Melt Your Headaches, Call It Home

For the first time five days, I woke up peacefully. There was no confusion or yelling, just that content feeling when you wake up naturally with the sun streaming through your windows.

I looked around my room, it was emptier now that my piano was gone but everything else had been replaced. In that respects, Alice is a super hero. Both of us know that the break-in had nothing to do with her, although neither of us will say anything out loud. We managed to get every trace of the mess, cleaned up and broken things replaced, though my piano was still standing forlornly in the corner of my room. She understood that I needed everything to be normal again.

I looked at the clock; it was just after nine. Ryan and I both have doctor's appointments at eleven. They're finally going to tell us how long everything will take to heal and how long we will have to stay in our stupid (but pretty) casts.

I tried to stretch without hurting my ribs, but to no avail. So I got into my chair, which is something that I have been getting better at, I'm also pretty good at wheeling myself around with one hand.

I rolled out into the quiet living room and saw that a note from Alice was lying on the coffee table, it read:

I hope you're not too tired from your late night heart to heart with Ryan. Don't try to deny it. I'm at work but should be back around 3. Good luck being with them alone. ~Alice.

I decided to go take a shower. My entire morning routine that usually takes a half hour, but in my current condition it takes at least twice that.

I'm betting the guys aren't even up yet.

After I put a few essentials (phone, camera, etc) in my purse, I grabbed my secret weapons and revenge.

I fed Oliver and I rolled over to my brother's their place and let myself in.

Sure enough they were asleep. Spencer was sprawled across the fold out coach. I went to the first bedroom, Brendon was muttering in his sleep.

I rolled to the next; it looked exactly like Alice's, except it was decorated differently, obviously. I assumed that Jon was the shape beneath all of the covers.

I wheeled up next to the bed and prodded the shape at where I guessed an arm might be.

"Jon," I whispered loudly, "Jon you need to get up."

"I'm asleep," came the muffled voice.

"Come on, Jon Jon, you don't want to make me do something mean," I warned.

The shape gripped the sheets and pillows tighter. He's asking for it.

I went into the last room, which was my brother's room. His was the exact copy of mine but flipped around. Ryan's head was buried underneath his pillows and he had a thin layer of sheets across his legs.

I wheeled myself to the foot of the bed and started tickling his feet. He started to squirm and woke up after a moment, and looked at me.

"What the... What are you doing, Charlotte," he groaned, and covered his head with a pillow.

"Getting you up, we have a doctor's appointment in a half hour," I answered, "You might want to get up unless you want to be woken by a very loud horn. You've got three minutes."

I wheeled myself out to the sleeping Spencer. Since he was on my side, he didn't deserve to be woken by this, even though he did let Jon take me.

"Spencer?"

"Yeah?" he answered, sounding more awake than anyone else.

"Just wanted to wake you up nicely," I said and held up one of the air horns, "You want to help?"

"Sure," he grinned and jumped out of bed.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Ryan coming into the living room. We both just smiled and held up the horns, I went into Jon's room and Spencer went into Brendon's.

"Ok, on three," I called as softly as I could, as Ryan leaned in the doorway, "1... 2... 3... GO!"

We both pulled the horn at the same time and the result was immensely satisfying.

I held the horn right next to his ear and so he was blasted out of sleep. Jon jumped straight into the air and desperately tried to struggle out of the covers that he was entangled in. He managed to sit up and when he realized what had happened he gave us anot very scary at all glare.

I could hear Spencer laughing from Brendon's room interspersed with loud cursing and obscenities. It serves them both right.

I, personally, was failing at trying not to laugh because my ribs still hurt, and I could tell that Ryan was doing the same because occasionally small chuckles escaped followed by gasps of pain. We need to stop laughing.

"I am going to fucking strangle you," Brendon informed me as he stormed into the room.

"Yeah," chimed in Jon, "No matter how cute you think you are, Princess, you're going down." He tried to get off the bed but since his legs were still tangled with the sheets he fell over in a heap on the wood floors with a thunk, along with all his pillows.

"Wait a minute," I said, holding a finger in front of Brendon's face, "This is my revenge, and you can't revenge revenges."

"Why not?" said Jon, straightening up. Evidently he had been able to untangle himself properly.

"Because," I said, throwing my hand up like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "it just is, it's one of those unwritten laws of warfare between friends."

They looked very skeptical.

I called in support, "Right Spencer?"

"Um..." Next time I know who not to ask.

"It's definitely a rule," interjected Ryan. This boy is awesome.

Brendon and Jon shot a look at each other and Brendon said, "We'll let it slide for now."

I ignored him and said, "Ryan and whoever is driving us needs to go get ready."

Jon climbed back into bed. I guess he's not taking us. I looked at Spencer who pointed at Brendon who was currently climbing into bed next to Jon.

"Oh no no no no no, get up." I said firmly. "Do you want me to blow the horn again?"

"Go," came Jon's muffled voice from under a pillow and he shoved Brendon off of the bed. He just stood there, staring off into space.

I waved my arm in his face, "Come on B-don."

"Whoa," he said, blinking at mygorgeous amazing inspiring beautiful colorful cast, "When did you pimp out your arm?"

"Last night," I said quickly and pointed to the door, "Now go get changed." I feel like his mother.

Luckily this time he listened and went back into his room. Actually it's more like, luckily, he didn't look at was written all over my foot or see Ryan's arm. Oh well, they'll notice eventually... or at least Alice will.

Spencer changed quickly and said that he was going to go get some things from the store and was out the door.

I sat in my chair in the living room reading an old Rolling Stone, finally I heard footsteps. With out bothering to look up I said, "Jesus, is it that hard just to throw on some jeans and a shirt."

"Um, actually, yeah it is," came Ryan's slightly strangled voice.

I looked up. His encased arm was hopelessly tangled in his shirt, half of his stomach was showing and I could only see the top of his head. I immediately had to resist the urge to poke or tickle his pale skin.

"Can you help me?"

"Sure, just a second," I laughed and pulled out my camera. After snapping a picture, I managed to get all of his limbs through their proper sections and by that time that Brendon was out and ready.

We had ten minutes to get to the hospital, it was twenty minutes away, but apparently, when Brendon drives, you can make it on time.

Remind me never to get in a car with him driving, ever again.