Saving Panic's! Ryan

Chapter 3

I tossed and turned for awhile, unable to get comfortable. I was suddenly very aware of how miserably hot my room had become. I looked down at myself wishing that I had changed into more comfortable clothes as well. I really didn't feel like hassling with that right now though.

I turned over in my bed again, facing away from Ryan, but stopped when I heard him speak. "Can't sleep either?"

"Nope," I sighed.

He sat up. "That's understandable. This is strange for both of us. Since we're both still wide awake, do you want to talk?"

I would love it more than anything. "Sure. We could try to get to know each other better," I suggest.

"Alright." He thinks for a moment. "What's your last name?"

"Samson. What about you?"

"Ross. What's your favorite movie?"

"Oh my gosh, how could I ever pick one? I guess I'll just say 'anything horror related' and leave it at that."

"You like horror too?"

"Do I like it? I love horror." I got up out of my bed, clicking on the lamp next to me. I walked over to my dresser and opened one of the drawers, revealing a large stack of horror movies.

Ryan stood up and walked over, admiring my collection. "Sick! You have The Ring?"

"Well of course! It's only one of the best horror movies of all time."

He grins and holds up the VHS case. "Should we watch it?"

I took the container from him and shrugged, loading it into the VHS player underneath my TV. "I don't see why not." We excitedly hurried back to our spots while the movie started up and I clicked out the light. I looked over at Ryan and patted my bed. "Sit." I instructed. "There's no way you can comfortably see down there."

I saw that he was going to object, but he must have changed his mind. He gathered up one of the blankets from the floor and sat at the end of the bed. Do you really have to sit that far away?

We sat like that for awhile. I was suddenly very aware of how tired I was. I checked the time. It was almost 2:30 in the morning. I yawned and stretched. "Hey, Ryan," I mumbled sleepily.

"Hmm," he answered, sounding quite tired himself.

If you don't mind, I'm going to turn in for the night. Would it be alright if we finished the movie tomorrow? I think we're at a good stopping point."

"I'm getting tired too, so that sounds great," he said while he climbed back onto the floor.

"Good." I got up and paused the VHS player. I walked over to my door and fiddled with the lock, double checking that it was indeed locked this time. Ryan gave me a puzzled look. "Just making sure," I mumbled.

He shrugged and turned away from me, facing my closet. "Night, Abby."

"Night."

...

I woke up a few hours later drenched in my own sweat. I really regretted what I had told my dad earlier. Why did I have to use the air conditioning as my excuse? I quietly got up to turn on the small fan sitting next to my dresser. As I walked to the front of my room, I glanced back at Ryan, only to find that he wasn't there. He probably stole all of our things and bolted once I conked out. On cue, I heard a crash in the kitchen and frantic barking. Without even giving it a second thought, I rushed out of my room and dove into the kitchen to see what was going on.

Ryan was standing in front of the fridge, looking at my dog who was currently freaking out at him. My dog Shep didn't exactly appreciate guests. He was very protective and I'm sure he thought Ryan wasn't supposed to be there, considering he had never seen him come through the door with me.