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Patricia smiled and waved as the small crew from Alternative Press made their way back to their vehicles. The kids would love the acceptance video, she hoped.
Patricia leaned against the door after closing it, sighing contentedly. In all honesty, she was still kid of in shock. The fans had voted her Best Vocalist. Against the kids from All Time Low and Sleeping With Sirens, too! It was humbling and unbelievable all at once.
The whole tantrum for the video was a joke, but the more Patricia thought about it, the more she realized she hadn’t really touched her drums much at all lately.
No harm in a little practice right?
She made her way back to the small studio room and pulled open the drawer her drumsticks were stored in. They were a little worn, but felt nice and familiar in her guitar-calloused hands. She gave one an experimental flip before smiling widely and seating herself behind the set.
The beats and rhythms came naturally and Patricia relaxed into the methodical rapping and tapping. The nice easy beat began to escalate, though, becoming faster, louder, and harsher.
With a loud crash, Patricia sat back and huffed a breath or two, feeling her heart pound with an adrenaline that she normally only felt on stage. She had missed this. Drumming was where she started and honestly, she’d probably always come back to it somehow.
“Now this looks familiar.”
Patricia jumped a bit at the voice coming from the doorway, but relaxed again when she spotted her best friend leaning on the door frame, face split in her wide grin.
“Except the hair. It was a little longer when we first met. The room is a bit nicer than your mom’s basement, too.”
Patricia snorted and rolled her eyes. Sometimes she regretted giving the older woman a key to her house.
“Hello Petra. Nice to see you, Petra. Yes, I’m doing great, how have you been? Lovely!”
Petra laughed and stepped farther into the room.
“Alright. Lay off the Pattitude.”
Patricia groaned and bowed her head in annoyance.
“That’s so dumb. Your puns are awful. I hate you.”
“Nah, you can’t hate me. I’m too cute.”
Petra smiled widely and tipped her head, holding her hands under her chin in a typical photoshoot pose.
The young vocalist ignored her friend’s antics and stood up, making her way around the kit to place her sticks back in their drawer.
“You know, a text would have been nice to let me know you were coming. LA is a good distance away from Chicago.”
Petra dropped her hands and the smile on her face turned fond.
“I know. But I wanted to surprise you! And to take you out for a celebratory lunch.”
Patricia looked at her watch and frowned.
“Petra, it’s almost six o’clock.”
“….Celebratory dinner?”
(~~~)
After a while of prodding, pleading, and a tickle fight that ended with Petra getting kneed in the ribs, Patricia agreed to go along with the “celebratory dinner”.
“We’ll get anything you want, Trish. Italian, Mexican, hell, we can even go to that Greek place they just built.”
Patricia adjusted her hat and locked the door behind the as they made their way out to Petra’s car.
“Hmm…how about pizza? That diner down on Albans is still open.”
Petra blinked.
“You sure? Seriously we can go get anything.”
Patricia laughed as she dropped into the passenger seat and buckled herself.
“I know. And I want pizza. We haven’t been there since…wow, since before Folie. Besides, I’m sure the pizza in LA has got you whining for something better.” She said with a smirk.
Petra groaned and started the car.
“You have no idea, Trish. Like, it’s good pizza. But it’s not Chicago pizza.”
The drive to the diner was spent with light chitchat and good natured teasing. Even if they had just spent an entire tour together, the weeks between then and now had given them plenty to catch up on.
The diner was pretty empty when the two pulled up, but the exterior hadn’t changed at all after almost ten years. The inside hadn’t changed much either, right down to the middle-aged waitress who had been there since before the girls had ever stepped foot in there.
The woman’s graying hair seemed to be the only indication of age in the place and her eyes lit up when she spotted them.
“Well now, if it isn’t our two hometown rock stars. I haven’t seen you ladies in ages!”
Petra and Patricia smiled as she led them to a worn booth.
“It’s great to see you again, Dawn. You’re right, it has been a while.”
Dawn laughed as she pulled out her pad.
“Let me see if I still remember your favorites. Since it’s just you two, I take it a half pepperoni, half veggie is in order with two chocolate milkshakes?”
Patricia glanced at Petra with a happy smile before turning back to Dawn.
“That sounds amazing. But if I can switch it up on you, can I get a blueberry milkshake instead?”
Dawn smiled and wrote down the order, chuckling.
“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll get George to work on your pizza and be right back with your shakes.
They chorused a “Thank you” as she left.
Petra sighed and tapped her fingers on the laminated table top.
“I’ve honestly missed this place. Well, not just here, but Chicago.” She huffed a laugh. “I guess I’m getting homesick.”
Patricia smile fondly and flicked a sugar packet towards the bassist.
“You know I’ve always got room for you whenever you want to come up. Not that it would stop you any if I didn’t.”
Petra pretended to sneer, but couldn’t keep her grin from breaking it.
“I know, Trish. I know.”
(~~~)
Petra dramatically flung herself onto Patricia’s couch the moment the two of them stepped back into Patricia’s house.
“I can’t move, Trish. I’m dying of a pizza coma. Tell my son I love him, but he’s not allowed caffeine after six pm.”
Patricia giggled as she hung up her hat and keys.
“Okay, Petra. I’ll make sure you only have the best flowers at your funeral. I’ll get Panic to play for you. We’ll need different pallbearers though, cause me, Andi, and Jo are too short to carry you.”
Petra frowned.
“Aww. But that’d be funny. No wait, nevermind. You guys would drop my dead ass.”
Patricia laughed again and tapped Petra’s leg as she moved past her towards the stairs.
“Come on, I’ll get the guest room set up for you.”
Petra whined and grabbed the blonde’s leg, causing her to stumble slightly.
“Noooooo. Let me sleep with you.”
Patricia raised an eyebrow.
“Petra, we haven’t shared a bed in forever. You’ll be fine in the guest room.”
The bassist gripped her leg tighter.
“But I miss my patticakes. Besides, you know I sleep better when I’m not alone.”
Patricia sighed and leveled a look at her best friend.
“…fine. But the moment you kick me I swear to God.”
Petra practically launched herself up from the couch with a huge grin.
“Lead the way, Trish-a-licious!”
Patricia shook her head, but turned and headed upstairs.
Petra dug an old t-shirt and a pair of cotton pj pants out of her travel bag before following the vocalist upstairs and disappearing into the bathroom to change.
Patricia changed into her own sleepwear and sighed in contentment when she crawled into bed and pulled the fluffy comforter around herself. However, she yelped slightly when Petra dove onto the bed, bouncing happily.
“Petra, oh my god.”
The older girl laughed as she wormed her way under the comforter and snuggled close to Patricia, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s waist and burying her nose into the soft locks.
Patricia paused for moment before resting her hands over Petra’s wrapped around her. The older girl must have really missed her. A light smile graced her face as she closed her eyes and let her body relax.
“Goodnight, Petra.”
Her answer was a light sigh into her hair and a mumbled “Night, Trish.” Before both of them drifted off to sleep.