One HELL of a good time (Peterick)

Take Me To Church

~Pete's POV~

"Hey, Pete!"

Ryan was sitting in the passenger seat of Brendon's red car. He had been playing candy crush on his phone or something before we walked up.

I gave him a wave, climbing into the backseat. I saw him give Brendon a worried look, but Brendon waved him off as he climbed in.

Brendon started the car and drove. I turned in my seat, hoping Patrick would find my note if he showed up... Hopefully I'd be back before then...but why did I have such a bad feeling that I wouldn't?..

---

Brendon had driven so long that I must have drifted to sleep. I couldn't help it. Car rides were soothing to me. When I was little, before everything went to shit, my parents would drive me around the block on nights I couldn't get to sleep...

"Pete...Heeey Wentzy boooy..." I groaned as I heard Brendon's voice pulling me from my memories.

One of my few good memories.

"Baby, maybe we should let him sleep...You know he doesn't sleep well."

"Ry, I'm not leaving him in an empty car in the middle if the woods. What if there's an Axe murderer?"

"What the actual fuck, Brendon!?" I felt a smile at Ryan's panicked tone.

"So you are awake." I heard Brendon laugh.

"I know I'll be for the whole time we're out here, you ass." I heard Ryan snap.

I opened my eyes and started to blink away my sleep.

Looking out the window confirmed that we were in fact in the woods. The day had also faded into night as well. We couldn't be too far from home, but I didn't recognize the area.

I turned out the other window and saw an old church. It's white exterior was peeling and there were vines crawling up the side of the holy building.

"Did you guys really just take me to church?" I asked in a cracked voice.

"I'll worship like a dog at the SHRINE O' YA LIES!" Brendon sang loudly, throwing his head back to sing at the sky.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "This is the place Jack & Alex knew about." He said, looking back at me.

I nodded and stretched a bit. I looked between the two before Brendon shrugged and opened his door.

"No time like the present." He said simply.

"Except when you put the idea of psycho axe murderers in my head." Ryan pouted, crossing his arms rather than opening his door.

I was climbing out of my door when Brendon pulled Ryan's door open with a laugh.

"Hey! I said nothing about psycho." He teased, planting a quick kiss on the brown haired boy's cheek.

It made me think of Patrick for some reason. I could almost feel his warmth on my skin...

"Shall we go?" Brendon's voice snapped me from my thoughts once again. I sighed and nodded, following the couple up to the hidden away building.

"Wooooah..." When we pushed open the old wooden doors, it was pretty cool. It looked untouched, as if it was preserved in time. The pews along the church corridor stretched seemingly endlessly. At the front was a large podium with a giant pipe organ against the wall to the left.

That's also where Alex and Jack were. Alex was sitting on the piano bench while Jack sat against the wall, watching him with a goofy grin.

"Hey, got any churchy songs?" Brendon hollered over, catching the attention of the boys across the room.

"Not my department." Alex laughed, sliding off his red beanie and running his hand through his purple hair.

"Then how 'bout..." Brendon began to bound down the isle with a bounce in his step, "All you sinners stand up, sing hallelujah!" Brendon laughed as he made it up to the podium at the front of the church.

"Hallelujah!" Jack stood up, raising his hand. Alex rolled his eyes, looking back down at the piano keys.

I followed slowly after Ryan down the isle. I looked at the pews, letting my eyes trail over old bibles and pamphlets stuck in the backs of the benches. It felt like people should still be coming here...The spirit of the church had never left, despite the people having left years ago...

I sat in the front row of pews and looked up at the others onstage. I could feel an isolation from my friends, being the only one without someone beside me. Where was Patrick?.. Probably off on his mission... Whatever it was.

"Hey, ah, Pete?" I looked up to see my four friends gathered around me.

I felt so small being the only one sitting. I squirmed a bit where I sat, looking between them.

"We gotta talk, man." Brendon spoke up first.

"We're worried..." Alex said with a glance over to Brendon and Ryan.

"What is this?.." I asked. My voice came out soft with a slight crack.

"Us trying to help." Jack said uncertainly, "Is it working?"

"Shut up, Jack." Ryan shook his head. He turned his attention to me and continued. "Pete, we're worried! The depression was starting to get kind of better...but then that incident with the fire and you became obsessed with the idea-"

"You don't believe me." I said, standing. "You don't believe a word I told you. I thought you believed me."

"Pete, it's just not possible!" Ryan continued, a bit softer than before.

"I've seen him!" I said louder. My voice strained, "He healed my arm, Ryan!"

"But why would a 'demon' do that?" Ryan put air quotes around the word demon.

I couldn't believe this. I had thought he believed me...Even where Brendon didn't, Ryan seemed on my side.

"Maybe it was just time for them to heal..." Jack said a bit uncomfortably. He didn't seem to be down with what was being said.

"You don't understand..." I said almost silently, looking down. "You haven't seen him..."

"Only you have..."

I looked back up, scanning my eyes between my friends.

"You guys think I've finally lost it." I concluded, feeling my heart sink low in my chest.

"No! Pete, that's not what we're trying to say-" Alex tried to reach out to me, but I stepped back, standing on the church pew.

"You know what? Just fuck off! I know what I saw..." My voice continued to lower as I spoke. I turned and hopped over the bench, walking to the isle and walking down more rows of seats.

The others didn't follow. They stayed at the front of the church as I sat in the very back, hiding the tears that ran down my cheeks.