The Last Good Thing About This Part of Town

"Holy hell, what are we gonna do?!" Pete growled for about the twentieth time since finding out about Tim's departure from the band. After the initial shock and explicit outbursts from Pete and Andy, the four friends walked back to Patrick's house in relative silence with Pete muttering to himself every so often. Now, he was laying on the sectional like a psychiatry patient with his legs draped across Julianna's thighs and his arm crooked over his face.

"We have to reorganize," Joe stated as he paced across the room, "decide if we want to keep going or regroup and form a different band."

"I don't think we're in the right state of mind to be making rash decisions right now," Andy advised.

"We don't have to decide anything. I'm just saying we need to think about these things and talk about them....preferably sooner rather than later."

"What about Patrick?" Julianna asked, briefly glancing at the boy sitting on the floor near the coffee table.

"Dude, can you sing?" Pete turned his head and peeked out from under his arm at the younger boy. Patrick looked terrified and like he was about ready to cry as he vigorously shook his head. "Oh my god, we're doomed!"

"Stop, Pete!" Joe whirled around furiously. "Just stop! This is not the end of the world, it's just a fucking huge speed bump. We can work past it. I say we just mull it over for a few days, decide what we want to do and where we want to go as individuals, then make a collective decision regarding the future of Arma Angelus."

"Why don't you just stand on the fucking coffee table next time," Pete shot back, swinging his feet to the floor to push himself into a seated position on the sectional.

"Listen, just because you--,"

"Guys!" Andy interrupted harshly. "We are all hurt, confused and feeling a little betrayed right now, but yelling at each other is not the fix."

Julianna looked between Pete and Joe's tight, angry faces and the furrow of Andy's forehead, but underneath the hostility she knew they were just scared. The occupational future they had planned together seemed to be crumbling. Suddenly, she felt like she was intruding on an intensely private moment, and she wondered what Patrick was thinking at that moment. He looked wrecked; his shoulders slumped, his whole face was downcast, and he was just sitting there on the floor without saying a word, his arms crossed over his stomach like he was protecting himself.

"Shit, what about the Halloween gig?" Pete asked. "Are we gonna play that show?"

"I don't know, man. We don't need to know that right now," Joe answered, still clearly annoyed.

"It's in two fucking weeks, Joe!" Pete reminded his band mate. Joe resumed his pacing, running one hand absently through his hair, his facial features set with worry and a tinge of anger. Julianna had only known him for a couple weeks, but she had never seen so much emotion in the usually calm, even-keeled guitarist. She kind of liked witnessing this side of him, though; being able to know what made him tick and what he was very passionate about. When those things were threatened or taken away, she liked knowing he was willing to fight for them, and he was discerning enough to think about his course of action rather than making impulsive decisions that could potentially hinder any progress. Joe was the polar opposite of Pete, who was all emotion and immediate action without much thought of the consequences until it was too late.

"Ok, so what do we want to do?" Andy asked evenly. "Are we going to sleep on it and revisit this conversation tomorrow, or take some time to consider our options?"

"I vote we take a few days to think about it, talk to friends and family or whatever, then meet up on, like, Tuesday or Wednesday," Joe said.

"Pete?" Andy looked at his roommate.

After a slight pause, Pete sighed, "That's fine."

Later that night, after the older guys left because Andy had to work in the morning and Pete just wanted to go home, Joe, Patrick and Julianna grabbed some pop from the garage refrigerator then returned to the basement.

"Ok man, what is going on with you and Lindsay?" Patrick blurted out as he plopped down on the sectional next to Julianna and popped open his can of Dr. Pepper. He didn't miss the look that passed between his best friend and the girl, Joe's eyes silently questioning how much Patrick knew. Julianna just shrugged and opened her own can of pop then took a sip.

"What makes you think there's something going on?" Joe finally asked.

"Nuh-uh, that's bullshit," Patrick accused. "You're my best friend, Joseph Trohman, don't play dumb with me. Julianna knows something, Andy knows something, and your supposed girlfriend is hardly ever around. Even less than when you first began dating. That does not seem like a healthy relationship."

Joe sighed and suddenly became very interested in his hands as he mumbled, "I think she's cheating on me."

"You think? You don't know? That's a hefty accusation without having proof," Patrick told him.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on his side," Julianna back-handed Patrick in the stomach.

"I am on his side!" Patrick defended himself. "I'm on your side, Joe, but I don't think it's fair to throw around that kind of accusation without proof."

"It's not like she's gonna come right out and say 'oh, by the way, Joe, I'm sleeping with someone else'," Julianna pointed out.

"You've slept with her?!"

"Oh my god, Patrick, chill out!" Joe looked like he was about ready to strangle his best friend. "No, we have not had sex, but I think she's banging a guy at work. She said she was working last night, which is why she wasn't at the after party, but when I called her after you two left the bar there was a lot of noise and loud music and voices on the other end....more like a party than a coffeeshop. And she talks about this guy Craig from work a lot. She says it's just because he's her boss and they get along really well, but I don't know, man. I'm suspicious. Like you said, she's been bailing on me a lot lately. Like, the day Lindsay and I were supposed to hang out after school, before Julianna and I did that lab, I was already halfway to her house before she called and said she was sick. But now, looking back, I don't think she was sick because she was just fine the next day. Then, that Friday we went bowling, I asked if she wanted to come over to my place and she said she was tired, but as we were saying good night she got a call from Craig. I don't know what to do!"

"Do you love her?" Julianna asked. Both boys looked at her like she had suddenly grown another head.

"Well, I--I don't--I'm only sixteen," Joe sputtered. "It's not like I think I want to marry her or anything."

"I didn't ask that. Are you in love with her?" It was more of a statement than a question this time. Julianna saw Joe's large blue eyes change from angry to quizzical and pensive, then he met her gaze.

"No," he said bluntly, "I'm not in love with her."

"Then there's your answer."

For some reason, this little exchange of words between Joe and Julianna irritated Patrick. It seemed like they had forgotten he was even in the room with them, let alone sitting only a few inches from Julianna. He wanted to think it was no big deal, that he was just overreacting because he had a gigantic crush on Julianna, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why he was unable to just shrug off this thing between Joe and Julianna. Or maybe he was bothered by the fact that she did not seem to remember what happened last night and early this morning. She had put the moves on him! 'And now she's acting like it didn't happen?' Ever since she showed up at his house it was like she was doing her best to keep distance between herself and him, both physically and emotionally.

Last night, he thought they had taken a step forward in their relationship, but today it felt like two steps back. Maybe she was just hyped up last night because of the concert and being in the city away from her parents....and she was slightly drunk when she danced with him and kissed him while they stood on the doorstep. Patrick wondered now if she was only here to get closer to Joe. 'Have I misread all the signs? It wouldn't be the first time.'