The Sound of Glass Hearts {Kellin Quinn} (Watty Awards 2013)

4 - James Dean & Audrey Hepburn

    Alright the truth was that I hadn’t exactly had homework.  I was actually meeting up with my mom so we could continue to move into my new apartment.  It was a little vain, I know, but I wanted to spruce the place up so that I could invite my raucous band of boys over for some dinner the next day.  Granted it wouldn’t be a fancy, sit down and eat off your plate sort of thing, but I could make some damn good Mexican food and well they didn’t know I had a new place yet.  It would be the first time we didn’t hang out at one of their houses or drove my parents nuts. 

    I couldn’t help my excitement at this huge step because now we could stay up all night with guitar hero while drinking (well I don’t drink) and eating pizza.  This was not just my freedom.

    The paintings were hung, the couch set and my bed was made.  All my clothes were in the closet, bathroom decorated and even my mushroom chair was set with a cover.  The living room was a menagerie, an art gallery filled with paintings of dragons and unicorns, the Joker and other fantasy things that I liked.  It was a little punk rock, a little me with horses and book shelves.  A huge tv sat in the center of the far wall across from the couch and in all honesty, it felt like home.  With a fully stocked kitchen, I couldn’t help but take a step back and smile.  This was it, my first place away from home and coincidentally I wasn’t far from where Kellin lived so if anything bad happened, he was only a phone call away.  I didn’t plan this but it worked out nicely.  I mean…after today I wasn’t so sure about anything.

    Why the hell had he kissed me?  It made no sense and with the look that he had given me…I just…I couldn’t think straight.  Every fiber in my being wanted those lips again. 

    “Ugh!” I cried and threw my arms up in the air in defeat.  My mom poked her head out of my bedroom where she was dusting.

    “What’s wrong?” she questioned.  I shook my head.  “Come on out with it.”  I glanced back at her and shrugged.

    “Kellin kissed me today,” I whispered, “And I have no fucking idea why.”  She rolled her eyes.

    “When a boy kisses you, it means something and it means exactly what you think it does,” she explained, shaking her head at me and laughing.  “You’re not as smart as you look slick.”  I stuck my tongue out at her.

    “I just don’t know what to do at this point,” I replied, sitting on the couch and hanging my head in my hands.  She sat next to me.

    “Tell him that you feel the same?” she offered.  I glanced at her with narrowed eyes.

    “Oh yeah, great, after my reaction?  Yeah no, not a great idea.”

    “Well shit baby doll just walk up to him and kiss him, see what he does,” she suggested and I laughed aloud at the absurdity that she was speaking.  If I did that I mean…I just…I couldn’t right?

    I looked to her and smiled.

    “Thanks for helping me to move in mom,” I whispered.  She chuckled and hugged me before kissing my forehead.

    “Sweetie, you’re never going to know what could’ve happened if you don’t leap and follow him down the rabbit hole,” she said.  I smiled and nodded.

    “Yeah, you’re right,” I replied.
***

    I yawned as I awoke from my slumber on this first night in my apartment.  I had been tossing and turning in my sleep because I was dreaming about Kellin.  My covers were wrapped around my midsection and my legs were thoroughly uncovered.  I realized after a moment that it was still dark and despite me being a morning person, this was odd.  I peeled open my eyes and checked my clock…it was five in the morning.  I grumbled and turned over.