Authors note: Happy Easter. Happy Passover too.This morning I got a review for this story and I was shocked that it's still getting reviews. Anyway, I just wrote a first chapter and then left it. I'm going to write a second and see how it works. Without a song, though. Remember, it's been over a year since I've written, so I will be very, very rusty.
Disclaimer: The characters DO NOT belong to me.
It had been a week since the fight with Summer happened, and things seemed to be going back to normal. At least as normal as it can get when your ex-girlfriend is living with your best friend. Katie had been as helpful as ever, cleaning up the apartment and making daily visits to make sure Freddy didn't do something to hurt himself.
"Freddy, you have got to stop sleeping on the couch all day. Get up!" She said sternly as she walked in on a familiar scene: Freddy, bud in hand, dozing on the couch.
"I don' wanna" he slurred from the couch. Belching quite loudly afterwards.
"You're nauseating." Katie muttered as she wrestled the bottle out of his hand and threw it in the trash. "Have you been looking for a job, like we talked about last week? Have you been going to classes?" She asked, sounding rather Summer-ish. Katie hated having to do this over and over again. Picking up the pieces of Freddy's fragmented life was not on her life agenda.
"mmmm…nope." He answered, getting up from the couch, swaying as he tried to walk to the bathroom. He had forgotten about school. Summer usually never let him get drunk on school nights. He knew he was screwed with school anyway.
"Freddy, the bathroom is over here." Katie directed him to the apartment's barely functioning bathroom and closed the door. She sat at the kitchen table and sighed. This was too much. She knew Freddy was messed up. She knew that she shouldn't be interested in her old schoolmate's ex-boyfriend and that it would mean trouble if they got involved. But she couldn't help but hope that he would see past their friendship and find something more… "Get over it." She told herself, getting up and started making breakfast, putting all thoughts of a relationship with Freddy behind her.
"Wow…what's for breakfast?" Freddy asked as he staggered from the bathroom. Slightly more alert.
"Pancakes…or at least I think this is pancake mix, and sausage." Katie answered from the stove.
"Oh man, I love pancakes!" Freddy said with a childish glee. He came up behind Katie and made to take one of the pancakes off of the serving platter but she swatted his hand away.
"Nice try, loser." She said, setting the platter on the table along with some syrup and milk. Freddy didn't even flinch as he made a grab for the pancakes. He was stuffing his face in a matter of seconds.
"Freddy, you have some decisions to make. I don't want to sound like your mom, but honestly, look at these bills. Student loans, car insurance, rent. What are you going to do?" Katie asked as she looked over all of the mail that Freddy had left unopened since the fight.
"I don't know. Summer usually took care of the bills…She took care of everything. I guess I never bothered getting a job because Summer was paying for everything."
"Right, well, Summer isn't here now and I'm not going to be playing babysitter forever. Freddy, you need a job. And…you need to go back to school." Katie said, stabbing at her pancakes. Why had Summer let Freddie get so out of control?
"A job?" Freddy asked, hardly believing the words.
"Yes, now, I'll help you look for a job, but I'm not going to drive you there and I won't be cleaning you up after you get drunk. Okay?"
Before Freddy could answer the door opened. Summer walked in, looking as bright and cheerful as a kid on Christmas. Her face turned sour when she saw Freddy.
"I'm just picking up the rest of my stuff and then I'll be leaving for Virginia, with Zack." She sneered, adding extra emphasis on Zack. She turned and walked down the hallway to hers and Freddy's room. Katie followed.
"So, I see he's having yet another one of his hangovers. Figures. He never could go a night without getting drunk, except on school nights of course." Summer said as she went through the closet, picking up shoeboxes and stuffing them full of her things.
"Yeah, well he's been having a rough week. You know he had this girlfriend that left him for his best friend and all." Katie said, sounding bitterer then she intended. Summer turned around and anger flashed in her eyes.
"Look, I know you enjoy fixing Freddy and making sure he's okay all the time when you know he doesn't deserve it, but don't patronize me because I decided I was sick of dealing with him. Katie, he can't be fixed. He's on the road to eating at the soup kitchen and living on unemployment checks forever." Summer said, all in one breath. Getting stronger with each word, but after seeing the hurt look on Katie's face she added "You know he's not worth your time so why don't you just move on? You deserve better than him. I know I did."
Katie was picking at a tiny hole starting at the bottom of her shirt. True, some of the things that Summer had said were right, but Freddie was not worthless. "You're wrong. And I'm going to prove you wrong." Katie said quietly as Summer finished packing.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Summer sighed. She set down her stuff in the living room and gave Katie a quick hug before leaving. Freddy was sitting at the kitchen table quietly. Katie wondered if he had heard what Summer said. After Summer left, Katie sat down uncomfortably at the kitchen table and scratched her nose. Freddy was being awfully quiet.
"She's probably right." He said. "I never really was a good friend, or a boyfriend for that matter. You should probably go." He said, disheartened. Katie looked up at him and wondered whether or not he knew how cute he looked when his hair was messed up.
"Freddy, Summer was wrong. You know she was wrong and so do I. Nobody is worthless. We're going to fix this and show her just how much you're worth. By the time she comes back she'll see." Katie said, confidently as she cleaned up the kitchen table. Freddie looked slightly more cheerful.
Later that morning, after Katie left, Freddy started to clean up the apartment. He knew he had been living like a pig since Summer left. He was going to do this, not only for Summer, but for himself. Maybe even a little bit for Katie, because she deserved it.
Authors note: I know it's terrible, but it'll get better. I promise! Just review and constructively criticize me! And remember I haven't written in over a year.