We Need No Introduction
"And I realize I'm going home."
“April, please just let me go,” I begged, throwing stuff in the bags that I brought here.
“Riley, you need to listen to me. I’m not going to let you go, no matter what. You’re letting them get to you and that’s never good. So unpack your stuff and knock this little attitude off.”
“You’re not my mother, April.”
“You’re right, I’m not! She kicked you out! I’m not doing that! Nor will I! I’m not going to stand back and watch you become homeless when I can prevent it.”
I sighed and turned to her. “April, I don’t want to argue.”
“Then don’t,” she said as if she was tired of the whole thing already.
“I’m leaving,” I told her.
“No. You aren’t. Stay here. Please?”
I looked up and away from her, not wanting to get into this. “Fine. I won’t,” I said, finally giving in.
“Oh, thank God,” April told me as she pulled in in a hug.
“Blair!” a voice called from the entry way. I dashed out from April’s hug and looked down the stairs.
“Jimmy?” I asked, not believing it.
“Don’t you ever turn your phone on?” he asked, adding a laugh on the end.
“W-what’s going on?” I asked as I slowly walked down the stairs.
“Wait for it,” was all he said.
Matt, Knoxville, Johnny, Zacky, Brian, Leana, and finally Mom and Dad walked in. My eyes widened, seeing their faces.
Needless to say, I was utterly confused.
“We’re so sorry, honey,” Mom said, pulling me into her own hug.
“Bam explained everything,” Dad said.
“I’m so sorry, B,” Leana said, pulling me from Mom’s grips and into her own. “Bam’s such a dick! So…” she let go, tears of apology rimming her eyes. “How are we going to do this?”
“Do what?” I asked.
“Murder him.”
“We’re not going to murder him,” I said, and pointed to Johnny and Knoxville. “We’re not pranking him either. I’m done with that shit.”
“Do you forgive me?” a new voice asked. I completely ignored him. I still haven’t forgiven him and probably won’t.
I hugged everyone else, happy to have their friendship back.
“I told you I would make it better and I did! And you’re still ignoring me?!” Bam exclaimed.
“So is there anything you want to do today?” I asked.
“Um…” Matt said.
“Oh it’s fine, just this annoying voice that won’t shut up sometimes,” I explained. “It’s sorta like a disease really.”
“You’re comparing me to a disease?!”
‘So tell me. We need to hang out, catch up.”
“It’s been less than two days,” Zacky laughed.
“But she still needs to catch up!” Brian explained. “It’s been less than two days! Blair’s not used to spend more than a day without us! We’re like cheap heroin, dude!”
“Makes you sick?” I asked.
“Exac - wait, what?”
I shrugged and grabbed Leana’s hand, swinging it. “I missed you,” I told her.
“Missed you too,” she replied. “Sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“We are too!” the chorus piped up.
“And so are we,” Mom said. “We were distraught and didn’t see that Bam was the one telling us.”
I shrugged. “So it sent me in a loop of hate and depression, no biggie.”
“Let’s go play in the park!” Johnny said.
“Yeah! And the merry-go-round!” Jimmy said sarcastically.
“Then Matt can push me really high!” I said, jumping up and down.
Mom and Dad laughed. “I’ll see you at home, kiddo,” Dad told me as he kissed my forehead.
I smiled and beamed. “Kay,” I replied.
“To the park it is!” Matt said.
“What about me?!” Bam whined.
“I don’t care if you come,” Zacky said. I turned and glared at him. “Or… not.” Then he whispered, “Meet us there.”
“I don’t care if he comes either,” Knoxville said.
“God!” I groaned. “Whatever! Let’s just go and act like we’re five!” I grabbed Leana with me to the direction of the cars.
“You really hate him right now, don’t you?” she asked I looked at her like she was the dumbest person in the world.
“You think?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’re ignoring him and stuff.”
“Well, Lee, wouldn’t you if he did this to you?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh! And guess what I found out!”
“What?”
“Ryan helped him!”
“No!” she gasped. I nodded, watching the guys come out.
“It’s a tragedy. Two friends become enemies after a round of stupidity. Makes me sad,” I said while I shook my head.
“Ready to go?” Matt asked, shaking his car keys.
Leana and I nodded and waited for him to unlock the car.
“Shottie!” Brian screeched.
“Bull shit!” I yelled.
“Oh yeah, I totally get shottie,” he said covering the passenger door with his body.
We all got in, me last cause I’m special. Or so I thought I was last. The sight of him walking back to the spot next to me made me growl under my breath.
