FicWad

The door was closed, possibly my entire future sitting outside of it. My back curled against the bathroom counter, my butt on the cold tile floor. I had my knees up slightly, my arms loosely wrapped around them while I listened to the silence.

With everything so quiet, time seemed to slow down and 'three minutes' turned into three years.

I could feel the stare through the door, knowing he was waiting for me to step out.

So was I.

I wasn't even sure I'd be able to stable myself on these week legs. My eyes fluttered closed in nervousness as my phone buzzed on the counter, signaling the timer going off.

With a deep breath and a silent prayer to every god in the book, I pushed myself up and kneeled, my eyes looking over the range of the counter. The tent I had made with the directions had blown back with the AC, making my eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh," it was quiet, soft and...plain dumb sounding to me. "Oh..." I said a little louder.

I found my breath again and glanced up at my reflection. The glow had started- the lack of sleep for tonight not affecting my face.

My hair stood perfectly pushed up slightly on the sides, the makeup I had from today not even smudged. I found the smile and nodded to myself.

"It's ok," I mouthed and used the counter's edge to stand up, my knees shaking with a mix of excitement and fear.

My fingertips curled around the cold doorknob and I took a deep breath as it creaked open.

As soon as I looked out, Andy's head whipped up and he pushed himself off the edge of the bed, curiosity spread all over his features. I bit my lip nervously as I slipped into the bedroom and stood awkwardly in front of him.

"Ev," he started and I swallowed /everything/. I nodded.

"Yea?" I asked.

Andy blinked and stepped closer, resting his hands on my upper arms, lightly rubbing them in a calming way. He smiled slightly, telling me without words that either way things would be ok. I took a deep breath and nodded, letting my head fall foreword.

"You..." he paused, swallowing his nerves. He lifted my chin up and skewed his mouth to one side. "What...um," I laughed uneasily and pecked his lips.

"Go see for yourself," I whispered and patted his chest, moving out of his way as he stepped towards the bathroom.

I stepped over by the bed and wrung my hands together before sitting down on the edge of the bed. There were fast paced footsteps and before I knew it I was tackled backwards, Andy smiling widely like the Cheshire cat above me.

"I freaking love you," he breathed. I bit my lip and took a shaky breath before gripping his hand.

Hope to god...

I thought about it before making a wish at the same time.

I wish and hope...

"Our baby," I whispered, watching the happy tears line his eyes as I placed his hand on my stomach.

There was pain in my heart but I hid it well, for god's sake.

I didn't want to think what all of you were thinking.*

I was pregnant, and even though the fact I couldn't jump to conclusions and know it was Andy's, I was happy that maybe I was growing up and if it really was true I could turn my life around.

But there was always that little blurb in the back of my mind, holding Pete's negative emotions that seemed to break open. And now was that time. I started to cry, making Andy glanced at me with a questionable glance.

"What's the matter?" he asked, lying next to me and rubbing his hand over my waist. I placed my hands over his and blinked hard.

Lie. Lie. Lie.

Damn me and my conscious.

"I'm just /so happy/,"

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"There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm," Izzy mentioned as we walked down the snow filled boardwalk of thrift shops and small cafes.

I let out a laugh.

"Understatement of the century," I mumbled, tossing back some hair that had fallen in my face.

Izzy shivered slightly before sneezing. I looked at her and she laughed.

"I'm fine, it's just no matter how long I've lived in cold environments, I've never gotten used to them," We laughed as we entered the coffee shop, the bell above our heads jingling.

Izzy and I took a seat in our usual booth and I played with my napkin for a bit until she spoke.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked. I shrugged and bit my lip.

"Thinking about that, I might go back to visit my dad, you know," Izzy smiled.

"Surprise?" she asked. I nodded and cleared my throat.

"We should all go back again, you know, like last time," Izzy smiled brightly.

"That'd be amazing!" The door jingled once more and Izzy groaned, sinking more into the booth.

