Panic was rising in my chest as I invited Ned inside. "You are welcome to go sit on the couch, Ned." I began.
He nodded, quickly shuffling over to the couch in my living room.
I closed the door behind him, turning around slowly, terrified to face whatever news Ned had brought with him. I heard my bedroom door shut, and then I saw Lucy's face peek over the top of the banister. I looked up at her, trying to stay calm.
Evidently there was still a look of panic on my face because Lucy's eyes widened and she sprinted down the stairs, hopping the last four steps. She walked up to me, looked out the glass panes of the door, and then returned her focus to me, obviously confused. "Nobody's out there. Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" she asked, a look of concern crossing her face.
I nodded in Ned's direction. He was sitting on the couch, staring absently and rocking back on forth, his arms wrapped around himself. As soon as Lucy's gaze settled on Ned, her face slacked and her eyes became wider than saucers. "Peter?" she ventured.
"I don't know. I have no idea what's going on." I groaned.
A familiar look of determination replaced Lucy's panicked expression, and she stated calmly, "Let's go find out."
She took my arm, and together we walked into my living room and sat on the couch opposite of Ned.
"Ned, what's going on?" I stammered.
"It's Peter. He, he's hurt. I know he is. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let him leave. He should have been home by now," Ned sniffled.
My throat constricted, and I immediately felt light-headed. I felt Lucy's arm reach out and squeeze my knee gently, and she spoke the words I couldn't bring myself to say. "What happened, Ned?"
He started shaking his head, looking lost and exasperated. "I don't know exactly. He didn't tell me. He said he would be back by dinnertime, which always happens right around 5:00."
I lifted my head to look at the clock. It read 8:58 p.m. Peter should have been back almost 4 hours ago. I felt my heart sink.
"I don't know where he is. I think I know a way to find him. But I'm going to need your help, McKenzie. I really wouldn't have asked if I wasn't desperate, but I think that you're the only one that Peter would want to do this." Ned mumbled.
"What about his aunt?" I said, finding my voice. "Can she help?"
"May would shut down if she knew Peter was in any danger. She would lose her head, she wouldn't be thinking straight. I need someone with a level head to help. May... she just wouldn't be that person. I really need you to help me find him," Ned begged.
"Hold up, what about me?" Lucy intervened, fire in her eyes. "I'm not letting my best friend go on some wacko recue mission without me. That's insane. No way."
"Lucy," I pleaded, surprised at how calm my voice sounded, "Please let me do this. If Peter needs me, I need to be there for him. I have to do this by myself." I looked her in the eyes, begging her silently.
She looked back at me with intensity, but I didn't back down. Eventually she sighed, looked away, and conceded. "Fine. But if you get hurt, I am going to kill you. Both of you."
I smiled in gratitude and gave her a hug. "I'll call you when I get home," I promised.
Lucy nodded, and then stood up and walked out the front door. I heard the rev of an engine and I knew she had driven away.
"Thanks, McKenzie. I'm sorry about Lucy. I hope she doesn't get too mad," Ned whimpered.
"Lucy will be fine," I promised. "Let's go find Peter."
I stood up off of the couch, Ned following shortly after. He walked out the door and down the driveway an older car. "Are you okay to drive?" he asked me.
"Yeah, I can— wait, why do I need to drive?" I wondered.
"Oh, I need to use my computer to track him, and I can't do that while I drive, so—"
"Got it. I'll drive." I said, already stepping into the drivers seat. I was eager to get going.
Ned stepped around the car to the passenger side. He took out his computer from the floor of the car, and opened it up.
"Don't you need internet for that to work?" I questioned, starting the engine and backing out of the driveway.
"No, it's a program I designed to be used on the go. It should pull up Peter's location. I would've used it earlier, but I had to charge my computer. Any second now. YES!" Ned screamed, making me jump. "I found him— he's in New York City. I'll guide you through the back roads. Geographically speaking, it would take longer, but with the traffic that downtown New York has, it's going to be faster anyways."
I drove towards New York City, going on the freeway as long as possible. Ned lead me through backroads and neighborhoods, between buildings and through a run down car wash. Ned finally told me I would have to park the car, that Peter was supposedly just around the corner. We were in a run down parking lot, and it looked like nobody had been there in years. I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me as I sprinted around the corner of the building. What I saw nearly made my heart stop.
Peter was on the ground of an alleyway, completely unconscious. A crashed car was off to the side, on a tilt between the two buildings Ned and I were standing between. I slowly walked up to Peter, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest. Peter's clothes were badly torn in areas, revealing scraped up skin underneath. His face was badly scratched and bruised. His lip was cut and bleeding, and even in unconsciousness he looked in pain. My hand flew up to my mouth, and my eyes started to well up in tears. I looked up at Ned, who had started to cry again.
