The Last Of The Real Ones // Patrick Stump

20. If I Can Live Through This

My eyes widened as I looked at Patrick. "What? What did he say?"

He swallowed. "J-just That he had nobody...nobody was there for him anymore.." he gripped the steering wheel tightly, but let out a soft whimper, pulling his hands away from it.

Blood was dripping down them from when he had fallen on the concrete, so he just wiped it on his black jeans, taking hold of the steering wheel again afterwords.

"Do they hurt?" I asked gently.

He nodded. "A-a little...I just...wanna get to Pete.." tears began welling up in his ears again. "What if I-I really lose him this time? What if he's gone already?"

"Shh...Patrick, Everything will be alright...I promise, he'll be fine..." I cooed. "Besides, he has his wife, and his kids, and the band...would he really leave that all behind?"

He swallowed, reaching up a hand and rubbing his eye. "You're right..." he mumbled. "He wouldn't do that, would he?"

I honestly didn't know the answer. I wanted to comfort him to the best of my ability, but I also didn't wanna give him false hope. I bit my lip, shaking my head a little.

I didn't know Pete that well. For all I knew, he could already be gone. I didn't know if he'd really stay, even for the band, If he really thought that nobody was there for him.

I felt awful that I had been like that to him earlier today. Why couldn't I just let them make up on their own? My dumb ass always trying to fix things. When would I learn that I only make things worse?

After Patrick drove through the city much faster then he should've been, we made it to what I assumed was Pete's house, where Patrick quickly got out of the car.

I got out as well, following him as he ran up the stairs to the door, which he pounded on loudly with his fist.

"Pete!" He Shouted. "Pete, open the door, please!"

To my surprise, the door actually opened, and Pete stood there, looking at Patrick with a sad expression on his face.

He suddenly broke into tears, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry.." he sobbed. "I'm so sorry guys..."

Patrick reached out, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Pete, who buried his face in the crook of his friend's neck as he sobbed loudly.

I stepped back a little, deciding that I should give them their moment instead of intrude, considering that my intruding is what got us into this mess in the first place.

I watched as the two just hugged, in almost complete silence apart from Pete's now soft, quiet sobs.

Finally, after composing himself a bit, Pete looked over at me, looking really guilty.

"Em...I'm sorry.." he whispered. "Come here.."

I swallowed a little, walking over. He brought me into his embrace, and the three of us just hugged in silence.

This was finally it. The moment I had been reaching for, and always missing. The moment where everything was okay, between everyone.

No more fighting. Just silent apologies.

Patrick pulled away a little, biting his lip.

"Pete, I have something to tell you." He Said.

Pete rubbed his eyes. "Yeah? What Is it?"

Patrick looked over at me, a small smile growing on his face. "Well," he started. "Emma and I.."

He was silent for a moment, and Pete's eyes lit up. "You guys are a thing now?"

I looked down, smiling. "Yeah."

"Oh my gosh!" He exclaimed. "We should celebrate! I have some ice cream, does that sound good?"

Patrick and I looked at each other, laughing a little.

"Ice cream sounds great." Patrick Said, looking back over at Pete.

"Awesome!" Pete Said. "Come on in."

He went into the house, and Patrick and I exchanged glances again before following him.

Pete has already made his way into the kitchen, and was digging through the freezer, making a ton of noise as he did so.

We went into the kitchen as well, Patrick leaning himself on the counter a little.

"I think I have cookies and cream.." Pete mumbled. "Ah! And cookie dough!"

The look of concern still on Patrick's face told me that he still wasn't quite sure if Pete was okay.

Of course, I totally understood why he'd doubt it. Just minutes before, Pete had been on the phone, talking about no one being there for him, and now he was digging through the freezer for fucking cookies and cream.

"Pete?" Patrick Asked quietly, causing Pete to pull himself out of the freezer.

"Yeah?" He asked, wiping some of the excess ice crystals off of his hands.

"Are you okay?" Patrick Asked, his voice laced with concern. "I mean...with the way you were talking.."

"Oh, yeah.." Pete blushed a little, scratching his neck. "Actually, about that...I was just trying to get you here."

"What?" Patrick Asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Well, I mean, like, last time I said stuff like that you rushed over.." he mumbled, the blush on his cheeks growing darker. "I just wanted to apologize to you in person."

Patrick looked genuinely upset. "Then why didn't you just say that?" He asked. "You made me think you were committing suicide or something."

Pete's face fell. "Oh...you thought.." he muttered. "Sorry.."

There was silence in the room as Patrick and Pete looked at their feet, and I bit my lip. I didn't want things to be awkward again, so I decided to break the silence, and hopefully lighten the mood.

"Hey, don't want the ice cream to melt, do we?" I Asked, and they both looked up.

"Oh, yeah," Pete Said. "Almost forgot about that."

"Shame on you, Pete," Patrick shook his head jokingly. "How could you forget about cookie dough ice cream?"

Pete laughed a little, scratching his neck as he opened one of the overhead cupboards, pulling out three small bowls.

He put them on the counter, then turned and grabbed an ice cream scoop from one of the drawers.

"There we go." He said, opening the ice cream containers. "What kind do you guys want?"

Patrick and I looked at each other excitedly, then both exclaimed, "Cookie Dough!"