molly"Finally!" my cousin Sadie sighed with relief as she added a bottle of soda to the already overflowing grocery cart. It was my birthday so we were having a party at our brand new Orlando house, and were out buying the essentials: food, drinks, and candy. This was our first party in the new house and we both wanted it to be good. I began to help Sadie, who was already unloading the groceries onto the conveyer belt, checking each item off of her list to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything.
molly"Where are the paper towels?" She asked me.
molly"How the hell am I supposed to know? My guess would be in the paper towel isle." I replied.
molly"Could you run and get some? please?" After fighting over who was going to run the stupid errand, I finally gave in and decided to do it.
molly"Sir yes Sir." I said. Saluting, I turned and bolted in the direction of the paper towel isle. It had to of been senior citizen shopping day because everywhere I turned, a mean, annoyed-looking, wrinkled face stared at me and plainly said without words, "Get the fuck out of my way." I ignored them all and raced for my destination like one of the contestants on that game show, Shop Till You Drop. When I finally arrived in the isle, my head began to ache. There were so many to choose from.
molly"Shit!" I heaved a heavy sigh and examined the selection. "Let's see, do we want two ply, pick-your-own-size...?" I began to sing Rest Stop, one of my favorite songs by my absolute favorite band, Matchbox 20, for no particular reason. Just thinking of the song brought tears to my eyes, as it never failed to do. There was so much emotion in the lyrics, not to mention Rob Thomas's, the lead singer's, amazing voice. There was also the fact that he was incredibly hot, the one guy who never failed to set my heart racing every time I thought about him, though I had never actually met him before. Forcing the daydream to the back of my brain, I set my mind on the task at hand.
molly"Fuck it." I said, grabbing the first roll I saw. Bounty. That was good. There were tuns of commercials for it on TV, so it must be good. Just as I was leaving the isle, still singing not so quietly, I spotted a three-pack of the same paper towels and thought that it would be a better idea to get those. Snatching them up, I absently threw the discarded roll onto the top shelf, only I had thrown it a little too hard. The fugitive paper towels soared over the shelf onto the other side and into the next isle. I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to give me away as a very loud and angry "What The Fuck?" sounded from the next isle. I couldn't help it. Laughter exploded from my lips and my entire body shook with it. I sat down, not trusting my shaking legs, and continued to laugh hysterically. Tears began streaming down my cheeks, blurring my vision. But every time I tried to wipe them away, more appeared, and finally I gave up. I was finding it vary difficult to breathe through the heaving gasps of laughter, but I just couldn't stop. The thought of the paper towels flying out of nowhere and hitting some poor unsuspecting guy... I laughed even harder, remembering the exclamation and wondering if the guy was going to come and kick my ass. I can take him, I thought to myself. I was aware of the stares of eighty-year-old men and women, looking at me as though I should be locked in some insane asylum somewhere, but every time I thought I had finally gotten myself reasonably under control, I heard "What the fuck?" In my head, and the laughter would start again.
mollyWhile I was still fighting to conquer my own hysterics, a voice interrupted me. "What the fuck is so funny?" It was the same guy that I had hit with the Bounty.
mollyI tried to explain to him, but I couldn't get the words out. My stomach hurt so badly that I thought that maybe it was on fire. It felt as though there was not enough air in the whole world and that I might pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain. Quickly I wiped away the tears and caught a glimpse of the guy who had a slight smile on his face. I could imagine what I must look like. Then his face came into focus, and the uncontrollable laughter abruptly stopped and caught in my throat as recognition hit me like a tun of bricks. My expression changed from one of shear delight to one of pure shock, my jaw dropping to the floor and my eyes going huge. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
molly"Holy Shit!" I said under my breath, recovering something of myself. I jumped up and came cautiously closer to the guy who, upon seeing my reaction, now had a huge satisfied smile on his lips. I rubbed my eyes to see if the vision before me would disappear and be replaced by some old hag with a shopping cart. This is all because of my three hours of sleep this past five days, I told myself. But the guy before me wouldn't go away for all of the rubbing in the world. When that didn't work, I pinched myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming. "ouch!" I yelled, holding the now reddening spot. Then I was back to reality, standing only about two feet from the guy who's very voice could turn my insides to water. My legs began to shake, and I again had to sit down. He sat down beside me. I thought that I would die on the spot.
