Time seemed irrelevant now. Days, months, and soon an entire year had gone by. I was seventeen now, Wade was eighteen, and we were in our senior year in high school. I'd still done nothing to fight crime, I had finally managed to pass my classes thanks to Uncle Bruce, and I still had Neo.

He was getting pretty old now, turning eight in a month, and he was showing signs of arthritis in his hips. He couldn't make it up to my bedroom anymore so I found myself sleeping in the living room more often.

Pops was doing a lot of volunteer work around the city with becoming a firefighter and sometimes the librarian's assistant. Whatever made him happy made me happy. He was often gone at night so I'd come home to just my best friend. We'd eat on the couch watching mystery shows and we'd share a bowl of ice cream. I tried waiting for Pops to come home, but when it hit 2AM I would sleep. I always woke up with a blanket on me, though.

Wade had been accepted into the science academy in downtown. He was incredibly intelligent in math and science and offered to help me on multiple occasions with my homework, but I always refused. He was my best friend, not my tutor, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Before I knew it we were talking about graduation procedures and I had to order my cap and gown.

Wade and I went during our lunch period to order them. There was a desk just outside of the cafeteria where you'd write down your size and give them the money.

"So dumb. Why does everyone have to look like weird, green blobs?" Wade asked scribbling his name and address down on the paper.

"Not sure." I mused thinking about prom. We didn't have any friends as girls, so I mentally decided not to go.

"Hey, about prom," Wade said finishing and waiting for me to do the same. He had read my mind.

"What about it?" I began filling in my address info.

"I'm not sure if you've thought about it, but we have no girlfriends. I mean, friends as girls to ask. Wanna be my date?" he asked. I hadn't thought of that.

"Sure, why not?" I said and the lady behind the desk cleared her throat. I looked up at her and scowled. I wanted to tell her my parents were both Dads, but then I found my gaze hesitating over the paperwork.

"Awesome! Should I wear a dress or should you? You did look good in that wedding dress when we went to the mall last weekend," he laughed.

"I only tried that on because you paid me twenty bucks, I didn't actually like it." I laughed with him. I handed the lady my check for the cap and gown and soon we were off to hang outside our next class. "Neither of us are wearing a dress."

"Alright, alright," Wade said sitting down and leaning against some lockers. I joined him pulling out my cell. I checked it almost ten times a day waiting for Dad to text me, but it never came. Nor did he call. Or send letters. Or even confirm that he was alive. Sometimes I wondered if Pops said he was volunteering but he was really looking for Dad.

"Hey, Pops is making spaghetti tonight, wanna eat over?" I asked putting my phone away.

"Yeah, sure! I'll text Mom to let her know." He said now pulling out his phone. We talked about more random things and before we knew it school was over. I had my own car, a 2009 Ford Focus, and we drove to my house to meet Pops for dinner.

Soon it was 8 o'clock and Wade was still over. Pops had to go volunteer at the fire station and we were watching the newest Mission Impossible.

"I can't believe he's still doing these movies," Wade commented munching on some popcorn with me.

"I know, isn't he like…eighty or something?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Looks like it. See him struggling? He has to be pushing like seventy or something. And then – oh there he goes. Stunt double added in." His phone rang and he looked at it, "Do you know this number?" he asked showing me the screen of his phone.

"Nope." I said. He hung up on the caller and we continued the movie. About ten minutes later the caller rung his phone again. "Maybe you should answer it," I commented looking at him.

"Yeah, alright. Hello?" his face went pale. "Yes. Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can." And he hung up. He didn't explain to me and just got up and grabbed his cardigan. "Can you drive me to the hospital in downtown?"

"Of course." I said. I didn't ask questions because I knew. Well, I didn't know because it was a hunch, but I grabbed my keys and we were off. It started out quiet, but when I saw Wade bring his knees up to his chin and he began shaking I knew something terribly bad had happened and I needed to distract him. I started talking about prom, how we're going to look like such idiots dancing to slow music, about graduation, and college.

Naturally there was traffic and we didn't arrive at the hospital for thirty minutes. I parked and we ran inside. "I'm looking for Elizabeth Wilson?" he asked the receptionist. "We're his sons," he lied.

"She's in surgery right now, but she's on the fifth floor in room six. Here, you'll need these to get into the ICU floor," she handed us two badges and we ran to the elevators.

We flashed our badges like cops on CSI and went to her room. A doctor came over asking if we wanted water or a snack, but we both declined. Wade was impatient and I could tell he was about to break.

