This time… a faster update.

Ui. The story is finished soon…

Ellasphere, Thanks so much for your review… very cute.

Miss Fenway, hehe… cool. Thanks. I say it with you: "Poor Riley!" ;) It is before Christmas :)

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The fight

Ben's Perspective

I woke up the next morning I had the horrible feeling of having betrayed someone I love. Oh of course, I just told my little brother that he only worth his hacking skills. Oh yeah, I was the jerk of the nation.

The kid was curled up under a thin blanket and hugged himself tightly.

I chewed my lower lip. How could I possibly fix this? I couldn't just take everything back that I said. And there was no way we could ignore this.

"Good Morning Ben."

"Abi! I'm sorry for shouting at you, yesterday." I never took my eyes from Riley.

"That's okay. I was shouting, too. But do you realize how much you hurt him?" she asked questioningly but firmly.

"I…You know, I never… He…I just wanted… I'm so sorry, that I …" I stammered feebly.

"How could you say things like that, when he was already hurt? When he was crying?" she scolded.

"I really don't know, it's just so easy to hurt him. I know his weaknesses and I completely lost it. I'm really sorry, Abi."

"Don't apologize to me! But do him a favor and apologize immediately!"

"I will. But not here, when we are out. How long do we have to stay here?" I murmured and looked finally in Abi's bloodshot eyes, either she has been crying too or she didn't sleep much.

"Another hour." She answered.

"What then?" I asked

"There's a bus stop. We can take a bus to Las Vegas and then we can drive to California. So we can visit the bridge, we can stay a night in San Francisco and visit the other sights tomorrow." She suggested before she added, glaring at me: "That is, if Riley still wants to continue the trip."

"I feel horrible!" I said, staring at Riley.

"Good!" Abi wasn't able to hide her smile.

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"Hey Riles wake up! We can go!" Gently I shook his shoulder, but after he cracked his eyes open he jerked away from my grip with a wounded look.

Abi, on my side, reached for the kid's hand and hauled him up to his feet.

Out of the building I let out a frustrated sigh when Riley walked away from us.

"Ben, go after him." Abi ordered.

I did.

Riley was standing in a telephone booth, the mouthpiece in one hand, the other hung limp at his side. He looked helplessly at the ceiling, like he was pleading for help. When I saw the reason for his despair, I couldn't help but shake my head. The kid had no luck. The mouthpiece cable was cut in two.

He twisted around as I knocked on the glass door. His frightened face fell again, his eyes downcast, when he recognized me. Obviously he had expected someone who would blame him for destroying the phone.

"I thought you didn't like being a prisoner." I joked, while I opened the door for him with a nod at the cable.

"Seems so." He whispered. Oh god, I have hurt him more than I thought.

"Who did you want to call, by the way?" I followed him to the porch, Abi waited, leaning on a tree near the bus stop.

"Cab," he answered matter of factly.

"We can take the bus to Las Vegas." I was confused.

"The cab is for me." He whispered looking to his feet.

"Why? You can't want to drive home without us. In a cab! Riley this is stupid!" I was pretty taken aback, that he wanted to abandon Abi and me.

"No, I just need a ride to an airport!" he said.

"Riley…"

"Oh Ben, please stop!" I was stunned at his sudden outburst. He didn't even try to hide the tears, which formed in his eyes. "You can just leave it alone… or leave me alone. I understand. You don't have to pretend to be my friend, okay?"

"Riley-"

"But please, it's hard enough for me, please don't make it worse!" His voice broke a little.

"Riley!" He still ignored me.

"No, it's okay, I was your sidekick! Nothing more. I won't…" One tear made his way down his cheek. His voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"Riley, stop!" I didn't want to shout, but there was no other way to get his attention. "Riley! You have never been only a sidekick!" I said, with a hand on his shoulder. Luckily he didn't shrug it off but he tensed under it.

"Ben, please." At this I felt tears in my own eyes. He looked so helpless. There was so much pain in his bright blue eyes.

"Listen! Why did you believe anything I said yesterday? You should know not to listen to me when I'm like that. My gosh, I was exhausted and angry… I was in a little cell…" I wasn't sure if I had any right to be hurt myself.

He just looked away and winced when he tried to cross his arms over his chest for defense.

I felt my blood boil at the sight of his injury.

"Stop it," Riley said desperately when I inspected his wrist but he wasn't able to get out of my gentle but strong grip.

"This was that stupid cop, wasn't it?" I asked furiously, tried to get his eyes to meet with my own.

"Oh god, Ben! What does it matter to you? Do you really want to hurt me even more with by suddenly caring? Should we make up to end our friendship again? Is this a new hobby of yours? Let's see how much Riley can take? Yesterday the cops could have shot me with their guns and you wouldn't even raised an eyebrow! And now you explode because of a bruise!" He really seemed on the verge of a breakdown, so I released his arm and gave him a little more space.

"Do you really believe that I would make up with you to break our friendship off again?" I hadn't noticed that I have raised my voice. He couldn't think that's what I wanted. "Why do you think I meant anything I said yesterday, about our whole friendship for the last sixteen years, was only a fake? Why is it so easy for you to believe the bad things?"

"I believe it, because no one would say something like that to a friend." He ran a trembling hand through his hair.

"Riley, I just wanted to hurt you. I lashed out." I admitted impatiently.

"Very well done! Exactly what a friend do!" Riley said with a shaking, fake laugh.

Perhaps we really should end our friendship, if only for a break. Perhaps finally the day had come? It would break my heart, but he didn't trust me and too much happened between us two. Maybe there is no such thing as an unbreakable friendship.

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