FicWad

Patrick, Joe, and Andy watched as Pete paced the studio in Patrick’s basement as the sound played back of Joe’s guitar part for a song they had been working on all morning and afternoon. “I think it’s fine now dude,” Andy said with a small smile. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s finally good,” Pete answered sharply.

“Pete, what’s wrong bro?” Patrick asked. “You’re bugged about something.”

Pete scoffed.

“You’re pacing,” Patrick pointed out, making Pete stop. “What’s wrong Pete? You know you can talk to us.

Pete sighed and sat down, leaning his head back and looked at the ceiling. “Dad opened his fucking mouth about Casey, to Casey, and I haven’t heard from her since.”

The other three immediately felt bad for Pete since they knew how harsh his Dad could be. Forget his words, and just focus on how intimidating he could be when he wanted to, without speaking. They all had noticed the lack of Casey for the past two weeks, but had thought it was extra hours at her job, or maybe Joe’s words from two weeks ago that made pete just keep her at a safe distance.

“What did he say to her Pete?” Patrick asked, almost too afraid to do so.

“In the nicer way of what he really said, ‘Make sure you stock up on condoms, if he can even find your fucking cunt, because the last thing our son needs is some fat whore getting knocked up.’ And that is the nice version.”

“That’s the nice one?” Joe asked, feeling sorry for his friend.

Pete nodded with a sigh. “And I can’t even get a hold of her, only her voice mail. She’s never home when I try to go over there, I don’t know what to think.”

“She doesn’t seem like the type to let her silence be the sign of a break up, Pete,” Andy said. “Maybe something came up?”

“For two weeks?”

“Did you try going to her job?” Patrick asked.

“I don’t want to take any kind of drama to her work dude,” Pete said, even though he hadn’t even thought of it.

“Call and see if she’s there,” Andy suggested. “If she isn’t, then go to her apartment.”

“I can’t call, I don’t even know the number.”

“You don’t know the number to your girlfriend’s work?” Joe asked, and then flinched under Pete’s glare. “Sorry.”

“I don’t call her at work because I can see her when she’s not in there. We can talk then,” Pete said as he returned his stare to the ceiling.

Patrick cleared his throat as he reached into his back pocket, retrieving his wallet. As Pete looked at Patrick, his friend tossed a business care into his lap. “The card for her job. Now call.”

Patrick and Andy watched as Pete took out his Sidekick and dialed the number on the card. “Your card collecting habit actually paid off,” Joe mused. “I’ll be damned.”

“Hi, is Casey working today?” Pete asked when the book store answered.

“You don’t think she’s-” Andy was cut off when speaking to Joe.

“She’s out of town?”

“You don’t think she’s leaving him, do you?”

Joe shrugged.

“When is she due back?”

Patrick furrowed his brows as he looked between Andy and Joe, who both gave twin shrugs.

“Alright, thank you ma’am,” Pete said before hanging up. He sighed and shook his head. “She’s not at work and she’s not in town either. State for that matter.”

“Not even in state?” Patrick asked, wondering why she went out of state, and what state she could have gone to.

“She left almost two weeks agao and she’s due in sometime tonight though,” Pete said as he ran a hand through his hair. “They didn’t say were though, or why...”

“Damn,” Andy muttered. “So... What now then?”

“Now, I get in my car and go drive to clear my head.”

The other three frowned as Pete left the room with a sigh. Andy shook his head. “From what I can tell, she seriously doesn’t seem like the type to break up with silence.”

“No, she doesn’t seem that way, does she?” Patrick asked, frowning as he adjusted his hat. “There has to be a reason behind her /disappearance/.”

- - - - -

Casey kept her gaze down as she walked from her car to her apartment, wheeling her luggage behind her. When she got to her apartment, she pulled her keys from her pocket and used them to get into the apartment. As she shut the door, she shot a curious glance at her phone that began ringing. “Either someone has good timing, or someone is psychic...” She muttered before grabbing the phone. “Hello?”

“Oh good, I thought I heard you coming in.”

Casey smiled slightly. “Hello Mr. Adams,” she said. “Yes, you heard me coming in... Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes dear, your kitten is just fine,” the elderly man answered. “Would you like me to bring him down to you? Or do you want to come up and get him yourself?”

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, can you bring him down in ten minutes? I’d like to unpack without him dancing between my legs,” she said with a soft giggle as the old man chuckled.

“It’ll be no problem dear. Did you have a safe trip?”

“Yes sir, I did. No problems or complications what-so-ever. And my grandmother sends her hello.”

“I’ll be sure to send her a get well card as soon as I get to the store,” he chuckled.

“Thank you Mr. Adams, I’m sure she’ll appreciate the act of kindness.”

“Alright dear, I’ll let you go now so you can get unpacked. I’ll see you in ten minutes. Good night.”

“Goodnight sir,” she said before hanging up the phone. She looked to the right of the phone as she set it on its cradle and sighed in relief when she saw her cell phone on the table. “I thought I lost it at the airport,” she said with a sigh of relief as she picked up the cell phone, at the same time her land line started ringing again. She picked it up. “Is there something else Mr. Adams?”

“Casey?”

“Pete?”

“Hey, are you okay?”

She frowned at the worry in his face. “Yeah Pete, I’m fine. Look, I would have called you before now but I left my cell phone at home,” she said as she brushed some hair behind her ears. “I’m so, so sorry Pete.”

“Where have you been for two weeks? I was worried sick about you.”

“I had to leave last minute, to Florida...” She said as she sat on her small couch. “I’m really sorry Pete, I didn’t have time to call you and when I was leaving for the airport I left my damn cell phone on the table.”

“Oh,” he said. “Um, Casey? Can I come see you...?”

Casey bit her lip slightly as she looked at her feet, frowning a little. “Give me ten minutes before you start heading over, okay?”

“Okay hon,” he said softly. “I’ll see you then.”

She frowned as she hung up and waited a minute before she turned on the phone and dialed her grandmother’s phone number. After a few rings, the woman finally picked up and Case smiled slightly. “Hey grammy, how are you?”

“I’m doing fine hon, just exhausted,” she answered. “Did you make it back yet? Or are you still on the plane?”

“No grammy, I’m home,” she said as she leaned back into the cushions. “I wanted to call and check on you before you head off to bed.”

“I’m doing fine Casey, now you hang up and go to bed. Don’t forget to feed Jasper when Stephen brings him home, you hear me?”

Casey couldn’t help but smile at her Grandmother. “Alright Grammy, I’ll feed him. Night, love you.”

“Love you too Casey.”

Casey yawned as she hung up the phone and got up, putting the phone on its charger, doing the same for her cell phone. She was about to grab her bag to unpack when someone knocked on her door. “Probably Mr. Adams,” she thought as she walked to the door and opened it, smiling at the old man and her mewing kitten. “Hey Mr. Adams,” she said before taking her kitten, who quickly curled under her chin in her arms. “Hey Jasper,” she smiled as she looked at the old man. “Thank you Mr. Adams, for watching Jasper for me.”

“Anything for you Casey, no problem. I need to run, my shows are about to come on.”

Casey smiled as the old man dashed as fast as he could to the stairs to go back to his apartment. She shut the door and set Jasper on the floor, much to his meowing dismay. “Sorry little guy, but Mommy’s gotta unpack.”