I Want to Complicate You

The same routine went on for a couple of weeks. My mom even came to the show we played in Charlotte and she brought gifts for everyone. Brendon and Spencer loved on my mom, expressing how it was great to see her and promising her that they were looking out for me. When she gave Brendon a pan of her chocolate cake, he held it protectively to his chest and proclaimed, “If anyone touches my chocolate cake from Momma Summers I will cut you.” We all laughed but I knew that Brendon was serious. There would be hell to pay if someone touched his cake.

Word had gotten out that Brendon, Spencer and I were long lost childhood best friends. Alt Press asked if they could have an exclusive. Our managers encouraged it and we didn’t see anything wrong with it so we agreed. When we had a day off a journalist and photographer met us in Virginia.

We all sat in the back room of Panic’s bus. I was feeling kind of nervous since this was my first interview. I was so nervous that what I was going to say was going to be twisted into something completely different than what I meant. I had heard the horror stories.

Spencer and Brendon must have noticed for they slightly angled their bodies towards me as if they were subconsciously protecting me. Spencer also put an arm along the back of the couch and Brendon held my hand. I knew that it definitely made me feel safer and more relaxed; I was beginning to feel at ease.

We shared how excited we were to be reunited, how touring was going, and how I met the boys. We were asked how the others felt about it and then they asked how I felt about the split and would I reach out to Ryan and Brent. I’m pretty sure all of us tensed up at that. The split was still so fresh for the guys and it just took us all by surprise. I sat up a bit straighter and took a deep breath before answering. “From my understanding of the split, it was a mutual type thing. I, like many of their fans, was saddened by the news but I wished Ryan and Jon the best. With the Brent thing I had that frustration only a friend could have at hearing that someone you know is good didn’t even try. As for reaching out to them, I honestly probably won’t since I wasn’t as close to them as I was to Brendon and Spencer. I do wish them all the best though and if somehow we run into each other one day, I wouldn’t be opposed to grabbing coffee.”

“Perfect. Thank you guys, now we’ll just take a few pictures.” The journalist said.

I shouldn’t have worried about my words being taken out of context; I should have worried about the photographer taking candid shots. I’m one of those people who disregards personal space if I’m really comfortable with the person and if they’re comfortable as well. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when that little quirk of mine gave me trouble.

The actual photo shoot was fun. We did different poses, some serious, some not so serious and some where they asked us to create our own poses. I hopped on Brendon’s back and pointed in the direction we should go while Spencer looked on like we were nuts for one. We then did the Charlie’s Angels pose as well as the See No Evil pose with our own variation. The boys even thought it a bright idea to pick me up. Spencer was holding my lower half and Brendon had my upper half. I flashed a thumbs up and a smile and the photographer snapped the picture.

When the photographer told us he was done, Spencer tried to let my feet down but I was not prepared. I had a near death grip on Brendon when he caught me. I looked up at him and he looked down which caused our faces to be rather close to each other. I loosened my grip on his shirt and patted his chest. “Thanks.” I smiled.

He set me down but we were still standing close. “Don’t mention it. At least now you know which one of us will help if you fall.”

We laughed as Spencer tried his best to defend himself. Brendon and I turned to face him, his arm around my shoulders, my arm around his waist. “It’s okay Spencer,” I began as I leaned into Brendon, smiling my infamous teasing smile at Spencer, “I always had a hunch you would be the one to drop me first.”

He just shook his head as Brendon and I laughed. I broke away from Brendon and patted Spencer’s shoulder as I walked by. “ ‘s okay Spence. Just bit of a warning next time, yeah?”

He smiled. “Yeah.”

As I walked pass the journalist and the photographer I thanked them for their time. Little did I know that they were going to ruin the short amount of time that I had been reunited with my best friend. While I was close to Spencer, I had only known him during middle school. Brendon and I grew up together. We had met in kindergarten and had formed an inseparable bond. We never left each other’s side until circumstances made us.

The only other person I ever felt that sort of connection with was with Josh. Although I’m sure it has something to do with them being there for me during some of the toughest times of my life. Brendon was there for me when my parents divorced and Josh was there when my father disowned me.

