my name and we all turned around. Jimmy was coming towards us. Oh God, here we go again!
Right now we were at some mountain resort thing in Colorado. Some beer company had set up a contest, and about four hundred people won, and their prize was a concert. Lucky us got to get there a few days early and spend some time relaxing.
Jimmy and I were sitting on the dock, letting our feet hang in the water. It was a manmade like but still nice and pretty. Neither of us were talking, we didn’t want to spoil the moment. Only after nearly an hour did Jimmy finally speak.
“So, you having fun?” He asked. I nodded. It was true, I was, what could be better than getting to play music with my best friends?
“Yeah, this is pretty awesome.” I said. Jimmy smiled.
“Think I should ruin it?” He asked. I gave him a funny look.
“Ruin it how?” I asked suspiciously. Before I could do anything, Jimmy jumped to his feet and picked me up.
“Jimmy! Put me down!” I cried. Jimmy just grinned and threw me in the lake. The water was freezing and I swallowed a whole bunch of it. Coughing, I surfaced to find stupid Jimmy laughing at me.
“I hate you, I hate you so much!” I muttered as I climbed onto the dock. Jimmy couldn’t speak, he was laughing so hard.
“You think that’s funny? Well, here’s something even funnier!” I said, and I pushed him into the lake. Then I got out of there before he could get out of the lake and throw me back in!
I stopped running once I reached the trail leading back up to the main lodge. It went through the trees and since I was barefoot, I didn’t feel like running over pine needles. I’d rather take it nice and slow, watching carefully where I stepped. I cursed Jimmy softly underneath my breath, promising myself that I’d get back at him. It was evening and I was freezing!
“Hey, Izzye!” I heard someone call. Looking up, I was surprised to see Pete, Patrick, Andy and Joe standing with a group of guys. I immediately recognized who the guys were.
“Izzye, this is Brendon Urie, Jon Walker, Spencer Smith and Ryan Ross. Guys, this is Izzye.” Pete said, nodding to each person in turn. I tried very hard to remain calm, which is hard to do when you’re meeting one of your favorite bands ever while you’re barefoot and soaking wet.
“Hey.” I said as I shook hands with them. Pete gave me a weird look.
“What is it with you and being wet when you meet people?” He asked. I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Jimmy was no where in sight.
“I think that this is what I get for being friends with Jimmy.” I said. Now everyone was giving me weird looks. Great, apparently they all thought that I was a freak.
“What’d he do this time?” Patrick asked.
“Threw me in the lake.” I said. Everyone laughed and I glared at them all.
“Where is he now?” Andy asked. I looked back over my shoulder.
“Well he was the one in the lake when I left him.” I said. They all laughed again and I started to wonder if I was destined to be in embarrassing situations for the rest of my life.
“Where are you going now?” Joe asked. I shrugged.
“No where in particular, just some where Jimmy won’t be able to find me.” I said.
“Well will you help us find Skylar and Devin then? To introduce them? We can introduce Jimmy later.” Patrick said with a smile. I nodded even though I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to seem rude though.
“Aren’t you cold?” Jon asked me after we’d been walking for a few minutes.
“A little bit.” I admitted. Actually, I was freezing, I just didn’t want to say it
“Do you want my jacket?” Brendon offered. I shook my head, though I was flattered by how nice they were.
“No thanks, I’ll be fine.” I said. They didn’t look like they believed me.
“Are you sure?” Brendon said. I nodded.
“Yup, I’m from Canada, I’ve been way colder than this before.” I said cheerfully. Brendon smiled.
“Where are you from up there?” Ryan asked.
“I was born in Halifax but I was raised in Calgary.” I answered. “We moved to Calgary when Skylar and I were three months old.”
“Are you guys twins?” Spencer asked. I nodded.
“They sure don’t look it though!” Andy said. I nodded again.
“It’s true, most people don’t believe us when we say we’re twins.” I said. Spencer laughed.
“Oh hey, do you know a Skyla Conner? Some guy at the desk thought we were her friends so he gave us this letter for her.” Ryan said, holding up an envelope.
“Hey that’s me!” I said. All the members in Panic! looked confused.
“Didn’t you say your name was Izzye?” Jon asked. I nodded quickly.
“My name is really Skyla Conner, but everyone calls me Izzye.” I said as Ryan handed me the envelope. I looked at the address and my face fell.
“Who’s it from?” Patrick asked. I hesitated before answering.
“My parents.” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Everyone looked at each other and then back at me. Slowly, I opened the envelope.
It was a picture, a family portrait. Except that it was only my parents and Alexia in the picture. There was tiny note too. It read, The Conner Family, Husband David Conner, Wife Isabella Conner, Daughter Alexia Conner, No Other Children. I won’t lie, that hurt to read.
“Ouch.” I whispered. Spencer, who was walking beside me, saw the photo and note.
“Is that your family?” He asked, sounding shocked. I nodded.
“Yeah, or, at least they’re supposed to be.” I said. I put the photo and note back in the envelope. I’d show it to Skylar later.
“Why would they do that?” Ryan asked. He was walking on the other side of me so he saw the photo and note too.
“They don’t exactly approve of Skylar and I being in a band.” I said slowly. I stared at the ground, trying my hardest not to cry. I refused to let myself cry over something my parents did, I kept telling myself that they weren’t worth it.
“Uh, Izzye, you better hide!” Patrick said suddenly. I looked up and could see Jimmy coming down the path. In a second I bounded into the woods and hid behind a tree. I watched as Jimmy ran up to them, soaking wet.
“Hey guys, have you seen Izzye?” Jimmy asked. Apparently he didn’t notice Brendon and the others.