"What's her status?" he asked not really wanting to know the honest answer.

The doctor pulled out her clipboard and read over it quickly, "She was hit by a car going fifty. Major blunt trauma to her skull, broken arm, fractured hip, and a broken leg." He said nonchalantly.

"How long will the surgery take?" he asked.

"Not sure. Maybe two hours? Three? Not sure. All depends on how bad she's actually hurt,"

Wade nodded and the doctor left the room.

We sat for two hours.

Three.

And then a forth.

Wade's mother was wheeled into the room and was connected to, what seemed like, a million different machines. They had to put a tube down her throat to regulate her breathing and propped up her broken limbs. The entire left half of her head was shaved and covered in slightly blood gauze.

Pops called about two hours later and I left the room to talk to him. "Where are you?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm at the hospital with Wade. His Mom got hit by a car," I explained shortly.

He was quiet, "I'm so sorry. Tell him I send my regards."

"I will."

"Are you going to come home tonight?"

"I think I'm going to stay here with Wade. I don't want him to panic during the night if…anything happens."

"Alrighty, keep me informed. I'll have my phone on."

"I will." And we hung up and I went back in. Wade had moved his chair over to sit by his mother's side holding her uninjured hand. He wasn't crying, but I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to.

The night wore on and I looked at the clock. "5AM" it read in bright red, neon lights.

We sat for a few more minutes and then one of the machines began beeping crazily. Then another machine went off, and before I knew it we were rushed out of the room and Wade held my hand as the other was at his mouth where he bit at his fingernails.

"What's going on?" he asked a doctor but he ignored him.

Minutes that seemed like hours passed.

A doctor came out and walked to us. "You're Misses Wilson's children?" he asked. We nodded. "It seems…she didn't make it. The trauma to her head was too severe and her brain couldn't handle it. I'm sorry for your loss."

Wade stood there for a long minute. He didn't breath. Blink. Talk. Move. "Wade…?" I asked feeling his grip loosen on my hand. I gripped it not wanting him to let go. "Wade." I whispered cautiously. He took my hand back in his and led me out the door. We didn't say anything to the desk receptionist; we didn't speak to anymore personnel. We got in my car and I began to drive. "Where do you want to go?" I whispered.

"Home."

That's all he would say to me for the next two weeks. We went to the funeral after the first two days and we parted. He didn't text or call me, and when I tried to contact him he ignored my messages. I even went over to his house after the first week but he didn't answer. I could see him sitting on his couch and look at the door, but I left him alone.

After the third week of nothing he finally called me. "Hey, Peter," he said.

"Hi," I answered. "How…how're you doing?"

He got straight to the point, "Can I live with you and Pops? I'm being evicted…"

I didn't have to ask for permission, "Of course."

"Okay, um…" he trailed off, "Sorry about recently."

"Don't start apologizing. I'll be over to help you move your stuff in ten," I said.

"Oh, okay. See you then." He hung up.

I went downstairs and knocked on Pops's door. "Hey, Pops?"

"What is it?" he must have been changing or something.

"Is it okay…if Wade comes to live with us?"

He opened the door and he was buttoning his pants. "Yeah, of course." He said. "He can stay in your room until I've got the study cleared out?"

"Sounds good. I'm going to help him move," I said and left.

When I arrived to Wade's house he had a few boxes already outside next to his car. It was a 2006 Suzuki Reno and had it stuffed with clothes and more boxes.

"What're you doing with the furniture?" I asked.

"I put some of it in storage," he said putting a box down, "for my apartment when I go to college. But the rest I sold for tuition money,"

"Oh," I said.

"I have a few more boxes. Will you help?"

"Definitely."

His house was eerily empty. There was nothing left except for three boxes by the door. We hauled them out and we drove back to my house. I told him the room situation and he said it was fine. Pops helped bring all of his stuff in and he had lunch waiting for us.

After lunch he picked through his boxes to find things he'd need like toiletries, clothing, school stuff, and his stuffed animal, Roy. Neo managed up the stairs to us and sat between our silence. Wade held Roy close and petted Neo. We didn't say anything more that night, but when we went to bed I could feel him wanting to say something. That air held in one's throat and the anticipation of actually saying it, but he never did. I rolled over to him and hugged him knowing that was the best thing I could do at the moment. Just like the night he'd was over and Dad had left, we cried together.