‹ Prequel: Kids in Love
Growing Up
02
The silence fell over them again. Ian fumbled with the radio trying to find a decent station. Claudia turned in her seat and looked at everyone, her eyes met Ryan’s she gave a small smile. Brendon lit up a cigarette and offered it around everyone declined.
Claudia swatted Ian’s hand away from the dial and turned off the radio. She began singing “This might just be a waste of time, but there’s no one I’d rather waste my time with than all my best friends so start the car up!”
Tori Smiled and joined in, “we’ll all take turns but not for the worst. We’re all “has-been’s” and “never-were’s,” and we’re all in the back singing Roxanne. Just watching life pass us by, pass us by as if we cared enough try to catch up; enough to make up for lost time.”
Ryan smiled it sounded strange without any music but it was nice even though Claudia couldn’t carry a tune to save her life. Tori’s voice was nice enough for the two of them. He decided to join in on the song, “enough to make up for lost time yeah! We’ve been down we’ve been out we’ve been hanging around tip our glasses to having no direction. Start the van get me out of this one horse town, waste this night.”
At this point everyone had joined in “we’ve been down we’ve been out we’ve been hanging around tip your glasses to no direction. Start the van get me out of this one horse town, waste this night. Waste this night we’ve been down we’ve been out tip your glasses to no direction start the van get me out of this one horse town waste this night, waste this night!”
“Ian I didn’t know you could sing”
He gave a small shrug.
“Seriously though am I the only person who can’t freaking sing!” Claudia exclaimed, “oh hey Bren didn’t you bring your guitar?”
He shook his head, “it’s Ryan’s”
“Sorry kid I’m abandoning you” she smiled and patted Ian’s head before carefully getting out of her seat and trying to get into the backseat. “So Ry I think you should- ah,” She lost her balance and ended up in Brendon’s lap with Tori’s soda down her t-shirt.
Brendon snorted with laughter while Tori dabbed at it and apologized.
“Tori it’s fine it was my fault.”
“Still I feel so bad.”
Claudia shook her head and climbed over the seat and fell into the seat kicking Ryan in the face in the process.
“Fuck!”
“Oh my god I kicked you!”
Ryan held his nose, “fucking fuck”
“Oh my god I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed looking around frantically.
Ian glanced into the rearview mirror, “are you guys okay back there?”
“Claud potentially broke Ry’s nose, so yeah shit just got interesting.” Brendon laughed.
Tori slapped the back of Brendon’s head before saying, “Claud change your shirt and give me the one you’re wearing.”
Claudia reached behind the seat and picked up her pink backpack. She grabbed a t-shirt and tugged off the one she was wearing and threw it at Tori before tugging the other one on.
Tori opened the cooler and wrapped some ice in the t-shirt before handing it back to Ryan.
“Ryan I am so sorry. Let me see.”
Ryan took the ice off; Claudia got closer and said “sorry I am so sorry, I mean at least it’s not broken. I-“
Ryan burst out into laughter.
“What?”
“Your shirt”
“You’re wearing my shirt!” Tori giggled
“Thanks for the love Claud” Brendon winked at her.
Claudia glanced down at Tori’s ‘I love Brendon Urie’ t-shirt. “Damn it! I do not love you Brendon, Tor when did you leave this in my room?”
Brendon and Tori exchanged a guilty look. Claudia buried her head in her hands. Ryan
laughed harder, “you guys fucked in her room”
“That’s pretty fucked up,” Ian stated before turning the radio up.
Ryan switched the ice into his left hand and placed his right hand on Claudia’s shoulder in what he hopped was a comforting way. He looked around the van. Brendon was texting while trying to sit still as Tori sketched him. Ian focused on driving, Ryan liked Ian because Ian was either completely in his own world focusing on music, or making stupid jokes and geeking out over Star Wars. He withdrew his arm from Claudia’s shoulder.
She looked up and frowned, “they had sex on my bed.”
Ryan nodded, “what do you expect they fuck more than rabbits.”
She smiled a little, “now I’m stuck wearing a shirt professing my love for Bren when all I want to do is push him out of the damn car.”
He shrugged, “you could change.”
She shook her head, “no, not in the car. I only changed in here because of your nose. I’m really sorry by the way.”
He rolled his eyes she was beginning to get annoying “its fine look,” he pulled the ice off.
“Well it looks okay but does it still hurt?”
“No,” he lied “reach under the seat and get my guitar out.”
She smiled, “are you going to play me a song?”
He shrugged and watched as she struggled to pull the case out from under the seat. Finally she was able to get it out and she set it on Ryan’s lap. He opened it and took the guitar out letting her pick the case up and shove it back under the seat.