molly"Hey, don't go and die on me. I don't even know your name yet. I'm Rob, but something tells me you already know that."
molly"Yeah," I managed. "I'm psychic. I suppose you probably hate me for trying to kill you before, but really I just have bad aim." I couldn't believe I was actually talking to Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox 20 and Fire Preventer (That's what he called himself at the concert I went to a few months before).
molly"Yeah yeah," He said with a smile. "A likely story. With your psychic abilities you knew damn well that I was over there, didn't you?"
mollyI just laughed, hugging my knees to keep them from shaking. I closed my eyes and was transported to the concert six months ago that had changed my entire life. The music, the crowd, and that voice that held so much emotion. In sixth row to the right with some stage equipment and a lady with big hair partially blocking my view, I could still see him. I was sharply brought back to reality by someone shaking me.
molly"What?" I groaned opening my eyes. Then I remembered. "Fuck!" I whispered to myself.
molly"What?" asked the voice close beside me.
molly"Well, here I am with the guy I've been lusting after for about a year and I'm fucking daydreaming." I slapped my leg hard, causing a resounding "Smack!". "Hello stupid, wake up! What the hell is my problem?"
molly"I don't know, your the psychic. And what's this about lusting?" I smiled and, aware of a sharp cramp in my leg, stood up and stretched. My back cracked loudly and I shivered.
molly"cold?" Rob asked me.
molly"No," I replied with another shiver. "I just can't stand that sound." Rob began to pop his knuckles, and I put my hands over my ears. "Stop! Stop! Please! It's torture of the worst kind."
molly"You have to admit, you deserved it." he said to me, stopping, "First you try to murder me, then you fall asleep on me right when I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something tonight."
molly"What?" I asked, not believing my ears. "Instant replay."
molly"Shit, are you deaf? I said, do you want to do something tonight. You owe me two, so you have no choice." He gave me a sexy smile, and it was all I could do to stay on my feet.
molly"Really, how could I possibly turn you down. I'd rather die." Just then I remembered something. "Oh Shit!" I exclaimed. "What time is it?"
mollyRob looked at his watch. "It's two, why?"
molly"Damn it!" In my excitement I had completely forgotten about Sadie. I had to of been gone at least twenty minutes, and she was going to be pissed. then, as if my good mood hadn't been shattered enough already, I realized that I had also forgotten about the party. I couldn't exactly skip my own birthday party. Then I got an idea.
molly"How would you like to go to a kick ass party with me tonight?" Rob seemed to be considering it. "It's my birthday party, and thanks to you I forgot all about it. Leave it to a fucking rock star to make you forget about everything else in the world except him." I said with a grin.
molly"Today's your birthday?" he asked. "If I do go, that means I'm going to have to go shopping for a present." He gave me a falsely angry look. "I've known you for fifteen fucking minutes and already you're making my life complicated."
mollyI laughed. "That's what I do. It's the second most important goal in my life."
molly"What's the first?"
molly"I've just achieved that one." I blushed, not believing I had actually said that, and looked at Rob. "well, my cousin sent me to get paper towels about a year ago and she's going to be pissed at me, so I'd better go. You got a pen or something so I can give you my address?" Rob looked through his pocket and came up with a black pen. "How bout a piece of paper?" He reached in back of him and tore open a package of paper plates and handed me one. "Thanks." I said sarcastically. quickly I Wrote my address and phone number on the plate. Folding it in half, I handed it back to Rob. "Now, as much as I hate to do it, I really have to go. See ya at eight." I waved goodbye, adding, "and bring a friend... or four." We both laughed and I ran to find Sadie.
