Lost and Found

“I still can’t believe you two,” I mumbled, pulling out a random pair of jeans out of my random closet from a random space.

“What’s so bad about it?” Marianne asked. “Why be so anti-concert right now?” she asked with a simple laugh.

I smiled, shaking my head and opted to look for a shirt. “It’s not that I’m anti-concert, as you put it, I’m just… anti… doing anything. I wanted to eat ice cream and watch old movies all day.”

“Since when did you get so lazy?” she joked, walking over to look through my closet as well. "and old?"

“Since I graduated.”

“Oh c’mon, Elizabeth. You’re going to UCLA in the fall, and this may be one of the last things you get to do with us.”

I laughed and looked at her dumbfounded. “We have the whole summer, smarty! It’s not like I’m going and never coming back, you know. I’ll be back for the breaks and stuff.”

“Here,” Marianne said, handing me a black shirt with stars of multi colors and sizes. I slipped the fabric over my head and plopped down on my bed to put on my shoes.

“When’s Danny going to be here?”

“Liz, Danny’s here!” Mom called from the front door. I flew onto my back, hearing the door shut and Danny asking where I was.

“This may be a long shot but I think he’s here right now,” Marianne said, grinning. I closed my eyes as Danny burst through the door.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” he said, jumping on my bed, making my previously ate early lunch start to rise.

“Stop!” I whined.

“She’s just anti-‘doing anything today,’” Marianne clarified for me.

“Well, let’s turn her into pro a seven x!”

Danny lifted me up onto his shoulder and I screamed. “Put me down!”

“Sorry, but I’ve got to do this!” Marianne grabbed my things and I was taken out of my room.

“I guess I’ll see you later,” Mom said with a laugh.

“Daddy?!” I whined. He just laughed and Danny stopped. I jutted out my bottom lip. It was very difficult to see him from this angle.

“Have fun, kid,” Dad said, not being of any help.

“Daddy! Don't let the mean people take me away!” I whined.

Marianne stayed back as Danny brought me to his car. I was fastened into the back seat and Marianne came running out. When she got in the car after Danny, she handed me my purse.

“Heather and Nick gave you some cash. It’s in your purse,” she said.

“How much?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said as Danny started the car. “I didn’t look or ask. They just told me to give it to you.” I looked through my purse as Marianne started up the CD player, which played Avenged Sevenfold. I looked in my purse and saw a few 20s glancing back up at me. I smiled at the thought. Sure, we didn’t always have a hundred dollars on hand, but it was the gesture that got to me.

Marianne and Danny were always the ones of us three that were heavy on them. I guess it’s credited to their parents, who basically forced it down their throat when they were little because they were such big fans. Mine… not too much. Sure, they loved that type of music, but they were more into what they had called ‘emo’ back in the day when they were teens. That’s actually how they met, was at a concert. I thought it was the cutest story ever.

“I’m going to have a cigarette, okay?” Marianne told me. “So roll down your window.”

“Okay,” I replied, rolling the back windows down.

“So when do we go backstage?” I asked when we entered the parking lot for the amphitheater. Danny parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition.

“The tickets say after the show.”

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, my essentials on me. I wasn’t going to take my purse in. That’d be too much. I didn’t like carrying them around as it was. This way, it would just be easier.

Danny handed us a ticket and Marianne linked arms with me. She was all smiles. This was the part about our friendship I loved. No matter what, whenever we three were together none of us could be down. We’d be happy. Danny once said that if you added each of us into one person, that one person would be the most perfect human being ever. With Danny the random, insane one, Marianne the loud, outspoken one, and me being the quiet and reserved one. He always said that' why we had been friends for so long, and such good friends at that. We balanced each other perfectly.

We walked up to the building, a line already collecting. Danny just led us to the end and we took our spot for waiting. I looked at the clock on my phone to see it was only four. I groaned, hitting my head on the wall softly and immediately sat down on the ground, followed by Marianne and Danny, I was pulling them down with me along with their protests. I didn't see us moving anytime soon.

“So we have four hours,” I said to Danny and Marianne.

“Yeah, and I only have a pack of cigarettes,” Marianne joked.

“Oh dear God! How are we going to survive?!” Danny exclaimed playfully. Marianne slapped him on the arm, only deepening his laughter.

“You two will be fine, but I might flip out occasionally after the pack is empty.”

“Why didn’t you get more before we left?” I asked, blocking my eyes from the sun.

“I thought I had another pack, but when I looked I couldn’t find it.”

“Sorry,” both Danny and I said.

Marianne laughed and hugged us both. “It’s cool.”

“Valary Sanders?” a girl said close by, excitement in her voice. Another girl squealed beside her.

“Val’s out here?” Marianne asked, looking around. “I don’t see her…”

“I didn’t think she’d be out here,” Danny said also standing up and looking around.

“Um, excuse me, sorry for bugging me, but I’m Chelsea. I’m a huge fan, actually,” a girl with short black hair said in front of me. She stuck out her hand, waiting for me to shake it.

“Huh?” I asked dumbly.

“I’m Chelsea, you’re Valary DiBenedetto Sanders… right?” she asked, unsure. “Married to M. Shadows? One of the cutest couples… you’re adorable by the way.”

“Told you!” Danny and Marianne both burst out while laughing. Chelsea looked to them confused, then back to me as she took her hand away.

“This is Elizabeth Dean,” Danny said with a laugh. Chelsea’s cheeks immediately flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry! You just look a lot like her! Are you sure you’re not their kid or something?”

Danny laughed. “We’ve been saying that for years.”

"Three hours and 58 minutes left," I mumbled while I looked at my phone.

Notes