fragments // patrick stump

chapter one

“What,” Summer says, staring at her best friend.

“Chicago isn’t that far away,” Katie rationed. “I mean, it’s only a couple of hours.”

“I’ll have to find a new job,” she ignores her. “Oh my god. A new place. What are we doing?”

“This job gives me a promotion,” Katie told her coaxingly. “We could buy so much tea.”

Summer caves. “Fine. When do we move?”

Katie throws her arms around the girl. “Thank you thank you thank you! You won’t regret this, I swear!”

“Yeah yeah,” she grumbles. “I’m wonderful, I know. Now when is this happening?”

“In a week,” Katie replies brightly.

Summer sighs. She wasn’t really expecting it to be any later. Katie does things fast, fast, fast. She always has.

She sighs to herself and heads into her room to pack.

**

Katie and Summer have been best friends all their lives. People always referred to them as non biological twins, which Summer admired, even though they looked nothing alike. Katie’s got dark brown corkscrew curls, porcelain skin and warm brown eyes that always look inviting and open. Katie’s just warm and inviting all around. It’s part of her charm.

Summer is her opposite in everyway, with straight red hair and cool gray eyes. She’s closed. She’s always been closed.

Katie can remember the exact day Summer closed, but no one really wants to remember it. It’s not fun. But sometimes, she wonders how her best friend is doing when she looks at those gray eyes. They look so sad.

They grew up in Des Moines, right next door. Summer can remember using flashlights to talk to each other through the windows, and sneaking out to sit on the roof every night to play Monopoly. Life was easier when you were younger.

But the point is, they had been inseparable for a long time, and Summer wouldn’t refuse this idea to move to Chicago. Chicago was a nice city, anyways. Full of new people and new things to do.

Maybe this is exactly what she needed.

**

“Oh my god, it’s fucking hot,” Katie groans, wiping a hand across her forehead.

They’ve just finished moving the last of their furniture into the apartment.

it’s small, but that’s fine; they don’t need it to be big. Summer’s room has a window, and she adores it. It gives a sense of freedom.

Chicago is really big. Summer loves it.

Big means hard to navigate, sure, but it also lessens the probability of bumping into people twice. That’s always a nice thought. She doesn’t like people very much.

“Dammit Summer, you brought those posters?” Katie jests, grinning.

“Yeah well,” Summer grins back. “Couldn’t go away to Chicago without bringing my babies, could I?”

“Please don’t refer to them as that ever again,” Katie snorted, running her hand along Alex Gaskarth’s leg.

Summer has a thing for bands. It’s normal. She swears it is.

Or, as normal as fourteen posters can get.

“He’s not,” Katie muses.

“Not as hot as Jack,” Summer mutters.