A/N: I was going to make this a lighthearted one but the original idea didn't fit for the chapter so I went with this one.
"No matter how he tried, he could not break free…" 17 year old Amanda sang drunkenly as 32 year old Test drove on through the night, having decided to drive despite having had more to drink as Hey You by Pink Floyd played on the radio.
"And the worms ate into his brain!" Test sang softly, him and Amanda continuing to sing together… until both saw red and blue lights and Test pulled over.
"What are you doing Andrew, you'll get arrested!" Amanda whispered, Test lightly rubbing her left shoulder.
"Better than you getting arrested, kiddo. Let me handle the cops." Test says as the cop approached the 2007 GMC and shined a light at them.
"How much have both of you had to drink tonight?" The cop asks.
"Uh… she's not drunk officer, she wasn't feeling well and called me for a ride to the hospital but we got lost." Test says, trying to keep Amanda from getting arrested.
Amanda leaned back into the passenger seat, burying her face into the older man's shoulder and tried to act sick… but the cop didn't buy it and administered breathalyzer tests to them, Amanda's level being 1.7 and Test's being 2.5.
When both were handcuffed and put in the squad car, Amanda leaned against Test as he put his cuffed arms around her as best as he could.
"We'll get out of this, Amanda Rose… I promise." Test whispers, kissing Amanda on her forehead...
Amanda opened her eyes from her dream as she looked outside and saw the snow, knowing that today was meaningful for two reasons.
Her long deceased friend Andrew Martin, better known to the wrestling world as Test, would've been 42 today… and he loved St. Patrick's day.
Amanda sat up as Finn walked into their room and the two kissed.
"Much as you try, you can't forget those days…" Finn says, sitting across from Amanda.
"We can't always forget…" Amanda says.
The two went about their morning routine and got dressed in cold weather clothes before heading to Lake Ontario… although Andrew had been cremated, there was a wooden cross in the ground nearby and Amanda holding a bouquet of white roses in her arms as the bitter wind blew the hood of her navy parka off when she and Finn crouched down into the snow.
"Here I am again… another year with you gone, with all of us who love you remembering…" Amanda says, starting to tear up as she felt Finn rest his hands on her shoulders. "Remembering your kind heart, Andy… you immediately treated me like family, no matter what I did and there are times that I thought I'd screwed up. But you always welcomed me with open arms." She says as the wind and tears stung her eyes, Amanda finally letting them out and putting the roses down in front of the cross as Finn pulled the sobbing brunette into a hug.
No matter how often Amanda tried to hide it, losing someone she loved was like leaving an open wound in her heart.
"He loved you… he never doubted your friendship, Darlin'." Finn says as the two let go, still holding hands.
Amanda brushed her hand against the engraving, Andrew James Robert Patrick Martin 1975-2009 before she and Finn stood up and took a few minutes to stare out at the frozen over lake… and one last conversation played in her mind as she saw her 13 year old self and her friend ice skating on it.
"Andy, come on, one more race?!"
"Now you know John will kill me if you freeze to death, kiddo. Come on, let's go get some hot chocolate."
Once again, Amanda saw the younger selves of her and him disappearing into the snow… in a flash, they were gone and Amanda and Finn headed back to the rented Range Rover.
"I miss you, old friend." Amanda says quietly.
And in what she was sure was his way of reaching out, she heard him.
"I miss you too, Amanda Rose."
