Erchomai [Ricochet/Adam Cole]

chapter 23: just wrong

JOHNNY: Having friends that don't care about you!

LACE: Which you never have to worry about with us!

BIANCA: We've got your back, always.

MIA: And we love you!

TREVOR: Love y'all, too.

+

After the break-up, Trevor doesn't expect himself to be thrown into the stages of grief. And though he tries to fight it, he eventually decides on letting it run its course. He's got nothing better to do, so why the hell not?

Apollo and Akira have to fly out for RAW, but the rest of his friends, as they agreed upon, grace him with their presence in shifts.

On the first day, Lacey is here to keep him company. He's power cleaning the apartment and Lacey is hurrying to keep up with him as she asks if he wants to talk about it. "Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about, everything's fine," he tells her in deep denial.

Lacey sighs, deciding to stop following him and moving to straighten his CD collection instead. "Trev, it's okay if you're upset."

"Why would I be upset?" He forces a chuckle as he glances over from where he's dusting the television. "Lace, I'm cool, alright? We weren't in love or anything, so it's all good."

Lacey doesn't look convinced, but Trevor has a house to clean and there's no time to let her psychoanalyze him or whatever. "Listen, you don't have to tell us what happened," Lacey starts, turning away from his stereo with concerned eyes. "But none of us like seeing you like this, Trevor."

Trevor really doesn't want to talk about this, but maybe if he opens up a little, she'll drop it. Placing the duster down, he comes over to her to try and explain what he's feeling. "Lacey, Adam lied to me in the early stages of our relationship. When I found out about it, I made a choice to end things. That's all there is to it. We're over and you don't have to expect me to stay caged up because I'm doing just fine. See?" He points at himself with a faux smile. "The Killers song reference is proof."

Looking like she wants to say something else, Trevor cuts Lacey off. "All this cleaning got me hungry. You hungry? I can make lunch real quick." He whirls around and heads off towards the kitchen.

He doesn't look back to see Lacey's reaction, but he doesn't have to. Trevor knows she and their friends are concerned about him even though they don't need to be. This is just a small set-back and nothing more.

He's gonna be fine.

+

"Fuck, I can't believe any of this shit," Trevor says, nostrils flaring as he rests his chin on his clasped hands, tapping his foot against the floor erratically. Johnny sits beside him, rubbing his back. It brings Trevor no sense of comfort, so he stands and starts pacing his living room. "I don't get it. What did he think was going to happen when I found out he lied to me?"

Johnny doesn't know the specifics. Still, he opens his mouth to say anything along the lines of reassuring, but Trevor's words stop him short. "And can I even be mad at him without being mad at myself for falling for it?"

Trevor groans, stopping in front of a window and balling his hands into fists. "I should've never agreed to go to that damn baseball game. All it did was ruin a good friendship. That's what pisses me off the most." Even as he says this, Trevor knows if he could take everything back – every little moment, every sweet kiss – he wouldn't. Because he's not the type of person willing to throw something like that away, regardless of the outcome of it.