Chapter Four: A World Without YOU

Kareene wasn't one to lose her cool. She wasn't called Kareene-Never-Lost-Her-Clue for nothing. Okay, nobody called her that. There were other things people called her, though. She smiled. Then her thoughts raced back to the thing of importance... she'd spotted the GOLDEN TICKET.

Last night, she'd gone to James' apartment to drop off the promotion gift her and James had gone halfsies on and she saw... It. A ring. An engagement ring. Julie had to be warned. I mean, could James do that? They'd been dating well over a year... but... dammit, had Julie told him about that thing. You know that little thing about her already being married?

Julie wasn't picking up her phone... why the hell couldn't she pick up for her gorgeous, amazing, cute (and did I say gorgeous?) best friend? It was for her own good anyway?

She was now in her amazingly cute 1960s Volkswagen Beetle driving to Dillon, Texas. From Vermont. It was going to be a long day.

They lay side by side, under a white flannel sheet with blue stripes. On top of the sheet, Tim's hand held hers. It was weird, they'd gone from witty (well at least she thought it was...) banter to sex. It had never been like that before. In their marriage it had been just sex, and then nothing. It was her way of connecting with him... weirdly... She just realized now that maybe them talking and having an actual relationship would have worked.

"How did it fall apart?" he asked, as though he needed a refresher. And he did, it had happened so long ago and so fast, he couldn't remember for the life of him what half their fights were about.

She had to think about it for a minute, "We wern't really ever together."

"Don't say that... we were."

"But not in the way married people are, normally."

They were quiet again, and Julie rolled over and leaned her face into his chest. Tears came to her eyes, and they dripped onto his chest. His hand moved up and then through her hair, "Don't... I'm sorry..."

"It's hard."

It's always hard for you. "I know," he slipped his arm under and around her, and there they lay. Two, not one. Together. "You know they miscarriage wasn't your fault, right? It wasn't mine, either. It wasn't anybodies fault. Things just happen." he paused, "Shit happens." More tears welled up in her eyes.

"It hurt when you slept with her." It did, and it all those months it hurt before then.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Kareene was in her car, the cute little green bug, and it was rather dull to be on her own... she hated being alone. It was a curse. She was the opposite of her best friend in the way that she couldn't entertain herself for more then an hour by herself. That's why she had friends. She was quite restless.

So maybe she stopped and picked up a hitchhiker. And the hitchhiker didn't seem like a killer in that movie she'd rented with Julie last year... The Hitcher.

"So, I'm Kareene, by the way. Kareene Smith."

The girl nodded, she was about five foot nine, and had long purple hair. She was... so emo... Kareene didn't know how somebody could wear that much eye makeup.

"I'm Adele. Cheers." Adele gave a huge smile. Big white teeth emerged.

"Oh. My. God. Is that, like, an accent??" Kareene asked, hearing some sort of accent. "Are you from New Zeland?"

Adele looked at her as if she was crazy, "Obviously not." she shook her head, "I have nothing to do with those sheep rooters."

Kareene was confused, "Oh, did you teach yourself to talk that way...?"

"I'm Australian."

"Oh, sweet, I love Crocodile Dundee!! So, where are you going?"

AN: I'd like to thank Photogirl 16.. ScarlettLetters,. Shimigirl., BdavisLoVeSlscott, cenababy. emluvsrh. gizmossidekick. Jessieb911 lemonlimeb. soapqueen16 for subscribing, and Photogirl 16 andkaterinaesperante for favouriting We Belong. I'd also like to thank ScarlettLetters, lemonlimeb and Kareene for their constant reviews! I hope you liked the chapter!