[Averill Phoenix]

I grew up in the red light district of Las Vegas. My mom was a stripper by day and a prostitute by night. I'd see the way they'd look at her when we walked down the street, all of them knew where she had come, from where she was going. I'd see the looks from the would put me to bed hoping I wouldn't hear her leave but I always heard everything. She'd come back with an older guy. She'd get beaten some nights. I'd here that too, I had to grow up with that but it was the only way mom could put me through school. Then I hit high school and everything changed. I kept far away from kids so I didn't have to answer questions about my family. I kept quite for years but when I was 15 I met Brendon Urie and things got better, we started to hang out and we were both pretty well liked. We'd hang at his place usually and he'd never ask about my family. And I never ever told him about my mom but this one time was different.

It was my 18th birthday and we were at Port Of Subs celebrating after school. We had contemplated on skipping but Brendon was a good kid and wanted to save face and become some successful land surveyor or something. I wanted to be a pharmacist.

"So how's your mom doing?" he asked I didn't answer just sat in silence eating my sub and taking occasional sips from my Sprite.

"Come on Averill I know the reason why you don't talk about her" he said trying to catch my gaze. I looked up from my Vegetarian Sub. I could hear some kids who were die hard Metallica Fans who were situated around the booth behind Brendon they were listening to the Garage Inc. Album and I knew one of the songs cause it matched my moms persona 'Turn The Page' was one song that haunted me. One kid at school showed it to me to be cruel. Another told me to listen to 'Lover Man' and I soon owned the album not only in a real, physical kind of way where I could actually play the CD cause I physically owned it but... emotionally, the Album was mine it was my life page by page song by song like a fucking playlist that killed me inside. But this, this was far worse my best and only friend had worked out that I was the daughter of a pole dancing whore no doubt a man from his family saw her, saw the vague resemblance in her alcohol warn out makeup covered sweat drenched face. I stared at Brendon with horror. how could he possibly know that my mom was a hooker?

"Really you do?" I gulped in fear

"Yes I do, you shouldn't be ashamed of it" he said nodding to me. I looked at him confused I shouldn't be ashamed that my mom sleeps with horny little men in their cars for a living? Brendon what planet are you on?

"I shouldn't?"

"Yeah you two are trying so very hard to get by...is there anything I can do" he asked as he took a sip from his coke can. My stomach plummeted oh god he really did know about my mom, but how?

"Yes, there is something you can do for us B, and that's not telling a soul...ever!" I exclaimed in a half whisper so that Brendon clearly got my urgency and panic through my voice.

"Ok but I think you shouldn't be ashamed that your mom's single and you're both working to put you through school and put food on the table" he said taking another swig from the coke can. And with those words suddenly I felt the colour come back into my face. So he didn't know about mom then. I suddenly feel relief wash over me. My best friend was protected from my terrible family secrets and I felt better knowing this.

"Brendon?"

"Yeah Avie?"

"You're my hero" I smiled at him he put down his coke and smiled back

"I try" was all that escaped his lips. And suddenly I saw something in him, his smile was incredibly appealing to me, dare I say it but his smile looked attractive. I'd never seen this in anyone I knew before. I liked seeing him smile but now I wanted to see it more then ever. And I had no idea why.

"What time is it?" he asked I looked into my old Nokia 3315 for the time.

"It's about six fifteen, why?" I asked him, I didn't really think I'd find out why he asked me for the time in fact I don't think I even wanted to know why but I asked anyway, it was a subconscious thing I did every time some one would ask me a question. Brendon was no exception and my mother certainly wasn't for instance when ever Mom would asked if Brendon and I were dating I'd say "no Mom were just friends, why?" so you can see were I'm coming from. It was like a bad habit that went undetected with most people. I was the only one who would notice it and I thought it was a bad habit to get into because I was probably going to find out every detail I didn't want to or it would most likely get me into trouble. So you could say me and my big mouth really were a bad thing.

