FicWad

Pete walked through the front door. The taste of Tia was fresh on his lips, and he smiled faintly as he picked up his mail off of the hall table. He flipped through the small stack as he wandered into the living room. /Bill, bill, flyer, junk.../he stopped dead at the sight that greeted him on the couch. Patrick sat with his arms around Devin, who was wearing a camisole, not the usual hoodie. Patrick had his hands on Devin's belly, and was glowing with happiness. Andy was perched on the edge of the coffee table, and the trio was smiling and laughing. They looked up.
"Pete! I know about the baby!" Patrick exclaimed happily.
Pete dropped the mail, and bent down to pick it up, trembling slightly.
"That's...ah...that's great, I'm glad it's out in the open..." he stuttered.
Oh my God/, thought Pete, /Devin will tell Joe now...
He looked up at Devin, and a knowing smile crept across her face. She said nothing.
"Gosh, we should celebrate! Ice cream, anyone?" Patrick asked, standing up.
"Sure!" Andy stood up and the two stepped past Pete and headed for the kitchen. Pete stood rooted in the spot, watching Devin. She took her own sweet time, standing up and slowly walking over to the doorway. She stopped when she was centimeters away from Pete. He felt her warm breath on his neck.
"Loose lips sink ship, Peter Lewis, and don't you ever forget it." She whispered with a smug smile, and stepped into the hall and headed towards the kitchen.

Devin took a deep breath and knocked on Joe's door.
"Come in!" his muffled voice called.
Devin opened the door and stepped inside. Joe and Tia were sitting at the small kitchen table, eating breakfast. The smell of eggs and toast filled the air.
"Oh, hey De-AHH!" Joe dropped his fork and fell off his chair. Tia covered her mouth with a delicate hand. Devin smiled proudly, patting her belly, which was covered in a tight pink tee shirt. Joe picked himself up and sat down again, shaking.
"I'm pregnant." She announced happily.
"I can see...how far along?"
"Four months."
"Wow...and you tell us now?"
Devin shrugged.
"That's not why I'm here, though. There's something you should know."
Tia gasped quietly, her eyes filling with fear. Devin took a deep breath, watching Joe. He was wearing a confused look...did she really want to tell him this?/Of course/, thought Devin, Pete blackmailed me for three months.
"Pete has been sleeping with Tia for three months!" she cried triumphantly.
Joe knocked his glass over, and the water it contained rushed across the table and met the edge, and the small apartment's dead silence was filled with the quiet drip, drip, drip sound for what seemed like hours. Finally, Joe spoke.
"Come again?"
"Tia and Pete have been sleeping together for three months." Devin repeated.
Tia jumped up, rage in her eyes.
"Pete said you promised not to tell!"
"That'll be the day I'd promise such a thing! Pete knew about the baby, he's been blackmailing my ass for three months, since the day I walked in on you two!"
Joe was looking from Tia to Devin with hurt in his eyes.
"Tia, is this true?"
Tia had tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Yes." She whispered.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! What, do you sleep with Pete while I'm at work, then when I come home, you want more?"
"No, Joe, it's not like that..." Tia pleaded.
"Then how is it, Tia?"
"I liked Peter...a lot. I tried to break up with you, but..."
"You WHORE!" Joe cried, "GET OUT!"
"Joe, please..."
"Devin, you knew about this?"
"Joe, I wanted to tell you, but Pete was threatening to tell Patrick about the baby! It was really hard!"
Joe just shook his head sadly, and turned back to Tia.
"I said, get out! We're OVER, Tia!"
Tia stomped over to the bedroom, and slammed the door. Joe and Devin stood in silence. Moments later, Tia emerged, suitcase in hand. She was at the door with shoes and a coat on in a flash. She wrenched open the door, and turned to face Joe.
"I didn't break up with you because I was afraid of hurting you!"
"Well, this hurts a hell of a lot worse, Tia. Goodbye."
The door slammed shut.
"Thank you for finally telling me." Joe whispered.
"Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah, I just need some alone time." He said sadly.
"I'll go." Devin stepped over to where Joe was standing and gave him a hug. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Yeah. Name the baby Joseph Jr."
Devin smiled and kissed Joe's cheek, and turned to leave.

Pete picked up his ringing cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Peter." Joe said sharply, using his full name.
"Uh, hey, Joe...what's up?" Pete sensed the sharpness in his voice and feared the worst.
"Tell me, Peter, how you could look at me, and talk to me for three months, three frikin months, while you were sleeping with my girlfriend? And then blackmail our pregnant friend into not telling me?"
Pete ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed.
"Joe, I'm so sorry..."
"Ha! No, you're not!"
"I am!"
"Pete, if you were sorry, you would have told me long before I had to hear from Devin. But no, you didn't. Friends don't do things like this!"
"Joe, I'm SORRY!"
"You know what, Pete? Just forget it. Leave me alone." And the line went dead. Pete sighed again and dialed Tia's cell phone.
"Tia?" he said, his voice full of shame.
"Peter...Joe knows...Devin told..." she breathed, and Pete sensed tears in her voice.
"I know, Joe just called."
"What are we going to do?"
"I have no idea. I screwed up big time."