FicWad

A.N. Thanks so much for the reviews. They made me smile. Keep them coming. Happy me = better writing. Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. School is a pain in the butt and I kept trying to edit this chapter but, to me, its still crap. Oh well. -shrugs- Hope you enjoy!

As before, italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 3: Shakes and Fries

We step into our old hang out spot. I haven't been here in years. "Wow. It's exactly how I remember it used to be. It hasn't changed a bit."

"No it hasn't." He turns to me. "Our usual spot? For old time's sake?"

"Of course. I never sat anywhere else." I smile.

We move to the back of the diner to the booth we used to sit in since the 8th grade. We take our seats and get situated.

Pete looks down at the wooden table. He chuckles at what he sees. "Hey. Take a look at this."

I lean over and look at what he's pointing at. It's a carving. I scoff at what it reads. 'PD forever'. "Wow."

"Yeah, wow. We were crazy kids back then."

"That we were. Defacing public property, we were rebels." I smile.

Pete lightly laughs and nods. He looks down at the carving again. His face turns solemn and he looks back up at me. "We were totally in love with each other, weren't we?"

It was a hypothetical question. Everyone knew the answer, but maybe he just wanted conformation, so I gave it to him. I nod. "Yeah, we were."

He nods as well. "Yeah, /were/."

A silence struck us. Sitting here, in our diner, in our booth, it just brought back so many memories.

"You get the same thing every time we come here, which is pretty much everyday. Don't you get tired of chili fries?" Pete asks.

"No." I snap defensively. "Don't you get tired of dipping fries in your milk shakes?"

"No. Besides I vary flavors of my shakes every time I come. I don't get the same flavor everyday."

I shrug and continue to devour the food in front of me.

Pete laughs and shakes his head. "Why am I with you? You eat more than a whole family combined. You're gonna eating me out of house and home."

"You love that about me," I say with a messy mouth full of food.

"That's lovely. Very lady-like." He says sarcastically.

"I try."

"So....I was thinking-"

"Really? Thinking, that's a new one." I smile.

"Be quiet. Anyways, I was thinking about what we're going to do before I leave to tour."

"Were you? Huh. Well what do you have planned?"

"Well, I'll tell you once you swallow the food that you have in your mouth and push the food aside." He smiles.

I pout. "Mean." But I do what he wants; I swallow my food and push the tray to the side. "Ok, what were you planning?"

"Pete and Danielle week."

"Pete and Danielle week?"

"Yup. Since I'm gonna be gone for a couple weeks I figured that a whole week of just us and no one else will hold us till I get back."

"Ok," I laugh. "What are we going to do on 'Pete and Danielle week'?"

"Well, my dear, I will tell you. Day one will be spent at the amusement park."

"Ooo. I haven't been there in forever," I exclaim.

"Day two will be spent shopping around town followed by a night at Curbs."

I smile. "Nice."

"I try. Day three we're going to see- Are you ready for it? Cause I don't think you are," he teases.

"Just spit it out." I smile.

"Ok, day three we are going to see the one and only..........Lifetime."

I gasp. "Shut up! No fucking way! We're seeing Lifetime?!"

"Yes we are. I pulled some strings and got us tickets."

I squeal out of excitement. "Oh my god, that's fucking awesome!" Me and Peter are obsessed with Lifetime. They're part of the reason Peter ever wanted to be in a band. I calm myself down. "Ok, what next?"

"And lastly, day four and five will be spent in a hotel room all night and day without ever leaving the room," Peter says with a mischievous grin.

"Huh. Day four and five sound intriguing. Exactly what will we be doing in that hotel room," I ask matching his impish smirk.

He leans over the table and whispers, "It's much too naughty to be said in public."

I laugh and lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Dirty boy."

Pete smiles and grabs my hand across the table. "You know I love you, right?"

I smile adoringly and nod.

"Good." Pete smiles and nods as well. "Do you think its forever?"

"What's forever?"

"Me and you. Do you think we'll last forever?" He asks meekly. Pete has never been one to be shy, but when he is, it's because it's important.

I shrug. "I don't know if anything can last forever." Pete looks down dejectedly. I smile, "But if there's anything that's able to last forever, me and you are definitely one of them."

Pete looks up and smiles. He digs in his jean pant's pocket and takes out a pocket knife. He opens it.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see." He starts to carve something into the corner of the wooden table.

"What are you carving?" He finishes his carving and smiles. I look over and read what he engraved. I laugh. "What are you, 12?"

He shrugs and smiles. "Hey, that way everybody knows that PD is forever."

"PD? Sounds like a STD," I laugh.

You can cut the awkward silence with a knife, it was so thick. But luckily a waitress broke it. "Well, well. If it isn't Peter and Danielle, Wilmette's own Bonnie and Clyde."

She sounded so familiar. I look up and instantly remember who she is. A huge smile breaks out. "Stella?"

The older lady replies. "Well, who else would serve you two crazy kids? I've been your waitress since you guys were 14; I ain't giving you guys up. Come here, sugar." I stand up and hug her tightly. "Now where the hell have you been? You went AWOL."

I release her and smile. "New York. I work for a newspaper there."

"So you finally did it. I knew you would. You're filled with too much greatness to be stuck here." She then looks at Peter. "Both of ya are. That's why you two are out doing what you guys are doing. Now, scrawny boy, you think you're gonna get out of a hug? Get your ass up and hug me." Peter laughs, stands up, and envelopes Stella as she mumbles, "Think you're all bad now cause you're a rock star. Can't even give a little old lady a hug."

I laugh. Stella's one of the best people in Wilmette, hell in all of Illinois. She's straight-forward and a hard ass, but she has the hugest heart anyone has ever seen. "How have you been, Stella?"