* molly"Where the fuck have you been, and what the hell are you smiling about?" Sadie was raging mad at me for taking so long to get the paper towels, which I had forgotten anyway. "What's going on with you lately. For the past week you've been acting really weird, and I can't figure out why." What she didn't know was that I hadn't been sleeping lately because of the awful nightmares that haunted me if I so much as dozed off. It was always the same thing. I would be walking down the street at night, minding my own business, when my ex-boyfriend, Eric, would pull up to the curb.
molly"I'm watching you." he would say. Then he'd jump out of his car and start chasing me. Just as he is about to grab me, I wake up sweating and breathing hard.
mollyTwo months before, I had broken up with Eric because he was too possessive. One week after the breakup, he started to leave threatening messages on my answering machine, saying that if I didn't come back to him he was going to find me and I would never get away from him again. I had not told Sadie about it, not wanting to get her involved, but I had suggested that we move because, "This neighborhood is getting kind of boring. I need some new faces in my life." So we had come to Orlando. However, just last week I thought that I had seen someone that looked exactly like Eric walking down the street. I was pretty sure that he had seen me, even though I ran as soon as I spotted him. Now I was afraid to even leave the house by myself for fear he would be waiting in the shadows for me. Stop it, I told myself. You promised not to think about that today. It's your birthday, so don't ruin it.
molly"Let's get out of this place." Sadie said to me, a little calmer than before. "If I have to deal with one more old lady..." her voice trailed off as she looked at me. "You don't look so good. Are you ok." Quickly I put a smile on my face, remembering my surprise guest that would be showing up that night.
molly"I'm fine." I assured her. "Just tired I guess."
mollyIn the car driving home, push came on the radio. Not only did it remind me of the unbelievable occurrences of the day, but also of my past relationship with Eric. I could truthfully say that I knew exactly how Rob felt when he wrote it. But that was over, or so I hoped. Today was my day and I was not going to let Eric ruin it for me. I was turning twenty-five at exactly eight twenty-three that night, which was really strange because my birthday was also eight twenty-three.
molly"Hey," I said suddenly, "Let's stop and get a huge ice-cream cake that says, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUMMER, PAUL, AND KYLE." just for fun." Paul and Kyle were also members of Matchbox 20, Kyle being the lead guitarist and backup singer and Paul being the drummer.
mollyAt exactly seven that night, I stepped out of the shower and went into my room, wallpapered with magazine pictures and posters of Matchbox 20. But of course, there were more of Rob than anyone else. I looked in my closet to see what I wanted to wear. "Hmmmmm." I had to look really good tonight, but I didn't want to overdo it. I finally decided on a pair of short cutoffs and a white tank top that said "Matchbox 20 Stole My Baby". I had gotten it at the concert, but had not wanted to wear it and get it dirty. Tonight was the perfect time to break it in. After dressing, I brushed my waist-length dirty-blonde hair and decided to just leave it down. It was especially soft and shiny today and it looked nice.
mollyAt seven-thirty, the phone rang. I was in the middle of making punch and almost spilled the entire thing on myself, startled by the sudden noise which shattered the practically silent house.
molly"What?" I snapped into the phone, upset at myself for almost ruining my brand-new shirt.
molly"you don't sound very excited about the fact that I got you the best damn present ever and I'm going to give it to you as soon as I get there. It was Rob, of course. I felt relieved. For some reason, I had expected to gear Eric's voice. "I've just been really nervous lately, and I just almost spilled punch on my brand-new shirt and..."
molly"Hey," Rob soothed, "Calm down. You sound a little on edge. Is everything ok?" I couldn't believe it. I had almost told him about Eric. I probably would have went right on about my nightmares if he hadn't interrupted me, but there was something about Rob that made me want to tell him everything. I had to watch what I said to him, or I could end up in more trouble than I already was.
molly"What's your favorite song?" The question interrupted my thoughts.
