Runaways
SIX
After getting tacos with Jack and his friends last night, I was now certain of two things. One, tacos do make everything better. And two, Jack loves Blink-182. Almost as much as I do, which was a lot. We had spent almost the entire meal talking about the pop-punk band, and their up coming west coast tour.
"I'm so pissed..." Jack announced, before biting into his second burrito.
"...who knows when they'll make their way to Maryland. Or even if they'll go on tour again."
He looked distressed as the thought made me frown as well. Blink had just gotten back together after being M.I.A. for a while. This was a big deal for weird kids like us.
Jack's friends seemed interested, but not really as concerned as us. And Clarissa wanted nothing to do with it.
"Yeah, well Brad Paisely is coming this summer guys!" She had added at some point in the conversation. Mostly everyone ignored her or rolled their eyes.
That night I lay awake in bed thinking about how I could maybe see myself being friends with Jack after all. Like real friends, not just drunk ones. Maybe we had a lot more in common than just our love of beer and shitty music...
My phone buzzed again, for the 4th time that night. Paul hadn't stopped texting me since I hadn't respond to him that morning.
Paul-5:00PM-Lorraine, I'm sorry. I miss you so much. The only reason I'm with Anna is because I can't do this alone. I can't deal with the pain of losing you by myself. Anna's going through the same thing. I like Anna...but I love you.-
7:14PM-Look I know you want nothing to do with me but I really wish you were here right now.-
10:45PM-Hi, I'm sorry, I can't stop thinking about you. You haven't said anything and I guess that means this is really over...
10:50PM-Lorraine...-
I groaned and tossed my phone lightly across the room. I laid there for a minute more, listening to the beginning stages of a verbal fight between my mother and brother, happening in the kitchen.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped up from my bed and ran over to my computer in the corner of my tiny room. Within a few moments I was faced with the few tour dates that Blink-182 had posted earlier that week. Most of them were in or near California. I pondered this for longer than I probably should. California's not really that far away, is it? I thought to myself. No, not that far at all...and so what if it was? What was keeping me from a road trip? My stupid job? I could take a week off.
My phone buzzed yet again from the floor across the room. Most likely Paul again.
Without thinking about it any longer I did something crazy. I bought two tickets to a Blink-182 concert at the end of the month in Los Angeles, California.
It was as if I was lost in some kind of weird 'ex-boyfriend fueled rage' as I typed in my payment information and clicked submit. The cost of two tickets wasn't bad, and I didn't stop to think how I would be getting there yet. All I could think about was my need to run far, far away.
"I'm so pissed..." Jack announced, before biting into his second burrito.
"...who knows when they'll make their way to Maryland. Or even if they'll go on tour again."
He looked distressed as the thought made me frown as well. Blink had just gotten back together after being M.I.A. for a while. This was a big deal for weird kids like us.
Jack's friends seemed interested, but not really as concerned as us. And Clarissa wanted nothing to do with it.
"Yeah, well Brad Paisely is coming this summer guys!" She had added at some point in the conversation. Mostly everyone ignored her or rolled their eyes.
That night I lay awake in bed thinking about how I could maybe see myself being friends with Jack after all. Like real friends, not just drunk ones. Maybe we had a lot more in common than just our love of beer and shitty music...
My phone buzzed again, for the 4th time that night. Paul hadn't stopped texting me since I hadn't respond to him that morning.
Paul-5:00PM-Lorraine, I'm sorry. I miss you so much. The only reason I'm with Anna is because I can't do this alone. I can't deal with the pain of losing you by myself. Anna's going through the same thing. I like Anna...but I love you.-
7:14PM-Look I know you want nothing to do with me but I really wish you were here right now.-
10:45PM-Hi, I'm sorry, I can't stop thinking about you. You haven't said anything and I guess that means this is really over...
10:50PM-Lorraine...-
I groaned and tossed my phone lightly across the room. I laid there for a minute more, listening to the beginning stages of a verbal fight between my mother and brother, happening in the kitchen.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped up from my bed and ran over to my computer in the corner of my tiny room. Within a few moments I was faced with the few tour dates that Blink-182 had posted earlier that week. Most of them were in or near California. I pondered this for longer than I probably should. California's not really that far away, is it? I thought to myself. No, not that far at all...and so what if it was? What was keeping me from a road trip? My stupid job? I could take a week off.
My phone buzzed yet again from the floor across the room. Most likely Paul again.
Without thinking about it any longer I did something crazy. I bought two tickets to a Blink-182 concert at the end of the month in Los Angeles, California.
It was as if I was lost in some kind of weird 'ex-boyfriend fueled rage' as I typed in my payment information and clicked submit. The cost of two tickets wasn't bad, and I didn't stop to think how I would be getting there yet. All I could think about was my need to run far, far away.