“What are you going to play?”
He shrugged, and stared out the window.
Claudia swatted Ian’s hand away from the dial and turned off the radio. She began singing “This might just be a waste of time, but there’s no one I’d rather waste my time with than all my best friends so start the car up!”
Tori Smiled and joined in, “we’ll all take turns but not for the worst. We’re all “has-been’s” and “never-were’s,” and we’re all in the back singing Roxanne. Just watching life pass us by, pass us by as if we cared enough try to catch up; enough to make up for lost time.”
Ryan smiled it sounded strange without any music but it was nice even though Claudia couldn’t carry a tune to save her life. Tori’s voice was nice enough for the two of them. He decided to join in on the song, “enough to make up for lost time yeah! We’ve been down we’ve been out we’ve been hanging around tip our glasses to having no direction. Start the van get me out of this one horse town, waste this night.”
At this point everyone had joined in “we’ve been down we’ve been out we’ve been hanging around tip your glasses to no direction. Start the van get me out of this one horse town, waste this night. Waste this night we’ve been down we’ve been out tip your glasses to no direction start the van get me out of this one horse town waste this night, waste this night!”
“Ian I didn’t know you could sing”
He gave a small shrug.
“Seriously though am I the only person who can’t freaking sing!” Claudia exclaimed, “oh hey Bren didn’t you bring your guitar?”
He shook his head, “it’s Ryan’s”
“Sorry kid I’m abandoning you” she smiled and patted Ian’s head before carefully getting out of her seat and trying to get into the backseat. “So Ry I think you should- ah,” She lost her balance and ended up in Brendon’s lap with Tori’s soda down her t-shirt.
Brendon snorted with laughter while Tori dabbed at it and apologized.
“Tori it’s fine it was my fault.”
“Still I feel so bad.”
Claudia shook her head and climbed over the seat and fell into the seat kicking Ryan in the face in the process.
“Fuck!”
“Oh my god I kicked you!”
Ryan held his nose, “fucking fuck”
“Oh my god I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed looking around frantically.
Ian glanced into the rearview mirror, “are you guys okay back there?”
“Claud potentially broke Ry’s nose, so yeah shit just got interesting.” Brendon laughed.
Tori slapped the back of Brendon’s head before saying, “Claud change your shirt and give me the one you’re wearing.”
Claudia reached behind the seat and picked up her pink backpack. She grabbed a t-shirt and tugged off the one she was wearing and threw it at Tori before tugging the other one on.
Tori opened the cooler and wrapped some ice in the t-shirt before handing it back to Ryan.
“Ryan I am so sorry. Let me see.”
Ryan took the ice off; Claudia got closer and said “sorry I am so sorry, I mean at least it’s not broken. I-“
Ryan burst out into laughter.
“What?”
“Your shirt”
“You’re wearing my shirt!” Tori giggled
“Thanks for the love Claud” Brendon winked at her.
Claudia glanced down at Tori’s ‘I love Brendon Urie’ t-shirt. “Damn it! I do not love you Brendon, Tor when did you leave this in my room?”
Brendon and Tori exchanged a guilty look. Claudia buried her head in her hands. Ryan
laughed harder, “you guys fucked in her room”
“That’s pretty fucked up,” Ian stated before turning the radio up.
Ryan switched the ice into his left hand and placed his right hand on Claudia’s shoulder in what he hopped was a comforting way. He looked around the van. Brendon was texting while trying to sit still as Tori sketched him. Ian focused on driving, Ryan liked Ian because Ian was either completely in his own world focusing on music, or making stupid jokes and geeking out over Star Wars. He withdrew his arm from Claudia’s shoulder.
She looked up and frowned, “they had sex on my bed.”
Ryan nodded, “what do you expect they fuck more than rabbits.”
She smiled a little, “now I’m stuck wearing a shirt professing my love for Bren when all I want to do is push him out of the damn car.”
He shrugged, “you could change.”
She shook her head, “no, not in the car. I only changed in here because of your nose. I’m really sorry by the way.”
He rolled his eyes she was beginning to get annoying “its fine look,” he pulled the ice off.
“Well it looks okay but does it still hurt?”
“No,” he lied “reach under the seat and get my guitar out.”
She smiled, “are you going to play me a song?”
He shrugged and watched as she struggled to pull the case out from under the seat. Finally she was able to get it out and she set it on Ryan’s lap. He opened it and took the guitar out letting her pick the case up and shove it back under the seat.
“What are you going to play?”
He shrugged, and stared out the window.