Run from your problems, but you cannot run from yourself.

I was sitting on my bed, typing on my laptop. The screen flickered from my document about the European settlers to my music I was listening to. My phone lit up and vibrated on my right hand side. A part of me thought to Ryker, but I saw the smiling face of Austin on the screen. A text message had arrived.

Austin: Hey
Me: Hey! How'd the concert go?
A: Ehh, I guess it went as usual. Played a few shows, met some fans, then came home in the middle of the night.
Me: Sounds like the usual. You need to come out here again.
A: We just came out for Warped, but we might come in August again.
Me: Speaking of the band, I met a new friend. He liked OM&M as well :D

I made a bold move to tell him about my new friend. I had no clue how he'd react. Overprotective? Nonchalant? What would he be? I waited a few minutes and a short message made my phone buzz.

A: What was his name?
Me: Ryker. He had the lyrics to a few of your songs tattooed on his arm.
A: Huh. I'd like to meet him sometime :)
Me: You might like him.

The only thing I left out was that he called me 'pretty girl'. I'm sure Austin wouldn't like to hear that. Maybe we could leave that out for a while. A few minutes later, a video message came up on my phone. I clicked it open. Alan was dancing in a shirt with his pants around his ankles. His hands were cut taped behind his back. The ginger was trying to avoid flying projectiles as Tino and Aaron attempted to hit him with assorted objects. A sock, shoes, soccer ball, a nerf football, and other small objects managed to bounce of of his back. I couldn't stop laughing.

Eventually Alan came back around to hop-chase Aaron. It went back and forth until Phil came out screaming like a banshee with a soft foam baseball bat. He chased the other three until Alan fell to the ground begging for mercy. I could hear Austin laughing behind the camera the entire time.

A: The ginger princess went diva and hid Tino's drumsticks in a tuba and put Aaron's guitar in a closet. This was their revenge XD
M: HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Looks like they got a little high on Monster XD
A: Oh no, this is just how they act normally. XD
M: Well I should probably finish homework. Keep sending videos! I love you :)
A: Awww... :( Okay. Stay focused! I'll keep filming! Love you more(You know it, don't argue) :)

I turned off my phone and attempted to focus back on my work. I still kept thinking back to Alan running around with his pants down on his feet. I would say, "Poor guy", but I was a little to busy laughing.

Outside my window, I watched with a distracted mind the birds fly around outside. I envied their freedom to enjoy life without worries. A dirty black truck passed through the street slowly. I swore, I saw that same vehicle to other day. I watched it pass around and then go back up the street.

My mind wandered to the calendar on my wall, just under my OM&M poster with their logo on it. Only a little while left before Spring Break! It would be at the end of the month and I could barely wait. A small movement out of the corner of my vision alerted me to a presence.

"Lily-Pearl, what are you doing?" I asked her. She slyly came into my room holding a piece of paper. I set aside my laptop, pressing the print button to my document. It was good enough. I had edited for the past hour. I think it was fine. The hum of the printer started up downstairs.

"Picture." She responded shyly. As much as Alan has helped her break out of her little shell, she was still incredibly quiet. LP reached up and placed the picture on my bed sheets.

"Found it." She explained in a whisper. I turned it over to find the sheet filled with cats playing with yarn and other activities.. One was playing with a violin. I couldn't help but smile. I recognized the drawings. The entire paper was filled with little kittens and at the bottom, it was signed with a note and a name. In the middle was a ginger colored cat with a tiara and wand. A smaller kitten hugging the bigger cat.

I can't wait to play again! Keep being cute! -Ginger Princess

"He left this after he left at Christmas, didn't he?" I asked her. She nodded to affirm it.

"Is cute a good thing?" She asked me with a tilt. Her blue eyes went wide with curiosity and her lip twisted to the side. She was just bursting with cuteness.

"Yes, it's a very good thing." I ruffled her hair and got a little complaint out of her. She took her paper back to her room. I sat there for a few minutes, thinking about cute, beauty, and adorableness. Lily-Pearl was cute. Me, not so much. Alan was cute and adorable. With me, i couldn't even pull of anything slightly adorable. Austin? He was a mixture of all three.

Why he was in love with me, I still didn't know.

Ryker, he was very attractive-wait, I cursed myself for thinking these thoughts. He was just a friend. Austin was in love with me, and I loved him back. There wasn't anything between and tattooed grocery store man.

Okay, I just needed to get my thoughts straight. I ran downstairs, stashed my newly printed document into my Social Studies folder, and ran back upstairs, taking the steps two and a time and nearly falling. Stumbling into my room, I threw myself on to my bed and put my headphones in. I just needed a little Of Mice and Men to banish away any thoughts of Ryker.

The song, You're Not Alone, played through the headphones and blasted my mind with clearing thoughts. Outside, a car rumbled to life, but I was lost in my own little world.

Notes

Sorry guys that this isn't such an exciting chapter. I just needed a little filler chapter. It'll get more exciting, I promise!

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