The Tick Tock of the Clock

“Oh my god! Pete! Pete! Over here!”

“Is this your newest Girlfriend?”

“What happened to Ashlee?”

“Pete!”
“Pete!”
“Pete!”

That’s all I heard as the doors opened and we barely stepped out of the elevator. Pete for some odd reason had his arm tightly around my shoulders. I think it was because he was afraid I’d collapse again under my own grief; which I wouldn’t be surprised if I did.

I glared at the people through my sunglasses holding up a hand, covering one man’s camera lens as he pushed it in my face.

“I have this thing.” I hissed at him. “Call personal space and I’d like it back.” I snapped. The man laughed at me as if I was joking. “I will hurt you. I’m having a very bad day and someone is going to die before noon today.” I hissed still glaring at the man. Pete began counting on his fingers lightly, brows screwing together just behind the top of his sunglasses as he pursed his lips.

“Sweet, we’re not in the car at that time.” He laughed as the group seemed to freeze and back up. “Hey! Wait for me!” He yelled, jogging to catch up with me as I hurried through the parting sea of photographers; all of which were still snapping pictures. “So…” Pete muttered as the group began to follow us, his arm draped over my shoulder loosely this time. “Who are you going to eat? And if you’re doing a neck tie, make sure I’m out of the room first. I don’t wanna hurl.” He muttered lightly laughing at the idea of me actually going to kill someone, or eat them. Even if my life depended on it, I couldn’t kill anyone. That was someone else’s life and I have no right to take it- or the stomach, nor heart. No matter what Pete thinks.

The car loomed into view as we walked to it and got in. More people springing up with cameras, as if we were some sort of game and they were the hunters. Turning I glanced at Pete as he put the car in drive and placed his hand on the passenger seat turning and leaning towards me. Watching him I looked back as well, and then up at him as he smiled down at me.

Someone was going to get paid a lot of this moment if they got the right angle.

“What did they keep repeating to you?” I asked softly looking up at Pete as he faced forward putting the car into drive. With a sigh he nodded his head licking his lips a bit as if trying to form the words. “It’s not like you can do anymore damage to me.” I whispered my voice shaking as I sniffled a bit.

“Bull.” He shot. “You’re on the edge of a total mental break down. There is so much more I could do to you right now-” He hit the breaks as we both screamed at something going over the car with a loud thud and bang. “Holy… shit.” He whispered getting out of the car quickly. With shaking hands I got out slowly. “Get back in the car Ella.” Pete snapped not even to the object yet. I didn’t listen, just closed my door. “Ella.” He growled getting to it as all the photographers stopped watching him from a distant. “Hey.” He muttered as I froze noticing a black sweater, hood up, jeans and a pair of shoes. “Hey…” Pete bent over as I placed my hands over my mouth, tears welling behind my eyes.

We killed someone.

“Hey, are you okay… you son of a bitch!” He screamed as he lifted the hood off. The tears were already rolling down my face. “Get out her Mark, you ass.” Laughter erupted to my left. Turning I stared at Mark, and two other guys laughing.

“You should really pay attention to where you’re driving Pete.” Mark choked out as my legs gave out and I sank to the ground still crying. “Hey,” Mark muttered quickly. “Are you okay?”

“You douche! Couldn’t you wait till some other time? Today was a bad to do this.” Pete yelled. I could hear his pounding footsteps as my head seemed to sway with the weight of it lifting off my shoulders. The small pounding that had started the second the loud band had happened vanishing.

“Bad time? Bad Time, I was talking to a hottie when you had me pushed into that fountain!” Mark snapped as Pete crouched in front of me pushing his sunglasses onto of his head before grabbing my shoulders.

“Ella, Ella are you okay? It’s just a dummy, I swear. It’s a dummy.” Pete muttered quickly. The laughter was gone as I tried not to break into sobs. My breathing grew a bit louder and shallower the more I tried to calm down. “Ella. It’s a dumb…” Pete didn’t even finish only wrapped his arms around me as I cried.

“Whoa, water works for nothin’” One of Mark’s friends muttered as Mark crouched down next to me placing a hand on my shoulder lightly squeezing it.

“She’s not crying for nothing. She’s had a really bad morning.” Pete hissed at him glaring with a small growl.

“What happened?” Mark whispered. Pete looked at me as I sniffled trying to pull away. Learning over Pete sighed in Mark’s ear.

“She lost a family member kinda suddenly.” Pete muttered rubbing my arm lightly watching me. I glanced at Mark placing his head in his hands.

“I’m a dumbass.” He gasped. Reaching over I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know.” I whispered standing up and getting back in the car. “Can we go now?” I asked Pete when he stood up by the door leaning in it a bit towards me. “I just wanna go.” I added he nodded looking at me.

“I think we need to call everything off for the next couple of weeks, so you can just relax. Then will put everything back into order.” He whispered at me. Rolling my eyes I looked up at him. “I mean all the big, stressful important things aside like, the thing we have to do when we get back.” He muttered lightly. “We can just go chill at my mom’s and have nice home cooked meals.” He stated nodding his head as I watched him from behind my dark sunglasses.

“Shut up and get in the car. We can’t call anything off. It’s already set into place.” I muttered pushing him out of the way of the door and closing it. I watched as he walked back around the car and got in holding his hand out. Taking it lightly he laced our fingers and out the car into drive.

A soft tap against my window made me look up at Mark. Rolling it down he leaned in.

“I really am sorry, but I had to get Pete back. I didn’t mean to make a pretty girl like you cry.” He smiled at me tipping his head to the side. I narrowed my brows at him a bit confused as to what he was doing a bit. “Okay pretty lady?” He asked smiling at me with a bit of a laugh.

