A/N: WOW okay, hi everyone! Thank you SOOOOO much for taking the time to read this! I know this chapter is short, but I'm at work and I don't have that long to sit and think about some chapters. You are all fantastic and I hope you continue reading more! Things'll look up for Petey, I promise! Just…after this chapter. LOL. Okay. LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks again for reading!
I couldn't sleep that night. I lay next to Wade on his queen bed thinking about everything again.
"Wade, you up?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Thanks for letting me stay over…" my voice was weak and my stomach hurt.
"You know you never have to thank me or let me know if you want to stay. Mi casa es tu casa."
"And um…" I was never good with fluffy things, "I just want to tell you, and I know we haven't been friends for very long, but I wanted to thank you for staying with me."
"I'm not your friend," he said, "I'm your best friend."
"Sorry…"
"No, stop. Stop apologizing and thanking me for everything." He rolled on his side to look at me. "You don't need to do those things. You said the other day that you do things because you want to, that you never expect to receive anything in return, I'm the same way. I do these things because you're my best friend and that'll never change. You need a place to stay or need my shoulder to cry on again, I'm always here no matter what the situation is for. Got that?"
I nodded looking at him now. My eyes began to sting and I felt another cry coming on. "D-do you…do you think it's my fault?"
At first I could see Wade's eyes blur with confusion, and then he understood that I'd changed subjects, "Why would you think that?" I asked.
Infected.
"I'm just…I'm so worthless. I'm failing school and…if they didn't adopt me maybe they'd still want to be together."
Wade sat up and looked at me with his piercing, blue eyes. Sometimes I hated them. "I won't listen to you talk like that. It's not your fault. Some people just fall out of love as easily as they fall in love."
"Cause you would know being sixteen and all with all your experience."
"I know because of what my mom tells me. When my Dad died I blamed myself because I had left the candle near the curtain." He'd never talked about his father's death before. "I blamed myself for months because I was convinced he burned alive by my hand. After the house had been cleared and they searched for the cause, they found out that someone threw in a grenade to murder my entire family. Apart from the evidence, I still blame myself to this day because I knew I had to start it. You can't go down the same path I've gone, Peter. This regret…remorse…pain…guilt…you don't want anything like that pushing you down. I know our situations are different, but the blame doesn't leave. It's there. Always pinching your neck making itself known. Their divorce is about them. Not you. Please, Peter, don't blame yourself." He looked as though he wanted to cry and I looked away.
I would never tell him my real thought.
Infected.
I couldn't. He'd be repulsed and leave me, too.
After a minute or two of Wade still sitting up and me not saying anything and laid down and hugged me. I felt the shoulder of my sleeve get a little damp and I turned my head to see him cry. I rolled over on my side so our foreheads were together. "Don't you ever leave me." I told him. I couldn't lose someone else pushing me to the sidelines.
"I promise I won't."
I returned home the next day. Wade insisted I go to school to further off put my return, but I ditched school and Ms. Wilson drove me home. I walked into the front door and Dad hit me on the side of the head. Hard. I fell to the ground clutching my skull and looked up at him. "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE?" he screamed with such ferocity that I could fell myself sink into the floor. I didn't say anything and he bent down to pull me up. I was scared of him. The way he was grabbing at my clothes for me to stand to face him terrified me. Once standing I backed into the front door watching him raise his hand for another strike.
"Tony, STOP!" Pops ran over grabbing Dad's arm. "He gets it!"
"DOES HE?" I could feel his spit on my face. I was no longer upset, I was scared. Dad had never showed his side of him before and he had hit me. I knew I had deserved it for running out like that, but…he didn't even check Wade's house to see if I was there. He shoved Pops off and pulled me by the collar so we were inches apart. I had my hands pressed against the door, my body was shaking, and I felt a sickening twist in my stomach. Dad saw the fear in my eyes and back away letting my shirt go. "You don't go…running off after we give you…news like that!" he yelled. "You just don't!"
"You didn't even check Wade's house." I whispered.
"What was that?" Dad barked.
"Wade's house! You didn't check!" I yelled back.
Dad hit me again and I fell. I looked up at him a bruise forming on my cheek. "Anthony Edward Stark! FUCKING STOP HITTING OUR SON!" Pops rushed over pushing Dad hard in the chest away from me.
"LITTLE FUCK! BACK TALKING?" his voice shook the house. "I'm leaving TONIGHT!" he pushed Pops away and huffed down to their bedroom.
It was my fault. I was the one tearing them apart. I put a soft hand to my bruised face and Pops came over to help me up. "Peter…are you alright?" he asked with his gentle voice.
I felt my voice crack as I started to cry again, "Perfect." Pops hugged me tightly whispering so many apologies to me.
Minutes later I heard the back door slam shut and just like that Dad was gone.
