But It's Better If You Swear to Shake It Up.

Cali's P.O.V.

I looked over at Pete as we pulled into his and Ryan's driveway. His face was paler than usual and he looked lost in thought.

"Hey," I said putting my hand on his arm and he slowly turned to look at me. "we're here." He nodded his head and got out of the car. I looked behind me to see Hurley squished into the car door by Patrick and Dani making out in the middle seat. Joe and Andy were doing the same on the other side of them.

"You know, you guys could be a little more considerate. I bet seeing you all doing that is making him feel loads better, don't you think? Especially you two." I said to Joe and Andy who just stared at me. "Come on, Andy." I said opening the door for him to get out, but slamming it shut in Dani's face as she moved to get out.

"Fucking bitch!" She yelled at me but I turned away from and walked towards Pete who was standing at the door. I knocked loudly waiting for someone to come and answer it.

"It's open!" Someone yelled loudly from inside the house. I turned the knob and the door came right open. We walked in and I heard talking in the kitchen, where I started walking to.

"Hey, Ry, can you put this in the microwave?" Someone asked and I recognized the voice as Brendon's.

"I don't know. Probably." Ryan's voice answered him. I heard a door shut and then the microwave turn on, but a minute later a smell started coming from it. "Fuck, Brendon, what did you put in there?!?" Ryan yelled as Brendon opened it.

"The Alfredo stuff we got yesterday."

"Did you have it still in the box?"

"Yeah.." Brendon answered and I saw him pull out a box from the microwave that was starting to melt on the edges.

"Dumb ass! You can't put styrofoam in the microwave!" I told him and he turned around surprised and eyes wide.

"Cali!" He exclaimed and ran over to me and swooped me up in his arms and spun around in a circle holding me close to his chest. I squealed and giggled as he kissed me.

"Well you sure did sweep me off my feet!" I laughed and he giggled.

"It's all I could do." He told me and I giggled before he let me back down to feet.

"Hi Ryan!" I yelled at him slinging my arms around his neck and he laughed trying to support me as I hung off of him.

"Hey Cali. What are you doing here?" He asked as he finally gave in and held onto me.

"I had to bring..." I started not really sure if he was going to get upset with me if I told him I had brought Pete over. I looked over at Brendon who gave me a look that said to stop and come see him. I jumped down off of Ryan and walked over to him.

"Is Pete here?" He asked me in a low voice so Ryan couldn't hear.

"Yeah. His clothes are here. What was I supposed to say, no you have to wear those clothes until your boyfriend forgives you?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"What did you have to bring?" Ryan asked looking confused and Dani burst into the kitchen behind me and drag me to look towards her before I could answer him.

"What the fuck is your problem?! God, just because you three didn't get laid last night doesn't give you the right to treat us like scum." She told me and Ryan and Brendon looked confused and shocked.

"Who is 'you three'?" Brendon asked her.

"Cali, Hurley, and Pete." She answered before turning back to me and expecting my to answer her question.

"Well one of them sure did get laid last night." Ryan said putting his pop down and walking towards the living room.

"Damn it, Dani! Can't you just keep your mouth shut for five minutes?!" I yelled at her as Ryan walked right back into the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Ryan." Brendon said following behind him.

"Fuck off, Bren, I don't wanna talk to him." He answered starting to run away from him up the stairs.

"Ry! Come on, don't do this." Brendon called from right behind him.

"No!"

"Ryan!"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO HIM!" Ryan screamed at Brendon before a door slammed.

"GEORGE RYAN ROSS THE THIRD! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" Brendon yelled, but nothing else was heard. He walked back down the stairs and looked pissed. "I swear to fucking god, he's driving me nuts with that damn door." He told me walking through the kitchen and into the living room to check on Pete. I followed him and saw him sitting on the couch looking no better than he had when we arrived here. He was staring down at his hands now as he blinked back the tears that were easily falling from his eyes as he kept his head tilting downward. Patrick was sitting next to him looking concerned and trying to figure out what was wrong. I walked over and sat next to him and wrapped my arms around him and he quickly obliged to burying his head in my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Pete." I whispered into his hair and he sniffed.

"I knew he wasn't gonna talk to me. I don't know why I even came." He told me and I rubbed his back.

"Hey." Brendon said coming over and putting his hand on Pete's shoulder. "He didn't go in your bedroom, why don't you go upstairs and take a shower. You should feel a little better." He told him and Pete lifted his head before taking Brendon's hand as he helped him up the stairs. Patrick looked at me for explanation. I took a deep breath before starting to explain to him what had happened the night before.

*************

Pete's P.O.V.

I let Brendon walk me upstairs and into the room Ryan and I had been sharing. The bed was made up and didn't look like it had been touched, nothing in the room seemed to be. I grabbed some jeans and a shirt along with a clean pair of boxers.

"You gonna be okay?" Brendon asked me from where he was standing in the doorway.

