The Flier (Patrick Stump)

13 - Silent

/Chapter 13\

ZENNA'S POV

Silence filled the air of Joe's truck as we drove away from his house. Patrick and I sat in the backseat, now with Joe in the driver's seat and Andy in the passenger seat. There were so many things to talk about, yet no one said a word. One thing was clear between all of us who were conscious, though: tonight did not go how we wanted. I stared out of my window, stealing small glances at Patrick's reflection every now and then. His head leaned against his window, which caused his hair to slide up in a way that the conscious him would have fixed already. The little black fedora was tilted unevenly, and his mouth hung open a little. It was really cute, to be honest. A little grin crossed my face at the sight.

"Turn the radio up, man. I don't want to sit in silence," Joe finally said to Andy. Andy complied with his demand and turned up the volume of the radio. I immediately recognized the song: Blank Space by Taylor Swift. "You know what, turn it back down. I don't want to hear that right now."

"So picky about your music," Andy quietly commented as he turned the radio back down. "Where are your CDs at?"

"The compartment in the console," Joe answered. Nodding, Andy popped open the rectangle and pulled out a couple of CDs. A smirk suddenly crossed his face.

"'For Joe, the Bestest Buddy in the World'?" he teased, waving a CD at Joe.

"Genevieve gave it to me in middle school and it has some decent songs on it. I'm not ashamed of that," Joe explained.

"Fair enough," Andy replied as he placed the other CDs in the compartment and shut the console. "What songs are on it anyway?"

"Um... The Middle, Inside Out, I Miss You... Songs like those."

"Sounds good," Andy remarked. He popped open the case, plucked out the CD, and slid it into the CD slot. The first track started to play after a minute, and it started with a guitar playing. Familiar notes floated out of the sound system. "Damn it, dude! I didn't want to be in a nostalgic mood tonight." I knew the song, I just couldn't think of the name... Then, the singer began to sing.

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test and don't ask why

It's not a question but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right

I hope you had the time of your life."

"Of course she put this on here," Joe mumbled. His grip on the steering wheel tightened a little. "She loved this song in middle school."

"I can't do this. I'm sorry Joe, but no," Andy sighed, reaching towards the fast forward button. Joe just nodded. The song ended, skipping to the next one. This one included a recognizable guitar chorus in the beginning before the singer sang.

"Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?

I didn't mean to call you that

I can't remember what was said or what you threw at me

Please tell me, please tell me why..."

"'My Own Worst Enemy', holy shit! Genevieve had good music taste in middle school," Andy exclaimed. A small blush spread across Joe's face, although it wasn't that small because it was noticeable in the darkness.

"Yeah, it's a pretty great music taste," he answered, a tiny smile on his face.

"Hey, how are Quinn and Lizzie going to get home?" I spoke up. I mean, they did ride with us to Joe's. It wasn't like they had a car to drive themselves home in.