It Hasn't Been Long Enough

Flashback 4 Years

Callie Davis sat at the silver-decorated table tapping her toe impatiently against the floor. She was waiting on her boyfriend Pete Wentz to come to the dinner that was for the scholarship she was getting. Callie had just been accepted into the University of Illinois Chicago’s nursing program, which was exceptionally hard to get into. On top of that, the school had given her a scholarship which would cover all of her expenses for the upcoming year. This was what the dinner was for tonight.

She had talked to Pete earlier that day to make sure he knew the dinner began promptly at seven, and he had promised to be there. But, here it was, 7:15, and he still was nowhere in sight.

Callie had asked the people in charge to wait just a few more minutes to see if Pete would show up. They knew that Pete was in the band Fall Out Boy, and he had a crazy schedule, so they waited as long as they could, but they couldn’t wait any longer.

“I’m sorry,” Jean Langston, the person who donated the money for the scholarship and who personally picked Callie out of all of the applicants, told her. “We can’t wait any longer.”

“That’s okay. Thanks for waiting,” Callie said smiling at her

Two hours later, Callie drove back to Pete’s apartment, angrier than she had been in her entire life. She got out of her car and walked up the two floors to his apartment. She banged on the door, and Pete’s roommate and fellow band member, Patrick Stump answered. “Hey, Callie,” he began, before she cut him off.

“Where the hell is he?” Callie yelled.

“Pete?” Patrick asked.

“Of course Pete! Where the hell is he? He was supposed to be at my dinner tonight, and he never showed up. So, where is he?”

“Callie,” Patrick said trying to calm her down.

“Patrick!” Callie yelled.

“He’s back in his room,” Patrick sighed.

Callie stormed back to Pete’s room and threw open his door. She found him lying on his bed, obviously drunk. “Where the hell were you?” Callie screamed.

Pete sat up, holding his head, and looked at Callie. “What are you talking about?” he asked, and then he suddenly sobered up. “Shit! Your dinner.”

“Yes, my dinner!” Callie said sarcastically. “You promised me you would be there! But instead, you what? Got drunk?”

“Callie, I’m sorry. I was hanging out with William and Travis, and I guess we lost track of time,” Pete said.

“’Hanging out with William and Travis?’” Callie threw the words back at him. “Pete, you were drinking!”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“No, Pete you’re not! Listen, since you got signed last year, you’ve changed. And not for the better. You’re always hanging out with your music friends, drinking, doing drugs, and God knows what else. And, I’ve sat back and been quiet. But I’m not tonight! Pete, you knew how important this dinner was to me. You know that I needed this scholarship and how excited I was to get it. And instead of coming to one stupid dinner, you go out drinking with your friends. I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“You can’t do what anymore?” Pete asked, looking up at her.

“Pete, I’ve supported you through everything. And, I’m not going to ask you to give up anything. I know how hard you’ve worked to get here. But, I’m not going to condone your lifestyle anymore, either.”

“What are you saying?”

“I love you more than anything in the world, but I can’t be with you when you’re obviously throwing your life away with the drinking and drugs and everything else. Call me when you’ve changed,” Callie said, walking out of his bedroom.

As she walked out of the apartment, she half expected Pete to follow her and beg her to stay, but he didn’t. Callie reached the stairs when she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Patrick running after her. “Wait, Callie!”

“What?” Callie asked, spinning around, tears in her eyes.

“You’re going to kill him,” Patrick told her. “You’re what’s keeping him sane right now. If you’re not in his life, I don’t know what he’s going to do.”

“If I mean so much to him, then why isn’t he the one running out her telling me all these things right now, instead of you?” Callie asked him. When Patrick didn’t say anything, Callie continued. “I can’t do this anymore, Patrick. This dinner meant so much to me, and he couldn’t even bother to tell his friends he couldn’t go drinking because he had to go to this dinner. And it’s not just his dinner. It’s his entire lifestyle.”

“Callie,” Patrick said.

“Patrick, you’re one of my best friends, and I hope you and I stay in touch, but I can’t be with Pete right now. Not when he’s self-destructing his life.”

“Okay, Callie.”

“Bye, Patrick,” Callie said as she walked down the stairs, tears falling down her cheeks. She had just broken up with the one person she loved the most in the world.

Present Day

Callie sat at the front desk of the oncology floor at the University of Chicago Medical Center filling out some paperwork to one of the patients. She had been working there for the last two years, as she had been hired right out of college.

“Callie, we’ve got a new patient coming in today,” Dr. Shriver told her. “Apparently, it’s some big shot rock star.”

“Oh, really?” Callie asked.

“Yeah. He got diagnosed two days ago in California, but he decided to come here because he’s from the area.”

“What’s his name?”