"I guess. I think a shower would make me feel better." I told him.

""kay, I'm just down stairs if you need me." He said and walked back through the doorway. I turned and walked into the bathroom. I stripped down to nothing and turned the taps on to adjust the water. I stepped in a minute later and relaxed in the hot shower. I just stood there for me a minute before the tears started flowing back to me. I knew I shouldn't have come. And I wouldn't have if Cali had told me I really should. But I can't blame this on her. I just wished he would give me a chance to talk and explain. Something was in that drink, I know there was. And I know I should have listened to Patrick and Ryan when they told me not to drink it, but I was too damn stubborn and didn't listen.

I suddenly heard the door open and light footsteps walking across the room outside of the shower.

"Ry-ryan, is that you?" I asked peeking out and looking into the mirror. I saw him looking around the sink for something and he looked up into the mirror when said his name. His brown connected with my own through the reflecting glass and he looked down. "What are you looking for?"

"Something." He mumbled grabbing his toothbrush and looking for something else.

"Baby, I'm s-sorry." I told him and he looked back into the mirror at me but never actually turned around.

"I know." He answered before opening the medicine cabinet and finding whatever he was looking for. He closed the cabinet and turned towards the door.

"And I-" I started but he closed the door before I could continue. "love you." I finished staring at the closed door before closing the small gap with the shower curtain and began soaping up my hair, tears beginning to heavily cascade down my cheeks.

**************

Brendon's P.O.V.

I heard footsteps on the stairs and looked over to see Ryan walking down them with a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" I asked as he reached the bottom step.

"Out." He told me.

"With a bag? Where to?" I asked him as Cali looked toward grasped my hand.

"I dunno. Spencer's probably." He told me going over and finding his shoes.

"For how long."

"I don't know. A couple hours, maybe the rest of the night. We'll see later." He told me getting ready to walk out the door.

"Ryan, please promise me you're not going to go out and do anything stupid."

"Uh huh, sure." He said opening the door and walking out.

"Damn it." I said sighing.

"Don't worry, Bren, hes gonna be fine." Cali told me rubbing her thumb over my palm.

"I hope so." I answered laying my head on her shoulder as everyone else came walking back into the room.

************

Ryan's P.O.V.

I knew I wasn't really going to Spencer's. I had to get out of the house though. I couldn't be around Pete. I walked to a store and bought a bottle of vodka and paid for it, then put it in my bag and went in search of a good hotel to stay at for a little bit. I planned to completely forget about this, and the only way I could think of was getting completely trashed. I found a nice looking motel and went inside and got a room. I didn't really plan to stay all night, just until I felt like going home. I want this to last as long as I could make it. I went in the room and opened the bottle, taking a swig and getting my notebook out.

*********** Later that night.

Brendon's P.O.V.

Ryan still wasn't home and he hadn't called the whole time he was gone. I was getting worried something happened to him.

"Shit, where is he?" I said looking at the clock and seeing it was almost midnight. He had been gone since three that afternoon.

"Call Spencer and Kara and see if he is there." Cali told me handing the phone over to me. I dialed their number and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" Spencer's voice answered sounding sleepy.

"Is Ryan there?" I asked.

"No. Why, isn't he there?"

"No. He left this afternoon and said he was going to your house."

"He hasn't been here all day, Bren." He told me and my stomach dropped. "Did you try his cell?"

"No, but I'll do that. Thanks." I said and hung up the phone. I dialed Ryan cell phone number and let it ring. No one answered after almost two minutes of ringing and I slammed the phone down and sat with my eyes closed and my head in my hands.

"Brendon. Are you okay?" Cali asked putting her hand on my shoulder.

"No. He didn't go there. What if something happened to him?" I said looking up at her.

"I don't know. Just calm down. I'm sure he'll be back." She said and I sat back, still worried and watched the movie we had been watching.

About a half hour later there was a noise outside the front door and the knob jiggled. Cali looked over at me with wide-eyes and I slowly got up and opened it carefully. I found Ryan on the other side of the door with tears running heavily down his cheeks.

"Ry." I said and he looked up at me with blood shot eyes. He reeked of alcoholic and he was breathing heavily. "Come here." I said holding my arms out to him and he collapsed into them sobbing. I walked him back onto the couch and he grasped onto me as if he was afraid of me letting him go.

"I'm sorry. Brendon, I'm sorry." He muttered over and over again and I held his body as he shook with sobs.

"Sh, I know. I know." I told him holding him close and rocking him, trying to calm him down.

"Tell Pete I'm sorry and I love him." He said as his sobs subsided and he was taking in tiny gasps of air.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"I can't. I'm drunk."

"Okay. Sh, calm down. Take deep breaths." I told him as his breath began to shallow out and his eye-lids became droopy.

"I'm sorry." He said and I knew he was about to pass out. "I love him."