"What?" I asked and turned my head to see Pete and Patrick walking over, Patrick a little more happy than usual.

"Andy told me we'd find you guys here," Izzy bit her lip and I nodded as the two stood at the foot of the table.

"Girl time, you know," Patrick nodded and glanced at Izzy.

"Mind if I steal you for a bit?" he asked, holding a hand out for her.

Izzy looked at me and I nodded, letting her go. Izzy sucked in breath and bit her lip as she scooted out.

Patrick held her hand as he led her to another booth, leaving me staring up at an uncomfortable Pete. I cleared my throat and he flinched before hesitantly sitting across from me. I tilted my head to one side as he played with the sugar shaker, his other hand resting near mine.

"Pete," I called and he hummed, looking up.

"What?" he asked. I swallowed my nerves like many times before.

"Would you like to come back to Arizona with me for Christmas?" I asked. Pete blinked before managing a small smile.

"You mean like last time?" he questioned back. I nodded and sighed next.

"I think my dad deserves to know about everything," Pete's hands curled around my own, my head snapping up to catch his curious eyes.

"I..." he paused. "I know," he said and I stared at him in confusion.

"What?" I asked. Pete cleared his throat.

"That 'us' is over," he mumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Pete frowned and shook his head, probably thinking I was a freaking idiot.

"That you're pregnant with Andy's baby," he whispered.

"Oh," was all I managed.

Oh...

It was then that I realized I should have more faith in Andy and 'our' baby, that is, if Pete actually believed that it couldn't possibly be his. I closed my eyes briefly before taking a deep breath.

"I'm glad you understand, Pete," I muttered, opening my eyes.

Pete smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. They were empty, possibly as empty as mine. And yet I only found fear, telling me there was that little bubble in the back of his mind that read:

/It might be yours/.

But because he didn't say anything, I was worried that he didn't care. I took another deep breath as Pete parted his lips.

"I'm happy for you, Evie," I gulped and nodded, bringing his hands up to my lips, kissing his knuckles.

"Thank you, Pete," I whispered and let them fall from my grasp in time for Izzy and Patrick to come waltzing back.

Pete scooted out of the booth and Izzy smiled at Patrick before he leaned down and planted a loving kiss on her lips.

I felt my eyebrows twitch and watched as Izzy bit her lip as she sat back down across from me, her face bright and eyes alive with happiness. The boys soon departed and Izzy giggled lightly.

"Sorry about that, Ev," she commented. I raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" I asked. Izzy cleared her throat.

"Well," she started. "Patrick and I came to terms and..." I nodded and she flashed another smile.

"What?" I asked.

"We're dating," she paused and blushed madly. "For real this time,"

I half listened to her ramble on about how happy she was, my mind else were as I thought back to Pete's emotions towards the situation. Maybe he did care about it, but then again, he couldn't go all out and make a scene, scaring and risking things with Andy.

In my gut I knew it was up to me and my heart raced knowing karma always liked to fuck with me. I gulped and felt my throat tighten in fear.

As my eyes started to water my phone rang and Izzy stopped her sentence mid way, eyeing my phone as it vibrated against the table.

"You..." she paused, pointing at it. "Gonna get that?" she asked. I flinched and shook my head, breaking all thoughts.

I reached for my phone, finding my dad's number flashing through the cover.

"Hello?" I called.

"Ev?" they asked.

"Yea?" I questioned.

There was a throat cleared over the line.

"Sweetie, there is someone here that would like to talk to you," I blinked and coughed once.

"Who?" I asked.

The phone shifted once and there was a bright voice that filled my ears, the person obviously smiling.

"Evie?" The un-named male called.

I raised an eyebrow and Izzy leaned forward, curious. I held up my hand and listened carefully.

"Yes?" I asked. He cleared his throat.

"This is Ryan," I felt even more confused.

"Ryan who?" I asked.

"Ryan Wenz," he completed.

I felt my heart nearly stop.

Cardiac arrest, maybe?

"Your /brother/,"

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*heh.