"We have to get him out of here. Help me pick him up," I whispered to Ned. He immediately bent down, and we gently picked him up, one of Peter's arms around my shoulders, the other around Ned's. Peter's head lolled lifelessly as we walked him back to the car. I nodded at Ned, and he let go of Peter to open the door on the passenger side, and then lifted Peter in.
I got into the drivers seat of the car again, Ned clambering into the back seat. My hands were shaking as I closed the door. I looked at Peter and put two of my fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. After a terrible second of nothing, I felt a thump beneath my fingers, and another, and another. I released a held breath, shrinking back into the seat of the car.
What could have happened?
"What do we do with him? Should we try to wake him up?" I asked Ned.
"Let's try and wake him up. Then we'll see what he wants to do." Ned decided.
I nodded. I leaned over, gently shaking Peter's shoulder. He groaned after a second, the only sign of life he had shown since we found him. "I think I will start to drive back through the traffic, to give him some time before he needs to wake up to see his aunt. Plus, the ride will be smoother," I proposed.
Ned nodded sadly. "That's a great idea."
I turned on the car, driving in the direction of the main highway going in and out of New York City. After ten minutes, I was in the middle of New York traffic.
I began mulling over scenarios in my head about what had happened, none of them making me feel any better. I turned around while we were stopped to ask Ned a question, but he was dead asleep. "Great, he's asleep." I sighed and returned my focus to the road, my mind moving a million miles an hour while the car moved slowly forwards.
"Classic Ned."
I jumped a few inches out of my seat, hitting my head on the roof of the car, and turned in shock towards Peter. He was looking at me, and he appeared to try and grin, but his face contorted in pain and he stopped. How could he look good even when he, well, didn't?
"Peter! You're awake!" I exclaimed. My heart raced between my ribs, but when I looked at him, it made my heart seem as if it would shrivel up and disappear.
His face scrunched up in pain again, and I quickly apologized, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll talk softer."
He sat up in his seat, and the small movement appeared excruciating, although he tried to hide it.
"You're good. Why did you come? How did you find me?" he asked, his voice raspy and slightly pained, but still his own.
"Of course I came, Peter. You needed help. Ned found you. I just drove him. I really didn't do anything," I assured him.
Peter stared at me incredulously. "What do you mean, you didn't do anything?" he gasped. "You very well might have saved my life back there! If it wasn't for you, Kenzie, I would still be passed out, lying on some random road in the middle of New York City. Thank you so much."
I gave him a sad smile and nodded. "Of course. If you don't mind me asking, what the heck happened to you?" I questioned.
He looked out the window in melancholy, as if remembering something he didn't want to remember. "Ned and I got in an argument. He was over at my apartment, and we argued over something stupid. He said some things, I said some things I really regret. I'll have to apologize to him when he wakes up," Peter trailed off, looking behind his shoulder at Ned. I saw Peter tear up a little bit, before quickly wiping it away. My heart broke for him. Peter continued, "Anyways, I needed some time alone. So I started driving, and the first place I thought to go was down to the Target in New York City, because our trip yesterday was on my mind. As I was driving there, traffic got really bad, so I pulled off into a little corner between two buildings, trying to find some peace and quiet. I was just sitting there for a little while, mulling things over, when some idiot drag racers turned the corner and slammed into my car. I think I flew out the window and passed out." he finished.
"And that's where we found you," I concluded.
"Yeah, I guess." Peter looked down gravely.
I looked at Peter. "I'm really sorry about your fight with Ned. Will you guys be okay?" I asked. I couldn't bear to think about Peter and Ned never making up— Peter would be shattered.
Luckily, he nodded quickly. "Yeah, it will be okay. Even best friends fight sometimes." he affirmed.
"Will you be okay? Do you need a hospital?" I gulped.
He chuckled a little and shook his head, examining himself a little bit. "At worst, I have a concussion and my lip is split. I'll just rest and take it easy. I'll be okay, all thanks to you." He smiled at me, mending and breaking my heart at the same time.
"Let's get you home," I suggested.
The rest of the car ride was ridden with stolen conversations between the two of us, car horns and Ned's snoring the only things to distract us from the terrifying reality that Peter could have died today.
A/N: 7-11-18
Word count: 1998
I felt like this chapter should be moved to a later on point in Pete and Kenz's relationship but hey, it's here. I think part of the reason it bothers me is because Kenz seems maybe a little bit overly worried about Peter, and it's kind of weird that Ned would know where Kenzie's house is. And then I realized- that's totally in character for both of them. So, after a lot of internal debate, I'm leaving this here lol
~n.s.