Oliver sighs as he throws down his bike on his best friend's lawn. Today was not going as he had planned.
He strolls into the Desario house and notices it smells like smoke, which is odd.
"Jay!" He walks down the hall and goes to his Justin's room to find him sitting on his bed with headphones on.
Oliver walks over and waves his hand in front of Justin's face.
"Oh, hey," Justin mumbles, sliding the headphones off of his face.
"You good, dude?" Oliver asks.
"Yeah." Justin is silent for a moment. "Weird being alone, I guess. Usually my mom is always up my ass about something."
"Yeah, Matthew's at his dad's this weekend," Oliver tells him. "Kinda weird on my end too. Why's it smell like smoke in here?"
Justin scoffs. "That would be my dad. He's really living it up since my mom's been gone. She comes home tomorrow, though."
"Another fight in the making," Oliver comments. He knows how his friend's parents are. "My mom's hanging out with some dude."
Justin gives his friend a weird look. "Like a date?"
"She claims it's not," Oliver says. "She told me the other day she's not ready to date or anything, but I just don't know why she'd start hanging out with some guy already."
"Maybe they're friends," Justin offers.
"They used to date," Oliver replies flatly.
"It's not Matthew's dad?" Justin inquires.
Oliver shakes his head. "Before that." He sighs. "I broke up with Lauren."
"No way, dude, why?" Justin asks, suddenly sitting up in his bed.
"She was… I don't know, just kind of clingy," Oliver tells him, pulling out the chair at Justin's desk and sitting down. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet."
"Yeah, well, she was cute," Justin points out. "There's plenty of chicks out there, though."
"I liked her," Oliver admits. "There's, like, too much going on right now." He frowns. "I'm just really kind of pissed at my mom."
"Hey, man, if she said she's not ready to date, then she must not be," Justin says. "Our parents don't really have that many friends, and your mom is probably just lonely… especially since my mom's been gone this week."
"Yeah, well, she could've hung out with your dad," Oliver mutters.
"What, and ruin all of his binge-drinking fun?" Justin retorts. "He knows she'd tell my mom." He pauses. "I actually want her to come home, you know?"
Oliver smirks. "Never thought I'd hear you say that." He gives his friend a serious look. They don't often talk about their problems, so this was kind of strange. "You think she'll know?"
"Definitely," Justin says. "You noticed that the house smelled. He's just being weird. He won't admit that there are any problems and it's just getting annoying."
"Yeah, well, that sucks," Oliver admits. He thinks about his own dad, but he's not trying to start a pity party. At least his parents never fought like Justin's did.
"Wanna play Nintendo?" Justin asks, eager to escape the depressing mood that has now taken over his room.
"Sure."
The pair heads out to the living room.
…
"So, anyway, she was pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me, and I screwed it all up," Nick finishes, taking a final sip of his beer. He looks at Lindsay, who is sitting across from him at her kitchen table. "Now, tell me your sob story."
"I'd rather not," Lindsay admits, biting her lip.
"Come on," Nick coaxes. "It's healthy to talk about these things."
Lindsay shakes her head. She doesn't want to end up crying and having Nick consoling her. That'd just be too awkward for her.
"Fine," Nick says, defeated. "Tell me about your boys."
"Well, Matthew is simply wonderful," Lindsay tells him, her face lighting up at the thought of her eldest. "He's smart and funny and has been so helpful since everything has happened."
"Well, I know who your favorite is," Nick jokes. "Alright, what about the other one?"
"Oliver is…" Lindsay trails off for a moment. "He's so great, don't get me wrong. He's just… he's distant, you know? He was always closer with Scott anyways, and God, he's just like him, so it makes it a little hard sometimes." She looks down at the table. "He's so close with Daniel's kid. I'm just glad he has a friend to help him get through this."
Nick can sense Lindsay's discomfort and feels bad for the topic somehow winding up right where she didn't want it to go. "Yeah, well… how's Daniel?"
A sigh of relief escapes Lindsay. "Oh, he's Daniel." A weak smile appears on her face. "His wife is my best friend, and she's really getting to her wit's end with him, I think. They were separated for a while some years back."
"No kidding," Nick replies with a smirk, dryly adding: "You're telling me Daniel is difficult to get along with?"
Lindsay stifles a laugh. "Well, he cheated on her with Kim."
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "God, they're like… a terrible story that never ends."
"I think Jackie has nagged him enough that he knows better now," Lindsay admits. "Although it shouldn't have ever gone that far, and he's still a mess."
"I wouldn't mind catching up with him," Nick comments. "You mentioned he barely talks to Ken anymore?"
"Not since he had his daughter," Lindsay tells him. "He could use a friend, though. He'd never admit it, but he really could." She pauses. "I'm sure his wife would really appreciate it."
"Well, give him my number," Nick says. "I've been needing a friend, too." He smiles at Lindsay. "I'm really glad we're hanging out. Feels like it's been so long since I've had a friend that wasn't, like, a teenaged coworker of mine or something."
"Yeah, it's nice," Lindsay agrees. "Jackie's been gone this past week and… well, honestly, I love her but I know she doesn't totally get what I'm going through." She bites her lip. "I mean, I guess you may not totally get it, either, but it's a little bit more similar." She bitterly laughs. "You've gone through a divorce, meanwhile, she's just one step closer to one."
Nick sadly smiles. "Loss is loss, and… it hurts." He gives Lindsay a solemn look. "I know you're not quite ready to talk about it, but when you are… you know I'm here for you, Linds."
Lindsay smiles back at him as she feels tears well up in her eyes.
"Aw." Nick reaches out and puts his hand on top of hers.
"I'm fine," Lindsay tells him unconvincingly. "I promise I'm fine. Just… thank you for being a friend to me right now."
"Anytime," Nick replies soberly before standing up. "Maybe I should get out of here for now." He knows she's about to break down and that she doesn't feel comfortable doing it in front of him. "It was real nice talking with you." He pats her on the shoulder.
She sadly smiles and stands up to face him. "Of course. I'm glad you came over."
"Hey, don't forget to give Daniel my number," Nick reminds her.
"I won't," Lindsay assures him.
He reaches out to give her a quick hug, and she hugs him back. Suddenly, all the emotion floods her at once and she begins sobbing as he embraces her.
"Oh, Lindsay," he says wistfully, consoling her.
She doesn't dare pull her face away from him, because she's still not ready to talk. All she can do is cry.