When Brendon and I reunited, it seemed like we picked up right where we left off. I absolutely loved having him back in my life. That feeling was ripped from me though. A few days after the exclusive we did with Alt Press, a tabloid magazine covered a story about how Brendon was cheating on Sarah with me. My eyes widened when I saw the headline: Rose Summers – More than childhood friend? I quickly snatched the magazine up and flipped through to the story. This was not what I planned when I was going to grab new reading material.

The author claimed that their source, who was apparently close to both Sarah and Brendon but wished to stay anonymous, said that since I came back into Brendon’s life I had put a strain on their relationship. I let out a harsh laugh when I saw that the pictures used as evidence was taken during the time that he and I were teasing Spencer after the photo shoot.

I sent a text to Josh, letting him know I was going to be on the bus after I threw the magazine back on the shelf. I then called Calvin as I stormed out of the store and up the stairs of the bus.

“Rose! I was actually just about to call you. Panic’s management team is going crazy.” He said as soon as he answered the phone.

Great, they already knew, I thought before answering him. “I want that magazine taken off the shelves and burned. Those photos were not authorized and were taken after the photographer told us he was done. I will give you a statement to release if you want but I can also just record a video and post it to the blog if you’d like.” My voice was colored by suppressed anger and tears. Yes, I was an angry crier.

“That sounds like a good idea, actually. It’ll let the world see how upset you are about this and how you genuinely mean the words. Brendon’s already given his statement to his team and it should be released shortly. He basically just said that you and him were just really close friends and that he would never cheat or hurt his best girls. He also said that there was no tension between you and Sarah and with the few times that you’ve talked you’ve both been super friendly. Now, do I need to coach you in what you should say?”

I rolled my eyes even if he couldn’t see me. “If you’re worried that I’m going to tell the photographer that he can go fuck himself, you have nothing to worry about. I know how to remain professional.”

“Okay, I trust you. I’m so sorry that this happened Rose.” He said.

“Thanks Calvin.” I told him before we hung up.

I pocketed my phone and grabbed my lap top from my bunk. I then sat down at the table and set up the web cam. I sat staring at my screen for a couple of minutes, forming what I was going to say in my head. When I figured it out, I took a deep breath then hit the record button.

“Hey guys!” I greeted. “You may have seen some allegations about me and Brendon Urie. As you all know, Brendon and I grew up together. Brendon, Spencer and I were asked for an exclusive from Alt Press to talk about reuniting and the tour. The pictures used as evidence for Brendon and I being more than best friends were taken during a private moment that I shared with both Brendon and Spencer. We didn’t even know that the pictures were being taken.

I am heartbroken that someone would think that 1. Brendon would cheat and 2. that I would come between a relationship. You all know how much I love cutesy, coupley stuff. Why would I even want to help someone cheat when I’ve been cheated on before? I know how much it hurts and I never would want to put someone through that pain. If you’re going to make up a rumor about me at least do your research first or make it about my weight, don’t drag other people in and hurt them. I say all of this to say, I am not in a relationship with Brendon Urie. Brendon and Sarah, if you’re watching this, I’m so, so sorry.”

I posted the video on my blog as well as the band’s website. Once it was confirmed that it was posted, I closed my laptop and went to curl up in my bunk. That’s when the tears finally came.

I’m not sure when my friends came in or how they even managed to pile into the small bunk but they managed it. I smiled through my tears, feeling loved and supported.

“What do you need us to do?” Josh asked once I calmed down.

“Help me stay away.” I said. “I don’t want to ever come between a relationship. Brendon’s happy and I don’t want to ruin that just because I’m fresh meat for the press.” I explained when they all began to protest by telling me how quickly well received my video was.

“Well, I think that’s manageable. We do have an album to make and not too many songs are written.” Josh said. I could tell that he still wasn’t understanding my logic but he was willing to do anything to make sure that I was happy and made it through this bump in the road.

“Yeah, and if you ever need us to cover for you, we got your back.” Mitsy said.

I smiled. “Thanks guys.”

“We also got you Dr. Pepper, Reese’s and ice cream so let’s go pig out on some comfort food and watch movies.” Mikey piped up.

I laughed. “You guys are the best. I don’t know what I would do without you.” As soon as we all made it out of the bunk, we group hugged. They really were the best of friends a girl could ask for.