The Art of Reconstruction (Andley)

1: Parking Lot Escapades

Before we get into the story you all should know that this is a spinoff/sequel type thing to The Art of Dilapidation which is a Kellic fic I wrote. It's advisable that you read that first because this totally spoils the ending, but it's not necessary, so if you don't ship Kellic you can just proceed with this. Alright, hope you enjoy! -Lily
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I sat in my car in an empty parking lot, a cigarette hanging from my lip. Rain pounded down on the asphalt, the sound filling my ears. I turned up my stereo to drown it out. I didn't want to hear the rain because it reminded me that there was a world outside of the one I'd created in my car. More than anything, I just wanted to bury myself in my music and pretend as if I was the only person in the world.

Sitting in parking lots with my phone turned off and my radio blasting had become a habit of mine. It didn't have any entertainment value really. I only did it because I didn't know where else to go. I didn't want to see friends because they would just be confused as to why I was so sullen and moody, well more so than usual. I didn't want to go home because Juliet would try to make me talk about my feelings and I didn't want to talk about shit. Juliet was my "girlfriend". Our relationship wasn't real, but as far as the media was concerned it was. In reality, she was just a really good friend who was happy to help out a homosexual in need.

I did love her in a totally platonic way and I knew she felt the same. She was probably the greatest friend I could've asked for. She had been perfectly willing to cover for me and convince the general public that I was not gay in the slightest. Then, after Ashley had left me and I had showed up at her door in the pouring rain with tears in my eyes she had let me stay with her.

Now, I know why you're thinking, "What? Ashley left you? Why?" I assure you there's a perfectly reasonable yet totally unfair explanation.
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I was at home, lying on my bed with The Dark Knight on the television when it happened. Ash walked in and stood in front of the TV, crossing his arms over his chest. I paused the movie and sat up, looking at him expectantly. He looked troubled and opened and closed his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to put it into words. "Okay, Ash, what's so important that I had to pause Batman? Spit it out," I said raising my eyebrow at him.

Ash looked down at the ground and fidgeted nervously. I had never seen him look so scared before and it was worrying me. He bit his lip, still avoiding my gaze. "Ash, what's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked.

"No, it's just.... We need to talk, Andy," he said. Uh oh, I thought. Nothing good ever comes from those words. "Okay," I said slowly. "Talk." His chocolatey eyes were filled with distress when he looked up at me. I patted the spot on the bed next to me, but he shook his head. "Listen, Andy, I don't really want to do this, but I have to," he began. A pit of dread formed in my stomach and I suddenly felt as though I were going to be sick. I thought I knew what was coming. "I think we should," he paused to take a deep breath, "break up."

"What? Why? Did I do something?" My eyes were wide and frantic. I was praying that this was all some awful nightmare and that I would wake up in Ash's warm embrace and he would kiss me until all my fears faded to the background. "It's just that the band is getting kind of big now and it's getting difficult to hide our relationship," Ash said, his voice quiet and gentle. He was trying to let me down easy.

"But everyone believes that me and Juliet are together and that we're just friends. We just have to be careful, but we can make this work," I said, desperately pleading with him with my eyes.

"No, Andy, people are already starting to suspect something. You've seen the fan fictions and all that stuff on Tumblr," Ash said, sighing. "I don't want to do this, Andy."