XO (FOB FanFic ft. Brendon Urie)

[Chapter 4] Shit Happens

"Wait...let me get this straight," Claire said, her intoxication becoming more and more evident with each sip of the wine she took, "You're in a band called Fall Out Boy." I nodded my head. "You guys made four albums before calling it quits in '09."

"We didn't call it quits. We just...took a hiatus. Not even. I don't know what it would even be called. Because the guys and I still hung out," I replied to her whilst twiddling my thumbs in my lap.

"Okay, so you took a 'hiatus' in 2009." She did air quotes, "And recently you guys were talking and you started writing music again?"

I shook my head yes. "The night of the concert, last night, we were going to announce it. Officially, that is. But then the whole thing happened and here I am. With you. And my friends...god knows where they are and..." I covered my face with my hands and exhaled loudly, "I need to remember what happened so I can find them! And the only damn help I have is you!" I motioned to her, "And you don't remember jack shit because you're always drinking!"

She scoffed, "Excuse me, I don't always drink." She looked down at her glass almost empty and said, "I was actually three years sober before about a year ago." She sighed, "But then...you know...shit happens." She put the glass to her lips and downed the little bit of wine she had left. Her face scrunched up before she stood up and stumbled into her kitchen, where she poured herself, if I kept count correctly, her fourth glass.

I looked back at her and said, "What do you mean 'shit happens'?"

She laughed, "What do you mean what do I mean 'shit happens'?" She didn't even bother to pick up her glass when she took a sip from the wine bottle, "Shit happens means shit happens, Patrick."

So she can remember my name when she's drunk but when she's sober she calls me Pete?

"I don't believe you," I stood up and walked over to her, taking the bottle from her hand and setting it down on the counter, "I think there's more to it, Claire."

She looked up at me with her sad greenish brown eyes, her lips curled downward.

"I know it helps me when I talk to someone about something that's on my mind, so..." I sighed and leaned against the counter, using my elbow as support, "...why don't you talk to me? Tell me what happened?"

She blushed slightly and shook her head, "You wouldn't want to hear it, Patrick."

"Sure I would."

Claire's eyes briefly shifted over to me and then back down at her feet, "No. You really wouldn't. I know guys, they never want to hear anything except that you'll get into bed with them."

"Like I said before, I'm not one of those guys. So..." I crossed my arms and smirked, "What happened?"

She looked up at me and inquired, "You really want to know, don't you?" I nodded my head. She mirrored me and said, "Fine. The reason I'm always drinking, according to you, is because my life's a fucking mess. Okay? The guy I've been with for more than seven years has been cheating on me ever since I can remember." She picked up the bottle of wine, walking into the living room. "I fucking did everything for this guy. I left my friends and family to be with him, for crying out loud." She spun around so she was facing me once again and that's when I saw tears starting to form in her eyes. "And this is how he repays me? By cheating on me?" That's when the wine bottle in her hands shattered and fell to the floor, the wine seeping into the carpet and the pieces of glass sitting on top of it. My eyes widened. She took a step forward, right over the spill, and continued angrily, "You know," She reached her hand into her shirt and pulled out a necklace, and on the necklace hung a ring. A wedding ring. "This was his promise to me. His fucking promise. And you know what he did to that promise?"