“Mark…” Pete growled light at him. “Stop hitting on her. Trust me. She’s not your type of girl.” Mark’s brows narrowed. “Do you know what an Italian neck tie is?” Pete questioned lightly, Mark shook his head a bit confused. “Well good, get off the car before I give you one.” Pete snapped. Mark pulled off the door watching him a bit confused as I did. The window rolled up as Pete drove off slowly. “Jerk.” He hissed as I laughed a bit.

“Oh shush.” I whispered sniffling back more tears. “You’re just upset he got you back.” I added to my statement as I buckled my seatbelt. “Put on you’re…” I pointed at him, watching as he buckled his seat belt before I could even finish. “Thank you.” I whispered looking at the window as I ran my hands over my cheeks removing the tears.

“If you want Ella, I’ll go with you.” He whispered reaching over and taking my hand, lacing our fingers together. Shaking my head I sighed.

“You need a stress free break.” I muttered lowly at him. Snorting he slowed down for the light and turned to me.

“You need a stress free break. Aren’t you the one complaining about grey’s?” He asked I watched the light change and pointed. Facing forward he took hold of the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. “You need a break.” He shot again. Rolling my eyes I pulled my hand away removing more tears. I didn’t like the fact that he was worrying over me, or the fact that his hand was so warm in mine. “You need….” He trailed off gasping as if he had just figures out the most brilliant thing ever. “You need a break.” He stated again smiling. Turning to him I glared pointing as his smile spread, his eye brows rose and he blinked slowly; that face meant one thing: He had an idea.

“What ever you’re thinking: no.” I hissed at him pointing. “No Peter. No! Do you hear me Pete?” I asked he turned to me still smiling. “No Pete.” I hissed.

“You need a break.” He stated firmly. Pulling out my phone I quickly I dialed quickly. “Who are you calling?” I was calling the one woman who could control Pete on all the same levels I could, and every level I couldn’t.

“You’re mom.” I huffed at him as it began to ring.

“Hey, don’t insult me.” He snapped swatting at me. Rolling my eyes I waited.

“Hello?” A guy answered. It was one of three people, either Pete’s dad or his little brother Andrew.

“Hey, this is Ella.” I muttered softly as Pete watched me silently, his good manors kicking in.

“Hey Ella, what’s up?” Andrew.

“I need to talk to your mom.” I muttered watching Pete’s mouth drop open, his eyes growing wide.

“Sure thing; let me get her.” He muttered as I listened to him put the phone down as he began yelling for his mom.

“You’re seriously calling my mom?!” Pete gasped at me. “That’s a low blow! That’s below the belt!” He yelled throwing his arms up quickly before taking hold of the steering wheel as he got on the freeway out of town. “Seriously!” He gasped dramatically.

“Oh shush.” I whispered waiting for Mrs. Wentz to answer the phone.

“Hello?” Came her rather delighted, chipper voice.

“Hi Mrs. Wentz,” I herd her groan in disproval, but she will never get me to call her by her first name even if my life depends on it. She’s my boss’s mother and not related to me in any way and she knows she can’t win. “I’d like you to talk to your son to be rational.” I stated with a sigh.

“Oh dear,” She gasped. I could see her brows knitting together as she placed a hand over her mouth as she looked at her husband a bit worried. “What as that poor boy done now?” She asked softly, almost sounding as if she didn’t really want to know.

“Well, that poor boy you call a son.” I started watching Pete constantly look at me from the corner of his eye. “Thinks I need a break, but his pea sized mind can’t seem to register the fact that I work for him.” I muttered and put it on speaker phone as she sighed into the receiver.

“Well, I’d agree you do need a break dear.” She mused as Pete muttered a soft ‘ha, I win’ in my direction. “But I do understand the fact that even on your off days you spend them doing things for him.” She sighed as Pete glanced at me quickly before the road. “That does seem like something he wouldn’t understand.”

“I can hear you!” Pete gasped as his mother. “Dude, that’s not funny!” He snapped back at the laughing women on my phone. A small smile broke over my lips as I listened to him and his mother’s banter back and forth.

“So,” I cut into them. “Can you knock some sense into your son and tell him he’s wrong, that even if he gives me a break I’ll still be working?” I asked she sighed.

“She’s right Pete sweetie.”

“Well I’ll take her black book and cell phone away.” Pete shot as I rolled my eyes at him.

“And then you’ll call me a day or two later confused and near tears because you can’t figure out how to run your own life the way I have it set up, or you’ll be lost somewhere because you took the wrong address out of my black book and left the book at your apartment.” I stated watching him as he grunted and began mimicking me.

“Pete, Sweetie.” Mrs. Wentz muttered slowly catching her son’s attention. “I’m sorry to say but she’s right.” I laughed as she hung up so she’d have the last word in the matter.

“You’re Mom’s got that down.” I whispered putting my phone away as he grumbled to himself holding the steering wheel tightly, annoyed. “Oh be quite, you know it’s true. Or you’d call Andy so you wouldn’t have to admit it to me, and Andy would call me later laughing about it.” He pointed at me.

“That only happened once.” He stated holding up one finger in my face. “Once!” He gasped as I opened my mouth. “You hear me, once.” He snapped at me trying to stop me for recalling more events that added up to a number near or over ten.

“Sure… we’ll go with that.” I muttered as he nodded. “But-” I stopped as he turned glaring at me. “Okay, okay, once.” I muttered lightly holding my hands up. “You’re right.” I muttered lightly at him smiling a bit as he nodded.