FicWad

-----/Pete/-----

Patrick stared at me like I had suddenly become his worst enemy. My mind had then stalled; my hand unable to move the pen across the paper in front of me.

"It'd be nice if you would stop staring at me like that," I mumbled, looking away. Patrick shook his head slowly.

"Pete, I'm just so freaking ashamed of you," I lowered my eyes.

"I know," Joe walked in and huffed as he saw me. "What?" I asked. Joe narrowed his eyes.

"Evie told me you were at her house yesterday," I gulped as Andy eyed my above his comic book. I nodded.

"Yeah, I was there, for like fifteen minutes," I mumbled. Joe glared.

"Were you begging for forgiveness after she told you about Serafina?" I knitted my eyebrows together.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Joe was about to scold me, but paused as Adine walked in, her thighs way too visible in a short denim skirt and a fitted black top that showed a bit of cleavage, well, the cleavage that she did have. Joe forced a smile and yet Patrick frowned, looking back down at his laptop, typing slowly. Adine smiled as if she had noticed the tension in the room and walked behind me, leaning over my shoulder to give me a hug. I sighed and forced my own smile, letting her kiss me lightly.

"Baby, what's the matter?" she asked, resting her hands on my shoulders and peering at Joe as the scowl returned to his face.

"I was just about to tell him news about Heather's kid," I flinched slightly. Adine tilted her head to one side.

"That one girl, err," she paused. "Her name starts with an E or something,"

"Evie," I whispered. Adine smiled.

"Yeah," she cooed.

Joe took a seat next to Patrick and cleared his throat, keeping his words away from me. Adine distracted me from their conversation with her feeble words that lingered in my ear. Some days I swear all she wanted was sex and a picture on the cover of US weekly. Patrick's eyes glazed over and I tuned out what Adine was saying to summon Joe.

"What's going on?" I asked. Patrick shook his head, disgusted almost at me while Andy consoled him. Joe turned to me and knitted his eyebrows together.

"Maybe if you would have given up a little ounce of blood," I widened my eyes. "Serafina would still be alive," I felt my heart start to beat kick at my ribs. I gulped and Adine stared, confused.

"What?" I croaked. Joe's expression softened. I knew that deep down in that tough kid was his soft spot for when he knew he had been too harsh.

"Pete," he started. "Serafina passed early yesterday morning, that's why you didn't see me around," I lowered my eyes.

"Why didn't Evie tell me?" Adine but in.

"Maybe it's an invasion of her privacy," I felt my eye twitch.

"You don't understand, Adine," I paused. "She's one of my best friends," my voice gave out and Adine seemed to grow a disgusted look as well.

"Yeah," she paused. "Right," She sat down in the chair next to me and latched her hand in mine. Joe sighed.

"She's in so much denial right now," I nodded and stood up. Adine stared up at me.

"Where are you going, Petey?" she asked. I winced.

"I have to go," I mumbled. Patrick stopped me on the way out.

"Do us all a favor," he said, glancing over at Adine as she filed her nails. "And put Evie back where she belongs," he gave me a strong look. "Replacing Adine,"

----------

Suburbia had its memories.

Good, bad and the down right dirty. I tried to remember the route Joe had taken down the many streets in Glenview. I counted in my head and watched as the sun started to set in the distance again. Turning down, I looked out for Evie's black Cadillac and smiled to myself, remembering all the times she told me she was a classic girl. I parked near the curb and after getting out, looked at her simple two story house. It looked quiet. My feet seemed to take me up to her front door, noting the fact it was unlocked as I tried it.

Knowing Evie best, I figured if she saw me, she'd slam the door in my face.

All of downstairs was dark, the only light coming from the glowing green numbers above the stove. I slowly treaded up the stairs and found one that squeaked. I hissed slightly and looked around, only seeing a small light coming from what I remember as being Serafina's room. Peeking my head around the corner, I felt my breath hitch as I saw Evie just standing there, dressed in a night gown that went to her knees and had a ribbon that tied right below her breasts. I gulped and her hands tightened around the wood frame of the crib. A muffled cry racked through her body and she shook slightly, leaned her upper half over the crib and sighing loudly. I couldn't help but step into the dimly lit room and slowly find my way behind her.

"Pete," she sniffed. I closed my eyes and slid my arms around her, turning her around and bringing her body close to mine. Her arms curled up and her hands balled up at my chest as her head rested right below them.

"Please Ev," I pulled her tighter to me as her legs started to give out and she started sliding down. "Come on," I pleaded with her.

When Evie cried it was like my life was being taken away from me. She shook slightly and I felt my own legs give out and we fell softly to the ground, her body recoiling into mine, her arms sliding up and wrapping around my neck and bringing me closer. As of right now, we were as close as we had ever been, and that's saying something. My heart was racing and her eyes just wouldn't stop spilling tears, no matter how silent they had become.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into my shoulder. I picked her up and held her away from my face. I stared at her broken expression. She didn't even know if it was the right thing to say.

"I don't think you should be saying that, Ev," I whispered. "I'm the one who could have helped our baby," Evie closed her eyes as I said this and raised her hand, wiping her nose with the top of her wrist.

"Please Pete," she mumbled. "I'm just done," her legs moved and she pulled at her nightgown as it rose up. "I'm done with trying to find excuses for things that go wrong," she shook her head and moved my bangs out of my eyes; something she always did. "She's gone, and there is nothing that you or I can do to bring her back," I gulped and just stared at her disappointed pout.

"It's the guilt," Evie shook her head.

"Stop," she demanded with a soft voice. "Just stop," I nodded and she glanced around.

"I think you should come home with me," I whispered, rubbing my palm against her shoulder and down her bicep until our hands laced together. She shivered but looked away.

"What about Adine?" she asked, staring right at the silver band even I had grown to hate in a small way.

"She'll just have to learn to accept you," Evie smiled to the best of her abilities.

"We can be best friends," her eyes glazed over again and she sniffed, rubbing her hand against her eyes, smothered in smeared eye-makeup. "Or something like that," I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Are you saying you'll come back?" Evie nodded her head softly into my shoulder and wrapped her wonderful and loving arms around my shoulders, her fingers locking at the base of my neck.

"I would rather take my friends back than crying for the rest of my life," I glanced over at every little thing Serafina had left behind in her short lived life.

"I want my best friend back," I whispered. Evie smiled, and I tried to ignore the fact it didn't reach her eyes. "My life and heart too," she looked away.

"It's all a game of 'this or that'," she paused and let our eyes lock in a questionable glance. "I just want to be apart of this,"