"Eh. Same ol'. Same ol'. I gotta tell ya, it's been absolutely boring since you two left. Are you guys staying long?"

Pete answers first. "I'm not. I'm only here for a couple days, then its back on the road."

Stella nods and then looks at me for an answer. "I'm only here for about a week then its back to New York."

"Aww. You guys are leaving poor little ol' me again? Well, you two have to promise me to visit more often."

"I will." Pete and I say simultaneously.

Stella smiles at us both. "Always in sync. Tell me you two are still together." Me and Pete both look down and chuckle nervously. "Don't break my heart and tell me that you guys broke up."

I answer for us both. "We broke up a long time ago, right before I left."

"Oh, well just know, I've been rooting for you two the whole time."

"Thanks," I answer meekly while Pete just sits silent.

"Well anyways, what can I get you two? Your usual?"

I smile, "You remember our usual?"

"Absolutely. You always got the chili fries with a Sprite and Peter always got a shake to dip his fries in. He was the only person I've seen who did that." She looks at Pete. "What kind of shake will it be today, sugar?"

"Chocolate. I've been dying for a chocolate shake."

"Alright. Well, coming right up. I'll talk to you guys later. I'm sure you have tons to catch up." She leaves Pete and me to sit in silence.

I clear my throat. "Well, I've never been a fan of awkward silences so let's talk about something non-awkward. How's the tour going?"

"It's good. I'm having a blast."

"Good, good. That's good." I say awkwardly.

"Yeah, good." He chuckles nervously. "So," he nods his head. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good-"

"Ok, we really need to use another adjective other than 'good'."

I laugh. "Yeah we do. Ok, let me answer your question again." I clear my throat. "I've been really great; excellent. Living in New York is everything I had hoped it would be."

Pete smiles genuinely. "That's- that's really great, Dani Boy. You've helped me with my dream for so long, I'm really glad you finally get to live yours."

"Yeah." I bite my bottom lip. I can't tell him the truth. I can't tell him that my supposed 'dream' wasn't all I had expected. I had expected this high style, fun, free life. But all I had was a stressful, boring, lonely, all work and no play life. His life is going great; I can pretend mine is for a couple days. "We're both doing what we're meant to be doing. Everything turned out for the best, huh."

"Sure." He says hesitantly. "It all worked out."

I look up at him and suddenly start to laugh. This confuses Pete.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

I stop laughing. "I don't really know actually."

Pete chuckles. "You've always been so random."

I smile. "Yes, I have."

"At least I know one thing about you hasn't changed."

"What are you talking about? I haven't changed that much."

"Well, from what I can see, you've changed quite a bit."

"Like what?" I ask.

"Well, first off your whole angry pink hair thing is gone."

I roll my eyes. "It wasn't pink, it was magenta. And I have a real job now; I can't be walking around the office with crazy hair."

Pete shrugs and smiles. "You did before."

"I never worked in an office here. I worked at 'Zoey's'. Crazy hair was encouraged there."

"Ok, secondly, you've become so professional."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the way you're dressed. Not that there's anything wrong with it, you look great. It's just; the old Danielle had crazy taste. She wouldn't be caught dead looking so plain."

I gasp. "I do not look plain." Did I? "I mean sure, I'm not into the whole crazy colors and stuff like I used to. That doesn't make me plain."

"It just looks like you're going to the office."

I look down at my tailored grey skirt and mumble, "No it doesn't."

Pete laughs.

Ok, now's he's starting to tick me off. "Hey, you know what? I'm almost 27 years old, and I work for one of the most popular newspapers in New York. Whether its in the office or working on a story, I work 80 hours a week. I don't have time to plan out and design my outfits like I did when I was a teenager. Not everyone has the luxury of not having to grow up." I snap.

"Ok...um...Ouch."

"Sorry," I apologize for my outburst.

"Well, now I know another thing hasn't changed about you, you're still quick to bite my head off."

I shrug and smirk, "Well your name is Pete Wentz."

"You know I'm just giving you a hard time, right?"

"You've always given me a hard time."

"It's just weird. Out of our whole group growing up, you're the only one to become a career person. You know, the whole office thing, having to dress up, working tons of hours. I never would have thought about it. You were a crazy ass teenager. It's weird."

"Weird is definitely the word. If you would have told me when I was a teenager that this was how my life was going to be, I would have laughed and punched you in the nose."

He nods. "How is your life?" He asks.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Hectic, dreary, dismal," I pause and look down, "lonely."

Pete nods his head. "Why did you really come back home?" He asks, sensing an ulterior motive to her visit.

I haven't told anyone about this, but I've always felt the need to tell Pete everything. I take a deep breathe. "I'm thinking about quitting and moving back home. I always made fun of people and swore I would never become the kind of person who made work their entire life; whose entire world revolved around their work. That wasn't a part of my dream."

"So....you're quitting your job and moving back to Wilmette?"

I shrug. "I don't know yet. Coming here is just a test course. I'll see how this goes and then I'll decide."

"That's a huge decision, Dani Boy."

I nod. "Yup."

"You've never been good at those."

I chuckle and shake my head. "No, I haven't. Part of being an adult is making life changing decisions that you don't want to make." I lean my head back on the seat and close my eyes. "I hate being an adult."

"Yup, when those moments come, I hate them too."

I pick my head back up and look at Pete. "Don't tell anyone ok. You know how talk gets around here."

"Don't worry, I won't."

I nod and smile at him.

"So, nobody else knows?"

"Nope, you're the only one I've told."

"Why?" He asks.

"I don't know if it's sitting in our spot or not, but it feels like we're kids again. And you've always been the only one I've told."