Brendon had finished the last of his sub and I looked deep into mine since the kids had now moved on to another Metallica classic 'so what' which made me lose my apatite, for some strange reason a lyric like " I've jacked up until I bleed" wasn't pleasing when you ate any type of food at any time of the day. I grabbed our rubbish and threw it in the trash can and once that was done Brendon grabbed my hand and led me outside to his car. As we walked through the restaurant past the Metallica Fans they all stared at us particularly me for an indefinite reason. One corpulent girl in a 'Master of Puppets tour' t-shirt looked me up and down in disgust and then spotted Brendon holding my hand and then she made a retching like face and the others laughed as they watched us walk out. The others being mostly boys wolf whistled and made animal sounds and others grunted, moaned and sighed as we left and that was when I knew what they meant they were mocking me because they knew. We got in the car, pulled away from Port of Subs, got to my place and pulled up the drive way. I saw my mother wasn't home and burst into tears. Brendon shut off the engine and turned to me in his seat.

"Averill what's wrong?" he asked I just kept crying. "Averill what's wrong? Don't cry it's wrong for you to cry on your birthday you know" he said putting his arms around me.

"Why? I...d...do...it...a...all...the time" I struggled through my tears. He held me tighter.

"Why do cry on your birthday all the time?" he asked perplexed this was new information for him obviously, new territory we'd never explored before and I think that's what he was going to find very, very difficult.

"My...mom" I staggered he uncurled from me and looked at me as I whipped away tears with my hoodies sleeve and choked back my tears.

"I know it's not my place but why?" he asked looking into my eyes. The deep chocolate of his iris made me calm, and his presence made me feel safe. The look in his eyes told me he would never let anything or anyone hurt me. I could trust him with my life. So I could trust him with this.

"My mothers never home for my birthday Brendon, because she works"

"I know she works really, really hard and I..."

"She's a prostitute Brendon!" I screamed in frustration before he could say any more. He then fell silent. And I still sobbed. He finally knew the truth about my mother she was a 'Valued employee' or better known as a hooker.

"She's a pole dancer in the day and a prostitute at night, that's why she's never home" I cried Brendon took me in his arms again.

"It's ok, a lot of women in Vegas are hookers and erotic dancers, why would you keep it from me though, I'm your best friend and you can trust me" he said looking a little offended

"I do trust you! Why do you think I just told you, it's just I thought that if I did tell you, you wouldn't want to stay friends with me any more" I sobbed.

"Really, you didn't want to lose me?" he asked I nodded.

"You know what? This calls for Ice cream" he smiled and so we raced each other inside to get Ice cream and all was forgotten.

As we both tucked into the large container of Ice cream whilst watching one of my favourite movies of all time 'Edward Scissor Hands' I looked over at Brendon who was totally engrossed in the film. He was every time we watched it. And we usually did on my birthday it was some kind of tradition of ours and I enjoyed it a lot. Eating Ice cream with pieces of Mars bar and Snickers squashed into it and drenched in chocolate and maple syrup. My best friend by my side with my favourite movie on the T.V and my favourite desert on the table how much more could I ask for? Nothing because this was perfect.

"Eddy don't do it...don't she's a slut...she's and old chick and she's a slut!" Brendon said looking into the T.V as we watched I laughed and looked over at him.

"You know no matter how much you tell him no, he's going to do it anyway, it's a movie Bren he can't hear you" I laughed. He turned to me.

"What? What are you laughing at it's not funny she's a sleazy old cougar after little Eddy" he said looking genuinely concerned.

"Eddy?" I asked

"Yeah it's short for Edward duh"

"Did you just Duh me?" I asked throwing my spoon back into my ice cream and slamming it down on the coffee table in mock offence.

"Yeah I did" he smirked cheekily

"Oh no you didn't" I said in my best gangster tone he laughed

"You sound incredibly white and yes, yes I did" he said confidently putting down his Ice cream and then I pounced on him tickling him and laughing devilishly as I straddled him and tickled his ribs.

"Averill! Averill stop it I can't...I can't...I'm having... difficulty...b...b breathing" he said through his own laughter.

"Well you did duh me so I'm getting you back now so deal with it honey" I said with an evil grin before stopping and getting off of him. "Say do your parents know your staying here?" I asked sitting back on the couch "Because of it being my birthday and all I'm having a sleep over with all my closets friends" I said sarcastically

"Friend!" he stated factually "It's not plural, it's only me here" He laughed

"And me" I said pouting a little in my argument he laughed again.