This was not going to be an enjoyable ride.
“Riley, you need to listen to me. I’m not going to let you go, no matter what. You’re letting them get to you and that’s never good. So unpack your stuff and knock this little attitude off.”
“You’re not my mother, April.”
“You’re right, I’m not! She kicked you out! I’m not doing that! Nor will I! I’m not going to stand back and watch you become homeless when I can prevent it.”
I sighed and turned to her. “April, I don’t want to argue.”
“Then don’t,” she said as if she was tired of the whole thing already.
“I’m leaving,” I told her.
“No. You aren’t. Stay here. Please?”
I looked up and away from her, not wanting to get into this. “Fine. I won’t,” I said, finally giving in.
“Oh, thank God,” April told me as she pulled in in a hug.
“Blair!” a voice called from the entry way. I dashed out from April’s hug and looked down the stairs.
“Jimmy?” I asked, not believing it.
“Don’t you ever turn your phone on?” he asked, adding a laugh on the end.
“W-what’s going on?” I asked as I slowly walked down the stairs.
“Wait for it,” was all he said.
Matt, Knoxville, Johnny, Zacky, Brian, Leana, and finally Mom and Dad walked in. My eyes widened, seeing their faces.
Needless to say, I was utterly confused.
“We’re so sorry, honey,” Mom said, pulling me into her own hug.
“Bam explained everything,” Dad said.
“I’m so sorry, B,” Leana said, pulling me from Mom’s grips and into her own. “Bam’s such a dick! So…” she let go, tears of apology rimming her eyes. “How are we going to do this?”
“Do what?” I asked.
“Murder him.”
“We’re not going to murder him,” I said, and pointed to Johnny and Knoxville. “We’re not pranking him either. I’m done with that shit.”
“Do you forgive me?” a new voice asked. I completely ignored him. I still haven’t forgiven him and probably won’t.
I hugged everyone else, happy to have their friendship back.
“I told you I would make it better and I did! And you’re still ignoring me?!” Bam exclaimed.
“So is there anything you want to do today?” I asked.
“Um…” Matt said.
“Oh it’s fine, just this annoying voice that won’t shut up sometimes,” I explained. “It’s sorta like a disease really.”
“You’re comparing me to a disease?!”
‘So tell me. We need to hang out, catch up.”
“It’s been less than two days,” Zacky laughed.
“But she still needs to catch up!” Brian explained. “It’s been less than two days! Blair’s not used to spend more than a day without us! We’re like cheap heroin, dude!”
“Makes you sick?” I asked.
“Exac - wait, what?”
I shrugged and grabbed Leana’s hand, swinging it. “I missed you,” I told her.
“Missed you too,” she replied. “Sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“We are too!” the chorus piped up.
“And so are we,” Mom said. “We were distraught and didn’t see that Bam was the one telling us.”
I shrugged. “So it sent me in a loop of hate and depression, no biggie.”
“Let’s go play in the park!” Johnny said.
“Yeah! And the merry-go-round!” Jimmy said sarcastically.
“Then Matt can push me really high!” I said, jumping up and down.
Mom and Dad laughed. “I’ll see you at home, kiddo,” Dad told me as he kissed my forehead.
I smiled and beamed. “Kay,” I replied.
“To the park it is!” Matt said.
“What about me?!” Bam whined.
“I don’t care if you come,” Zacky said. I turned and glared at him. “Or… not.” Then he whispered, “Meet us there.”
“I don’t care if he comes either,” Knoxville said.
“God!” I groaned. “Whatever! Let’s just go and act like we’re five!” I grabbed Leana with me to the direction of the cars.
“You really hate him right now, don’t you?” she asked I looked at her like she was the dumbest person in the world.
“You think?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’re ignoring him and stuff.”
“Well, Lee, wouldn’t you if he did this to you?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh! And guess what I found out!”
“What?”
“Ryan helped him!”
“No!” she gasped. I nodded, watching the guys come out.
“It’s a tragedy. Two friends become enemies after a round of stupidity. Makes me sad,” I said while I shook my head.
“Ready to go?” Matt asked, shaking his car keys.
Leana and I nodded and waited for him to unlock the car.
“Shottie!” Brian screeched.
“Bull shit!” I yelled.
“Oh yeah, I totally get shottie,” he said covering the passenger door with his body.
We all got in, me last cause I’m special. Or so I thought I was last. The sight of him walking back to the spot next to me made me growl under my breath.
This was not going to be an enjoyable ride.