Yearbook (Ryden oneshot)

chapter one

"This guy has been in every yearbook I've gotten. Have you heard of a Ryan Ross? What happened to him?" Brendon sighed, looking at the yearbook the teachers had just handed out. 

"What do you mean 'what happened to him.' Brendon, that's kind of rude." Spencer sat on the desk beside his friend, swinging his legs slightly. Brendon gave him a confused look. The name, Ryan Ross, had been in each of the four yearbooks he had gotten throughout high school, but there had never been a picture. He had assumed something had happened to the past student like *cough cough* dying. 

Brendon had never mentioned the boy and neither had any of his friends as far as he knew. Now, with Spencer staring with that look on his face, he felt like an idiot. Maybe it was impolite to ask such a thing or maybe everyone else knew who Ryan was except him. He muttered a 'nevermind; and left the room as the bell rang. 

The weather was getting better as it became closer to summer, and his mom had suggested he walk home while his car was in the shop. He reopened the hardcover book with pictures of all the students and flipped through the seniors, once again. A small sound of music reached his ears from behind and when he turned around he saw a skinny brown haired boy with earphones in his ears a few steps behind him. It surprised Brendon they had never met, and he didn't want to walk home alone anyway. He slowed to walk beside the tall boy.

"Hi, I'm Brendon!" he smiled, after he could no longer hear the music being played. 

"Uh... hi? M'names Ryan. What do you  want?" Brendon frowned at the tone of Ryan's voice. 

"Mm, nothing. I'm gonna walk with you. What grade are you in? Why haven't I ever seen you before?" He thought he would have remembered seeing a face like Ryan's. 

"I'm a senior!" His voice was firm and almost defensive. "And so are you. I saw your picture." Ryan held up a copy of the same book in Brendon's hands. 

"But... I never..." He trailed off, realizing who this boy might be."Your last name wouldn't happen to be 'Ross,' would it?" Ryan nodded, looking at Brendon suspiciously. 

"Oh my god, I thought you were dead." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. His eyes widened at how that must have sounded, but Ryan just laughed. "I- It's just that there was never a picture in the yearbook and I'd never seen or heard of you. I am so sorry"

"Wow, flattering. Brendon Urie sure knows how to make a man feel good, telling me I'm dead and shit." He rolled his eyes, but still looked amused. "Nah, I'm just a dumbass who keeps forgetting about picture day. Maybe it was for the best, though. Now no one at school will have any record of how I used to look."

"Are you saying you're hot now?" Brendon was grinning. This undead kid could be cooler than he thought. Ryan smirked, "Hey, you're the one that said it."

They walked together until the street turned left and right and they went their own ways... only after they had signed each other's yearbooks and Brendon had secretly, also, written his phone number along with a 'Call Me.'