"don't worry I told them we were keeping up with tradition this year and my brother said to ask you to be gentle with me it's my first time" he said with quite a naive but serious look on his face despite what I knew what he really meant.

"So when's your Mom coming home?" he asked eating his ice-cream again, I shook my head.

"To be honest I don't know and I care" I said with a sarcastic laugh and smile. He looked concerned at me.

"I worry about you Averill, I really do" he said sitting up and joining me on the couch. He placed a gentle hand on my knee

"You're not alone Averill" he said coming closer to me "I'm here for you, you're mother loves you, she wouldn't have given you breath if she didn't, she keeps this roof over your head, she feeds you, nurtures you and helps you grow" he said giving me a smile however I didn't smile back.

"My mother was about 18 or 19 when I was brought into the world Brendon, she's really about 35 or 36 now" I explained he looked at me with that concerned look again in his eyes. "She brought me here from Chicago; I was born in the corner of an alleyway in Chicago. I lived in a hotel for the first seven years of my life, I taught myself how to read and write at six years old the only thing I knew how to spell was my own name, at fourteen and a half I started to go to school at Palo Verde high school I would be fifteen in two weeks after starting at that school"

"Where you met me" he said almost in a soft nostalgic tone

I nodded and kept my serious gaze on him "then I turned fifteen and on my fifteenth birthday I started a job at Smoothie Hut."

"And we became close friends from there" he said in that same tone

"Leading us to here" I said putting my arms up to show him the scenery before us then I threw my arms around him. He wrapped his arms around me and I was soon in tears again.

"Don't Averill, if you cry to much you'll have to go to bed with Cucumber on your eyes and even then you might have to go to school with puffy eyes" he said with the same naivety he had before.

"Brendon what would I do with out a friend like you" I said into his shoulder as I managed to quickly calm myself. That was the strange thing with me I could just start to cry over the most stupid things and then turn it off in seconds. He stopped hugging me and we untangled our arms from around each other.

"I just remembered something, Averill stay here" he said dashing off and leaving me sitting in the living room on my own. Then he popped his head around the side of the archway and briefly told me

"Close your eyes!" so I did just that. I laughed and placed my hands over my eyes and sat patiently

"Keep them closed, no peaking now" he said still staying as nothing more then a floating head near the archway. I heard footsteps were faintly growing further away. The clear sound of Converse sneakers on newly cleaned floorboards and then the front screen door open followed nothing more then faint car doors slamming, then the screen door opened again and the footsteps were back. I opened my fingers a little and looked around the room with one eye. I saw Brendon come through with something hidden behind his back then Brendon spotted me peaking and glared my way.

"I thought I told you no peaking! I mean it Averill keep them closed!" he shrieked at me I laughed at him and closed my fingers again.

"What is it?" I asked

"I can't tell you Averill It's a surprise" he said as I heard him walking closer to me and I soon felt a shift in weight as he sat down. I heard the crinkle of paper in hand.

"Ok open your eyes" I heard him say and so I did and I was met by Brendon holding out a box wrapped in bright Blue paper with silver swirls and happy birthday written on it. A bright purple ribbon bound the box and was tied in a large bow in the centre. A smile crept its way across my face. I gently took the box from Brendon and he grinned at me. I noticed the little gold envelope.

"I hope you like it"

"Oh Brendon" I said taking up the envelope.

"Shut up and open it" he said as I threw my arms around him. I opened the envelope and took out the card and as I opened it a hand full of silver and gold confetti fell into my lap. I looked up at him befuddled, Fancy presentation wasn't always his thing.

For my seventeenth he wrapped my gift in newspaper and wrote me a note on a napkin because I didn't tell him it was my birthday and he couldn't afford to buy fancy paper and a card. He bought me a little silver jewelry box with a leaf design carved into it for my necklaces, rings and wristbands that year, because he saw I had all my jewelry hanging up on a board and strewn across my desk, he thought I needed to be more organised then I was.

"My sister said to do it, apparently girls like all the special little sparkly stuff on their 18th" he said with a shrug of his shoulders. I looked down at the card written clearly in his hand by cheap blue ballpoint pen.

