A/N: First fic that isn't Naruto for me! Yay!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that Ellen Hopkins writes. Or Rise Against.
Rise Against - Audience of One - Tribute to Burned
I can still remember
the words and what they meant
as we etched them with our fingers
in years of wet cement.
I remember the first day I met her. Pattyn von Stratten. She had such a pretty name.
But such a dark past.
Days blur into each other
though everything seemed clear
we cruised along at half speed
but then we shifted gears..
We were perfect for each other. I, a farmer boy who was just in his first year of university. Her, an average high school student.
That summer was the most perfect one that I ever had. I would never forget it.
Neither would Pattyn.
We ran like vampires from a thousand burning suns
but even then we should have stayed
That morning, I saw Pattyn on the doorstep of her aunt's home. "What's wrong, Pattyn."
She looked into my eyes, and I looked into hers. "My father's hurting my sister."
We ran away
now all my friends are gone
maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved
run away hey
what are we running from?
A show of hands, who knows in this audience of one
where have they gone?
Her family was Mormon. That was okay in itself. But according to Mormon doctrine, a father can hurt their child.
Well, it wasn't written in there, but it WAS tolerated.
And I didn't care who she was. But I felt sick anger towards the whole idea of tolerating it.
"Don't worry. We'll find out a plan."
Identities assume us
it's nine in five and up
synchronizing watches
to the seconds that we lost
I unwrapped a parcel. She looked curiously at it. "Put it in your bag. I don't want your father to see."
She peered at it. It was a gun. She looked questioningly at me.
"Just in case."
And I looked up and saw you
I know that you saw me
We froze but for a moment
In empathy
Pattyn had just gone back to her high school. We would be 500 miles away from each other.
500 miles. I looked at my watch, then sighed.
I brought down the sky for you but all you did was shrug
You gave my emptiness a name
And you ran away
now all my friends are gone
maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved
run away hey
what are we running from?
A show of hands, who knows in this audience of one
where have they gone?
I looked at my phone. There was a call from Pattyn. I picked it up.
"Pattyn? What's up?"
She was sobbing. I straightened up immediately. "What's wrong?"
"I-I'm pregnant."
I was in between crying and laughing at the same time. But I knew that this was a serious situation.
If her parents found out that she was pregnant with a non-Mormon,
Who knows what they would do.
We're okay, until the day we're not
we're sun and shines while the inside rots
"I'm on my way, Pattyn. Hold on."
we raced the sunset and we almost won
we slammed the brakes but the wheels went on,
Pattyn got in the car with a backpack and we speeded down the highway.
Suddenly there was a narrow curve. "HOLD ON!" I cried, spinning the wheel.
My mind went black.
We ran away hey
now all my friends are gone
maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved
run away hey
what are we running from?
I finally came to. There were some people near the wreckage.
I found myself face-to-face with Pattyn's father.
"Goodbye, pest." he said as he cocked a .5 millimeter rifle to my head.
A show of hands, who knows in this audience of one
where have they gone?