“No, we haven’t seen her all day.” Andy said. Jimmy nodded and then he finally seemed to notice the members of Panic! At The Disco. He shifted his weight uncomfortably.
“Jimmy, this is Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Jon Walker and Ryan Ross. Guys, this is Jimmy King.” Pete said. There was more handshaking.
“It’s nice to meet you guys but I’ve got to go, I’ve got to find Izzye.” Jimmy said, making a fast escape. He gets pretty nervous when meeting new people. I waited until he was out of sight before I came out of the trees.
“Where do you think Skylar and Devin would be?” Joe asked a few minutes later. I thought for a moment.
“Probably out at the picnic tables down by the west side of the lake. They like watching sunsets.” I said, glancing up at the sun. Yup, it was defiantly setting.
“Okay, to the west side we go!” Andy said, leading the way. We all followed him.
“How old are you?” Brendon asked.
“Seventeen.” I said at the same time that Pete said “Twenty.” The members of Panic! looked confused.
“Take your pick, I can be either one.” I said with a smile.
“You look young, I say seventeen!” Brendon said. Jon shook his head.
“Nah, I say twenty.” He said.
“I’m going with seventeen.” Spencer said. Ryan stared at me, thinking hard.
“I’m going to have to agree with Brendon and Spencer, you look young, seventeen!” He said finally. I smiled.
“Seventeen it is!” I said.
“No more meeting people at bars then!” Pete said, turning to look at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, forgetting that only young children do that. Everyone laughed.
“We ever going to find out this inside joke?” Spencer asked. As Pete told them my thoughts turned to the photo and note from my parents. They were obviously pretty angry at Skylar and I, but how did they know that we were going to be at this resort? It was a mystery.
“Hey, you were right!” Joe said, sounding genuinely surprised. We had reached the west side of the lake and sure enough, there was Skylar and Devin, standing on the dock, watching the sunset.
“Of course I was right, why wouldn’t I be? I’ve known these guys for seventeen and twelve years.” I said. Everyone laughed. Maybe I should be a comedian.
There was more introductions and once they were done, I handed the envelope to Skylar. I decided I couldn’t wait until there was no one else around. As he looked at it his face fell.
“Well then, at least we didn’t like them that much.” He said finally. I forced a smile and he put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed reassuringly.
“That’s true.” I said. Devin smiled at us.
“Well, no more pink!” He said. Both Skylar and I laughed. It was easier to laugh at it than it was to actually think about the fact that our parents had basically just disowned us.
“Why are you wet?” Skylar asked after a few seconds, pulling is arm away from me. Pete and the others laughed while I rolled my eyes.
“Ask Jimmy.” I said. Skylar stared at me for a few seconds and then started laughing.
“He threw you in the lake, didn’t he?” He asked. I nodded.
“Did you get him back?” Devin asked.
“If by getting him back you mean that I pushed him in the lake, then yes, I did get him back.” I said. Everyone laughed again.
“So I guess you’d be a little bit mad if I threw you in the lake now?” Skylar asked with an evil grin. I back away from him.
“Do it and die!” I said. Skylar lunged at me and I tried to jump out of the way but I was too slow. Skylar picked me up and before I knew it, I was back in the stupid lake.
“I hate you, you are no brother of mine!” I said as I started to climb back onto the dock. Everyone was laughing at me.
“Oh come on Izzye, no hard feelings?” Skylar asked, holding out his hand. I took it and smiled sweetly at him.
“Oh no, none at all!” I said. Suddenly, I pulled him forward. My beloved twin wasn’t ready for it so he went tumbling into the lake.
“Now.” I added as I climbed all the way onto the dock. Everyone was laughing so hard a few of them, Devin including, had to sit down.
“You are a bad, bad sister!” Skylar said, climbing up onto the dock beside me. I smiled at him.
“Who’s older between the two of you?” Ryan asked. I rolled my eyes as Skylar grinned.
“I am, by seven minutes and fourteen seconds!” He said.
“Yeah, I don’t even have that advantage over him! I’m the youngest in the whole band!” I said. Ryan smiled.
“How old is everyone else?” He asked.
“I’m nineteen and so is Jimmy.” Devin said. “Izzye is the baby!”
“Urg, I hate you, have I ever told you that?” I said. Devin grinned.
“Every day princess, every day.” He said. I threw a pebble at him.
“Stop calling me that!” I cried. Devin grinned evilly.
“Or what?” He asked.
“Or, or, I’ll, well, I haven’t quite gotten to that part yet, but I’ll think of something! I will, I promise you that!” I said. Everyone laughed and I smiled. My parents might have disowned me but I was actually pretty happy right now. Who needed them when I had all the family that I needed right here? (Let’s add Jimmy to that and ignore the fact that I was still a little angry and creeped out Pete and Patrick and I had just met the members of Panic! none of that matters, it felt like everything was okay!)
“So why are you guys here?” Devin asked Jon a little while later. We were all sitting on the dock, watching the sunset.
“Actually, we might be joining you guys on the tour.” Jon said.
“Really? That’s awesome!” Devin said happily. He and I absolutely love Panic! At The Disco, we have forever (forever being since we first heard their music before they were big.)
“You tired?” Skylar asked me quietly. I nodded and yawned.
“Yup, dead tired.” I said. Skylar smiled and turned to stare at the sun. It was beautiful, one of the more beautiful sunsets I had ever seen.
“Go to sleep then.” He said. I gave him a weird look and shook my head.
“No way, I am not going to sleep on the dock!” I said. He laughed.
“Fair enough.” He said. Suddenly, someone called my name and we all turned around. Jimmy was coming towards us. Oh God, here we go again!