FicWad

I had been in Williamette for 18 days now and the closest I'd gotten to home was Pete's house. Joddee was probably dying she wanted to see me. I hadn't seen my parents or my dog either so at 11 that morning today I got up, got dresed and drove to my old house.

When I got there Pete was already sitting at the kitchen table eating a piece of buttered toast.

I stood in the doorway for a minute. At the time no one noticed me and Jodee was asking Pete questions about me.

"Pete, was Kendra as beautiful as you said she was 4 years ago?" she askded him staring at him over the strategically placed bouqet of flowers in the middle of the table.

Pete stared at his plate poking around a slice of toast still on his plate.

"Even more than I remember." He murmured. My heart skipped a beat.

"Does she acknolodge you?" Jodee asked.

Pete nodded slightly, "Yeah but things are awkward between us." He mumbled "I have a feeling nothing will be the same ever again."

Jodee nodded and they fell into the silence. I reached for the doorknob thinking they were done but then Jodee looked back up at Pete and murmured,

"Do you still love her?"

Pete paused and then he looked up at Jodee, a grim smile on his lips.

"With all of my heart. I couldn't stop if I tried."

Tears threatened to pour from my eyelids but I wiped them away and pushed open the door.

"Hey JoJo. What's up?" I exclaimed and Jodee let out a little squeal of excitement.

"Dra! You're back!" She squealed. She pulled me into a hug and didn't let me go.

I saw the color drain from Pete's face as my eyes locked onto his. He knew I had just heard him confess his love for me. I smiled at him in a silent plead of telling him it's alright.

"What's up Pete?" I asked. "You gonna eat that toast."

He shook his head and passed it to me. "Nothing's up really. You?"

I shrugged. "Not life changing stuff. Where's Ashlee?" I asked he shrugged.

"Here and there. I think she's talking to her manager trying to get a tour going." He said. By the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice something told me he wasn't invited to his own girlfriend's tour. Now wiether he was happy or sad, that was a different story. Was that relief?

Jodee watche me eat the remainder of Pete's breakfast. "How's Frank?"

"Distant."

"Gerard?"

"Alright."

"Mikey?"

"I need my straightener back."

"Ray?"

"As afroed as ever."

"Matt?"

"Out. We've got a new drummer. His name's Bob Bryar."

Jodee nodded. Then she asked me about the three years I had been gone and Pete just became the small, emo kid in the background.

We stopped talking finally about an hour or two later and then Jodee offered to take us downtown.

Pete and I sat in the backseat on the window seats of both sides.

I watched the clouds and Pete watched me. I could feel his eyes drilling into my back as I daydreamed.

As we walked downtown Jodee walked ahead and Pete and I would walk behind. Every now and then I'd feel the brush of Pete's hand deliberately (but trying not to make it look like to deliberate actions) so that I'd have to look up at him and smile.

"Where's your necklace?" he asked.

I reaised my hand to my collarbone and pulled the necklace from below my shirt "Around my neck where it's been for 4 years." I murmured.

He smiled graciously at me. It looked like the first genuine smile he'd smiled since I got here.

We hung out downtown for a little while until the sun went down and it got majorly dark and then Jodee drove me to the hotel room that was empty. Frank's bags were the only things taht were ther. I then realized Frank and I had hit rock bottom. We were finished.

I threw myself onto the bed. I was confused. Coming to a conclution hat Frank was no longer mine I expected I'd feel sad but I actually felt relieved. Let the man cheat. I wouldn't do any harm.

I fell asleep at around 1:30 in the morning and woke up at three to the sound someone knocking at my door.

Yawning I got up and opened the door to only be attacked by hands and lips.

"Pete? What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Loving you." Was all he replied and before I knew it we collapsed tired and sweaty and soon fell asleep.

*

I woke up to Frank.

"Jesus! Frank! Shit. Pete. Uh-Fuck." I tryed to gather myself. "Hey-Hey Frank. Hows it going?"

Surprisingly Frank smiled at me. "Pretty well. How are you?"

I sat up slowly. I was in clothes? I didn't clothe myself last night after-after-/it/-with Pete did I?

Pete.

I looked over at where Pete should be. He wasn't there and when I ran my hand on the pillow he had slept on it was cold. He had left a long time ago.

With tears rimming on my eyelids I turned to look at Frank. He frowned concernedly.

"Dra, you ok?" He asked.

I nodded and smile weakly at Frank.

"Frank. We need to talk."

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Whoah space out moment. I barely realized where I was when I typed this...