Perfection With Some Flaws

“Hello?”

“Lishi!”

“Ribby? What’s up?” I sighed at Alicia's obnoxiously familiar nickname for me. It had come about when she’d figured out my initials spelled RIB. Raquelle Imogene Banks. There should be some kind of law against that.

“Nothing much, bored at Boomer Fest. How about you?” I heard yelling and laughing on the other side, and began wondering if she was at a party.

“How are you bored at Boomer Fest? There's so much to do. Oh, and we’re at Gerard’s house.” That explained it.

“Who is it?” I heard Mikey ask.

“Hi Michael!” I yelled into the phone, knowing that Alicia had put it to his ear. He groaned, Alicia’s laughing drowning out his response.

“What’d he say?”

“He says hi. Mikey, no! We’re talking… Stop!” She started laughing again. I guessed Mikey was trying to wrestle the phone away from her. As always.

“Hey, Raqie Raqie Teddy Bear, what’s up?”

“Gerard? How’d you get the phone?”

His laughing covered the noise in the background and I found myself wishing I could have been there with them, having fun. I really should have stayed for summer school. Jersey wasn't that far from New York.

“Not that hard when you have a wimpy brother failing at grabbing it from his own wife.”

“Hey!” Mikey’s voice retorted in the background. There was sounds of another struggle and then Alicia’s voice greeted me again.

“So, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…”

“I wish I was there with you guys…” I sighed, kicking off my shoes.

“But that’s not why you called. Ribby darling, what’s on your mind?”

“I met a guy, but it was so odd. I fell for him, literally.” I felt myself blush. This was starting to get ridiculous.

“Oh, how fun. I fell on Mikey last night an-”

“I don’t need the details,” I stared at the ceiling of my bunk and sighed again as Alicia laughed at me. I really needed her presence at the moment. “Anyway, it was weird, the effect he had on me. I got really weak in the knees and it was like he took my breath away.”

“Aww… Ribby’s in love…” she cooed.

“Raq’s got a boyfriend?” I heard the suddenly interested voices of Gerard and Mikey. I smiled at the thought, but shook my head as if they could see me.

“No, I wish…”

“Raq! We’re going to go explore some more before sound check! Want to come?” Paul’s voice called from the living area.

“Yeah, I’ll go,” I yelled back, trying to cover the phone so that I wouldn’t be yelling into it.

“You’re leaving me?” Alicia asked as soon as I returned the phone to my ear, her fake pout practically being transported over the phone. I laughed as I tugged my flats on.

“Take this opportunity to go fall on Mikey some more.”

“Gerard won’t like that very much…” she replied.

“Gerard doesn’t like that you two are always bumming it out on his couch either, but that never stopped you.”

“You’re right. Well then, have fun Ribby-poo! Call me again soon!” she ended, Gerard and Mikey’s voices sending goodbyes in the background.

“Bye Lishi,” I finished, before hanging up the phone. I opened the door to the bunk area, only to see four very suspicious boys trying to act innocent.

“Eavesdropping much?”

“What? Raq? What are you talking about? We don’t do that here…” Sam interjected, leaning on the counter casually. The other three nodded, but the grins on their faces said it all. I smiled and shook my head at them, but the figure passing by the window soon caught my attention.

Was I imagining things now?