Dear Averill

Remember when we first met? We were fifteen, I never imagined you to be my best friend but I wouldn't want it any other way. Here's to a happy birthday and an excellent future. Love Brendon

I smiled wider and thanked him with a hug

"Ok, ok now open the gift Averill, the suspense is killing me" he laughed. so I broke away from him and looked down at the pretty little box wrapped in wrapping paper.

"Well come on open it" he pressured

I undid the bow and started to try and fold back the corner to pull the tape from it. But Brendon interrupted by reaching over and ripping the paper. I laughed then looked down at where the packaging had left the gift exposed. I looked down in shock and tore the rest of the paper away. I put my hand over my mouth as I looked down at the gift in shock and almost started crying happy tears of pride.

"A phone!" I screamed

"What? Expecting a bunny rabbit to pop out?" he asked, I laughed at his naive face, he then proceeded to put on a 'miss piggy' like voice (only with a deeper less feminine vocal range) made his hands out to be bunny ears and said "Happy birthday Averill" in a joyous Muppet like tone.

"You got me a phone for my birthday?" I asked

"yeah you kept saying how you wanted to get a new phone but this is not just any phone, this phone is , has a camera, has real tones and is internet access enabled...which is free, the guy at the store said it wasn't the top of the range but it was best for my price limit" he smiled

"How could you afford to do this?" I asked

"I saved my money from Smoothie Hut" he smiled I looked down at the phone in its box. "Well what are you waiting for lets crack this baby open and play with it I want to see if you got my moneys worth" he laughed before grabbing the box and opening it for me. I think Brendon was more exited to see me with a brand new phone then I was. He was usually like this a funny hyperactive teenage boy. We started playing with it and checked out email over it.

I just smiled. We spent most of the night watching movies and then Brendon plugs in his IPod and we were suddenly listening to Blink 182's 'Dam It'

I laughed as we danced around the lounge room singing loudly to the song. We knew every word by heart then suddenly I was standing on the couch shaking my hips, jumping up and down and thrashing my russet coloured hair about. Brendon laughed and soon I was falling Brendon was suddenly there to catch me. I fell perfectly in his arms and the feel of his skin against mine was surprisingly pleasurable to me. I held onto his arms and felt how strangely strong he was. He was a skinny guy and he still had that awkward teen body of his but the slight toned muscle of his biceps turned me on. He took me down from the couch our eyes never leaving each other. We stayed that way for what seemed like forever but soon the silence broke with a song change and Brendon smiling with glee as he sang along with Patrick stump "where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman" I smiled up at him and thought my boy is a gentleman, Brendon my friend was my very own gentleman.

We danced the tango a few times started up a conga line of two which never really worked out for us. We danced and danced ate the ice cream till the tub was empty and we were feeling so sick. We then dropped onto the couch too sick to get up and then we watched the Nightmare before Christmas, singing along to all the songs by heart. I can't quite tell when I fell asleep but I knew the credits were rolling when Brendon woke me and picked me up bridal style and suddenly my arms found their way around his neck and my head was rested tiredly on his shoulder like a child. He took me up stairs and into my room and softly put down on the bed. The sheets were already pulled back and Brendon closed the door, he knew what would happen if my mother came home and found us the way we were. She'd send him home with a packet of condoms and condone healthy, protected sex, that was when I was 16 and he was 17 but now we were both 18 now Brendon would be 19 in April and having sex was one thing that we didn't really think about doing together in fact I don't think we thought about it at all. Even though mom thought that we, like other teens, were sneaking around humping each others brains out down back alleyways, at the dark corners of the park, in the backseat of Brendon's car or at home when our parents weren't she thought that at every chance we had we would 'touch and explore each other' as she liked to call it. Unlike Brendon's parents my mom always thought I was 'like every other teenager' hungry for illicit things drugs, alcohol and most of all sex but no, I wasn't like that at all, mom was hardly home to even know me, her own daughter, all she would tell me was

"oh I understand sweetie, I was like that at your age too" But no she wasn't Brendon and I didn't even drink or want drugs let alone want to jump each others bones at every chance we had.