Keeping the Faith

Chapter 1: Doubt and Distrust

A/N- This story was inspired partly by the film "Keeping the Faith" which I do not own and by some things I've been thinking about in general.

This is going to be a super short series (I couldn't wait until "In Rainbows" was finished to start) and I'll most likely finish it before I go back to college (I'm currently on a college run internship program until mid February) so you can expect pretty quick updates (as far as length goes-time wise I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update because of my internship).

Please read the bold notes as they will act as a guide where the timeline is set. This story is part of the 20 by 20 Challenge.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-Don ^_^

The doors clanged shut and she sat back with a sigh. There were only a few places she could relax these days and one of those was the bus. It was ironic that she felt at ease in a stuffy and smelly place like a public bus, but it still felt comforting somehow.

About five or six years ago she'd moved away from her home to live in a noisy college dorm filled with loud music at three in the morning, the smell of alcohol on everyone's breath and constant drama. She wasn't expecting that to be part of the deal. As her major was supposed to be the focal point of the drama, since it was acting, she didn't really bank on it existing outside of the normal expectations of the college "drama." Boy was she ever wrong.

She also didn't expect to lose contact with so many people from her high school years or to grow closer to her sister. The past six years had served to give her a general sense of anxiety. Kit hadn't spoken much to her since they entered college or at all since they graduated. She didn't blame him for getting wrapped up in his college experience and thus becoming distracted. They weren't in the same city, let alone the same state anymore, but she didn't expect to lose their friendship altogether though. Since moving to Chicago to work at a theater that had offered her a job, she'd met so many new people that it hadn't hurt her as much as she'd thought it would to not have him in her life anymore.

The doors snapped open and she reached down to pull a book from the plastic bag at her feet. As soon as she was settled with it in her hands and had tuned out her surroundings she felt someone slide into the seat to her right. The person's jacket swished and she looked up as she felt someone's eyes on her.

"Nita?" She stared at the man sitting next to her. He had on a long beige trench coat and a blue suit complete with a dark blue tie. With the way his hair was neatly combed and the way he pulled down his sunglasses to peer at her face, she never would have recognized her best friend.

"Kit?" She blurted. He grinned.

"Wow, it's been forever, huh?" The smile faltered on his face when she didn't return it for a full minute. "Um, I guess I haven't responded to you as much as I should have." This wasn't the place to start a face and she knew it. Plus her sense of comfort and security on buses had been breached as of that moment.

"I'm getting off," She jerked her head, indicating that he should follow. With a slightly fearful glance behind him, Kit followed her off the bus. Once on the curb, she turned to him, a full frown on her face.

"Just what the hell are you doing, acting all casual after six years of barely talking to me? And what's up with your getup?" She gestured to his suit. "I thought you went to school to study drawing."

He sheepishly ran a hand through his hair, "Well, I did, but then I met a professor there who got me into law. So here I am." He gestured to the buildings around them. "I moved here after I graduated."

"And you didn't think to call me? You knew I was here, Kit!" Nita said, scowling deeply at him. Kit shifted uncomfortably. He had known she was here, but every day, month and soon years that had passed since they last talk had made it harder to pick up the phone and he'd since lost his ability to use their mind-talk. He wasn't even sure why he'd let it happen in the first place.

"Look, Neets, I've been an idiot, okay? We both know this was my fault," He said.

"Got that right," Nita said, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, no use in dwelling on the past." She said it in a neutral and forgiving tone, but her eyes told him that she hadn't forgiven him yet. "Let's go grab a bite to eat and you can tell me what's been going on."

She lead the way down the sidewalk and they stopped in front of a small pizzeria on the corner called "Chi-Town Pizza." She figured she liked it because it was the closest thing to New York style pizza in Chicago. Once inside with their drinks she noticed that he was looking everywhere but at her.

"Kit, look at me," He did, finally and she fixed him with a hard stare. "There's something important that I need to tell you."

Kit blanched, "You're getting married?" He asked. Nita blinked. Sure, she'd had her fair share of boyfriends over the years, but she hadn't met anyone worth marrying yet. She had to wonder why he was so rattled by that notion. But she'd ask him about it later.

"I've got a-" She began but was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress.

"One large, half pepperoni and half cheese," He smiled at her. He still remembered that she liked plain pizzas better than anything else. That was something. But he didn't seem eager to hear what she had to say. Over the next hour and a half that they were there, a distraction of some kind popped up at every moment she tried to bring up the topic again. Kit too changed the topic or said something about the scenery whenever she tried to broach it.

Finally she looked at her watch and sighed, "Well, I've got to go home." She nodded to him and stood up. "We should talk more."

He opened his mouth to say something and then nodded instead, "Yeah, sounds good." He wasn't sure why he wasn't letting her say what she wanted to say. After all, he'd been trying to find out where she lived now so he could fix their friendship. Plus, she'd already said she wasn't getting married, so what was he so worried about? And why was he worried about that in the first place? It wasn't like he wanted to, right?

Nita walked out the door and he sat back in his seat with a sigh. He'd have to find out sooner or later. He stood up and noted that she'd paid for their meal. He was a little ticked off by that for some reason that he couldn't quite place. Everything about seeing her again threw him off balance. He put an extra tip on the table without thinking much of it before he grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

He turned the corner and ran smack into the first person he saw heading in his direction. "Hey, watch it!" Kit blinked. The man's voice was oddly accented and familiar. There was also a distinct pride in it that was unmistakable. "Just because you're American you think you can-" The man paused.

"Christopher?" Kit grimaced at the name. He still disliked his full name.

"The same," He wished he could run into someone else besides his old… what? He still had no idea what to call the Irish guy who had been walking around with Nita's first kiss. Kit shook the image from his mind. "What exactly are you doing here, Ronan?"

Ronan took his turn to be surprised, "Nita didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Kit asked.

"I assumed you two had met already," Ronan waved his hand, "Well, we're working together now."

"As in wizardry partners?" Kit asked. Ronan nodded. Without another word Kit stomped off in the opposite direction, not bothering to heed the warning Ronan shouted right before Kit stalked huffily into the open street. The blaring horn brought him out of his angry reverie, but not before a car knocked him over in its attempt to screech to a halt.

A/N- Don't worry, Guys, he's fine. Just goes to show you that you shouldn't walk around obliviously in a city. I'll try to update again soon, thanks for reading! =)