molly"What?"
molly "You didn't fall asleep on me again, did you?" His voice had a playful note in it that made me smile.
molly"No, I'm just a little distracted, that's all. I guess I'm nervous about tonight. Now what was it that you asked me?"
mollyRob sighed. "I asked you what your favorite song was."
molly"Hmmm," I tried to decide between the four songs that came to mind. I finally gave up and blurted, "Push, Kody, Rest Stop, and Time After Time. I can't choose. Why?"
molly"Just wondering. So, what are you doing right now?" he asked.
molly"Well, I was in the middle of making this punch that tastes really good before I was so rudely interrupted." I said in a playful voice.
molly"Well excuuuuuse me. I thought I would be nice and brighten up your day by giving you the privilege of talking to the man of your dreams on the telephone."
mollyDon't flatter yourself. How do you know that you're the man of my dreams?"
molly"Well, did you see your face in the store when you recognized me? You definitely are stricken with RTS."
molly"And what's that?" I asked, pretty sure that I already knew.
molly"It's Rob Thomas Syndrome."
molly"Is there a cure?"
molly"No, but there are a few different forms of treatment." he said mysteriously.
molly"What kind of treatment?" There was a hint of suspicion in my voice.
molly"You'll just have to wait until I get there to find out."
molly"The suspense is killing me. I remarked sarcastically.
molly"I have to go finish getting ready." Rob sounded regretful.
molly"Oh no, please don't go. I think I'm going through withdrawal." Just then, the door bell rang. "I have to go answer the door. Hurry up and don't be late." With that I hung up, not waiting for a reply and raced to open the door.
molly"Who was that?" Sadie asked me. Apparently she had been eves dropping on my end of the conversation. "It sounds like Summer's got a new boyfriend." She teased.
molly"That's for me to know and you to find out." I said as I continued to the door. It was Sadie's friend karla.
molly"Hey Summer. Happy birthday." She said to me, stepping inside. "Where's Sadie?"
mollyPointing towards the living room, I answered, "In there."
mollyAfter Karla came, all of the other guests began to arrive until the house was packed with people, a quarter of whom I didn't even know. Eight o'clock came and went, and Rob didn't show up. At nine, the phone rang. I rushed to pick it up.
molly"Yo, waaaaaazzuuuuuuup?" I called into the receiver. I had finally accepted the fact that Rob was not going to come through with his promise. It was really loud downstairs and all I could hear was what sounded like "Bla bla bla." on the other end of the line.
molly"Hang on a sec. I need to go upstairs. I can't hear." I climbed the stairs to escape from the loud music blaring from the stereo. "Hello," I said into the phone as I closed my bedroom door and sat on my bed. "Are you still there?"
molly"Yeah. said the voice." It sounded like Rob.
molly"where the fuck are you? it's nine o'clock and you're still not here."
molly"Why does it matter?" he asked. "I'm here now aren't I? Come outside for a second. I have a surprise."
molly"Ok." I said, a little puzzled. I really didn't want to go outside by myself thanks to my nightmares. But I was sure that if Eric was somewhere out there waiting for me, he wouldn't try to do anything to me if Rob was there. I finally decided that it would be ok. Turning off the phone, I flew down the stairs.
molly"Where the hell are you going in such a hurry?" Sadie grabbed my arm and stopped me.
molly"It's hot in here and I'm just going to get some fresh air. I'll be right back." I freed myself and escaped from the closely crowded people. The cool air hit me. I looked for Rob or his car but I didn't see either. A chill ran down my spine, and it wasn't entirely from the sudden change in temperature. Fear shot through me and my entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. I heard a sound behind me and I knew exactly who it was. The person on the phone hadn't been Rob, I had just wanted it to be him so badly that it sounded like his voice. Somehow I knew that it was Eric behind me, but when I tensed to run, he grabbed my waist from behind and pulled me close to him.
molly"Gotcha!" he whispered in my ear was.
